The Impulso is a brand new bike for 2012, developed by Bianchi to offer a higher level aluminium bike, with a lightweight hydroformed frame complimented by Shimano's 105 10 speed groupset.

The hydroformed frame is triple butted, thinning the tubes where there are no stresses going through the frame, but then strengthening it in area's where needed, with smooth wleds and lines making this aluminium frame lighter, more responsive and nicer to ride than some cheap generic carbon frames.

The fork features carbon legs for vibration damping and a smooth ride quality, with kevlar tips adding additional damping and ride comfort.

Shimano's 105 groupset is the right level groupset for this frame, offering good quality transmission, without adding too much to the price tag. An FSA ompact chainset features a 50 tooth outer ring and 34 tooth inner ring for a wide spread of gears on two chainrings.

The brakes, seatpost, saddle, bars and stem are all badged up as Bianchi's in house brand, Reparto Corsa, but are in fact made by FSA, which is a good thing, giving the confidence that these are good quality components rather than just generic components made to a budget.

The Impulso is a good bike for those who dont want to shell out on a carbon bike, but want a good quality bike nevertheless.