We built our floor model up with all Sram Red Black, beautiful ano red Fulcrum Racing Zeros, celeste Michelin ProRace 3s, and 3T bar and stem combo. Not only did we impress ourselves with the aesthetic of this stealthy steed, but we are also impressed by its overall performance. It’s super lightweight-ness, combined with its massive bb makes for a rocketlike effect when faced with the steep hills of Sausalito. Retail price: $8999

Here is an extended review borrowed from Bikeradar.com, by Warren Rossiter of Cycling Plus. Make sure you look at the pics below.

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The Oltre – Italian for ‘beyond’ – is Bergamo-based Bianchi’s latest superbike to top their HOC racing bike range. As such, it’s designed as a no-compromise, flat-out fast race machine. No quarter has been given, according to Bianchi, to make this sportive-friendly or comfort-biased, so we were expecting a razor sharp, uncompromisingly stiff super-speed machine. We were half right.

The first thing we noticed about the Oltre was the lack of mass: at under 14lb this is a seriously light machine, and that’s most evident when you’re in the saddle. The combination of the sub-kilo frame and super-light DT wheelset means the Oltre responds to changes in cadence instantly and it accelerates with bullet-like ferocity.

For a chassis this light, the oversized bottom bracket area housing an FSA BB30 chainset keeps the drivetrain perfectly efficient, and despite it being geared for pro level racing (53/39T chainset, 12-25 cassette), we never found ourselves using the extreme gears even on the steep inclines.

What was really impressive was the combination of the carbon-specific SwissStop brake pads and DT rims. Stopping with carbon brake tracks usually lacks drama and bite, especially in the wet, but that wasn’t a problem here. In fact braking was impressive and confidence inspiring.

Marketed as a superbike, the Oltre certainly handles like one: changes in direction can be made with an almost telepathic connection – to call the steering instant is almost an understatement. Under sprints the Oltre takes off like a rocket, and climbing with this little mass – especially in the wheels – is always going to be a delight.

Where the biggest surprise comes with the Oltre, though, is how it delivers its razor sharp handling and superb connection to the road with huge levels of comfort. We weren’t expecting sportive-style comfort but what the Oltre delivers isn’t that far off.

Yes, it’s plenty rigid under power but it also has the ability to damp the high frequency vibrations from rough road surfaces that can make a tough ride so much harder. The Oltre is a rare beast: super-fast, light and comfortable to boot.

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