Established in 1885 by Edoardo Bianchi in Milan, Bianchi is the world’s oldest bicycle manufacturer and a cornerstone of Italian cycling heritage. From its early innovations—such as pioneering the use of equal-sized wheels with pneumatic tires—to its signature Celeste color that is a bike racing icon, Bianchi blends craftsmanship with technological progress. Legends like Fausto Coppi, Felice Gimondi, and Marco Pantani rode Bianchis to glory. We can’t forget the innovative Bianchis of Paris-Roubaix during the 1990s.
In 2019 and 2020, Wout van Aert, riding for Jumbo-Visma, raced his cyclocross season aboard a Bianchi Zolder. That bike is the same as today’s version.
Yellow and celeste is the new “in” color combo. 2019 Azencross Loenhout. © B. Hazen / Cyclocross Magazine
That Zolder cyclocross bike was also marketed briefly as a gravel bike, called the “Impulso Pro,” a bike we saw at Sea Otter in the fall of 2021:
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Cyclocross coach and perennial contender for a Masters National Title Adam Myseron hopped onto the Zolder/Impulso Pro as a sponsored athlete in 2022. Bianchi has since updated the Impulso line with a newer, gravel-specific frame, and the older version still lives on as the cyclocross-specific Zolder model we’ve tested, albeit with a non-stock build.
2025 Bianchi Zolder Pro ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine
2025 Bianchi Zolder
In 2009, at the height of American cyclocross, Bianchi set the tone for European cyclocross bikes with an all-carbon frame and a lower-than-traditional bottom bracket on the Carbon D2 Concept Race. European cyclocross bikes had, and still have, a bottom bracket height about a centimeter higher than road bikes. The bottom bracket drop is the difference in height off the ground of the crank spindle versus the wheel axle. This figure is around 6cm for traditional European cyclocross bikes. American influence in the late 2000s brought the bottom bracket down lower, to around 7cm of drop. The 2009 Carbon D2 Concept Race had a 6.8cm BB drop, and every Bianchi ‘cross bike to follow had the same. Until now.
The Bianchi Zolder returns to the high bottom bracket of the European tradition. We discussed this in our recent review of the Sage Titanium PDXCX and the year before, when reviewing the Bombtrack Tension C. Dedicated cyclocross machines are few in North America now, with the dominance of gravel cycling and the evolution of cyclocross bikes into gravel bikes.
The high bottom bracket allows pedaling sooner out of corners, along off-cambers and sloped tracks, up over crests, and through rough sections of roots, small steps, or rocks. A lower bottom bracket makes remounting the bike easier, and cornering feels more secure due to the lower center of mass.
A remount on the Binachi Zolder needs a hint more kick than it used to. ©Otisbean.com
Bianchi Zolder Pro Frame
The new 2025 Bianchi Zolder is UCI-approved for racing. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine
The 2025 Bianchi Zolder Pro frame is a carbon monocoque painted attractively in iconic Celeste, accented with teal and fuscia. Our review bike is a size 56 with a 56cm seat tube measured to the top of the seat collar, and a 56cm effective top tube length. The 73.5-degree seat tube angle and 72-degree head tube angle are classic parameters for a cyclocross bike. So are the 42.5cm chainstays combined with the 60.6cm front center to yield a 102.4 wheelbase.
2025 Bianchi Zolder Pro ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine
The head tube is 145mm tall, yielding a not-too-high stack of 569mm and a reach of 391mm. The all-carbon fork with flat-mount caliper provision has a 45mm offset. With a 33mm tire, the Bianchi Zolder Pro has a trail measurement of 66mm and a mechanical trail of 63mm.
Internal control line routing, but not through the headtube. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine
The bottom bracket drop is 6.2cm, 5mm higher than the 6.7cm drop of the previous iteration of the Zolder.
Control lines on the Bianchi Zolder run internally, entering into the downtube on either side. If you run a front derailleur, the cable will exit behind the bottom bracket for a bottom-pull version. The rear derailleur cable exits elegantly behind and above the rear chainstay, and the rear brake lines exit through the inner left chainstay.
