WI N 1 OF 12 LIMAR GIRO D’ITALIA HELMETS WORTH $199! SEE PAGE 64 NEW ZEALA N D RO AD CY C LI ST THE AGING INDOOR CURVE TRAINING How to maintain Transform your performance your riding as you get older this winter C ROUCH, TOUCH, HOW TO: MAY Fuel up for /JU CYCLE winter riding N E 2 E Cycling’s Protect your 013 All Black precious bike connection from airline gorillas Sleep your way to success CYCLING’S NO.1 ISSUE How to stay safe ww w.nzroadcyclist.co.nz on NZ’s roads MAY/JUn ‘13 ISSUE 16 NZ $9.90 inc. GST NZ O. C . LIST C Y C O • EMC Equip 1.1 NZR TESTED & REVIEWED • Avanti Corsa 4.0 WWW. AD AV NTI CORSA DR4 WORDS BY ADAM CLARK PHOTOS BY DARRYL CAREY BIKE REVIEW Take the proven performance of your race bike; add the aero advantage of your world-beating TT bike; then add integration on an unprecedented scale. In very simple terms, that’s the recipe that iconic Kiwi brand Avanti has used to produce its latest offering, the Avanti Corsa DR4. And as bike reviewer Adam Clark discovered, the result is a bike that fulfils Avanti’s vision, when it started out some 25 years ago, to one day be up there with the best bike brands in the world. 30 nzroadcyclist.co.nz 31 ou could say that Avanti’s Corsa DR4 has been years in the making. It owes much of its heritage to the intensive work the company’s Ydesign team did in CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) and wind tunnel testing to develop the extreme aero lines of the Avanti Chrono and then applying those learnings to take a high-performance racing bike to the next level.Key to that step up has been a commitment to integration to make full use of the bike’s aerodynamic qualities. My initial impression of the Corsa was positive. Avanti have gone for a subtle approach in its design with only a touch of colour on the frame, back stays and front forks and a matt grey finish everywhere else. It’s a classy-looking, highly-integrated, supremely aerodynamic road racing bike with some nice touches - aero skewers are integrated into a cut out in the front fork and rear seat stay. On top of this an aero head tube cap can be switched out with other sizes to allow for different steerer lengths. Little features maybe, but they tidy up the bike and give it a distinctly aero look. My first ride on the Avanti confirmed that positive impression. The Corsa DR4 is unlike any other Avanti I have ever seen - you can tell just by looking at it they have taken things to the next level - and during my first ride I was nothing but impressed. It was smooth, stiff and surprisingly comfortable. INTERNAL CABLING ENHANCES THE CORSA’S STYLISH, CLEAN LINES. SHIMANO’S NEW DURA ACE 9000 COMPONENTRY IS THE FINISHING TOUCH TO A QUALITY BIKE. A DURA ACE C50 WHEELSET CONFIRMS STIFF AND RESPONSIVE, THE CORSA RESPONDS THIS IS A SERIOUS RACE WEAPON. TO ALL THE POWER YOU CAN GIVE IT. 32 nzroadcyclist.co.nz EVERYTHING ABOUT AVanti’s suprEMELY AERODYNAMIC CORSA DR4 HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE NEXT LEVEL, WITH THE RESULT THAT IT IS SMOOTH, STIFF AND SURPRISINGLY COMFORTABLE. ver the time I have been reviewing this bike I have clocked up Overall Avanti have done an incredibly good job with the new Corsa well over 1000km. From short sharp sessions to long 150km- DR. The bike is quick, stiff and powerful; responsive to every pedal Oplus rides, the bike has performed remarkably responsively. turn. And did I mention comfortable? Even after a five-hour ride I could This is a race bike that deserves respect in the peloton. It certainly swing my leg off and feel like I was in pretty good shape, always a exceeded all my expectations when I rode it and I’ve got to say it nice feeling! looks pretty fantastic. In racking up those kilometres over a range of different roads, climbs First the Chrono and now the Corsa DR…I’m excited to see what else and descents, the Corsa DR4 has been a fun bike to ride - responding Avanti have in store for us in the future. really nicely to any extra power you want to put through it. I track all my rides using Strava (as some of you may have seen on SPECIFICATIONS – AVANTI CORSA DR4 the NZ Road Cyclist Facebook page) and I broke a few of my personal Frame: ADT CR6 Carbon, Aero performance best times with no trouble at all. road geometry It can be a little difficult ‘trusting’ a new bike on a descent until you Fork: ADT CR6 Monocoque carbon get used to it but descending on the Corsa was a breeze and quick Wheelset: Shimano Dura Ace C50 clinchers too! Smashed a personal best and reclaiming a K.O.M on my first attempt. Tyres: Kenda Kountach The bike set-up as I rode it, was covered in top class componentry; Rear Derailleur: Shimano Dura Ace 9000 highlighted by Shimano’s brand new Dura Ace 9000 11-speed Front Derailleur: Shimano Dura Ace 9000 groupset including the new C50 clincher wheelset and carbon fibre Shifters: Shimano Dura Ace 9000 Dura Ace pedals. To finish it off asw a Zero Attack Team bar and stem Brakes: Shimano Dura Ace 9000 and Zenith saddle. Brake levers: Shimano Dura Ace As Karl Murray wrote in his comprehensive review in the last issue of New Zealand Road Cyclist (Issue #15), the 11-speed Dura Ace 9000 Crankset: Shimano Dura Ace 9000 53/39T groupset is amazing; a definite set-up from the less-than-perfect Bottom Bracket: Shimano SM-BB71 7900. Chain: Shimano Dura Ace 9000 This reflects Shimano’s design acumen at its best. It is well-researched, Cassette: Shimano Dura Ace 11-speed 11- tested and precisely designed – and I loved riding it. 25T The 9000’s shifting is light and positive and the hoods are much more Saddle: Zero Zenith Team comfortable than on the 7900. As for the new C50 wheels, Shimano Seatpost: Aero carbon wheels are always of the highest quality and these are no exception; Handlebar: Zero Attack Team stiff in the corners and under power and comfortable even over rough roads. Stem: Zero Attack Team The Zero Attack Team bar was nice too, stiff under power on the RRP: $9,299.99 drops and nice and comfortable on long rides. Distributor: Sheppard Industries 34 nzroadcyclist.co.nz.