GCN presenter bikes: Si Richardson’s Colnago G4-X with 12-speed Di2 GRX

GCN’s Si Richardson recently embarked on a bold challenge to qualify for the gravel World Championships. It sounds like a lofty ambition but is one that is achievable for everyday cyclists through the Gravel World Series.

Introduced in 2022, the series is a calendar of races across the globe with each acting as a qualification event for the World Championships, and Si picked the Gravel Fondo Limburg as his target event.

Of course, qualifying would be a monumental challenge that would require top-level equipment. Luckily, Colnago stepped in to provide their new G4-X gravel bike. Here’s a full rundown of the bike.

Read more: New Colnago G4-X is a thoroughbred gravel race bike with aero-optimised profiles

Colnago’s thoroughbred gravel race bike

Gravel is a small term that covers an increasingly diverse range of riding. At one end of the scale there’s rugged off-road riding that verges on mountain biking, while at the other there’s a world of racing influenced by the aero world of road cycling.

The new Colnago G4-X, released at the beginning of May, is designed firmly for the latter category. It’s a thoroughbred race bike that adopts a similar silhouette to the V4Rs raced by Tadej Pogačar and his UAE Team Emirates teammates in the WorldTour peloton – considering the V4Rs’ all-conquering success, the G4-X’s design certainly has impressive pedigree.

It’s still a gravel bike, though, and needs a geometry that’s suitable for off-road riding. It delivers that through what Si describes as a “balanced” design that isn’t twitchy or too speed focussed in complete ignorance to the off-road terrain.

A major part of the geometry, and the most obvious nod to the bike’s gravel purpose, is the 45mm tyre clearance. Si chose to max this out through his 45mm-wide Pirelli Cinturato Gravel RC tyres, set up with 26 psi pressure at the front and 28 psi at the back. The tyre’s aren’t Pirelli’s slickest option, falling second on that list, but the added tread provided an extra safety net in case the going got rough or muddy.

Read more: Gravel vs road: how much slower is a gravel bike?

1x or 2x set-up?

One of the biggest, if not the biggest, choices when setting up a gravel bike is gearing, which means choosing between a 1x or 2x set-up.

Si is a fan of both but punted for a 2x version of Shimano’s new 12-speed Di2 GRX gravel groupset, set up with a 48/41t chainset. The decision was a nod to the fast and relatively flat parcours and provided a good selection of large gears for putting out plenty of power on the flat.

Read more: Shimano GRX goes wireless: First look at the new 12-speed GRX Di2 Groupset

Colnago G4-X: Road or gravel cockpit?

A further nod to the bike’s road influence is the CC.01 integrated cockpit that the G4-X can be bought with. There are two variations available and customers can choose between a more road or gravel-oriented option.

There’s a third option in the form of a two-piece bar and stem from Deda, which is what Si punted for. It isn’t as aero and lightweight as the CC.01 cockpits but is more adjustable, allowing a rider to hone their position.

It’s a decision that will undoubtedly please the gravel purists, who dislike the encroaching influence of aero road thinking into the discipline, as will the inclusion of a T47 threaded bottom bracket.

Elsewhere on the bike, the Selle Italia Model X was a choice understandably based on comfort, but it also comes with eco credentials. Its carbon footprint is half of that of a usual saddle and it doesn’t use glue.

Check out a complete breakdown of the bike in the video at the top of this page. Find out if Si achieved qualification here.