This Ferrari Weighs Less Than Your Engineering Textbook

We all know the Prancing Horse for its exceptionally well-designed cars that reek red with performance, exclusivity and style. Well, popular bicycle maker Bianchi has teamed up with the Italian supercar manufacturer to commemorate the birth anniversary of the legendary Enzo Ferrari with the launch of the special SF01 bicycle. Limited to just 12 units, the SF01 comes with space-age tech, making it truly deserving to sport that revered Scuderia Ferrari badge.

For starters, this high-performance road-biased bicycle is built on an ultralight carbon frame which features Bianchi’s vibration-cancelling technology called “Countervail”. The company says it employs a special fibre architecture reinforced with a viscoelastic resin (a resin that can deform slowly from an external force and return back to its original form when the deforming force is removed). With this setup, it is claimed to cancel out 80 per cent of the vibrations and results in a mind-bogglingly light weight of just 780 grams. The company also says that this kind of vibration-canceling frame reduces muscular fatigue and offers increased control and performance.

Complementing the hardtail frame is an equally light custom carbon fiber seat by Astute, weighing just 94 grams. It uses the same 3K type of carbon fibre which Ferrari uses in its cars. The carbon rims are wrapped with top-of-the-line Pirelli P Zero Clinchers. These tyres use a proprietary SmartNet Silica compound made up of 17 different materials that are designed to offer the best performance without compromising on weight. In fact, these tyres are claimed to have high rolling efficiency, high wet grip, high puncture resistance and sturdy sidewalls for better lean angle, as well as enhanced tyre life. What more could you want?

The SF01 employs a 12-speed transmission with a derailleur on both the sprockets. It also uses titanium pedals for optimum weight reduction and strength. Of course, implementing all these space-age technologies comes at a huge price, quite literally. It costs 18,600 USD, which is equivalent to around Rs 14 lakh.