# S-Works Venge or Bianchi Oltre



## novetan (Oct 4, 2012)

I gotta a good yr end bonus and wish to get myself a good road bike. 2 brands I’m considering. Either a S-Work Venge or a Bianchi Oltre. Both bike cost abt the same and I’m not looking to save a couple of hundred dollars. I’m just a social rider and ride av. twice a week and like to have a bike that I can enjoy riding for the next 5 yrs. (barring not chasing fashion).

I know the spec for each bike quite well. Both are very light, the Venge is made more stiffer and more aero than Oltre, but that isn’t my main criterion in choosing a bike. I don’t need all the stiffness as I’m not into competitive cycling. I like the style of the Venge but the celeste colour of the Oltre caught me. I’m sure both will suit my riding if made to fit properly.

Like to hear your opinion, if any, which may able to make me decide.

Tks.

I gotta a good yr end bonus and wish to get myself a good road bike. 2 brands I’m considering. Either a S-Work Venge or a Bianchi Oltre. Both bike cost abt the same and I’m not looking to save a couple of hundred dollars. I’m just a social rider and ride av. twice a week and like to have a bike that I can enjoy riding for the next 5 yrs. (barring not chasing fashion).

I know the spec for each bike quite well. Both are very light, the Venge is made more stiffer and more aero than Oltre, but that isn’t my main criterion in choosing a bike. I don’t need all the stiffness as I’m not into competitive cycling. I like the style of the Venge but the celeste colour of the Oltre caught me. I’m sure both will suit my riding if made to fit properly.

Like to hear your opinion, if any, which may able to make me decide.

Tks. 

Specialised Venge
s-works venge - Google Search

Bianchi Oltre
Bianchi oltre image - Google Search


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## mtnroadie (Jul 6, 2010)

I would go with the Italian thoroughbred with Campy components.

Not considering the geometry and specs. Every time I see a Bianchi on the road it puts a smile on my face, everytime I see a Specialized I sigh and think meh.


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## novetan (Oct 4, 2012)

mtnroadie said:


> I would go with the Italian thoroughbred with Campy components.
> 
> Not considering the geometry and specs. Every time I see a Bianchi on the road it puts a smile on my face, everytime I see a Specialized I sigh and think meh.


Why is that so? A mind set thing?


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## Dan333sp (Aug 17, 2010)

"I’m just a social rider and ride av. twice a week... I don’t need all the stiffness as I’m not into competitive cycling"

If the above is true, you shouldn't be looking at either of those bikes. Yes, they are incredible machines, but they aren't suited to the type of riding you'll be doing. Because you aren't going for aerodynamics and super stiff frames, you should be prioritizing comfort over those two things. If I were you, I'd go into a Specialized dealer and ride a Venge back to back with an S-Works Roubaix. I'll bet you end up preferring the Roubaix. Other bikes in that sort of vein are the Volagi Venga, the BMC Granfondo (these two can come with disc brakes, which would be a huge plus), and the Trek Domane.


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## mtnroadie (Jul 6, 2010)

novetan said:


> Why is that so? A mind set thing?


Pretty much, Specialized makes fine bikes no doubt about it, especially the S-Works. 
There is just too many of them. Their dominate everything attitude in the marketplace can be understood from a corporate point of view, it just leaves a really bad taste in my mind.


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## Ventruck (Mar 9, 2009)

You're entitled to matching celeste+Bianchi clothing with the Oltre. 

I would look into disc road bikes though. Will kinda put you "ahead of the curve" as the industry seemingly will be pushing towards that direction.


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## novetan (Oct 4, 2012)

Tks guys.

The Volagi looks cool. Will enquire abt that.


