Officially released before the 2023 season, the Colnago V4Rs only had one full season in the WorldTour peloton, but managed to put together an impressive record in that time. Two Monument victories, claimed by Tadej Pogačar at the Tour of Flanders and Il Lombardia, were joined by three stage wins at the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia, resulting in a list of victories that can rival almost any other bike in the peloton pros.
This success has not slowed down over the first half of the 2024 season, which has already returned 22 extra victories for the bike. The first of those came at the Tour Down Under in January where we got our hands on it Alessandro CoviColnago V4Rs for a closer look at one of the most successful bikes in the WorldTour peloton.
Read more: 2024 Men’s WorldTour Bikes: A guide to the bikes, groupsets and technology of the top teams
Colnago V4Rs: Built to win on any terrain
According to Colnago, the V4R is built for a very specific purpose: “to win.”
Significantly, it is not built to win on specific terrain, but on any type of course that the WorldTour throws at riders – except time trials. That’s because it comes from the modern breed of superbike, which renounces traditional categories for an integral approach. The concept is simple: it combines aerodynamic and lightweight features in a complete package.
It’s easy to see how the bike ticks the lightweight box, as it has relatively thin and narrow tubes, in stark contrast to the beefy beasts that make up aero bikes.
Its aerodynamic credentials may not be immediately obvious, but there are some clear clues that point to its wind-defying abilities. Kammtail tube shapes are now the choice for many brands, while the narrower head tube, compared to previous V3Rs, creates a more aero front end.
Read more: Pro Bike: Nils Politt’s Colnago V4R for the Classics
Performance meets modern practicality
Wider tires are trending right now, even in the pro peloton where 28mm is currently the dominant choice.
Bike brands have had to act accordingly to meet these wider demands, as can be seen from the release of 32mm tires on V4Rs. Some bikes are far eclipsing this, but in the realms of professional level bikes, that’s an impressive amount of clearance that adds an extra layer of versatility to the bike.
There was no need to maximize this release at the Tour Down Under, however, where Covi stuck to the famous 28mm width for its Continental Grand Prix 5000 TR tires – setless tubeless of course.
These were paired with ENVE’s SES 4.5 wheels, with a 50mm deep front rim and 56mm deep rear. It has been a busy 2024 season for ENVE after its bikes entered the WorldTour peloton for the first time at the hands of TotalEnergies.
Read more: Raceday becomes ENVE’s “fastest” SES tire
Standard Shimano setup
The 2024 season was characterized by bigger crowns and set-ups – especially Ineos Grenadiers at the UAE Tour – but there was none of that on display on Covi’s bike.
He used what is by far the most popular set-up for ShimanoThe Dura-Ace group among professionals, which combines a 54/40t chain with an 11-34t cassette.
No longer ENVY the components can be found in the front of the bike in the form of its integrated bar and its stem. This was also the home of the route profile for the internship.
Elsewhere, Covi’s saddle of choice was the Prologue Scratch M5, while the team also uses Elite Light bottle holder.
And if you ever needed proof that professionals can be meticulous about the installation, we saw Covi with a tape measure to check that the geometry of the bike was to his exact taste.
