After dominating every corner of the WorldTour calendar, from the cobbles of Flanders to the summit of Isola 2000, Colnago’s V4Rs exits the stage with a palmarès few bikes in history can rival. Its successor, the V5Rs, made its debut at the Amstel Gold Race and wasted no time stepping into the spotlight, racking up wins at La Flèche Wallonne, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, the Critérium du Dauphiné, and a stage of the Giro d’Italia.
Meet Tadej Pogačar’s new weapon: a bike that’s lighter, sharper, and built to push the limits of modern road racing.
Meet the V5Rs
Subtle as the updates may be, the V5Rs does come with one bold superlative: it’s the lightest frame Colnago has ever produced. Thanks to a revised carbon layup and refined manufacturing, the frameset comes in at just 1027 grams, putting it in league with the Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8 or Cervélo R5.
The Ride
Off the bat, I’ll tell you: there is nothing flashy about the V5Rs. It doesn’t even have an obvious “wow” factor. There are lighter, faster and snappier bikes out there. But the more I rode it, the more I reached for it. It’s fast and fun to ride, yes, but it’s got a quiet competence to it that kept drawing me back.
The bike as reviewed:
First Impressions
On the road
To that end, let’s dive into one of the biggest talking points of this bike: the price.
The price
Specialized’s S-Works Tarmac SL8, also with a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 build, comes in at $12,999 / £12,000; the Canyon Aeroad CFR Di2 retails for $10,499 / £7,899.00; and the newly released Cervélo S5, with a Shimano Di2 and a power meter, comes in at $14,250 / £12,500.
Final Thoughts
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