Colnago

CX Zero Disc Ultegra Di2 Complete Bike-2015

If we were forced to select one bike in our stable that embodies the trends of design that we think will dominate the industry in the near future, it would be Colnago's CX Zero Ultegra Di2 Complete Bike. It's got all of the latest features that we're starting to see in the peloton — including a more classics-oriented, endurance geometry and an electronic groupset — combined with disc brakes. Though disc brakes aren't currently UCI-legal, we expect to see them in the pro ranks in the next few years, and once they're standard in Europe, they'll be standard the world over.

The CX Zero Disc's frame has the same long wheelbase, high stack, and short reach as the CX Zero Evo, suffering only minor penalties in weight and stiffness. In fact, they share a geometry, so the size chart posted below is applicable to either frameset. The more expensive CX Zero Evo weighs a claimed 50 fewer grams and has a stiffer head tube and bottom bracket than the CX Zero, but both frames put you in a more comfortable and stable upright position than traditionally aggressive racing frames like the C60. The CX Zero's seatstays are thinned and slightly flattened to absorb hits and road noise, and the chainstays spring from the bottom bracket with a stiff vertical thickness that tapers into an up-curve where they meet the rear dropout.

While the geometry and disc brake mounts are the frame's defining features, the quality of carbon fiber used in its build would make it a star in any other manufacturer's line. Over nine different types of carbon appear throughout the CX Zero Evo's construction, all of which are sourced exclusively from Toray's Japanese factory. This is the most consistent carbon fiber in the world, guaranteed perfect, every time, which is why it's the same stuff that Boeing insists on for its aircraft. This carbon is so sought after that Colnago is the only manufacturer able to use 100% Japanese carbon fiber in its frames.

The bike's kit is the stuff of science fiction — or at least we would have thought so just a few years ago. Shimano's Ultegra Di2 drivetrain is so impressive that at least one major industry publication has labeled it the best groupset ever. (For the record, Ultegra Di2 trumps its Dura-Ace counterpart by a dollar sign.) The auto-aligning derailleurs, beautiful and efficient Ultegra four-arm crankset, and amazing new Shimano hydraulic brakes prove that the future is now.

The discerning reader will note that the shifters aren't officially branded Ultegra. We think that may be because, as mentioned above, disc brakes aren't quite UCI-legal yet, so Shimano has forgone model branding. Rest assured, though, that the ST-R785 levers included here are virtually identical to the regular, rim-braking Ultegra Di2 levers. Only the branding is missing.