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## moskowe (Mar 14, 2011)

FYI Bianchi also makes a relaxed geometry bike, the Infinito. 
Infinito Athena EPS | Bianchi USA

Between the original two choices, I would pick the Oltre over the Venge anytime. Specialized bikes are very common, and for all its pretensions of "aerodynamics" I don't think the Venge brings that much to the table. The Oltre has the merit of being original. In the over 6-7 thousand dollar bike category, imo differences in performance are minimal and differences in style, geometry and personal preference are what make the difference.
With regards to relaxed geometry frames, the Roubaix has a very long, proven pedigree and Specialized pretty much was the initiator of that type of bikes. The Domane also has a lot of very good reviews about it.
Volagis are awesome, but you gotta like discs.


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## novetan (Oct 4, 2012)

moskowe said:


> FYI Bianchi also makes a relaxed geometry bike, the Infinito.
> Infinito Athena EPS | Bianchi USA
> 
> Between the original two choices, I would pick the Oltre over the Venge anytime. Specialized bikes are very common, and for all its pretensions of "aerodynamics" I don't think the Venge brings that much to the table. The Oltre has the merit of being original. In the over 6-7 thousand dollar bike category, imo differences in performance are minimal and differences in style, geometry and personal preference are what make the difference.
> ...


Quite agree with what you said. That's the reason i based my choice quite purely on asethetic. 

Tks for the info on Bianchi Infinito. I'll read on that. But don;t think it comes in Celeste colour.


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

Recreational riding twice a week? Definitely skip the venge. Skip the volagi too.


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## Hooben (Aug 22, 2004)

The venge is all about speed and showing off. The Bianchi is about class and elegance and Italian styling knowledge about bikes. The Volagi is untested because road bikes don't come with disc brakes yet. The Trek is just a goon that everyone has and nobody knows why.

Go Bianchi.


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## maximum7 (Apr 24, 2008)

I also say Bianchi, but why are you just limited to those two? 
Are they the only brands you have available to you?


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## moskowe (Mar 14, 2011)

No offense but the Trek Domane is a completely different animal from the Madone. I don't particularly like Trek (I'm not going to turn this thread into a Doping Forum thread, if you see what I mean) but you have to admit the Isocoupler idea in the Domane is pretty smart. 

The Infinito definitely comes in Celeste. My problem with it is that there aren't that many people riding it so there is little proof of its relaxed riding abilities. For what it's worth though, my father rides an older Bianchi C2C relaxed-geometry frame and has always said that it leaves him very comfortable at the end of longer rides.

Don't immediatly dismiss the Volagi for its disc-brakes. But if you were to go down that route, especially considering Volagi's really relaxed geometry and ride characteristics, it would be even more important to test ride one than any of the other names mentioned. Although ideally you'd want to test ride them all to see which one fits best.


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## novetan (Oct 4, 2012)

maximum7 said:


> I also say Bianchi, but why are you just limited to those two?
> Are they the only brands you have available to you?


There are plenty avaible but as someone said which I agreed, bike in that price range will have little difference in performance between them. I'm not into competition but I equally competitive in social ride, but still I don't need to count the seconds to win my friends.

Hence I only look at styling which i narrow down to these two. The other consideration are perhaps less stiff are Roubaix which is equally a pleasure to my eyes.

Look 695 also under my radar. What u guys say abt this bike?


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## moskowe (Mar 14, 2011)

The Look 695 is definitely a race-type bike. What sets Look apart in the superbike category is their focus on total integration. Their weird-looking stem is adjustable in length, their proprietary crankset is also adjustable in length (170,172.5,175), and accomodates both compact and double chainrings. 

Personally, if I had the money a 695 would be in the top 3 of my most favorite bikes, for looks (pun unintended), and functionality. And they make their bikes in Tunisia, which is a very agreable change from Asia. Arguably, given the close relations France maintains with some of its former colonies you could say that it's much less of a betrayal than sending the frames to be made in Asia.

