Bianchi FG Lite Replica

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It's not very often I get the chance to review a bike of this stature, so when I was given the chance to take the bike for a week I jumped at it!

After making some small adjustments to the seat hight, handle bar position and putting on my Look pedals I headed off on my first ride from Lilydale to the very popular 1 in 20 ride, up and over Mt Dandenong. As soon as I slowed down to the first intersection, then powered off again I realized what an aggressive acceleration it has. It feels like you can accelerate and open a gap whenever you want, even if you are riding at a minimum speed.

Cruising down Swansea road to Montrose on the flat the feel on the pedals is very fluent and the bike seems very stable. Just for a moment I sat up taking my hands of the handle bars to see how it responded, still straight and stable which is a good sign.

I have been riding 10 speed shimano lately so the campag record is a pleasant change and I forgot how the levers fit my smaller hands better than the bigger pistol style of the shimano.

Having been riding carbon for the last two years I notice the hyper alloy frame with its foam injection is a harsher ride but the ultra light feel of the bike makes you forget about this.

As I start to climb the 1 in 20 I notice straight away that the gear I'm in is no way as high up the cassette as usual, I feel like I can stay in the saddle for the whole ride with out using the low gears. One kilometre from the top my legs, heart and lungs feel surprisingly good so I get out of the saddle and give it a spurt, again the acceleration and the ease of changing the rhythm was very good.

As the decent down the other side started the bora wheels take off, there seemed to be no resistance whatsoever. Going through the down hill turns you realise what all those Bianchi owners keep telling you (it corners great). The settled geometry allows you to keep control of the bicycle in total security with out stressing on your legs and arms. The Vittoria open corsa tyres are very fast and stick to the wet misty road.

The front end turns immediately and closes promptly. I head back home thinking "that's the quickest I've been over the 1 in 20" but it was probably due to being pretty fresh for the ride and due to the enjoyment of riding such a rewarding machine. My next ride a few days later takes me from Rowville to Rosebud on the flat. The 75km ride again made me realise just how harsh the hyper alloy can be. However maintaining speed and the fluent pedal stroke was easy and I chewed through the kms.

Conclusion

Overall this bike made me realise how good a handmade Italian bike is and I can see myself getting on one of their carbon bikes. Bianchi really know what they are doing with the geometry. The FG lite is really a race bred bike and would suit the casual to expert racer. I couldn't see myself getting one for the style of riding I do currently but might consider the carbon rear model for those longer rides. This bike is now currently on display at the Nunawading, Mentone and Albury stores where the staff will gladly give you more detail and let you feel just how light this bike really is.

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