# Infinito vs. Sempre vs, Centostrade



## adjtogo

I have a Bianchi Infinito I bought last August and have nearly 2900 miles on it now. Love the bike and am now thinking of buying a more race-oriented bike for speed and performance. I found a 2011 Sempre with Campy Veloce for $2417 and a 2011 Centostrade with Veloce for $2316. 

For the Sempre owners, how do you like your bike? Did you test ride either a Centostrade or Infinito? 

For the Centostrade owners, did you test ride an Infinito and Sempre?

So, what I'm seeing is that the Centostrade is more like the Infinito to an extent where it looks like the Centostrade is stiff and also flexible, whereas, the Sempre is stiff, more responsive, and is made for speed and racing because of its more aggressive geometry.

Any thoughts?


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## kbwh

*Geometries*

I have not ridden the Cento (which actually is the predecessor of the Infinito) og the Sempre, so I have to take refuge in numbers.

Centostrade geo:










Infinito geo:









I cannot find any significant differences from the Centostrade (I call the head tube height differences insignificant), but Bianchi cleverly don't publish fork rake. I think the Infinito has a "racier" fork.

Sempre geo:









Here the fork angle is .5 deg steeper, and the chain stays 2mm shorter compared to the other two. The "raciest" bike of the three, and also the easiest to service with it's external gear cables.

So my take on this is that the Cento is the slower and softer of the three, and if one was to add a race bike to ones stable the Sempre is the choice. Of course, there's always the Oltre or a 928 SL IASP frameset...


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## KM1.8T

I just got back from another ride on my Sempre and am very happy with the purchase. I built mine up with Centaur and it works really well. I can compare the bike to my Bianchi XL and to my Cannondale Super Six Hi-mod. The ride is very smooth and the bike reacts quickly in a sprint. In comparison, the cannondale has a dead feeling and the XL is a little more harsh of a ride.


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## adjtogo

Well, I've eliminated the Centostrade since it is a protoge' of the Infinito, which I already have. Now, it's down to what to get, a Sempre with Campy Veloce, or a Sempre with Ultegra 6700, just like my Infinito has.


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## tkmeister

I have a Sempre frame running shimano 105 9 speed. I love how smooth it rides and so comfortable. I am considering to upgrade to campy Athena but havent got around to make that decision yet. 

Sempre was wrote up on Outside magazine Buyers Guide recently. According to it, "the Sempre is that rare bike that manages to blend a semi aggressive position with a muted road feel that won't make you ache. "

And I agree with the statement 100%. But if you are looking for something really aggressive, Sempre might not be it for you.


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## kbwh

Just want to add that the Infinito uses exactly the same rear triangle as the Centostrade.


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## Bobbin-Man

I may be wrong, but .......... geometry diagrams and careful inspection of the frame detail would suggest that the Infinito is a "re-incarnation" of the Centro Strade, which prior to the re-branding was known simply as the 928 C2C? The 928 C2C was not to everyone's taste, and although a very smooth distance rider, the "drop belly" design put plenty of people off simply due to the strange aesthetics. The Infinito gives the same ride quality with a frame style more similar to the competition, eg. Specialized Roubaix.

Likewise, is the Sempre not a development of the Mono-Q? I have a Mono-Q and there's very little information available .... except that if it had a BB30 bottom bracket it would be virtually identical to the Sempre? IMHO the 928 Mono-Q was put to the market at a time that the BB30 was being more widely used, and as such was left behind. A revamp and it became the Sempre?

I think it's likely that it won't be long before the Centro Strade is dropped from the range.


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## KM1.8T

I believe the shaping of the tubes on the Sempre are not the same as the Mono-q, especially the top tube and down tube, rear triangle does appear similar.


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## adjtogo

I'm going to take a Sempre out for a test ride on Friday. The LBS just got a 55cm in today with the 105 mix. That may not be the group set I get, but at least I'll get a feel for the bike.


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## adjtogo

Before I take the Sempre out for a test ride tomorrow morning, I just had a question for the Sempre owners with the 105 mix group as that it the the model they have in stock and the one I'll riding:

How do you like the 105 mix group? Would you change anything about the way Bianchi decided to use a group mix to keep the price point down? The Reparto Corse brakes? FSA crank? Anything else? What about the smoothness of the shifting?

