It’s a broken record now, but it looks to be yet another lightweight, semi-aero, one-bike solution
(Image credit: Will Jones)
I have no idea if the marketing department at Wilier knew we were due to see three other new bikes at the Critérium du Dauphiné - those being a new Canyon Aeroad, a new Pinarello Dogma F, and a new Trek Madone/Emonda - but regardless, releasing its new machine the week before the Dauphiné was a great move. It picked up the headlines without competition, while everything new at the Dauphine almost becomes so noisy that it’s impossible to cut through, and that’s without factoring in Unbound Gravel and the fact we’ve spotted another new iteration of SRAM Red this weekend.
Roaming the pits at the Dauphiné, putting together a bumper tech gallery, and trying hard (often unsuccessfully) to not garner the ire of various press officers, the good folks at Groupama-FDJ gave me five minutes alone with this as-yet-unreleased new bike.
Thanks to a successful paint scheme that disrupts the eyeliner, it hides its secrets well, and in truth, I don’t know exactly what it is. Nothing has been homologated for Wilier by the UCI since 2022, so there are no clues there.
It looks less aerodynamic than the brand’s Filante aero bike, and while it isn't maybe quite as spindly as the Zero SLR, it’s certainly the bike it’s most similar to, so if it’s going to be a direct replacement I suspect it’ll be for that.
Whatever it is, we can still have a good old nose about it in detail.
Alright, let's talk silhouettes. Compared to the current Zero SLR whatever this bike is cuts a pretty similar dash. Similar top tube, similar straight, thin seat stays. The chainstays are more chunky here though, presumably in an attempt to add pedalling stiffness at the bottom bracket. Up front the head tube and fork are more chunky, almost certainly adding aerodynamic benefit at the leading edges, where it makes a difference, and leaving the weight saving to the back end. (Image credit: Will Jones)
This isn't about the bike for just a second. I love French cycling. I love that one of the best French prospects, David Gaudu, is STILL riding 25mm Continental Competition Pro Ltd tubular tyres in this day and age. (Image credit: Will Jones)
Back to the bike... The seat clamp area still features a little bulbous compensation triangle between the top tube and the down tube. Unlike the Zero SLR, this is triangular. Aero aside, this is a far better aesthetic than the square one on the current model, which looks a little like a rogue Lego brick. (Image credit: Will Jones)
Amongst the various monochrome sponsor logos, slogans like 'Chase The Light' were emblazoned about the place. It's a similar tactic to break up the lines of the frame as we saw last year at the Dauphiné with the new BMC TeamMachine R. (Image credit: Will Jones)
Ignoring the rather high stack of spacers under Gaudu's stem for a second, the fork crown on this new model is far more organic in shape to that seen on the Zero SLR, whcih bore more of a resemblance to the Canyon Ultimate fork with pronounced shoulders. There's clearly clearance for more than those 25mm tubs, David... (Image credit: Will Jones)
The down tube is a little larger I'd say, but not by much. The decal says 'INNOVATION LAB', though I had to rope in the help of our News Writer, James Moultrie, to help decode it. (Image credit: Will Jones)
Once you've got your eye in, the other decals also say 'innovation lab'. I couldn't see any brand logos on the cockpit, which suggests its new too. It looks very similar to the current one from the Zero SLR, but is perhaps a little more angular, with more of a downward aspect to the stem. (Image credit: Will Jones)
Against the all black bike, the race transponder held within some butyl inner tube offcut blends in well. The red end caps of the thru-axles are pretty swish too, from an aesthetic standpoint. (Image credit: Will Jones)
A round seatpost in 2024? Not quite. It is relatively round, but still slightly ovalised, with a grippy front to allow the clamp to work effectively. The race number holder looks bonded on, too. (Image credit: Will Jones)
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Will joined the Cyclingnews team as a reviews writer in 2022, having previously written for Cyclist, BikeRadar and Advntr. He’s tried his hand at most cycling disciplines, from the standard mix of road, gravel, and mountain bike, to the more unusual like bike polo and tracklocross. He’s made his own bike frames, covered tech news from the biggest races on the planet, and published countless premium galleries thanks to his excellent photographic eye. Also, given he doesn’t ever ride indoors he’s become a real expert on foul-weather riding gear. His collection of bikes is a real smorgasbord, with everything from vintage-style steel tourers through to superlight flat bar hill climb machines.
