Road, Gravel, & Mountain - XL-Size Cycling

I have been intrigued by Bianchi's Countervail technology since the first day I came across it. While I don't mind an occasional bumpy ride that is short, a longer one gets old really quickly.  I got to appreciate my Binachi Vertigo C2C during a severely chopped section of Giro Costa Centrale not too far from San Luis Obispo.  The bike did shake a little, but it was pretty bearable, stable and comfortable. So, I wondered if an entry level endurance carbon bike from Bianchi can be so comfortable, how much better would a bike designed with vibration damping in mind be? I tried three bikes in that category: Specialized Roubaix SL4 Sport Disc, Trek Domane 4.7, and Bianchi Infinito CV. Specialized Roubaix SL4 I bought a Specialized Roubaix SL4 with disc brakes, upgraded it thoroughly hoping to love it and to keep it, and ended up selling it after for 6-7 months and 2,300 miles. The bike smoothed quite a bit of road vibrations out.  I think Specialize...

Updated: June 18, 2015 Time: 17 months Miles: 4,000 Longest Ride: 130 miles Biggest Climb: 6,350 feet Bottom line: a great carbon bike with a huge upgrade potential.  Great for climbing, fast rides, centuries. -------------- Bianchi Vertigo is an absolute bargain if you can score it for $1,500 - $1,600. It can be an amazing ride, but you have to upgrade it, since beside the amazing frame and a decent Shimano 105 group, it comes with low-end components. Upgrade it and you will have a fast bike, great climber, and a great companion for long rides -- even with a heavier rider. ----------- The ride is comfortable and the steering is precise.  It performs really well when descending. On the negative side, as a result of Bianchi taking some shortcuts with components to keep the cost down, the bike struggled with climbing and loses some efficiency while pedaling straight. This is easily fixable with swapping a few parts. With some upgrades you can make this bik...