The Colnago Y1Rs is not a conventional road bike, and it should not be treated like one when travelling. Its highly integrated front end is fundamental to the bike’s design but it also makes travelling with your Y1Rs more of a challenge, as the design of the steerer means the cockpit cannot rotate 101 degrees to the right. This means it's unable to be loaded into a box like our Ventoux which requires that level of rotation.
The Buxumbox Aubisque solves that problem. It allows the Colnago Y1Rs to be loaded with its handlebars pointing straight ahead, without removing or rotating its distinctive integrated cockpit. Simply remove wheels and seat post (depending on your geometry) and you're ready to fly.
Why the Y1Rs needs a different type of bike box
Colnago designed the Y1Rs as a dedicated aero race bike. Its defining feature is the CC.Y1 integrated cockpit, with a distinctive gull-wing handlebar shape developed to reduce airflow separation and improve aerodynamic performance.
Colnago states that the Y1Rs has a 19 per cent smaller frontal area than the V4Rs, with the CC.Y1 cockpit forming an important part of that aerodynamic package.
That level of integration is an advantage on the road, but it creates challenges when packing the bike for travel. Many conventional hard and soft bike cases require the handlebars to be removed, loosened or rotated sharply before the frame can fit inside.
On a bike with a proprietary integrated cockpit, internal cable routing, and that all-important limited rotation, that means unnecessary mechanical work. It also creates more opportunity to disturb the bike’s setup or cause problems with its hydraulic hoses, cables, headset or cockpit fixings.
For a Y1Rs owner removing the cockpit simply to catch a flight is not an attractive proposition.
Why the Aubisque bike box fits the Colnago Y1Rs
The Aubisque was designed specifically for aero road, time trial and triathlon bikes whose cockpits cannot easily be dismantled or rotated. The bike mounts inside the box with its handlebars facing forwards. This is exactly what the Colnago Y1Rs requires.
The Aubisque is available in four heights and two widths, providing eight different size combinations. This allows the box to accommodate the different frame and cockpit dimensions found across the Y1Rs size range, and other aero bikes such as Cervelo S5,
Once the correct Aubisque size has been selected, packing is straightforward. Remove the wheels and seat post, secure the frame to the internal axle mounts, place the wheels inside their protective bags, and install the anti-crush bar.
There is no need to remove the CC.Y1 cockpit. There is also no need to force the handlebars through an angle they were not designed to reach.
Less disassembly and less risk
Keeping the cockpit intact offers advantages beyond saving time. Your handlebar position, lever angle and headset arrangement remain untouched, meaning the bike should emerge from the box with its setup exactly as you left it, protected with our 6061-T6 aerospace-grade aluminium panels and extrusions.
That matters on any performance road bike, but particularly on one as specialised as the Y1Rs. Small changes to cockpit position can affect fit, comfort and handling. Avoiding unnecessary disassembly also reduces the likelihood of marking components, damaging fixings or creating problems with internally routed hoses and electronic cables.
Not only that, but travel through the airport or hotel is a breeze, with four smooth-rolling wheels to make the box easier to manoeuvre.
The right way to fly with a Colnago Y1Rs
A premium ride such as the Colnago Y1Rs deserves a bike travel case designed around modern aero-bike geometry, rather than one that forces the bike into a conventional layout.
The Aubisque fits the Y1Rs while allowing its defining feature, the integrated CC.Y1 cockpit, to remain fully assembled during transport.
For owners travelling with a Colnago Y1Rs, the benefit is simple: less time dismantling the bike, less uncertainty when rebuilding it, and proper protection for one of the most advanced aero road bikes available.
Colnago Y1Rs images courtesy of Rhino's Workshop on Instagram.