At this year’s Eurobike, it was difficult not to notice the spectacular range of bikes at the Wilier booth. One could not stop admiring their fine machines: the traditional Italian brand not only showed impressive design, but excelled in technical content as well. To teas the reader, Wilier developed their best TT road racer ever, as well as a new top-of-the-range road bike, along with premium e-road, carbon gravel and MTB models.
The Wilier Cento10PRO has everything that would please an avid roadie: it’s aerodynamic, efficient, has lightweight frame, and a clean and eye-catching design to give it an incredible and distinct look. At the exhibition it was impossible not to admire the stunning “Ramato” color scheme, which proved to be the perfect decorating element for the Wilier stand. It’s typically the bike that you cannot take your eyes off. The Cento10PRO is in the aerodynamic road bike category, developed from the successful Cento10AIR. The Italian manufacturer managed to increase the lateral stiffness of the frame by 6%, and the new model is disc brake compatible. The “disc” solution Wilier employed for the Cento10PRO involves offering mounts for both disc and rim brakes, and likewise the wheel attachment can be thru-axle or traditional quick release. So you can choose whichever braking and wheel system you want on the bike. Wilier is clearly not forcing disc brakes on road cyclists for 2019. According to modern road bike trends, tires up to 30mm exterior width can be fitted in the Cento10PRO, a welcome feature if you prefer wider tires over the narrower tread options.
Although the Ramato Cento10PRO model variant was equipped with the wireless SRAM eTap group set — making it difficult to demonstrate that wires run all the way through the frame –, on the yellow color Di2 Dura Ace version shows how the cables disappear from the shift and brake lever into the Alabarda handlebar, only to reemerge at the front/rear derailleurs and the brakes. The cable routing is completely hidden in the frame, not to be seen at all either by our eyes or the passing airstream.
Another important feature of Wilier Cento10PRO is what the Italian manufacturer calls NACA Algorithm, an advanced technology they employ at the frame design process. It helps to optimize tubes size and shape in order to minimize the bicycle’s air resistance.
A new triathlon/TT bike will be launched by Wilier in 2019, which bears the model name “Turbine”. This bike has been developed by the long standing Italian manufacturer along four main principles; aerodynamics, breaking efficiency, wide range adjustment and easy transport. These were the most important points of design, and just as Cento10PRO, the Turbine is also designed using NACA technology to make the rider as fast as possible in a time trial. Disc brakes were needed for two reasons. For one, rim brakes in this special road bike type tend to have sub-optimal power due to the aerodynamic restraints, moreover the majority of these brakes are notoriously difficult to adjust. Disc brakes are the perfect solution to these problems according to Wilier. The other reason for employing disc brakes is that they are simply more aerodynamic by allowing the fork blades to move away from the wheels thereby reducing air turbulence.
The Turbine can be set up for a wide range of body positions, which makes them quite versatile in both in triathlon races and in road time trials. From the two bikes exhibited at Eurobike, one belongs to the 2017 Ironman winner triathlete Andreas Dreitz.
The handlebar and stem is integrated with the fork, and as added bonus, the complete unit can be disassembled during transportation without having to disengage the cables. So everything can stay in its original setting, a great asset if you travel a lot like triathlon racers tend to do.
Wilier also created the lightest E-road bike for 2019. The Cento1Hybrid comes in just under 12 kilograms on the scales, the battery is fully integrated into the frame making it almost invisible, and the motor is located in the wheel hub. As we have come expect from Wilier, the Cento1Hybrid pedelec e-bike is far from traditional, providing some novel features. One of these is a “smart” system that can communicate with the mobile phone, which, for example, can be set up to monitor the riders heart rate and if the value reaches the preset level, the motor drive is activated. The flashing buttons on the top tube can be used to turn the system on or off, or change between different “intelligent” modes.
The 2019 Wilier bike collection, the new Cento1NDR represents the “comfort” version of the Cento1AIR. It offers a convenient solution to those who do not favor competitive racing frame geometry, moreover it will be available at a lower cost than the Cento10NDR or the Cento1AIR. Just like the Cento10NDR and Cento10PRO, the buyer can choose whether to use the bike with a disc brakes or with a traditional rim brake system. The rider also expect a huge tire clearance in the Cento1NDR. No data is supplied by the manufacturer, nevertheless a lot of rubber can be fitted into the frame, hence enhancing comfort and safe handling.
The popularity of gravel bikes is snowballing worldwide, so Wilier will further expand its range with tailor-made bicycle for drop bar off-road riding. There is a new “gravel” type model utilizing a carbon frame called Jena, complementing the already available metal-based Wilier “gravel-grinders” on the market. The Italians are renowned for producing bikes with a high-profile appearance and they have been faithful to this in the case of the off-road range: the single chain ring, 650b and 700 wheel compatible disc brakes models will surely appeal to of fans of Wilier gravel bikes.
There are two new bikes in the Italian brands mountain bike range in 2019, which have debuted in this year’s Cape Epic Marathon in fine fashion. Massimo Debertolis and Ondrej Fojtik won the event overall on the Wilier 110X and its full suspension sibling, the 110FX. These models will form the peak of the MTB range in 2019, both models at the exhibition were fitted with a 1 × 12 drive system, but seen on the pictures, they can be equipped with conventional double chain ring group sets as well. In addition, both bikes are compatible with the BOOST standard, so there will be no problems with the rigidity of the wheels and the chain stay length. It is evident that Wilier takes the MTB segment very seriously, and they treat it as equal to the mode traditional road bike range. One thing to keep in mind when considering purchasing a modern MTB: Wilier can make them look as stunning as their on-road siblings!
The 2019 Wilier models are available now, they can be inspected, admired and ordered at Biondo Bike. As a special bonus, the prices at Biondo are on average 20% less than the official European retail cost.
More information and pricing is available from the Hungarian exclusive distributor’s website: http://wilier-kerekpar.biondobike.hu/
