Bianchi: Sempre Ultegra

All amateur racers want to believe they can ride just as strong on a second-tier bike. And maybe they can, if the bike is Bianchi's Sempre: This year, the Pro Continental Colombia-Coldeportes team will race the model, instead of Bianchi's Oltre.

The Sempre is a racer's bike. While not uncomfortable, it's definitely stiff, and you'll feel many of the road's imperfections. (If you want to cruise, try Bianchi's Infinito model.) The tube shaping on the Sempre's monocoque carbon-fiber frame is designed to ensure power transfer and steering precision, aided by added material in the head-tube and bottom-bracket areas. The ride is a bit softer up front, perhaps due to the straight, 1 -inch steerer tube, which Bianchi uses instead of the more-common tapered steerer.

The benefit of the stiff frame is a sharp, aggressive drivetrain response. The Sempre loves mashing gears over rollers; jump out of the saddle and it's up to speed quickly. Bianchi says that it choose a slack 71.5-degree head angle on our 53cm test bike to comply with European regulations on toe overlap with the front wheel. With a 43mm rake on the fork, the resulting trail makes for a bike that handles on the slow side. The added stability is welcome on descents, but it's not agile enough for fast line changes. The Sempre's smart parts mix includes a mostly Shimano Ultegra drivetrain with FSA's SL-K carbon crankset on a BB30 bottom bracket. The standard Fulcrum 7 wheels are dependable trainers, but they're not light, so you might consider special wheels for races or big events, keeping in mind that faster wheels may amplify the bike's buzzy demeanor.

Compared with the pricier Oltre, the Sempre is a bit rough around the edges for ride quality, and, naturally, not as light. But the Dura-Ace version of the Oltre costs almost three times as much as the Sempre Ultegra. If you've got the cash to burn, by all means get the premium. For the rest of us, there's a comfort in knowing that high performance need not be accompanied by a high price.

Buy It: If you want a race bike and can handle a few rough edges