Control lines run internally, but not through the head tube on the Bianchi Zolder Pro. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine
The rear cable/wire exit is high and behind the chainstay. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine
If you’re running cables for mechanical derailleurs, there is exposed access at the bottom bracket. If you decide not to run a front derailleur, the mounting plate is removable, and a cover is provided. The rear derailleur hanger is removable, but not a SRAM UDH.
Tire clearance is usually most limited at the chainstays behind the bottom bracket. The maximum tire clearance for the Zolder is 40mm, according to Bianchi, and this is consistent with our measurements. The bottom bracket uses the 86.5mm X 41mm pressfit, which is a Shimano (BB86) standard for a 24mm spindle diameter.
Clearance with a 33mm tire on the Bianchi Zolder. There is just short of 10mm clearance on each side. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine
The Zolder fork is all carbon with a 1.125-1.5″ tapered steerer, a 400mm axle to crown distance, and a 45mm offset. It is built for a flat-mount brake caliper with an internal hose run and 12mm X 100mm through axle. The maximum fork tire clearance is also 40mm.
The only accessory mounting points on the Zolder are water bottle mounts. The downtube set is mounted very low, a point Bianchi draws attention to. Racer input indicated a desire to race with a bottle for some events, and shouldering the bike with the cage mounted lower is easier and more comfortable.
The Bianchi Zolder Pro Build
In North America, where the cyclocross market is smaller than in Europe, the only build kit available is Shimano GRX 610 1 x 12-speed with a Shimano GRX 820 rear derailleur with a maximum 11 tooth top cog and 36 tooth low.
However, our review bike from Bianchi North America’s demo fleet has a double chainset on a GRX 600 crank with 172.5mm arms. The rings are 46 x 30, combined with a 105 11-32 11-speed cassette. The derailleurs are GRX 810 series for 2 x 11, and GRX SL RX600 11-speed levers handle the shifting and braking. Brake calipers are RX400 clamping onto 160mm SM RT70 IceTech® rotors.
Rolling on Fulcrum Racing 900DB
The current wheel spec for the Bianchi Zolder Pro with the GRX610 build is Velomann V30R with 23mm internal width aluminum rims. This is a Bianchi OEM spec wheelset with a claimed weight of 1790 grams (3 lbs, 15 oz.).
Our review bike has Fulcrum Racing 900 DB wheels. These are also OEM spec wheels from Fulcrum, a division of Campagnolo. The Racing 900 DB has 22mm deep aluminum rims with a 19mm internal width. The 28 round 2.0mm straight gauge J-bend spokes use 2X lacing on one side of the wheel and radial on the other. For the rear, the drive side is 2X. On the front, the rotor side is 2X. The nipples are brass
The OEM wheelset has a claimed weight of 1950 grams (4 lbs, 5 oz.). They are tubeless-ready and easy to set up for tubeless tires. The tires on our review bike are Vittoria Terrano Mix Tubeless Ready 700C x 33mm. You could argue for the average American consumer/cyclocross racer, who will likely never have their tires measured, these stock tires are undersized, but at least they are UCI legal.
Who is Velomann?
Velomann 11cm stem -10 degrees. ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine
Other components on the Bianchi Zolder Pro are by Velomann, a Bianchi brand made by Vision, a division of FSA in Taiwan. The bar and stem sizes vary by bike size. Our 56cm frame has an 11.0cm -8 degree stem, and a 42cm-wide (at the hoods) non-flared handlebar. Although you can flip the stem for a higher rise, the aesthetics are best in the low position. The clamp diameter is 31.8mm. The seat post has a 27.2mm round carbon shaft with a forged aluminum head with a 2-bolt saddle rail clamp. The saddle is a flat Velomann that looks like an old Fizik Arione.
As equipped, the Bianchi Zolder Pro review bike weighs 20.1 pounds; 12.0 pounds without the wheels. Given the heavy wheelset, the Zolder Pro has the potential to be a light race bike. The frame is UCI-approved with an official sticker on the seat tube.
Bianchi Zolder Pro Ride Impressions
The Bianchi Zolder Pro is a dedicated cyclocross race bike for the European cyclocross circuit. It has traditional, proven cyclocross geometry for classic, technical, and muddy cyclocross courses like Heusden-Zolder, where the 2025 Belgian National Championship took place.
