Competitive Cyclist

BIANCHI PICO CRONO

Here's a common conceit: Italian time trial bikes are an oxymoron. The presumption is that, though historically they've made the greatest number of the world's finest and most legendary road frames, Italian frame builders are negligent if not downright dismissive when it comes to aero bikes. Part and parcel of this thought is the notion that the time-honored European bike frame makers are so steeped in tradition, they operate as Luddite snobs. This attitude trickled right down to the riders themselves: despite Lemond's repeated trouncing of the European peloton using cutting edge technology like a power meter, aero helmet, and aero bars, the Euros still heckled him and, later, the American-based 7-11 team for their iconoclastic training behavior and tools. Another piece of this puzzle of prejudice, however, is this: name one Italian-made time trial rig that's known for its technological innovation the way, say, Cervelo's, Felt's, Giant's, Trek's, Specialized's, and a host of other distinctly non-Italian frame makers' TT bikes are known. Examples don't just roll off the tongue, do they? Well, for 2010 Bianchi has a plan to change common opinion with their introduction of the all-new, full carbon Pico Crono.

As early as 1986 (a decade before Vroomen and White we're a happy design couple), Bianchi was showing off their predilection for cutting-edge aero design. A year later, another version was done for reigning world champion, Moreno Argentin. And, lest we forget, Pantani wasn't an altogether terrible time trialist. Already in 1997 Pantani spent time in the wind tunnel with Bianchi prior to his 1998 Giro/Tour double. In the early 2000s, Jan Ullrich repeatedly stamped his authority on the race of truth, and did so on this bike. Most recently, in its 2009 incarnation, Barloworld had the crown jewel of Bianchi's Reparto Corse division, the D2 Crono.

There are a lot of design features on Bianchi's D2 Pico Crono that are shared among the world's most cutting-edge aerodynamic framesets. But there's one feature in particular that is most certainly not seen on any other time trial or road bike that we're aware of: holes in the chainstays. At first blush, if ever there were a nutty idea, drilling holes in your chainstays would be it. Chainstays are one of if not the traditional weak link for any frameset made from any material because they suffer the lion's share of abuse. Not only must the chainstays deliver the transfer of power from the bottom bracket to the rear wheel, they also undergo all the incessant vertical, torsional, and lateral stresses created by the combination of road surfaces and pedaling action. Ponder for a moment what a powerhouse ProTour rider must do to a frameset when he gets out of the saddle and charges up a cobbled berg like a pissed-off rhinoceros with afterburners. Plenty of pros put out 2,000 Watts in a sprint, but even if you muster half of that, would you feel comfortable with holes in your stays?

There's a method to Bianchi's madness. They explain that the tapered, elongated openings in the rears stays actually provide greater surface area for improved rigidity and power transfer. Initially, this claim left us rubbing our chins and raising our eyebrows, but then we took a closer look. Since the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, it follows that the longest distance between two points is curved. And it's exactly this principle Bianchi invokes in their chainstay technology. Specifically, they mold elongated openings in the stays, the interiors of which make an overlapping concave channel. By doing so, the surface area is effectively doubled without -- and this is crucial -- increasing the overall size of the stay which would create greater aerodynamic drag. In the race of truth not one Watt of energy is to be spared between the pedals and the rear wheel, and it's this premise that makes the stiffness of TT bikes nearly as important as aerodynamics. But making a bike stiffer usually requires adding more material, a fundamental no-no in the world of aerodynamics. Bianchi unearthed a way to create more material volume and rear triangle stiffness without creating more material exposure to the wind.

As far as aerodynamics go, Bianchi has done their homework here, as well. Notably, the Bianchi's oversized fork blades stretch the UCI's aspect ratio limit to the limit and, at the top of the fork, you'll note an even deeper crown section which transitions very, very closely to the massively oversized downtube. This little design flourish is absolutely essential as it effectively creates a front end to the bike -- where aerodynamics are most important -- that flows as seamlessly as possible given the UCI's strict design guidelines. Note, too, how close the front wheel comes to the downtube. During wind tunnel tests with Magnus Backstedt several years back, Bianchi realized -- along with another very significant name in the world of TT bike design -- that minimizing this distance was, in real world conditions, aerodynamically superior to tucking the front wheel into a cutout in the downtube. To further reduce frontal drag, the headtube height of the D2 Crono is very small (ranging from 8 cm on a size 50.5 to a 13 cm on the size 57) and the headtube width is shaved to a minimum except at the bearing races. To maximize frame stiffness and reduce aerodynamic drag, Bianchi uses a discreet T-shaped top tube which joins to the aerodynamically engineered integrated seat post.

From the front triangle to the rear, the 2010 Bianchi Pico Crono is all business. It also uses the supremely light nanotechnology carbon fiber found on Bianchi's hyper-light 928 SL. While the seattube angle measures 76, it comes with a highly adjustable seat clamp that can be adjusted to an effective 78 degrees for triathletes and others who prefer to ride steep. The Pico Crono comes in four sizes (50.5, 52, 54, and 57) and includes seat clamp, Bianchi FF36 full carbon Super Aero fork, and FSA headset. It requires the use of a braze-on front derailleur and an English threaded bottom bracket.

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2010 Bianchi Pico Crono Pricing

2010 Bianchi Pico Crono Geometry

Size	Seat Tube c-t	Top Tube	Head Tube	Seat Angle	Head Tube Angle
X-Small	68.0	50.5	8.0	76.0	71.0
Small	72.0	52.0	9.0	76.0	71.0
Medium	77.2	54.0	11.0	76.0	72.0
Large	82.0	57.0	13.0	76.0	73.0