Just In: Orro Venturi Ultegra Di2

This sleek-looking bike is the brand new Venturi from British brand Orro. It’s a disc brake-only aerodynamic race bike and we’ve got a Shimano Ultegra Di2 equipped model costing £3,299. Before it gets taken away for testing, here’s a quick look at all the important details.

Mat had a first ride on the Venturi at its launch early last year, and you can read all about it here. You’ll discover that Mat says the bike “rides smoothly, offers loads of frame stiffness, and packs in plenty of value.” He sounds impressed, and Mat isn’t easily impressed.

It’s a bike that has been a long time in development, with Orro designing every bike it sells in-house. One key design principle is the fact that the frame and fork were designed around a 28mm tyre. That is very much the trend of the moment, wide tyres are increasingly popular because of the increased comfort, and they’re not exactly slow especially when the frame is shaped around the wider rubber. It’s the same thinking that was behind the 3T Strada as well.

As such, the down tube and seat tube sit very close to the tyres to provide the desired smooth airflow over these parts. The seat stays have been lowered where they meet the seat tube, which offers more aero benefits with a side order of increased comfort potential. The chainstays are beefy and nipped in to ensure heel clearance is adequate.

The other on-trend feature but something we almost take for granted these days, are the disc brakes. They are the flat-mount variety with 12mm thru-axles at both ends and full internal hose routing. In fact, all the cables are internally routed in the frame, only emerging at the head tube. We are seeing many bike brands now integrating the cables into the handlebar and stem but the conventional bar and stem on this model don’t permit that.

A nice detail is the use of removable thru-axle levers. The levers can be left in the axles for convenience, or removed for maximum aerodynamics.

Underneath the drag-reducing profiles and shapes is spread tow carbon fibre from UK carbon composite specialist Sigmatex, which indicates its a bit different to the regular carbon used in other frames. It means that the fibres of carbon are arranged in a flat and wide tape that is then woven together. The big claimed advantages are reduced weight and increased stiffness.

This Ultegra Di2-equipped bike in a size large hits the scales at 7.9kg (17.41lb). The gearing is suited to the speed intentions of the bike, with a semi-compact 52/36t chainset giving plenty of potential for hitting some serious speed. The powerful hydraulic disc brakes with 160mm rotors should be sufficient for controlling the speed in the corners.

Elsewhere we have a pair of Fulcrum R400 DB wheels shod with Continental Grand Sport Race 28mm wide tyres. Finishing equipment mostly comes from Italian brand Deda, with a Zero 1 stem and handlebar, while a Prologo Kappa RS saddle and Orro’s Carbon Aero seatpost completes the build.

Stay tuned for a full review very soon, and in the meantime, you can get more info at www.orrobikes.com/shop/venturi-ultegra-wind-400