Colnago unveils V5Rs: lighter, faster, and Pogacar-approved – is this really “the ultimate all-rounder road-racing bike”?

Colnago says that its new V5Rs is “the ultimate all-rounder” for racing – more aerodynamically efficient and lighter than the V4RS while matching its predecessor for stiffness. This is the bike that a certain Tadej Pogačar was spotted riding last month and it comes into the armoury of UAE Team Emirates-XRG, so we’ll be seeing plenty of it at the sharp end of major races over the coming months.

> Has Tadej Pogačar been spotted riding Colnago's new V5Rs? 

Colnago says that this is the lightest frame it has ever produced, but it’s also keen to emphasise those aero credentials because of ever-increasing race speeds. The new Y1Rs remains the all-out aero bike at the top of the range, with the V5Rs taking over as the all-rounder alternative.

2025 Colnago V5Rs studio full bike (credit: Colnago)

Okay, so lighter and more aero… We’d be surprised if there were ever a top-end bike launch where those claims weren’t made. Let’s see how Colnago backs them up.

Losing weight

We’ll start with weight because, you know, cyclists always freak for a bit of gram talk, and who are we to deny you?

Colnago says that the V5Rs frame/fork is 12.5% lighter than the V4Rs in a size 485 (which has a 539mm stack and a 384mm reach). You love a good stat, don’t you? Colnago claims a ready-to-paint frame weight of 685g and a fork weight of 342g. The two weights combined are 146g lower than the V4Rs equivalents.

2025 Colnago V5Rs studio fork crown (credit: Colnago)

How has Colnago managed to shed that weight? It’s down to “a combination of new lamination and manufacturing techniques”, it says.

> One bike to rule them all — are lightweight aero bikes the ultimate race weapons for the pros?

“The initial step is the definition and optimisation of the carbon layup in the crucial sections thanks to FEM [finite element method] analysis. Once the carbon stacking sequence has been defined, the high strength and stiffness prepregs [composite material made from pre-impregnated fibres and partially cured polymer matrix, such as epoxy resin] are carefully positioned and combined on specific mandrels and then cured in the moulds.

2025 Colnago V5Rs production manufacture (credit: Colnago)

“The challenge, which has been successfully met, was to improve the precision of the positioning of each [carbon] layer to achieve an ambitious weight target while maintaining the stiffness properties of the bike that have been so appreciated by the riders using the V4Rs.

2025 Colnago V5Rs Longo Borghini - 1 (credit: Colnago)

“In the construction of this frame, [we use] special semi-rigid mandrels, developed specifically to guarantee a perfect arrangement of the carbon layers: [we have] obtained absolute quality control and a perfect match between design objectives and final product performance.”

Aerodynamic efficiency

Onto aerodynamics, and Colnago says, “The know-how developed during the studies carried out for the Y1Rs has also been transferred to this lightweight all-rounder.”

The Y1Rs is the aero road bike that Colnago released towards the end of last year.

> Colnago claims outlandish new aero road bike is “most aerodynamic in the WorldTour”

2025 Colnago V5Rs studio frontal (credit: Colnago)

Colnago used the CFD (computational fluid dynamics) model that it developed during the R&D process of the Y1Rs. It says that this CFD model is much more accurate than the industry standard.

Then, once the “most promising” tube and joint shapes were identified, full-size prototypes were made using 3D printing. These were assembled and tested in the wind tunnel.

2025 Colnago V5Rs studio head tube (credit: Colnago)

“The V5Rs features a slimmer head tube [especially in the top part, thanks to the 1-1/8in top bearing] and new fork blade profiles that combine lightweight construction, stiffness, and improved aerodynamics,” says Colnago. “Additionally, the seatpost and seat tube profiles are significantly thinner and deeper.”

Colnago claims that the frontal area of the V5Rs is 13% lower than that of the V4Rs.

2025 Colnago V5Rs studio seat tube seat post (credit: Colnago)

Colnago says that the aerodynamic performance of the V5Rs is comparable with that of many WorldTour aero bikes, although it doesn’t list those models.

2025 Colnago V5Rs wind tunnel results white paper - 1 (1) (credit: Colnago)

What Colnago does say is the V5Rs requires 9 watts less power than the V4Rs to maintain a speed of 50km/h (31.1mph) “in real-world racing setups”.

