Colnago Y1Rs review: Tadej Pogačar’s aero bike might look space-age, but it’s remarkably 'normal'

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The Colnago Y1Rs is the bike Tadej Pogačar rode to overall victory (and multiple stage wins along the way) at the 2025 Tour de France.

Its racing pedigree is no longer in doubt – Pogačar, for a while at least, appeared to favour the V4Rs and V5Rs all-rounder bikes with the choice available, but things have now, perhaps definitively, changed.

Obviously, that doesn’t automatically make the Y1Rs the best bike in the world – the reality is far more nuanced.

What’s certain, though, is it’s competitive with the very best when it comes to handling and has nary a weak point in terms of performance potential.

Some of that potential is left on the table with this build, though, despite the price being on a par with some other brands' flagship offerings.

Colnago Y1Rs frameset

The Colnago Y1Rs entered stage left in time for the start of the 2025 racing season, with the billing of being Pogačar’s new aero road bike.

For context, until that point, Pogačar and his teammates had relied solely on the V4Rs all-rounder race bike.

This got updated to the V5Rs earlier this year, although it’s the Y1Rs that was ridden almost exclusively by Pogačar at the 2025 Tour de France – even on the most challenging days in the mountains.

At launch, the Y1Rs came with the customary (dare we say, inevitable) claims of being the most aerodynamic road race bike in the world – with a claimed advantage of 20 watts at 50kph versus the V4Rs, or only 1 watt compared to the “best competitor” – but it was the distinctive design that turned heads.

The offset seat tube is the most prominent feature, said to maximise the effective top tube length for aerodynamic gain, offer some additional compliance and steepen the effective angle over the cranks.

This has an impact on how deep the proprietary seatpost can sit inside the seat tube, though, and will likely mean many buying the Y1Rs will need to cut the supplied seatpost accordingly (as I did).

This leaves only a few millimetres' adjustment range, while ensuring the wedge clamp is fully engaged.

Of course, the design sits within the UCI’s pre-defined ‘boxes’ for framesets and its 8:1 depth-to-width regulation for frame tubes.

Pogačar is well-known for his forward-leaning ride position, which the layout is clearly designed to support, but there’s a general trend towards steeper seat tube angles, which pitch the rider further over the bottom bracket.

In theory, this can open the hip angle for more efficient power output, although everyone’s bike fit requirements are different.

The Italian brand has also moulded the down tube with custom bottle cages in mind, partially shrouding them for aerodynamic benefit. The Shimano Di2 battery, where present, is accessed via a port under the down tube bottle cage.

Colnago isn’t definitive about the type of carbon it uses, save to say it’s composed of high-modulus material aimed to deliver a high stiffness-to-weight ratio.

It says an unpainted frame weighs 965g in a size medium, but, of course, only Pogačar has access to one of those.

Up front, the bike features a bayonet-style fork, integrating neatly with the head tube behind it.

This is designed to increase the effective tube depth and improve aerodynamics at the front, while preserving sharp handling.

If you’re running them, the spacers underneath the V-shape handlebar fit flush with the entire bayonet fork-head tube assembly.

There isn’t a traditional steerer tube, though. Instead, a top-loading axle is clamped using a bolt on the underside of the fork crown.

Colnago supplies screws of differing lengths to clamp the cockpit down onto the rotating top cap, enabling the use of up to 25mm of spacers.

A corresponding spacer is supplied to smooth the junction between the spacers and the top tube.

The bottom bearing is 1-1/8in in diameter, while the top bearing is a non-standard 19mm (around 0.748in).

Both are CeramicSpeed SLT (Solid Lubrication Technology) models, which are designed to resist corrosion far better than standard bearings.

The front brake’s hydraulic hose routes down through a port in front of the steerer, and the rear down into the steerer axle, and out of a port on its rear-facing edge.

The steerer axle features a stopper nodule to prevent the handlebar over-rotating and pinching the rear brake hose.

While the design is said to enable the bike’s slim front-end profile, it’s fair to say it’s more complicated than even a ‘standard’ full internal routing system.

The Y1Rs uses a BSA threaded bottom bracket, and has clearance for 32mm-wide tyres.

Colnago Y1Rs geometry

The Y1Rs looks outlandish, but the geometry figures are right where you might expect them to be.

On a size large (nominally closest to many brands' size 56cm), the frame has a 395mm reach and 565mm stack. This is 3mm longer than an equivalent Cervélo S5, but identical in stack.

That said, the handlebar offers a significant boost to the reach to the back of the hoods – the effective stem length measures 140mm long, once the forward sweep of the tops is taken into account.

The head tube angle is identical to both a size 56 and 58cm S5 (and even a size 58cm Specialized Tarmac SL8), at 73.5 degrees – right in the bullseye for a sharp-handling front end.

That said, the offset seat tube yields an effective angle of 73.7 degrees – notably steep (0.7 degrees steeper than both sizes of the S5, and 0.2 degrees steeper than the size 58cm Tarmac).

From the outset, it’s worth noting that as things stand, the Y1Rs can only be bought as a frameset (including cockpit and handlebar) in the US, for $6,750.

For the build as described below, Colnago estimates the total cost would come to $14,500.

Elsewhere, the Y1Rs specification is subject to Colnago’s build programme. Within this, you can opt for your choice of groupset (Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200, SRAM Red AXS and Campagnolo Super Record 13 only, though), and from a selection of four wheelsets, all of which affects the end price, of course.

