Get Vented! The Avanti Chrono
The team at Top Tube were taken by surprise when the key to the latest Avanti was left on the front steps of the Schloss. Avanti had always struck us as being a bit boring. Much like Grandpa’s brown cardigan, this was a brand of sensible bicycles at sensible prices that really didn’t set the heart racing.
Before we could stifle a yawn and feign interest in yet another carbon, aero, blah, blah me-too tri bike, it quickly became apparent that this was something quite different. It’s a bit like when you first see a C-class Merc and it’s only once you notice the AMG badges that you take a second (and far more respectful) look. In this case the ‘AMG’ in our Avanti comes in the form of some serious engineering from the good folks at Oval Concepts. It’s not just in the bars either – closer inspection raises some interesting questions about where this bicycle comes from. A price tag of close on 12 grand (for an Avanti) also raised a few eyebrows. What to make of it all? Put your compression socks on, sit back with a warm cup of water and your caffeine infused celery stick (it’s race season after all) and allow Top Tube to take you through one of the more unusual bikes of 2009.
The Bike
That’s not an Avanti, not by a long shot. Well it’s not an Avanti as we know it anyway. The frame might have the words Avanti and Chrono written down the side in very big letters but there is a lot more going on here. This frame has been constructed with some serious input from the team at Oval Concepts (this is the AMG bit that we mentioned earlier). Let’s start from the front…
The forks have Oval’s trade mark vents running down the length of them. Same with the Oval aerobars. The Oval stem has the aero nose cone on the front and the frame is co-branded by Oval. The aero nose cone on the stem is possibly taking the integrated aero approach a step too far but Top Tube has decided that those of you without such an item are approaching your racing with less then perfect bike preparation. Shame on you. The seat stays also have the Oval venting system. This venting is similar to the Ridley Noah we tested a few months ago and it’s designed to allow the high pressure (turbulence) created between the deep rim aero wheels and the forks/frame to have somewhere to go, thereby reducing drag. The wheels themselves are the 2008 design Zipp 404 wheel set and they are finished off with custom skins specific only to this model. Capping off the Avanti’s top spec fit out is Shimano’s 2009 Dura Ace groupset. The Avanti is a bike that someone has really thought through in terms of specification and final fit out. The saddle, bars, frame and wheels all match one another. This is a bike that is ready to race with no additional spend required.
