What is this stealthed-out, aggressive-looking Wilier gravel model?
(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The new and exciting gravel bikes and tech are coming thick and fast at Unbound Gravel this week. Cyclingnews Associate Editor Josh Croxton is our Unbound man on the ground. He is on the tech hunt, so we can bring you all the interesting bike news from the event.
Next up is a stealthy matte black Wilier Triestina gravel bike belonging to Dutch rider and Wilier Factory Racing athlete Ivar Slik, which we don't recognise. This could well be a brand new model from the Italian brand. Wilier currently has a six-model strong gravel bike range. The current top model is the Rave SLR; this stealth bomber looks like a new, aggressive and aero-influenced model from Wilier. At this point, we don't know if it's a new iteration of the Rave or a brand new model, but whatever it is we like the look of it.
The key differences look to be the aggressive, aero profiles in several sections of the frame. Starting at the front, the fork blades are deeper than the current Rave. This theme continues, and there's a lot of change compared to what the brand currently offers. The headtube is far deeper and more aggressive looking, the downtube is a different shape, the top tube looks to be slimmer, and there's a different design at the top tube/seat tube join around the seatpost clamp.
We snapped the bike at the Unbound expo, and can only really say what we see right now, but there are a lot of interesting details to look at, including some prototype Miche wheels. This one also reminds us of the matte black, stealthed-out bikes that were very popular a few years back. Let's hope the infamous Unbound mud treats the finish kindly!
Some gravel bikes are opting for huge clearances and suspension right now. This Wilier looks like it's built for pure speed off-road (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The headtube is deeper than anything Wilier offers currently, and the bearing headset cover also looks different. (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Wilier has a range of integrated handlebars for sale, all of which are around the €1000 mark. This bar is fitted with a neat Miche computer mount. (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
It's fair to call this slammed. The headset topcap is integrated into the top tube on this model, and cables are clearly all internal. (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
There's some interesting profiling around the fork crown. The frame finish looks to have been left unpainted, besides a few gloss black decals. (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Fork clearance looks healthy, but not humongous. There's plenty of debate about the right tyre sizes to use to combat the notoriously sticky Unbound mud . (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The Wilier Innovation Lab is the name for the Wilier R&D lab. This can be interpreted as a healthy sign that this is indeed a new model, albeit perhaps in prototype form. (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The tope tube looks slimmer and has a couple of mounts for a storage bag. (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The down tube tapers just above the bottle cage mount area. It feels like it's been a while since we've seen gloss and matte black together. Everything comes in cycles, right? (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Here's a clearer shot of that down tube shaping. (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The seatpost clamp area is another sign that this is a new model; the profile is clearly different. The GRX / Wolf Tooth chainring combo looks really clean; this is a 48T ring (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
It's difficult to tell, but the seastays may have been dropped a little more as well. (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
You can't be too careful at Unbound, and this is a neat way to carry some extra CO2 cartridges (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
This is a 50mm tyre, so clearance is healthy enough. Will this be enough if things get muddy, though? (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
This bb shell or cup is missing some paint and definately looks like it falls into the 'prototype' camp. (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The Miche wheels are fitted with 50mm Schwalbe G One RS Pro tyres. There should be some nice grip on offer from these sidewall knobs, but the centre is much more slick. (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
A Fizik Argo Adaptive 3D printed saddle up top, available in 140 and 150mm widths. (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
You don't see too many top-tier gravel (or road) bikes with mechanical shifting these days, in part because it makes building modern, fully integrated bikes more difficult. The gear outer cable is a bit kinked here, if you ask us, which could impact the shifting. (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Deep, aggressive fork blades feature up front. The leading edges are the most important on a bike so it's an easy place to get some quick wins. (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
It appears it's not just the frame that's new - These Miche wheels carry 'prototype' stickers. (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
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Tom joined the Cyclingnews team in late 2022 as a tech writer. Despite having a degree in English Literature he has spent his entire working life in the cycling industry in one form or another. He has over 10 years of experience as a qualified mechanic, with the last five years before joining Cyclingnews being spent running an independent workshop. This means he is just as happy tinkering away in the garage as he is out on the road bike, and he isn’t afraid to pull a bike apart or get hands-on with it when testing to really see what it’s made of.
He has ridden and raced bikes from an early age up to a national level on the road and track, and has ridden and competed in most disciplines. He has a keen eye for pro-team tech and enjoys spotting new or interesting components in the wild. During his time at Cyclingnews, Tom has already interviewed some of the sport's biggest names including Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar and Alberto Contador. He's also covered various launches from brands such as Pinarello, Ridley, Specialized and more, tackled the Roubaix Challenge sportive aboard his own rim-brake Cannondale SuperSix Evo, tested over 20 aero helmets in the wind tunnel, and has created helpful in-depth buying advice relating to countless categories from torque wrenches to winter clothing.
