Bianchi’s first entry into the adventure-road arena is an interesting one. The Bianchi Allroad 105's geometry pairs a 72-degree head and a 73-degree seat angle with a 575mm top-tube (59cm bike), which are standard endurance road bike numbers. But throw in long 435mm chainstays and massive tyre clearances, and it looks more off-road ready.
Bianchi Allroad 105 spec overview
- Weight: 10.25kg (59cm)
- Frame: Triple- butted aluminium
- Fork: Carbon/alu
- Gears: Shimano 105 (50/34, 11-32)
- Brakes: Shimano BR-RS785
- Wheels: Reparto Corse DRAW 1.9 disc
- Finishing kit: Reparto Corse stem, Reparto Corse flare bar, KS e-Ten dropper post, Selle San Marco Era Startup power saddle, 35mm Kenda Happy Medium tyres
Bianchi Allroad 105 ride impression
The Bianchi Allroad 105 features a mountain bike favourite too: the dropper post. This allows you to drop the saddle by 100mm at the touch of a lever, giving you plenty of clearance to move around, on and off the saddle, for improved balance over technical terrain.
The KS e-Ten dropper works smoothly via a forward-facing, under-saddle lever. We didn’t think we’d get much use out of it, but on more technical stuff we reached for the lever all the time, and on more danger-laden, bumpy off-road descents being able to move around was brilliant. At 700g it’s heavier than a standard post, but we can live with that.
Off-road is where the Allroad makes sense, from the dropper to the wide-range gearing and the cushioning, super-tough and grippy Kenda Happy Medium tyres.
The 16-degree flare on the bar makes sudden off-road descents a blast as the wide, elbows-out riding style it encourages feels more natural than a traditional set up. The Allroad motors over surfaces that you wouldn’t expect a bike of this type to — it’s up there with Cannondale’s Slate in this respect — and it handles with a sharpness thanks to its road geometry.
Sadly, the downside to this off-road prowess is that the Allroad feels laboured on tarmac — that’s the price you pay for tyres that work tremendously well on dirt but weigh in excess of 400g each. So, although the ride position makes sense for road duties, the equipment doesn’t. The 10.25kg all-up weight isn’t bad for a bike that will handle so much off the beaten track, but those extra kilos feel like they’re all in the wheels.
The wide gearing (50/34 chainset, 11-32 cassette) means that you can always make progress but don’t expect to match your averages on a more standard bike. A second, road-biased set of wheels would make this an ace commuter, leaving you to have stunning weekend adventures on those Kenda tyres, which really are great in the sticky stuff. But as it stands, the Bianchi Allroad 105 is a tad too compromised to live up to its name.
Bianchi Allroad 105 early verdict
The Allroad 105 is wonderful off-road and the dropper post is a real bonus, however on the road it feels a little laboured and sluggish. It's a bike that shines brightly on dirt, though sadly is dull on tarmac, but if you want more off-road than all-road from your next bike this could be the one for you.
