Sneak peek: Orro launches Venturi aero bike

British brand Orro has unveiled a new disc brake-specific aero bike called the Venturi that’s optimised for 28mm wide tyres.

The Venturi is made using Sigmatex spread tow carbon, a feature of the Orro Gold STC that we reviewed here on road.cc. The idea is that this reduces weight and increases stiffness.

Check out our review of the Orro Gold STC Disc Ultegra 11-speed.

“The sigmaST range of spread tow fabrics are very thin, are ultra lightweight, have near zero crimp and fewer interlacing points,” says Sigmatex. “This technology has improved mechanical performance at a reduced thickness and cost when compared to standard 2D fabrics using 1K fibres.”

A small window is left in the paintwork on the inside of the fork leg where you can see the spread tow weave. 

Although there’s no reason that you can’t fit narrower tyres, of course, the Venturi is optimised for use with 28s. Why? Orro says it made this decision because wider tyres allow lower pressure, improved grip and reduced rolling resistance. Orro also says that wider tyres reduce the space between the frame and the wheels, improving the airflow and reducing drag.

We’re hearing of more bike and wheel manufacturers moving in this direction. 25mm tyres are still most popular on the road but some brands are reporting that 28s are now outselling 23s.

Orro says that during the 18 month development process it had various prototypes of the Venturi made with different carbon layups. A test team rode them blind in all kinds of situations before the decision on the production version was made.

The Venturi will be available in a flat mount disc brake configuration only – there is no rim brake model.

The front derailleur hanger is removable if you want a single chainring setup.

The medium size frames will arrive in the country in three weeks’ time with the large and small models following shortly afterwards.

A version built up with a Shimano Ultegra groupset is priced at £2,600. If you want to go with Ultegra Dics it’s £3,300 while a top-level Dura-Ace Di2 model is £5,500.

The Venturi comes in three different finishes: blue/white, white/red and black gold.

www.orrobikes.com