CORE! Seven cool bikes from Colnago, Specialized, Orro and more

There are not many hotels where you hear noisy freehubs ticking outside your room door at 10 in the evening, and again at eight in the morning. For three days a year, it's easy to find a place where this happens, though. Nested very near to the race course of Silverstone is Whittlebury Hall, the home of CORE bike show. Every year the hotel becomes the hub for the annual gathering of industry experts from brands to distributors and the cycling media, resulting in a full-on three-day buzz over the hottest cycling tech and of course, beautiful bikes. 

To give you a glimpse of what goes on behind the closed doors, we took a few of the interesting bikes out for some snaps. Let's have a look at what we found! 

Reilly Cycle Works - Fusion titanium aero road bike

First, we have the premium titanium road bike from the British bike maker Reilly. This is the very same model we reviewed last year but in a stunning anodised colourway and some nice Strada deep-section carbon wheels. 

Reilly has used some cutting-edge titanium technology called investment casting on the Fusion's frame. The technology allows Reilly to mimic the aero shapes usually associated with a carbon mould or 3D printing but instead, it's all made with titanium tubing. 

And if you would prefer a fully anodised bike, we also pictured the Reilly mechanic Isaac Wright's golden race machine (above). The bike weighs about 8.6kg, and really does spark the question about whether carbon is the only material we should consider for aero race bikes. Check out the details and build options of the Reilly Fusion on the website. 

Basso Astra road bike

Basso Astra is the brand's established race bike model, which now comes with tyre clearance for 35mm rubber adding some more versatility to it. 

Basso says the new Astra maintains road bike capability, but the refined details have made it less nervous and more comfortable with the geometry borrowed from steel models. It's lightweight, although not super light, with the carbon frame tipping the scales at 980g. This bike is compatible with all the Basso accessories and comes with an integrated seat post clamp. 

This show model is equipped with Shimano 105 Di2 groupset, but there are higher-end options with Sram, Shimano and Campagnolo configurations available. The full details of the new Astra and the build options are available on Basso's website.

Cameron Mason's Specialized S-Works Crux

This one is not anything new, really, just a pro cyclist's cool race bike that was showcased with the cyclocross mud still crusting the Challenge tyres. 

This bike is the team bike of the 22-year-old Scotsman Cameron Mason, who just last month won the British Cyclocross Championships and a top-10 spot at the World Champs.

Mason is part of the British Trinity Racing Team, which has given his bike eye-catching aesthetic details. The bike is rolling on Zipp 303 Firecrest wheels and Challenge tyres, while shifting is handled by Sram's Force eTap AXS groupset. 

Orro Terra Ti gravel bike

This is a bike we teased you about last year, and it is now finally out. The Orro Terra Ti is much like the brand's other Terra C gravel bike, but just made out of titanium. 

It features a trusty T47 threaded bottom bracket, fully integrated cables, internal dynamo routing and most interestingly, you can adjust the fork rake on this bike. 

> Your complete guide to Shimano’s GRX gravel groupset

The GRX 800 1x specced bike on show here sets you back £4,199, so it does represent pretty good value for money as well. Check out the details from Orro's website. 

Orro Venturi S

Orro's Venturi S is a brand new road bike that we can see here, but don't have many details of yet.

The brand new Venturi looks like its predecessors: a fast race machine that will power you up the hills, and I believe this new model will do that even faster due to its lighter weight. We'll need to wait for the full details and release date, but it does look like a bike that will please many. 

Colnago V4Rs

And finally, we have a WorldTour bike that has left some rolling in their graves in the boot-shaped country. When Colnago, a very traditional Italian bike brand, launched the V4RS back in December, it came with a claim to have the lightest frame ever (of course). With the new frame that was built in a carbon factory in Asia instead of handmade in Italy, the bike left behind the long Italian traditions and also, the Campagnolo groupset. 

Now, this WorldTour Team UAE bike comes with a Shimano groupset. Whether it is sacrilege or not to combine the Italian bike with the Japanese groupset, I think the bike is beautiful with its colourful detailing and classic design. It's also very likely a bike we'll see on multiple podium spots in the next few months (no pressure Tadej and Marta). 

What do you think of these show bikes? Let us know in the comments below!