Gravel, endurance, gran fondo — call it whatever you want, but I’ll just call it a road bike suitable for most of us. Along those lines, the folks at Blue Cycles have come up with their version of an “all-road” bike — the new Prosecco EX.
Blue Prosecco EX Di2 Features
- T-700 high-modulus carbon fiber frameset
- Clearance for up to 38mm tires
- Shimano Ultegra Di2 groupset with 46/36t chainrings and 11-28t cassette
- Shimano R785 hydraulic disc brakes with 140mm rotors
- Three water bottle mounts — two inside and one on the top tube
- Aerus Quantum 32DA clincher tubeless-ready wheelset
- Aerus alloy stem and bars with carbon seatpost
- Thru-axles (12mm front/rear)
- MSRP: $2699
Prosecco EX packs a ton of value
Blue Cycles is hungry for growth and will be introducing a number of new bikes for 2017 — including the gravel-friendly Prosecco EX. This new model is aimed at the burgeoning “all road” segment of bikes with disc brakes and large tire clearance. While that flavor of bike is de rigueur, the overall package and price is eye-popping. I’ve never seen a Di2-equipped bike at this kind of wallet-friendly price. And, at this economical price, Blue will surely turn some heads.
The Prosecco EX was one of a few road bikes ready-to-go during the first demo period of PressCamp in Deer Valley. And, not knowing much about the model nor having ridden a Blue in several years, it looked nice enough so off I went.
Without question, the most admirable thing about the Prosecco EX is the price. I mean, getting a full Ultegra Di2 kit at this price still has me shaking my head in amazement. Granted, the rest of the kit is pedestrian, but that electronic shifting sets this bike apart.
On the climb from the Deer Valley base area to Silver Lake, I could feel the bike zipping along at a decent clip. It’s no race bike, that’s certain, but it will move along when pushed. With a wide bottom bracket and a large downtube, it should provide excellent power transfer. In my short time aboard the Prosecco EX, I couldn’t isolate those particular areas of the bike, but I think it performed on par with what I expected for this price and spec. I’ll add that standing climbs were comfortable and natural-feeling without any steering wonkiness.
For a bike intended to offer a bit more comfort, I wasn’t particularly blown away by its smoothness. Though, I will say that the production spec should include a carbon seatpost, but my test bike had an alloy one. In addition, the flat seatstays should, theoretically, offer more compliance, but a tubeless conversion with lower pressures (or wider rubber) may be the best trick to a smooth ride on this bike.
One of the difficult parts of quick test rides is the inability to get a bike completely-dialed. I got the Prosecco EX close to my fit, but not entirely there. As it was, I felt that the bike suffered from slow handling and exhibited a fair bit of understeer at speed. Some of that may improve with a proper fit, but keep in mind that this bike is not going to offer crit-friendly handling.
The Good
- Unreal overall package
- Good tire clearance
- Nice carbon frameset
The Bad
- A bit of understeer
- Small chainrings will run out of gears on descents
- Not exactly sure what to do with the top-tube bottle cage mounts
The Bottom Line: Blue Prosecco EX
No doubt, Blue is offering a phenomenal value in the new Prosecco EX. It’s an upgrade-worthy platform with a ton of flexibility to tackle any road you encounter.
More Info: Visit RideBlue.com
2 Comments
Thanks for the review Jason. I’m interested in this bike. What size was the bike your rode? Can you coment on the weight of the bike.
It’s not an ultralight bike. My guess was in the 18-19 lb range. It looks like I was riding a ML. Hope that helps.