Home > Bike Types > Road Bike

EB17: Bianchi Aria Disc slips disc brakes onto aero road bike

9 Comments
Support us! Bikerumor may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More

The aero Aria is the most recent bike to have popped up from Italian bike maker Bianchi earlier this summer, and it already is getting a new disc brake sibling. Designed to be a slightly more affordable road race ready version of the aerodynamic technologies that Bianchi developed for their Aquila CV TT bike (without the Countervail carbon tech), the Aria is meant to bridge the gap between racing against the clock and in a group. Now it gets consistent, all-conditions braking by way of road disc brakes.

Aria Disc aero road bike

Bianchi Aria Disc affordable carbon disc brake aero road race bike black

The Aria Disc carries over all of the aerodynamic tube shaping of the rim brake bike from the fork into the downtube, to the integrated clamp for the aero seatpost, and into the dropped seatstays.

Bianchi Aria Disc affordable carbon disc brake aero road race bike frameset

Getting rid of the rim brakes on the fork crown and seatstay bridge improves drag there, moving aero resistance to the addition of rotors and disc brake calipers.

Bianchi Aria Disc affordable carbon disc brake aero road race bike geometry

Race ready stiffness and handling is said to carry over as well. The Aria Disc does not adopt the advanced vibration eating, NASA-developed Countervail carbon technology that shows up in most of their other race-oriented bikes, but it does share the same performance race geometry.

Bianchi says that this keeps the price down (as do more attainable complete bike specs) so that the bike can serve a wider range of potential amateur racers. Ready to be built up with clip-on aero bars the Aria & Aria Disc are designed to be everyday road bikes that can toe the line on the weekend for both amateur road and triathlon racing.

Tech Details

Bianchi Aria Disc affordable carbon disc brake aero road race bike Shimano Ultegra

The new disc brake bike goes with new road disc standards of 12mm QR thru-axles front (100mm) & rear (142mm), plus flat mount calipers for 140 or 160mm rotor compatibility. (All complete bikes are shipping with 160mm rotors.)

Bianchi Aria Disc affordable carbon disc brake aero road race bike front tire fork clearance

Tire clearance hasn’t been officially specified, but the Shimano complete bikes are delivered with 28mm clinchers, and there is easily room for a few mm more of tire if needed, even with chainstay length kept to 410mm.

Bianchi Aria Disc affordable carbon disc brake aero road race bike rear stays clearance

The full carbon frame has a claimed weight of 1150g (55cm), and gets a 1 1/4″ tapered full carbon fork.

Bianchi Aria Disc affordable carbon disc brake aero road race bike brake rotors

It features modular internal routing that can be adapted for electronic drivetrains, full carbon dropouts, and a PressFit 86.5x41mm bottom bracket.

Bianchi Aria Disc affordable carbon disc brake aero road race bike Shimano 105

The Aria Disc is available in a wide eight size 44-61cm range.

Bianchi Aria Disc affordable carbon disc brake aero road race bike Campagnolo Potenza

Even though we saw a more black version, the bike seems to come just in Celeste, but is available in three complete bike builds – with Shimano Ultegra, 105, or Campagnolo Potenza 11 speed hydraulic disc brake groupsets.

Bianchi.com

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

9 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Velt
Velt
6 years ago

Isn’t this almost the exact same frame as the Merida Reacto?

Eugene Chan
6 years ago
Reply to  Velt

It’s almost like CFD and wind tunnel testing dictates similar profiles and cross-sections.

Velt
Velt
6 years ago
Reply to  Eugene Chan

None of the other aero frames look this similar. I’d be hard pressed to tell the difference with a raw paintjob.

A big fan
A big fan
6 years ago

Dear bikerumor site designers: What did you do?!?!?!
You’re site was so clean and easy to use, and now it’s more confusing.
You could visually focus on the content in the old layout, and now it’s a sea of white, with blobs of pics and text.
The old layout was more compact, now everything is big and spaced out. It’s like looking at the children’s version of what used to be an adult-like layout.
Please consider adding back some of the items that made your old layout easier, e.g. the blue on both sides with a column of white in the center.
Thank you. I love your site, and visit several times a day.
Sincerely,
A big fan

someguy
someguy
6 years ago
Reply to  A big fan

2nd that, 100%.

RED
RED
6 years ago

Hooray now we can have dork discs on the front as well !?

Sam
Sam
6 years ago
Reply to  RED

If you don’t like the way they look, all you have to do is take them off.

whatever
whatever
6 years ago
Reply to  RED

Saw a vid on the new Ultegra a couple days ago, and I believe what you are seeing as “a dork disc” is actually part of the Ultegra brake rotor.

RED
RED
6 years ago
Reply to  whatever

Thanks whatever,
yes apparently it is “Shimano’s Freeza fin design for heat shedding on long descents.”

“The upshot? More effective cooling has allowed Shimano to drop a rotor size. Testing revealed that smaller rotors were straighter and operated within reduced tolerances. Additionally, they offered greater modulation. The combined IceTech and Freeza technologies are claimed to place a ceiling on temperatures at the brake mount of around 100 degrees. Much above that and heat transfer will degrade the resin in a carbon frame, Shimano believe”

Still looks like hell.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.