This year they also came up with a relaxed geometry bike, which has a pretty much "love it or hate it" design. Personally I think it looks horrible, but everyone has their opinions:
Look Cycle - 675 - Bikes - Road


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## rgg01 (Jun 21, 2011)

Why not go for something more traditional, top of the line and proven but also light and comfortable? Cervelo R5 VWD or CA if you have mad money to spend. Time also handmake their bikes in France and have a reputation for smoothness and quality second to none.


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## novetan (Oct 4, 2012)

moskowe said:


> The Look 695 is definitely a race-type bike. What sets Look apart in the superbike category is their focus on total integration. Their weird-looking stem is adjustable in length, their proprietary crankset is also adjustable in length (170,172.5,175), and accomodates both compact and double chainrings.
> 
> Personally, if I had the money a 695 would be in the top 3 of my most favorite bikes, for looks (pun unintended), and functionality. And they make their bikes in Tunisia, which is a very agreable change from Asia. Arguably, given the close relations France maintains with some of its former colonies you could say that it's much less of a betrayal than sending the frames to be made in Asia.
> 
> ...


Wow, the top tube and stem in line.


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## novetan (Oct 4, 2012)

Actually after LOOKING for a while more, I still prefer the conventional style (ie with the head tube protuding above top tube)


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## Dan333sp (Aug 17, 2010)

If you really like "the conventional style", look for a really high end Italian steel frame bike, something like this-








Pretty much every group of riders will be jealous, if that's your intention... roadies love it, the single speed hipster set will love it, anti-carbon gurus will love the main triangle at least, and so on. 

I still say you get a Roubaix, and while we are talking about discs, evidently the Roubaix Expert is available with front and rear disc brakes now, with the S-Works SL4 model to follow soon.


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## 2Slo4U (Feb 12, 2005)

I really don't care what bike you get...just as long as you try to test ride every bike you "might" think you want! Go into as many bike shops as you can and test ride every bike you can get your hands on. Then you can decide how to spend that hard earned bonus!


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## Bizman (Apr 27, 2011)

Between the 2 options you give (and considering I have not ridden either bike) I would take the Bianchi. For me the Bianchi has more soul than the other bike and less of them, although not saying itthe S-Works isn't a good bike too. 

When I was looking for my first road bike last year I was going to buy the Infinito but after not being able to find it in my size and in Celeste at the time I opted to go with the Lynskey R340 Ti. I have no regrets and so happy with the way things turned out! I enjoy the buiding process and specing out a new bike as that is so much fun! With that in mind I am now looking to go with a custom Ti for the next bike, looking at Firefly, Spectrum, Seven, (in that order).


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## stickboybike (Feb 7, 2011)

*Oltre or Venge?*

I agree that you should test ride the bikes if possible. 

Both bikes are fine example of Pro-Tour level gear. And which type of customer buys which bike is always a perplexing one to me. Is it the consumer who buys into the truck loads of media/ad print and wants to be part of that or is it someone how loves the history of cycling, wants something that hundreds of others aren't riding? (Seriously though, if you are...say a 59cm frame size on the Oltre, that frame you buy in the US is probably one of 10 in the entire US. To me that's a good feeling to be on a bike with that low of production numbers.)

Here's what I've heard and by no means should be substituted for test riding either bike. The Venge is extremely stiff and so is the the Oltre and Oltre XR. Many non-racer, cyclist who have tested the Venge S-Works are really not up to riding 3 hr on a bike that is super stiff. The Oltre, while it's a rocket ship too, is very refined. Stiff where it needs to be and comfortable where it should be. And no I'm not going to say "vertically compliant, torsionally stiff"... those 4 words cover most carbon road bike frames made from HMC & UHMC.

Think Covette (The Venge) vs Audi RS4(Oltre XR) in terms of refinement of ride. 

Again, test rides are important. If you are serioius about spending $9k on a bike, it grab yourself a round trip ticket to Nashville, TN and visit _Gran Fondo Cycles_. They have a Venge on the floor of the shop as well as TWO 2013 Bianchi Oltre XR Ultegra Di2. Ride them both.

