His Elite FS differs quite a bit from the catalog version, with top of the line spec to keep things as competitive as possible in both the short track and the XCO races. The Caloi – Henrique Avancini Racing team has built their program with help from Red Bull, Shimano, Vittoria, FOX, 9thWave, FSA, Z2, Lazer, Oakley, Z2, CeramicSpeed, RDR, Barbedo, Bauerfeind, Land Rover, Samsung, Greenpeople, Vorr, and Strava.
Age: 34
Hometown: Petrópolis, Brazil
Height: 176 cm
Weight: 69 kg
Instagram: @avancinimtb
Frame: Caloi Elite FS
Shock: Fox Float, 120mm
Fork: Fox 34, 100mm
Wheels: DT 180 Hubs, Ninefold Yarrow SL 30mm/Flex 30mm/Flex 35mm Rims, Berd Spokes
Tires: Vittoria Terreno 2.25, Mezcal 2.4, Vittoria Airliner inserts
Drivetrain: Shimano XTR
Brakes: Shimano XTR, 160mm rotors
Cockpit: FSA KFX integrated 76mm
More info: Caloi Elite FS
The Elite FS is Caloi’s flagship XC race bike, and the geometry and kinematics have been biased heavily towards performance between the tape. The geo is relatively conservative, but with a long career racing even more aggressively angled bikes, it’s unsurprising that this setup is working quite well for Avancini. His size Medium sports a 437mm reach, 68.6° head angle, 75° seat angle, and a 587mm stack with the stock setup.
Avancini has had his suspension internals tuned by Gallo Moto, pursuing some slight improvements with what he says is already a very high standard of performance provided by the stock Fox product. We haven’t heard much about what exactly the team is doing in the fork and shock, but according to Henrique: “I pump my bike quite a lot, so at times I need some more suppleness than other riders would prefer.” The Caloi frame sports the stock 100mm shock, but Avancini has upped the fork travel to 120mm, slightly altering the geometry and suspended balance of the bike. Still typical in these categories of racing, his bike is equipped with dual remote lockouts, for times when you want things as stiff as possible.
His frame has also been made with a special carbon layup meant to reduce weight, with a beautiful candy-coat paint job that shows off the carbon weave underneath the glossy blue.
Shifting and braking are an all-Shimano XTR affair. Avancini prefers 170mm cranks, swapping between 38 and 40 tooth chainrings depending on the course, and because he clearly doesn’t need too light a climbing gear.
Brake-wise, 160mm rotors are used front and rear, with Shimano resin pads to provide the bite.
Supracaz-made RDR grips keep the hands on the bars, and make sure the weight stays low.
Avancini is running the FSA KFX integrated cockpit, in a 76mm length. This bar-stem combo results in an effective length of 85mm, adding quite a bit of room to the otherwise short frame reach.
Henrique is running an 80mm Fox Transfer SL dropper post, controlled by a lever on the right side of the bars. Droppers are all but ubiquitous at this point, and why not with how light they’re getting.
Contact points are a highly personal choice, and Henrique prefers the Fizik Antares Versus Evo Adaptive saddle, with its very futuristic looking 3D-printed topper.
The wheels are one of the more intriguing areas of Avancini’s Caloi, with a deep custom build that is meant to shed as much weight as possible while maintaining a solid ride quality. He uses DT Swiss 180 hubs on all of his wheelsets, but the rim spec changes for different wants and needs. Swapping between the Ninefold Yarrow SL 30mm (which weighs a scant 275g) or the Ninefold Flex 30mm and Ninefold Flex 35mm, Avancini’s wheel weight is certainly not adding much to the bike, averaging around 1 kilo for the set. He runs Vittoria’s 50 gram Airliner inserts, along with their Terreno and Mezcal tires, with pressures ranging from 16 to 19 psi. The 2.4″ Mezcal is a prototype width, setting his spec apart even more.
Berd’s lightweight fiber spokes are a distinct difference from the typical steel sticks we see on wheel builds, and are a key part of keeping the weight down on the wheelsets. Add to that their unique look, and you have a bike that certainly stands out from the crowd.
