Bianchi releases ‘Founder Edition’ Oltre RC and Specialissima RC road bikes - you collect it at its pro team pre-season training camp

It’s that time of year when bike companies check their inventory and get the crayons and special paints out, hoping to seduce a few more late-season customers into parting with their cash, before they start thinking about next year’s range.

As misanthropic as that might sound, it does result in some cracking limited editions if you like a fancy road bike, and this one is just that, made to commemorate the brand’s 140th Anniversary.

They’re offering just 85 of the bikes to be sold at a whopping €21,885 each. If they sell them all that’s a cool €1.8million euros, which should come in handy for the staff Christmas party - it’s enough for some gold leaf on this year’s panatone perhaps too.

So what do you get for your money?

Some very fancy upgraded paint for starters. Out is the Celeste of old, and in is a new metallic blue, which for the petrol heads out there, might carry more than a little resemblance to Colin Mcrea’s Subaru 555 rally WRX winning rally cars. The number isn’t 555 however, it’s 999, and the resemblance is entirely accidental.

999 also isn’t the number you should call if you see someone in a digger robbing a cashpoint near the local Bianchi dealer either, it is in fact, representative of Bianchi’s Reparto Corse models, made for professional athletes and “celebrated personalities”.

The blue isn’t from a Subaru or a fast Ford at all, surprisingly, but instead the House of Savoy, part of the Italian Royal Family. Celeste of course, Bianchi’s trademark colour, was said to be inspired by the light blue of Queen Margherita’s eyes. Whether or not she also had anything to do with the name of my favourite and plainest pizza is unclear from the press release.

It also comes in a rather futuristic take on the Bianchi Celeste, a purple to blue flip paint, that oddly, seems more common than the striking blue these days.

We wouldn’t normally run a story on a special edition unless there was something, well, special about it, and it’s not until we read the specs that things start to get very much more interesting. For those who don’t need to rob a cashpoint, and who do step forward to buy one of the 85 available machines, they will also receive a unique welcome kit, which for a even the wealthiest Bianchi fan is going to be pretty special indeed.

You not only get a certificate and a load of high-end gubbins, including a concierge to talk to, presumably when you’re waiting for it to be built, you can also collect it from a team pro camp in January, where you can meet the pros and ride with them.

The spec is pretty impressive too, and no doubt drops a little weight in the process.

There’s a paint matched CeramicSpeed OSPW Alpha derailleur cage, to protect your fancy Alpha Disc jockey wheels from the chilly January breeze when you collect it. The germans provide a crankset, in case the usual Dura Ace one is a little heavy for your liking, in the shape of the uber-fancy THM Clavicula S.E. and you also get the simply excellent Scope Artech 6.A wheels in 65mm depth, fitted with flyweight Carbon Ti rotors. A Fizik Vento Argo 00 Adaptive 3d printed saddle tops it all off.

Each bike comes with what it calls, a Precision Tuning Kit:

• Scope Artech 6.A wheels: 65 mm profile, total weight 1319 g.
• Carbon-Ti rotor

• THM Clavicula S.E. crankset: with integrated carbon spindle and dedicated bottom bracket.
• Fizik Vento Argo 00 Adaptive: carbon shell, weight 153 g.
• CeramicSpeed OSPW Alpha derailleur cage: with ultra-resistant Alpha Disc pulleys.

The special package of extras includes:

A Training camp with the WorldTour team: where you can collect the bike during the pre-season training camp 2026 of Bianchi’s WorldTour sponsored team, in January. Meeting the pros and riding alongside those who race with the very same Specialissima RC or Oltre RC models, albeit without all the fancy extras you'll get.

There is also:
• Certificate of ownership, marking the membership to the Founder’s Club.
• Certificate of authenticity.
• A design bike travel bag to transport the bike with style and safety.
• Race kit: the official race apparel of the Bianchi WorldTour Team 2026.

AVAILABILITY AND PRICE

Specialissima RC and Oltre RC “Founder Edition” are available to order immediately from official Bianchi retailers, with a suggested retail price of €21,885. By registering in the dedicated section of bianchi.com, customers can access the concierge service to receive further information and support during the purchase process.

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