Bianchi, better known for its road bikes, also does some tidy mountain bikes and has just released details of its new flagship race hardtail, the Methanol SL Team Edition.

The bike will be raced by the new Italian TX Active Bianchi team who will be competing at UCI World Cup XCO races this season. The new Methanol SL Team Edition has been painted in a special colour scheme to match the TX Active-Bianchi team’s jersey, along with custom San Marco saddles and Magura brakes.

The carbon monocoque frame is made using three grades of carbon fibre, Toray 40T, 30T and T700, with a Triple Wall Tube (TWT) design to make the frame both stiffer and lighter. Further stiffness enhancements come with the Embedded Reinforcement Construction (ERC).

Bianchi have built the frame up with typically race-orientated components, including Magura Durin Race forks, SRAM XX, FSA K-Force Light chainset, Magura Marta SL Magnesium brakes, Mavic Crossmax SLR wheels, Hutchinson Piranha/Cobra tubeless tyres and FSA bars and stem.

No word on the price yet. More info at www.bianchi.com