Bianchi Intenso Disc

The Bianchi Intenso Disc is a comfortable endurance bike that offers a well-balanced ride and consistent braking in all weathers.

Note: the 2017 version of this bike comes with Fulcrum Racing Sport Disc Brake wheels rather than the DT Swiss R24 Spline wheels fitted here, and it's priced £2,600.

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The Intenso Disc is a good bike for racking up the miles whatever the conditions. The riding position is performance orientated but a couple of clicks back from full-on aggressive, the components score highly for reliability, and you get neutral, well-behaved handling here.

To me, the Intenso Disc lacks the excitement of Bianchi's Oltre XR1 (the equivalent version built up with Shimano 105 components is priced £2,400), but maybe that's not a fair comparison because they're quite different bikes. Whereas the Oltre is aimed at all-out speed, the Intenso is billed as an 'Endurance Racing' bike.

What's the difference? The main thing is the riding position.

I won't go too deeply into the figures because, well, geometry talk is a bit boring to be honest, but our 59cm Intenso Disc has a 200mm head tube, a 598mm stack (the vertical distance from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the head tube) and a 391mm reach (the horizontal distance between those two points). That's exactly the same geometry as you get with Bianchi's Infinito CV bikes – both the rim brake and the disc brake versions.

The Oltre XR1, for comparison, has a 180mm head tube, a 580mm stack and a 397mm reach.

That means that the Intenso Disc puts you into quite an upright riding position by road bike standards. Granted, many other endurance bikes are more upright – Italian brands tend to be conservative in this respect – but I did occasionally find myself wanting to get more tucked up and aero.

That's not a criticism, by the way. A riding position that's slightly more relaxed than traditional is exactly what many people are after in order to maintain comfort for longer. It can definitely be a positive, depending on what you're after.

Built-in comfort

Bianchi has sought to provide more comfort by adding Kevlar inserts into the fork legs and seatstays. We've written loads on road.cc about the CounterVail (CV) technology that Bianchi adds to its higher end frames to reduce vibration and fatigue, and improve handling and control. The trouble is, CV drives prices super-high so Bianchi sticks with what it calls BAT - K-VID tech on the Intenso.

BAT stands for Bianchi Active Technology and K-VID is short for Kevlar Vibration Isolating Device. The idea is that the shaping of the fork and the snaking rear triangle, along with Kevlar inserts in those areas, provide improved shock absorption and adherence to the road.

I couldn't tell you exactly what mechanisms are at work but over the past few weeks I have found the Intenso Disc to be a comfortable bike. I mean, you don't find yourself sitting there thinking, 'Wow, those K-VID inserts are really working hard alongside the Bianchi Active Technology to keep road vibration down to a more than acceptable level', but you do notice that you're not getting a boot in the seatpad every time you hit a less than perfect road surface (which is nearly all the time).

I wouldn't say that the Selle San Marco Era Startup Power saddle is anything special but it's not offensive either, and one thing we know is that saddles are very much a matter of personal preference.

The Intenso Disc is stable at speed without any twitchiness, and it corners beautifully thanks to its well-balanced setup. If you do find that you've overdone the speed going into a bend, the Shimano BR-RS505 hydraulic disc brakes will get you out of trouble.

All-weather braking

I'm not an ambassador for disc brakes. Personally, I think they're a great addition to many bikes but not the perfect solution in all situations (at least not in their current form). Here, I think they make a lot of sense.

Take yesterday evening, for example, when I got caught in rain that was so hard it was hitting the tarmac and bouncing back upwards in a comedy fashion. These brakes carried on working almost as well as in dry conditions. Yes, before anyone says it, the weakness in the system is the grip of skinny tyres on the road surface – that's true – but these brakes start to bite immediately even when it's wet, unlike rim brakes that need to squeegee off the braking surface first. I just think that good disc brakes are an excellent choice on a bike like this.

> Buyer's Guide: 2017's hottest disc brake-equipped road bikes

The Intenso's disc brakes are Shimano flat mount standard and Bianchi uses 12mm x 100mm (front) and 130mm (rear) thru axles. They're not quick-release, as such. You get a single hex key that slots in place in one of the axles, which you can pull out when you need to remove a wheel. It sits in there securely and doesn't rattle.

The disc brakes do add some weight, though, and it has to be said that this isn't a particularly light bike. Although Bianchi claims a 1,100g (+/-5%) frame weight, our complete bike hit the road.cc Scales of Truth at a fairly portly 8.7kg (19.2lb) without pedals. Weight isn't the be all and end all on an endurance bike (or any other bike, come to that), but all other things being equal you'd rather it was a touch lighter.

Groupset, wheels & finishing kit

The RS505 brakes are essentially 105 level to match the derailleurs, 105 being Shimano's highly reliable mid-level groupset. The chainset is a downgrade to Shimano RS500, though, which is a shame because the 105 version is one of the best components in the groupset.

That RS500 chainset is a compact (50-tooth and 34-tooth chainrings) matched up to an 11-28-tooth cassette. Gearing is always going to be a matter of personal preference but a setup like that will probably suit most people on most terrains. Some of you might prefer a wider ranging cassette, depending on your fitness and the roads you ride.

The wheels on our review bike are DT Swiss R24 Spline but they've been changed to Fulcrum Racing Sports for 2017. The tyres are Vittoria Zaffiro Pro Slicks in a 25mm width – 25mm being the new black. Not so new anymore, come to think of it.

The handlebar, stem and seatpost are all aluminium in-house options that are ripe for upgrading over time. There's nothing wrong with any of them, but if you want to save weight this would be a good place to start.

One other component that's worth a mention is the Shimano BBR60 bottom bracket. It's of the screw-in variety. Although pressed-in bottom brackets and oversized axles can add stiffness, threaded bottom brackets don't have nearly as many issues with creaking, and as long term sufferers will attest, that can be good news for your mental health.

Conclusion

The Bianchi Intenso Disc is a good endurance bike that offers comfort, reliability and exceptional braking in all conditions. It didn't get my pulse racing in the same way as other models in Bianchi's range – it lacks the excitement of the Oltre, for example – but it's not that kind of bike. If you want to get your head down and go flat out at everything, the Intenso Disc isn't for you. But if you want a bike that's stable, well behaved and suitable for racking up the big miles, it has plenty to offer.

Verdict

Comfortable, reliable endurance bike that provides excellent braking in all weathers