Bianchi Infinito XE Ultegra

The new Bianchi Infinito XE is a stable, comfortable endurance road bike with a dialled back geometry that makes it especially suitable for sportives and other long rides.

• Pros: Comfortable, cheaper than the CV model, great groupset
• Cons: Wheels lag behind the rest of the spec

The Infinito CV has been in Bianchi's range for a few years now, but the Countervail technology incorporated into the frameset, designed to damp vibration, jacks the price up, hence the introduction of the Infinito XE (XE stands for Xtra Endurance, by the way).

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The Infinito XE replaces the Intenso in Bianchi's lineup. It's neither a rebranded Intenso nor an Infinito CV with the Countervail taken out, although the geometry is very similar; it comes out of new moulds.

The ride

The easiest way to describe the Infinito XE is to say that it feels a lot like a traditional race bike but with tweaks that add stability, a more relaxed riding position and a little extra comfort.

With some brands the difference between the low-slung race bike in the range and the endurance road bike is vast, but Bianchi keeps them relatively similar – or, at least, they're not a million miles apart. Bianchi turns the dials down but the Infinito XE is still a bike with a focus on getting there fast.

Put the power down and there's very little flex at either the bottom bracket or the tapered (1 1/8in upper bearing, 1 1/2in lower bearing) head tube. Weighing 8.93kg (19lb 11oz), this isn't the lightest bike in the world (Bianchi claims a frame weight of 1,100g, and 420g for the fork, compared with 1,020g for the frame and 390g for the fork of the Infinito CV), but don't get too hung up about that – it responds well to increased effort.

The compact chainset (with 50-tooth and 34t chainrings) – which is what the vast majority of brands fit to their endurance bikes – is matched to an 11-30t cassette, and this combo is likely to get you up most long and/or steep climbs without too much trouble. If not, you could always swap to a cassette with a 32t or even a 34t sprocket relatively easily because Bianchi has specced the necessary medium cage rear derailleur.

The Infinito XE does offer you more stability than something like Bianchi's Oltre XR4 aero road bike (which is a bike I've ridden loads, so I'll use it as a point of reference). Whereas the Oltre XR4 feels highly flickable, manoeuvrable and jump-about-able, the Infinito XE is a steady Eddie that prefers to keep things straight down the line. That can be a welcome feature when you're getting in the big miles.

One of the biggest differences between the Infinito XE and the Oltre XR4 aero road bike is the riding position. It is built to what you might call a granfondo geometry (that's identical to that of the Infinito CV in some sizes, and so close as to make no difference in the others).

I've been riding the 59cm model, which is a very different size from a 59cm frame from other brands (59cm refers to the effective seat tube measurement – the length the seat tube would be if the top tube were horizontal). This bike has a 575mm top tube and a 195mm head tube, a head angle of 72.5 degrees and a seat angle of 73 degrees. The stack measures 600mm and the reach is 391mm, giving a stack/reach of 1.53.

For comparison, the Oltre XR4 has the same length seat tube and effective top tube but the head tube is 2cm shorter. The stack on the Oltre is much lower at 575mm and the reach is greater at 398mm, giving a stack/reach of 1.44.

If you've had enough of the figures – and who could blame you? – all of that means that when you sit on the Infinito XE your riding position is a little less stretched and a little more upright than on a traditional race bike. The level of aggression has been pacified a bit.

> What are stack and reach and why are they important?

Bear in mind that this is an Italian-style endurance geometry, though. I could be wrong but I get the feeling that Bianchi has reluctantly accepted that some misguided folk can't understand that a full-on race geometry is always best, so it had better show willing by whacking a couple of extra centimetres on the head tube. "There you go. Happy now? I'll see you at the cafe stop for a cappuccino, but only if you get there before 11."

Some endurance bikes will put you into a much more upright riding position. A Specialized Roubaix in a similar size (you can't compare across different sizes) has a stack/reach of 1.61, and it's 1.65 for a Trek Domane. Bianchi doesn't believe that if your riding position is too upright you'll carry too much weight through your lower back, and power transfer and handling will be compromised.

You might well find that the Infinito XE's geometry asks a lot less of your back and neck than that of a full-on race bike. More comfort comes courtesy of the Vittoria Zaffiro Pro Slick tyres. They're 700 x 28s although they measure 30mm across on the Fulcrum Racing 918 Disc wheels, and both the frame and fork will take 32s if you want to go wider.

I can't say that I got on especially well with the Selle Royal SR Asphalt GF saddle, although that's always a matter of personal taste. There's nothing particularly offensive about it but the shell is quite flexible and the padding is fairly deep, and that combination was just a little bit too sweet for me. I'd have been happier with one or the other. I found that there was too much bouncing around going on when I was trying to concentrate on laying down the power. If, on the other hand, you prefer a marshmallow-soft perch, you're in luck.

The frame

The Infinito XE is made exclusively for flat mount disc brakes – there is no rim brake model – with thru-axles front (100x12mm) and rear (142x12mm).

The gear cables and rear brake hose run internally, entering the frame at the top of the down tube, while the front brake hose nips inside the top of the fork leg and emerges down by the brake calliper; nothing unusual in any of that.