If you race cyclocross, the handling of this bike will be familiar. Fast accelerating and nimble through chicanes, the high bottom bracket allows pedaling over rises and bumps, as well as through off-camber sections. Being higher than a gravel bike or an American-designed cyclocross bike makes remounting more of a leap, and downhill switchbacks and flat corners take a bit more technique and concentration. The review bike weighs 20 pounds, but the wheelset’s weight is a large portion of that. Two pounds can be dropped with a different wheel and tire choice, even without going to tubulars.
Our recent reviews of the Sage Titanium PDXCX and Bombtrack Tension C share many frame geometry parameters with the 2025 Bianchi Zolder Pro. The Zolder Pro has the lowest stack, and the Sage PDXCX has the greatest tire clearance, but they share the same reach, wheelbase, trail figure, and bottom bracket height.
For a cyclocross race, the Bianchi Zolder Pro will not limit you in any way. It accelerates off the line with the slightest of pedal input and goes wherever you point it. Lean the bike over and it quickly drops into a turn. On a steep drop, you have to keep your wits because of the short trail and short front center. You have more weight forward, and the bike will steer more quickly than your gravel or mountain bike. So if the trail is bumpy, you can get thrown off your line or forward over the front of the bike.
The short front-center pays you back on a steep uphill by helping you keep your chosen line. The short chainstays and light, stiff frame that aid acceleration and sprinting also make the Zolder Pro a snappy climber. Swapping the relatively heavy OEM Fulcrum Racing 900 DB wheels for something lighter confirms that wheel weight is a significant performance factor. The Bianchi Zolder Pro performs better in every way with a light racing wheelset.
Can the Zolder Handle Gravel?
Since it is now easier to find a gravel bike than a cyclocross bike, we must ask if the Bianchi Zolder Pro can be your gravel bike. Gravel bike evolution took the cyclocross bike and increased tire clearance while making the bike geometry longer and lower. To generalize, many gravel bikes are now road touring bikes featuring wide tire clearance.
In the past, we rode cyclocross bikes on mixed terrain, something we now call gravel riding. Cyclocross bikes are better now with hydraulic disc brakes and even a bit more tire clearance, so the Bianchi Zolder can absolutely be your gravel bike, but it is limited in tire clearance. If you’re adopting the mountain bike tires as the gravel tires trend, you’ll be out of luck with the Bianchi Zolder due to its relatively limited tire clearance.
That said, the Zolder Pro eschews any mounting points for accessories other than water bottles. The advantage of riding a bike like the Zolder Pro for gravel riding, versus using a light gravel-oriented bike, is nimbleness on tight trails and bragging rights for under-biking.
Bianchi Zolder Pro ©C. Lee/Cyclocross Magazine
Bianchi Zolder Pro Racing
Being aboard the Zolder Pro in a cyclocross race is a lot of fun. The bike is predictable and stable enough to keep you upright when shoulder to shoulder on a tight course. The bike is reasonably comfortable over chattery sections, and thanks to the open triangle, it’s easy to flick onto your shoulder if you have to run for a stretch. The downtube is not too large to grasp, and the top tube is flat on the underside with rounded edges. For warm races, the low downtube water bottle mount makes carrying a water bottle comfortable, even during prolonged portages with the bike on your shoulder. The Zolder is raced by amateurs and pros alike.
Rafaelle Carrier, former Canadian Junior National Champion and newly crowned U23 Canadian National Champion for 2025-2026, races the Bianchi Zolder for Arkéa-B&B Hotels. She recently won the Really Rad Festival of Cyclocross Day 2 and stood on the second step of the podium behind Maghalie Rochette on Day 1.
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Amandine Fouquenet, also racing for Arkéa-B&B Hotels aboard a Bianchi Zolder Pro in Europe, won Coup de France, and then came in 7th at Tabor which is no small feat.
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Amandine Fouquenet fought a hard battle for second the next week at the Flamanville World Cup!
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I mentioned the bike climbs and accelerates well, and with the above palmares, the Bianchi Zolder Pro obviously won’t limit your race performance. The head tube is not the tallest. If you like your bars low, no problem. Otherwise, a few spacers and a stem with more rise will be the way to put the bar as high as you want it.
Tester Clifford Lee racing the Zolder Pro in San Francisco. photo: Andrew Yee / Cyclocross Magazine
The GRX 600 16-tooth spread 46X30 double chainset did not pose a single problem with up or down shifts, and I did not drop the chain during the several-month review period. To find the right gear with the wide spread, I moved between chainrings more.
