While it would be nice to have a different bike for every type of ride, it just isn’t realistic for most of us. And, while the idea of one bike for every road ride this season inevitably entails some degree of compromise for each, the idea is to find one bike that does everything as well as one bike that can do everything. That bike may very well be the Colnago CX Zero Evo Ultegra. To help our point, Team Europcar has successfully field-tested the CX Zero Evo, conquering conditions as varied as the cobblestones of the Hell of the North and the highest peaks in the Tour. That’s a pretty strong endorsement for any bike.

The first things you’ll notice about the CX Zero are its long wheelbase, tall stack, and shorter reach. Unlike modern race-day bikes, the CX Zero provides a more comfortable cockpit for long rides on varied road surfaces. The seatstays have also been flattened to provide a bit of vertical compliance. Realizing that this comfort can come at a cost in efficiency, Colnago compensates with higher moduli carbon fiber at the bottom bracket, down tube, and head tube for stiffness where you really need it.

Colnago outfitted the CX Zero with Shimano’s second-tier Ultegra group, which is basically Dura-Ace plus a few grams. The 2x11 drivetrain provides the same flawless operation as Shimano’s top-shelf gear, and the wheels are absolutely gorgeous. Colnago then finished the bike with components from Italian cycling legend Deda and a few of Colnago’s own proprietary carbon fiber pieces. The result is a perfectly integrated, cohesive riding experience and a perfect example of the quiver-of-one concept of bicycle design.