Bianchi, Bars, and a New Bike?

August 2026

I’ve been a I just upgraded the Bianchi. Swapped the stock bars for a set of Surly Corner Bars, and it changed the whole personality of the bike. What was a solid MTB/cross-country ride turned into something closer to a monster gravel bike. Now I have more reach, more hand positions, color-matched handlebar tape, and a completely different feel on long rides. It’s the best upgrade I’ve made to any bike I own.

And now I might sell it…

The Apartment Problem

We moved into a bigger place a couple weeks ago, which you would expect to solve problems, not create them. But despite the apartment being larger and nicer, its space utilization is just not as creative or useful as the previous one. Our new apartment somehow has less usable bike storage than the old one, making my only option to cram both bikes in the living room. I guess I could get vertical stands instead of horizontal to help as well. The size of the Bianchi, especially with its now larger handlebars, is just too much. Its significantly larger than my Checkpoint, which can easily be tucked into multiple spots in the new place. The Bianchi has a big, heavy frame, and big frames need big storage. Right now it’s living somewhere between “stored”, “in the way”, and a pain to take outside.

The Replacement?

At the same time, I’ve had an X-Lab RS7 open in a browser tab for weeks. There’s a lot of buzz around it right now, and once I compared the spec sheet to the price, I saw why. It’s a great deal for what you get: a carbon frame, a solid groupset, power meter, and componentry you’d normally expect to pay a lot more for, all at a shockingly affordable price point. It’s made by XDS, and I know that gives some people pause, but I’m not worried. Most of the bikes we obsess over, Pinarello included, are largely manufactured in China anyway. The name on the down tube doesn’t always tell you where the frame actually came from. It’s also a road bike, which is a category I don’t currently own. I’ve got gravel and MTB covered between the Bianchi and the Checkpoint, but nothing built purely for pavement, cadence, and speed. Most importantly, it’s smaller than the Bianchi, which means it actually fits the storage situation. If I pull the trigger, I’ll write a review, and since it’s new, I’ll be one of the first.

There’s also a timing component. LaunchPad Bikes runs weekly road rides, and after getting hooked on their Saturday morning coffee rides, I’d like to join this one too. Right now I don’t have a bike built for it. The Bianchi, especially with the new bars, has become a gravel bike, and a heavy one at that. The RS7 would fill that gap.

Here’s What I’m Thinking

This isn’t really a “which bike is better” question. It’s a fit question. Does it fit in the apartment, and is it a fit for how I want to ride?

• The attachment is real. The Bianchi, post-Surly-bars, is the best it’s ever been. Selling it means selling a bike I just made better, and a bike I love. Despite it being a cheap starter bike, I’m attached.
• The apartment isn’t changing size. That constraint isn’t going away, so it has to factor into any bike I keep long-term.
• The RS7 opens a door. Group road rides, that I don’t currently have a bike for.
• Money isn’t infinite. Selling the Bianchi directly funds the RS7.

Here’s the real constraint though: I can only fit two bikes in the apartment. The Checkpoint is staying no matter what, so this really comes down to the Bianchi or the RS7 for that coveted second spot. I want to keep the Bianchi. But the RS7 is so much easier to fit into the space I actually have, and that’s not a small thing when the alternative is a bike parked in the middle of the living room. Having to move the Bianchi out of the corner every time I want to ride, combined with its much larger footprint compared to the Checkpoint, is heavily swinging me in favor of the RS7. And honestly, the Bianchi is really just a starter bike. It’s an $800 hardtail with cheap front forks, Shimano Alivio, mechanical gearing. It’s heavy and slow, like a tank.

Where I’ve Landed

The Bianchi is up for sale for now. Not because I don’t love what it’s become. I absolutely do. But things change. The case for the RS7 is just resonating stronger on every axis that actually matters to my life right now. I’ll miss those Surly bars. But I’ll miss them a lot less once I’m rolling with the LaunchPad group on additional road rides.

More on the RS7 once it’s actually in the apartment.