None come with power meters, though, which is something you’ll need to upgrade to – either by sourcing your own or going through a dealer.

Happily, you can spec your choice of chainring, crank and cassette sizes from the stock Colnago holds for no extra cost.

Some limitations apply here – such as a ‘missing’ 54/40T Dura-Ace crankset option for those who want it, while you can only have 170mm, 172.5mm and 175mm crank lengths for that groupset – but the main bases on a theoretical sales bell curve, for now at least, are covered.

A conversation with your Colnago dealer around your specific needs might yield some extra flexibility here, though.

Colnago also allows the free selection of the YY.01 cockpit, which can be had in 12 sizes, with effective stem lengths ranging from 90-130mm, and 390-430mm widths (measured centre-to-centre at the hoods).

The high widths strike me as old-school. With the aero intentions of the bike, it’s at odds with the general trend for going narrower in the search of more speed (although incoming UCI technical regulations might put a stop to that – at least among the pros).

It’s also confusing, but accurate, to note that the handlebar is marked as 125mm long and 397mm wide, verified with my trusty tape measure.

Neither measurement appears in Colnago’s spec lists, so perhaps it’s a good thing that Colnago’s customiser enables you to choose your handlebar at a later date, after your fit needs have been verified with a dealer.

My test bike has a zero-setback seatpost, but a 15mm-setback post is also available and can be switched out at point of purchase.

Vision's SC45 wheels are supplied, mid-range in terms of specification, but arguably a little under-par for a racy aero bike such as this, especially in the context of the top-level groupsets available.

My bike came shod with Pirelli P Zero Race clincher tyres – another area ripe for upgrade, especially for fans of tubeless setups.

This changes to the P Zero Race TLR tyre if the ENVE SES 4.5 wheelset is specified, given its hookless rims can only sport tubeless rubber, but the fastest P Zero Race TLR RS tyres would be even better.

As it is, though, the Y1Rs is an expensive proposition for the spec. The most pertinent comparison is against the new Cervélo S5, which in a Shimano Dura-Ace build comes with nominally higher-spec wheels, premium Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR tyres and a dual-sided power meter for similar money.

You can also buy a Dura-Ace equipped Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8 for £12,000 ($12,999.99 / €13,499) with a dual-sided power meter, top-spec wheels and Specialized’s flagship S-Works Turbo RapidAir tubeless tyres.

Dressed up, including the bundled out-front computer mount and bottle cages, the Y1Rs weighed 7.66kg. The aforementioned S-Works Tarmac weighed only 6.76kg when we tested it, though, while the S5 is 7.53kg (in a size 58cm).

Colnago Y1Rs ride impressions

The Colnago Y1Rs is surprising, in that it generally rides similarly to the best aero (and aero-leaning all-round) race bikes out there.

In this regard, its outlandish looks flatter to deceive – the touchpoints are all where you’d generally expect them, and the ride position is as racy (low at the front) as one would hope.

Bikes such as the BMC Teammachine SLR 01 and Ridley Falcn RS feel more aggressive again, though, taking the tuck-down, head-down approach to another level.

The Y1Rs’ relative sensibility is a good thing for most riders, though. Plus, given Pogačar’s ride position (while unique to him) is generally more forward-but-upright compared to many pro racers, it’s possible that in ensuring the Y1Rs is a great fit for him, it’s also landed on a layout that could work for lots of people.

Broadly speaking, the Cervélo S5 is not dissimilar in how it feels to ride, suggesting that these two brands, which are currently at the top of the racing game right now, are onto a similar design thread as they support their pro teams.

It feels downright stiff through the bottom bracket when you put the effort in, but doesn’t feel overly rigid through the saddle. Of course, there are no miracles performed here – it’s firm-feeling still, especially through the handlebar, but you’re not exposed to every little imperfection in the road surface.

The Y1Rs feels light to steer, and predictable when ridden fast. I felt some twitchiness when passing hedgerow gaps and when riding in stronger crosswinds, but it’s fair to say no bike is totally immune to this.

It’s also reasonable to suggest that the mid-range wheels don't do justice to the clearly-fast frameset.

At higher speeds, the Reserve 49/56 wheelset you get on the Cervélo S5 makes that bike feel a little more efficient and stable at speed – having swapped the wheelset and Vittoria Corsa Pro TLRs over from the S5 to test the theory, the difference is noticeable.

Colnago Y1Rs bottom line

The Colnago Y1Rs is an excellent aero race bike, no question – all the usual superlatives apply.

Its biggest asset is that it takes a fresh approach with its layout, and it appears not to be a simple vanity project. It feels efficient, stiff, acceptably light, and is rounded out with a reasonable amount of compliance (for an aero bike).

While rider preference is, of course, subjective, the Y1Rs’ fit is very well considered – aggressive without being extreme, and it plays to the latest trends. In particular, the steep seat angle is a design feature worth keeping an eye on.

That said, it’s an expensive proposition for the specification, and upgrades only add to the cost. For the asking price (let alone the Y1Rs’ key use case), you would expect a power meter and a wheelset matching the potential of the frameset.

This stops the Y1Rs from stepping ahead of the competition in the way Pogačar has, but it’s certainly an able foil to his five-star performances.

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