Here's my take on the Oltre/ Oltre XR--

I spent this season racing and training on an Oltre. I bought it back in February, built it up with SRAM Red (no groans folks as my other 2 Bianchi bikes DID have Chorus on them) and Mavic Kysrium SL wheels. Red crank w/BB30 ceramic bearings too. Deda bar and stem. 61cm bike so it was a tall one guys.



After a year of training and racing crits-road races on the beautiful roads (insert sarcasm here...) of central Pennsylvania, I'd have to say two most amazing things about the Oltre, due to it's construction and geometry, is how you can abusively throw the bike into a corner and make mid-cornering steering corrections and the bike does not become unsettled. It allows you to change the path of the turn, micro or macro, remain calm and exit at full gas. And speaking of gas... Yeah, my training rides starting neting a 1-1.5 mile an hour faster average speeds. The bike is so fast, efficient, slippery it still amazes me. 

Photo of me and the Oltre 30mph 90* corner at the this year's Wrightsville Crit. 2nd place finish.
Bianchi Life: #lovemyoltre

I was on a training ride in York County back in the spring and we were covering road surfaces of all types; smooth pavement, chip seal, and 15 miles or so of dirt farm roads. I won't lie, I baptised the Oltre on this ride and figured with a 5 year warranty on the frame, if anything was going to happen in the first year due to JRA, it would have been that day. One point I was hauling down this dirt road decent and decided to have a bite to eat, reached around to grab a bar out of the vest pocket and my hand got stuck in the pocket from shoving my paw too deep. I couldn't get the hand back out, only had the front brake at my disposal and an iron bridge was quickly approaching at the bottom of the hill. I tightened my gut, unweighted the saddle a tad, gritted my teeth and pounded across the lip of the bridge. I kept the rubber side down and managed to slow enough to wiggle my hand out. 

The fork of the bike didn't flinch and I'd say that Bianchi's X-Tex in the headtube kept things calm during that fiasco. 

So the takeaway is, a year of pounding the Oltre from this 180lbs rider and the bike is glossy, new and without and cracks like the day it came in the box. And I like to think that Coppi is just ahead over the next climb as I bury myself on the way home from my next ride. 

It's good piece of history to be a part of.


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## maximum7 (Apr 24, 2008)

I was going to suggest LOOK as well. Also TIMEs' RX, NXR, and VRS Fluidity. 
Look's 586 and 695 have the amazing Epost with its different elastomers to change the ride quality. 
Nobody else does this. A test ride on a 595 had me feeling like I was floating over the road. 

Take your TIME, and LOOK at everything you can.


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## moskowe (Mar 14, 2011)

I have a big love for Bianchi, but I HIGHLY doubt that switching to the Oltre from any bike worth more than 1500$ will net a 1-1.5mph average difference over a training ride.

And no one has mentioned it this far before Bizman but really for that price you could also go custom and get a very, very nice ride from any building material and configuration you want. The downside of course is that time from payment to delivery will likely be a lot longer.


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## maximum7 (Apr 24, 2008)

Not too mention with custom you're not able to test ride the bike before you buy. You have to go on what they say it's gonna ride like and what their version of smooth or stiff or compliant is. 
Any warranty work is time consuming and a hassle unless the builder is local. You can't see the bike or touch it before you buy. 
You're at the mercy of the builder to quit watching the ball game, get off his couch, go into the shop and get started on your bike...with no return policy.

Yeah custom is awesome.


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## moskowe (Mar 14, 2011)

If you go for any of the custom makers with a good reputation, the only issue you mentioned that's worth considering is that you have to put your trust in the hands of the builder. 
Even then, a truckload of more "mainstream" titanium/steel builders offering set geometry bikes also offer custom or semi-custom options, so you can always test ride a standard model to get an idea of the quality of the build and the geometry preferred by the manufacturer.


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