BIANCHI CAVARIA

In bike racing, one color is more evocative of racing tradition and cycling passion than any other -- Celeste. The Bianchi Cavaria makes good use of their famous hue. However, in our eyes it will look even better splattered with mud.

The Cavaria is built with the same Italian flair as Bianchi's road racing frames, though it's bred to excel on a 'cross course rather than smooth tarmac, and a few details set it apart from its road-going brethren. The design of the frame (plus its use of cyclocross-standard cantilever brakes) allows the Cavaria to accept 34c tires with mud clearance to spare. Another important but easily overlooked detail is the ovalized top tube. It's squashed in the vertical plane to create a broader cross section that makes shouldering the bike a bit more comfortable.

Bianchi builds the Cavaria as a full monocoque carbon frame with a blend of fibers that gives it a balance of strength, toughness, and lightness. The fork is a full carbon one piece structure as well, from the legs to the steerer. Bianchi uses aluminum for the dropouts on both ends of the bike and for the bottom bracket and head tube inserts as well. The top tube cable routing is thoughtful as it helps keep mud and grime from coating the cables and shortening their service life. And for the same reasoning, we like that both the rear brake and front derailleur cable stops have integral barrel adjusters. They'll make the maintenance that bit easier and we won't have to use in-line adjusters (handy, but unsightly).

The details of the carbon fiber weave used in the frame are revealed in the paneled down and seat tubes. The Celeste gives way to clear-coated carbon fiber underlying the White Bianchi logos, and they add some of our other favorite color combos as borders on the top and bottom of the panels -- the World Champs rainbow and il Tricolore. It's said that if you feel fast, you go fast. And our inspiration levels go up at least a notch when we look at the symbolic colors on the Cavaria.

The Bianchi Cavaria is available in Celeste/clear carbon with a clear coated carbon fork. It comes in five sizes -- 49, 52, 55, 58, and 61cm. The frameset comes with an FSA Orbit C-CX integrated 1-1/8" headset. It also includes an aluminum clamp for the seat tube which requires a 31.6mmm seatpost and a 34.9mm clamp-on front derailleur (sold separately). The bottom bracket shell accepts 68mm English threaded bottom brackets.

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2012 Bianchi Cavaria Pricing