The long cable run to the rear derailleur is not continuous cable housing. Rather, there is a cable housing stop at the down tube entrance and the seatstay exit points. There is a cable liner that runs into the tubes to reduce friction, and rear shifts with this mechanical system are good. Still, I experienced some sporadic, delayed upshifts, even with a perfectly adjusted system. I wish the derailleur return spring was just a bit stronger.
Due to my limited power output, the wide gear spread is advantageous to me in races with long, steep uphill sections. Of course, on longer mixed-terrain rides with a lot of climbing, I appreciate that extra range. It’s easy to change the cassette or front chainring if you want a different gear ratio.
Wout van Aert battled hard and finished fifth. 2019 Azencross, Loenhout. © B. Hazen / Cyclocross Magazine
The Verdict
You can ride and race any bike in any situation if you have the mettle. Cyclocross requires a freewheel/freehub, no forward extensions on the handlebars, and, at the highest level, a tire no wider than 33mm; however, 38mm is allowed in the US except for UCI race categories. Toon Aerts recently won an elite cyclocross race on a road bike, and even Wout van Aert used a gravel bike for a cyclocross race one season. The point is to get a bike that you like to ride and race!
The Bianchi Zolder Pro is a pedigreed bike that is fast and fun to ride. It is quite capable over varied terrain and conditions if the rider has the skill to take it there. That said, the Zolder Pro is primarily a cyclocross race bike with a UCI sticker for eligibility at the highest levels of the sport. 40mm tires are wide enough for many endeavors, but the Zolder Pro is not suitable for long-distance rough terrain events. It is a lot of fun for mixed-terrain day rides that might include a bit of underbiking. The 2025 model has an attractive paint scheme that garnered comments wherever I rode it.
The Press-fit BB 86.5 is a Shimano standard with a 41mm diameter opening for a 24mm crank spindle. If you desire to use a crank with a 30mm spindle, the necessary smaller crank bearing compromises ultimate performance and longevity. The Shimano options are fine. In North America, the bike will come with a GRX 1 x 12 speed, a 40T chainring, and an 11-34T 12 speed cassette. That’s plenty of high gear for a sprint and low enough for even a hilly cyclocross course, for strong riders, but could be a limitation for some, especially for longer, hilly training rides. I thought a better choice for the spec is the Shimano GRX 822 GS rear derailleur. It is more specific to a 1X drivetrain and compatible with the 10-45 cassette. The GRX 822 SGS model goes even lower, compatible with the 10-51 cassette.
OEM wheels are usually used to help the bike meet a price point. Our Fulcrum wheels are portly, and the spec’d Velomann wheelset is a negligible 160 grams lighter, so the first upgrade for the Bianchi Zolder Pro is a lightweight performance wheelset. Then you’ll have a fast, fun mixed-terrain capable race bike from the oldest bike brand in the world.
Bianchi Zolder Pro Specifications (As Ridden)
MSRP: USD 3,700
Frame: Carbon fiber monocoque, 12 X 142mm through-axle, PF 86.5 BB, SRAM UDH compatible
Fork: Bianchi Carbon, 12 X 100 thru axle
Weight: 20.1 pounds as tested, without pedals; 12.0 pounds without wheels
Shifters: Shimano GRX 610 12-speed (GRX 600 11-speed)
Crankset: Shimano GRX 610 40T (GRX 600 44 x 30T , 172.5mm arm)
Brakes: Shimano GRX 400 flat-mount calipers, Shimano RT70 IceTech rotors, 160mm front and rear
Cockpit: Velomann aluminum 42cm, Velomann 11cm stem, aluminum
Seatpost: Velomann carbon shaft, aluminum 2-bolt head, 27.2mm diameter
Saddle: Velomann, cro-moly rails
Wheels: Velomann V30R aluminum 23mm internal width (Fulcrum Racing 900 DB, aluminum 19mm internal)
Tires: Vittoria Terrano Mix TR, 700C x 33mm
Warranty: Frame lifetime against manufacturer defects to the original owner, complete bicycle 1 year.
Country of origin: Taiwan
More Info: Bianchi.com
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