I have an Infinito witl full Ultegra 6700. It shifts very smooth and quick. Is the 105 the same? Any troubles with it?

As I decide which one to get, I'm considering the Veloce group set, however, I know it's Campy's low end group set, comparable to the 105. And since I'm used to shifting Shimano, just wondering if it would throw me off by going Veloce on the Sempre.


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## KM1.8T

Go Campy, you will never go back. I bought the frameset and built up mine with Campy and could not be happier. I have converted all my bikes to Campy except for my TSX that has Dura ace 9speed, retro. 

Buy the frame, build it with components you want and you will be happy and have the satisfaction of building it yourself. In addition, If you buy the frameset, you allso get a full carbon fork vs alum carbon on the built bikes. The ultegra build may have a full carbon fork.

Happy shopping.


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## tkmeister

The Mono-Q's geometry is pretty closed to the Sempre. The tube shape is definitely different. The Sempre's has more rounder tube shape compare to the Mono-Q. 

I don't have the stock 105 mix. I run the old 105 9-speed with FSA crank and Ultegra rear derailleur so I can't comment on how the stock 105 rides. Like KM1.8T said, I would just buy the frame and put 2010 Campy Athena with Ultrashift on it, that's if money is not an issue.


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## adjtogo

Yup, I looked it up on Bianchi USA's website. The only frames that come with full carbon forks is the Ultegra build and the frame itself. The frame alone is $2K. I'd love to have Campy, but it seems so dang expensive to buy the gruppo separately, then the wheels, and such.


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## kbwh

Buy a frameset and hang Ultegra on it. Ultegra is a mighty fine group. Smart to be able to swap wheels between bikes in the stable.

If Campagnolo, then Ultrashift. It's only money.


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## adjtogo

Took out the Sempre with the 105 on a test run today. I only had time to go 25 miles, but I can definitely tell a difference between the Infinito and Sempre.

First, all of the measurements were taken from my Infinito and transferred to the Sempre. Too off my Ultegra 6700 PD pedals and put them on the Sempre. 

First impression within the first 1/4 mile is WOW!! This bike is built for speed! While I didn't have a computer on the bike to tell me exactly how fast I was going, I can definitely tell I was going faster for the whole 25 miles compared to the Infinito.

For handling, the Sempre is made for cornering and speed whereas my Infinito doesn't handle quite as responsively as the Sempre. Seems like the front tire of the Sempre hugs the road more than the Infinito, probably because the fork and the downtube is shorter, placing more weight on the front wheel.

For road vibration, I do feel it more with the Sempre/105 than I can with my Infinito. My Infinito has carbon everything with the Kvid forks, dampening more road vibration than the Sempre/105 with the carbon forks and alloy steering tube and alloy handlebars. My Infinito also has carbon handlebars.

For speed and power, I think I get more quicker out of the Sempre with the oversized BB30 than the Infinito.

For shifting, the 105 mix seemed to work fine, although I thought it was a bit slower than the Ultegra 6700 on my Infinito.

In the end, I think I'm going to end up buying the Sempre/Ultegra. 

Plan is to use the Infinito for longer training runs, and the Sempre for interval training and some group rides and hopefully in a Gran Fondo in Miami in November.


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## adjtogo

Just got back from returning the Sempre after keeping it all weekend for a test ride. After nearly 100 miles on the bike, I decided to order the 105 mixed group. It was at the pricepoint I wanted to be at for now. I love the way it feels and responds. It felt like I was hauling butt on every ride. The only changes I foresee to the bike are putting on red cork tape to go with the black hoods. The bike has plenty of black with red highlights, so I thought red tape would look good for contrast with the black hoods.

I had thought about going the Ultegra way, but I think I'm going to buy Dura Ace at some point for the Infinito and switch the full Ultegra group set to the Sempre. It will be a while before that happens, but I see it coming in the future.

The Sempre will be here in about a week.

Now, to order Ultegra 6700 pedals, a computer, and other fun stuff...


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## Bobbin-Man

Surely the Sempre should get the Dura Ace :thumbsup:


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## adjtogo

Probably will. Can't wait to get it in!!


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