As mentioned above, the head tube houses a 1 1/8in upper bearing and a 1 1/2in lower bearing while the bottom bracket is BB86, pressed into an oversized shell. I can't vouch for the long-term but it didn't creak during four weeks of testing.

The frame uses a wedge-type seatpost clamp, the bolt positioned at the top of the top tube and covered by a rubber shroud. The profile of the Bianchi-specific alloy seatpost is rounded at the front and chopped square at the rear – a lot like many aero seatposts, although Bianchi doesn't make any aero claims for this bike. It's the same profile as used for the carbon seatpost of the Infinito CV, so you can upgrade in the future. Some non-round seatposts have a habit of slipping in use but we didn't have any worries on that front here.

The headset cover and carbon spacers are't round in profile, they're egg-shaped – broad at the front, tapering off towards the rear – to fit with the elongated section at the rear of the alloy stem. Bianchi says that this makes for a better head tube connection. I guess it neatens things up a little, and this design also integrates with a Vision Metron 5D handlebar/stem, although that aero option wouldn't be the obvious choice for a bike of this kind.

Out back, the chainstays are 415mm across sizes 47cm to 57cm, extended to 420mm on this 59cm model and the 61cm version too, the idea being that the bike handles the same whatever the size.

Despite their similar names, the Infinito XE doesn't come out of the same mould as the existing Infinito CV. The geometries are similar but the tubes are shaped differently and the CV has an integrated fork crown, the junction between the seatstays and the seat tube is lower on the XE, and so on.

The other difference, of course, is that the Infinito XE lacks the CV's Countervail technology.

"Countervail is a patented carbon material with a unique fibre architecture and viscoelastic resin that cancels 80% of vibrations while increasing the stiffness and strength of our carbon frames and forks," according to Bianchi. "Countervail is embedded within the layup of Bianchi CV high-performance models." 

My view is that if you ride an Infinito XE and an Infinito CV back to back, you'll notice a difference between them, but that the difference isn't massive. On a bike of this kind, where you could reasonably fit anything from, say, 25mm tyres right up to 32s, the model, width and pressure of those tyres will have a bigger influence on ride quality and associated fatigue, and the saddle will also play a part.

Components

The Infinito XE is available in two different builds: this Shimano Ultegra model and a Shimano 105 version (£2,700). There's no Campagnolo option for the Italian brand aficionados.

We've reviewed second-tier Shimano Ultegra separately elsewhere so I won't go into much depth here, but it is absolutely excellent across the board. Top-level Dura-Ace might be a few grams lighter, but in terms of differences that's about yer lot. It's not like a whole world of new technologies await if you spend more money – certainly not until Shimano launches a new version of Dura-Ace, which will presumably be some time in 2020.

Looked at from the other angle – and more relevant to this particular bike – you could say the same about the differences between 105 and Ultegra. They are minor, and mostly come down to materials and weight.

> Buyer's Guide: 12 of the best Ultegra-equipped road bikes

Groupsets aside, the two different versions of the Infinito XE are exactly the same, including their Fulcrum Racing 918 Disc brake wheels. These come with 25mm-deep aluminium rims (19mm internal width), J-bend round spokes (28 front and rear) and sealed cartridge bearings.

The wheels are 2-Way Fit which means that you can run them tubeless if you like, although you'll need to change the Vittoria Zaffiro Pro Slick tyres first. I'd be inclined to do that as soon as they wear out, if only to minimise the chance of punctures.

These wheels don't match the quality of the groupset, by any means – they're pretty basic, truth be told – but they've been free of issues during testing and a quick check reveals that they're still perfectly true. Better wheels would lift the overall performance a notch, but these are competent enough to be going on with.

Money bit

We've not reviewed many bikes around this price point on road.cc recently, although the Ribble Endurance SL Disc that Liam reviewed a few weeks ago was £2,929. It's similar to the Bianchi Infinito XE in a number of key ways, most notably in boasting a carbon fibre frame and fork and a Shimano Ultegra groupset, including hydraulic disc brakes. That bike came with Mavic Ksyrium Elite Disc wheels and was a little lighter than the Bianchi Infinito XE at 8.28kg – although it was a medium, whereas the Bianchi is a 59cm.

> Buyer's Guide: 22 of the best 2019 & 2020 sportive bikes

The BMC Roadmachine 02 Two that Dave reviewed earlier in the year was £3,300. It came with a carbon frameset, a Shimano Ultegra groupset, including hydraulic disc brakes, and Mavic Aksium Elite Disc wheels.

Specialized's Roubaix Comp is £3,400 and Trek's Domane SL 6 is £3,200. Each of these bikes has a Shimano Ultegra groupset, including hydraulic disc brakes, although they differ from the Bianchi Infinito XE in having features that offer travel/movement that's designed to soak up the lumps and bumps in the road.

Conclusion

If you find that some endurance bikes are too heavily focused on sitting you up in the saddle at the expense of speed, take a serious look at Bianchi's latest offering. The Infinito XE's geometry isn't as upright as you find on endurance bikes from many other brands, it offers plenty of stability and comfort, and its overall character is racy enough for those with a need for speed.

Verdict

Comfortable and stable sportive/gran fondo bike that's nimble enough to keep the speed merchants happy