Bianchi has added a new gravel bike to its quiver today, with an update to its Arcadex adventure bike. It will sit alongside the Impulso gravel race bike and offers an option more suited to gravel adventures and multi-day bikepacking expeditions.
That means big tyre clearance – up to 50mm in 700c – which reduces to 45mm with mudguards fitted. The drive-side chainstay is dropped and includes a full-length protective sleeve. All four bike specs are fitted with 1x groupsets.
The Arcadex incorporates downtube storage. (Image credit: Bianchi)
The bike follows a rising trend by adding down tube storage for spares. There’s space for tools, tubes or other small essentials, with a protective sleeve to avoid rattles and damage to the frame. There’s more in-built tooling in the rear thru-axle lever, which incorporates a 4mm/5mm/6mm Allen key.
The new Arcadex comes in two frame grades, Pro and Comp. The Pro bikes offer a two-piece cockpit with integrated cabling, while on the Comp, cables are semi-integrated, with a small external run from the bars into the underside of the stem. Both offer the full range of mounting points for adventure riding, including fork leg bosses on bikes with rigid forks.
The bars and stem come from Bianchi’s Velomann component brand, although the frame is also compatible with a one-piece carbon Bianchi Reparto Corsa bar/stem too.
Bianchi also offers a range of its own Italian-made Orma bikepacking bags to match the new bike, including a seat pack, bar bag, top tube bag and front triangle frame bag, with between 1 and 9 litres capacity.
Bianchi sells a full range of bikepacking bags designed for the Arcadex (Image credit: Bianchi)
Arcadex Pro with suspension fork
The two Arcadex Pro models are equipped with 1,530g Velomann Terbium 30 carbon gravel wheels, with 25mm internal rim width. Bianchi quotes a weight of 9kg for the Arcadex Pro bike.
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The highest spec bike has an electronic SRAM Apex mullet build with 40t x 10-52t gearing and a RockShox Rudy XPLR 30mm travel suspension fork and is priced at £4,449 / €5,099. It uses the T-type GX Eagle rear derailleur, which dispenses with a separate mech hanger, a design spotted on the yet-to-be-launched 13-speed SRAM Red XPLR derailleur seen at Unbound.
There’s a second Pro spec with a Shimano GRX RX822 mechanical 40/11-51t 12-speed groupset and a rigid fork, priced at £3,699 / €4,199.
The rear thru-axle lever incorporates an Allen key (Image credit: Bianchi)
The two Comp bikes have a rigid fork and Fulcrum Rapid Red alloy wheels with 22mm internal width. There’s the option of either mechanical SRAM Apex with 40/11-50t gearing or Shimano GRX RX610 40/11-51t 12-speed shifting. Both specs are priced at £2,649 / €2,999.
All bikes come fitted with Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M 45mm tyres and all have a Velomann Mitora saddle with a wide cut-out and steel rails on a carbon seatpost. The bikes with a rigid fork are compatible with a suspension fork if you want to upgrade after-market.
Colour-wise, you can have forest green or Bianchi’s famous celeste for the Pro and metallic sand or celeste for the Comp. There are five sizes available from XS to XL.
