We’ve all had a few laughs here at the expense of the cycling media and the marketing departments over the years. It seems like very day they’re “changing the game,” when in fact the only thing they’re really changing is the price. But every so often the industry does hit upon something truly revolutionary, and when that happens I stand ready to give credit where credit is due.
This is why I’m beyond excited about the new Bianchi Infinito, the most game-changingest bicycle that ever game-changed:
[Actually, I don’t think the article uses the phrase “game changing” at all, but still.]
Behold, the Bike of the Future!
[Can it core a apple? Yes, it can core a apple.]
Looks just like any other crabon bike doesn’t it? WRONG! Because all those other bikes don’t have viscoelastic vibration-cancelling technology:
Central to this is the newest version of Countervail vibration-cancelling technology, which combines a viscoelastic material with a special carbon fibre. It integrated with the reworked seatpost, and is 20% lighter than previously. This claims to make a better riding experience.
Here’s how it works:
I’ve heard of word salad before, but that was actually video salad.
In addition to being laterally stiff yet vertically compliant viscoelastic, the new Bianchi Counterwhatever has a revolutionary new frame and fork that were “developed as an integrated system” resulting in a “12 watt improvement:”
Other parts of the geometry have been altered, with a higher stack, longer chainstays, and a zero-offset seatpost, all combining to hopefully create a better long-distance riding bike. The frame and fork were developed as an integrated system, which means a claimed 12 watt improvement.
Oooh, a 12-watt improvement!
Over what, exactly?
The article doesn’t say.
It also doesn’t say which frames and forks out there are not “developed as an integrated system,” probably because this applies to pretty much evere bicycle ever made since the days of the pennyfarthing.
For example, see this?
You’re looking at an integrated system.
Mind-blowing, isn’t it?
I mean sure, the industry has attempted to market non-integrated frame and fork systems here and there, but they never really caught on:
Look, by now you’re probably getting tired of all the technical jargon. Viscoelastic technology… Integrated frame and fork systems… What you really want to know is, “Does it have one of those nifty downtube storage compartments?”
Of course it does:
It also comes with a internal compartment designed to be packed with tools or small jackets; extra packing space being the long-distance cyclist’s dream, of course.
And it all comes together in a brilliantly executed package that is perfectly at home not just on roads, but also on slightly different types of roads.
“With the new Infinito, we wanted to honour our high-performance racing DNA whilst fully embracing modern cycling, where a single ride might transition from pristine asphalt to unpredictable light gravel,” Alberto Cavaggioni, Bianchi CEO, said. “This is a bike that doesn’t just manage the road, it empowers cyclists to ignore the surface altogether and focus entirely on the pure joy of the ride, allowing them to go further, faster, and with more control.”
It really does sound like a bike you can ride forever…or at least until next year’s model is introduced.