2025 Colnago V5Rs action two riders (credit: Colnago)

According to Colnago’s wind tunnel data, the drag of the V5Rs is lower than that of the V4Rs and higher than that of the aero Y1Rs at all angles.

Beyond the wind tunnel

Colnago says that these weight and aerodynamic improvements haven’t been made at the expense of frame stiffness.

2025 Colnago V5Rs action Tadej Pogacar (credit: Colnago)

“Through a combination of new lamination techniques and optimised joint shapes, the Real Riding Stiffness of the V5Rs matches that of its predecessor, the V4Rs – our benchmark – despite its more aerodynamic profile and reduced weight,” it says.

Real Riding Stiffness (RRS) is Colnago's method for assessing the stiffness of its bikes. It measures the frame deformations at different points under multiple loads, the idea being to simulate what happens in real riding conditions.

2025 Colnago V5Rs action Tadej Pogacar driveside (credit: Colnago)

“Reducing the width of the seat tube for aerodynamics required a deep study of shapes and lamination to prevent loss of stiffness and thus pedalling efficiency,” says Colnago. “Consequently, the seatstay has been raised to increase the stiffness of the seatpost joint. The transition from the seat tube to the bottom of the bottom bracket has been shaped with optimal radius and the same analysis has been carried out for the joint between the down tube and bottom bracket.

“Head tube and down tube shapes have been fine-tuned to not deform under steering loads. The result of this optimisation is direct feedback from the road, precision in all the leaning phases and support in sprint phases.”

2025 Colnago V5Rs action driveside (credit: Colnago)

Colnago has given the V5Rs a BSA bottom bracket. We’ve seen a lot of brands going back to threaded BBs over recent years.

“This choice has been dictated by the already high stiffness of the frame that allows the choice of a less oversized bottom bracket solution, thus decreasing the overall weight of the bike,” says Colnago. 

In terms of geometry, Colnago has made some small tweaks compared with the V4Rs “to make it slightly more aggressive and efficient while better accommodating modern riding positions”.

2025 Colnago V5Rs geometry - 1 (credit: Colnago)

With stack and reach, we’re only talking about changes of a millimetre or two, although you get slightly steeper frame angles (70.6-73.5° for the head angle and 73.3-75.5° for the seat angle) “to accommodate a more forward orientated and tuck position and optimise aerodynamics and power transmission”.

Colnago goes with two different for rakes (47mm for sizes 420-510 and 43mm for sizes 530-570).

Why? Colnago says, “The purpose is to reduce the trail, especially on smaller sizes, and with oversized tyres increasingly common, to keep it more even across sizes. The updated trail makes V5Rs more responsive in direction changes and quick manoeuvres.”

There are two seatpost setback options (the position of the clamp relative to the centre of the seatpost), 0 and 15mm, and you get clearance for 32mm tyres, the same as the V4Rs.

> Why the aero road bike is making a comeback 

Comparing the V5Rs with the Y1Rs

We’ve already mentioned the Y1Rs that Colnago released in December. Where does the new V5Rs sit in the range compared with that bike?

Colnago Y1Rs WC livery (credit: Colnago)

Well, they’re both high-end race bikes; it’s just that Colnago sees the Y1Rs (pictured above) as the ideal option “for those seeking extreme aerodynamics and maximum responsiveness in a sprint”.

> Check out Colnago's first disc-brake road bike from back in 2012  

“V5Rs is the perfect all-rounder,” says Colnago. “It achieves the lower UCI weight limit [of 6.8kg] with standard and even aerodynamic components. Furthermore, the improved aerodynamic performance and the balanced stiffness mean that the V5Rs performs better than its predecessor, already proved as a winning machine in all conditions, from cobblestones and sprints to mountain stages.”

Prices and builds

With all this talk of Tadej Pogacar, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, and the WorldTour, you’ll have already guessed that we’re talking about high-end prices for the V5Rs.

2025 Colnago V5Rs studio full bike angled (credit: Colnago)

UK distributor Windwave says that a frameset is priced at £5,499.99.

It’ll stock these complete bikes:

Groupset Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
Wheels Vision SC45
Handlebar Colnago CC.01
Price £9,999.99

Groupset Shimano Ultegra Di2
Wheels Vision SC45
Handlebar Colnago CC.01
Price £8,999.99

www.colnago.com/premium-bikes/v5rs-bike