Full-bodied Italian

Wilier’s Filante SLR aero bike is ageing like a fine wine

- SAM CHALLIS

Wilier’s Filante SLR is not a new bike. Considering it was released in late 2020 and the product cycle of a bike such as this tends to be no longer than five years, this bike is an elder statesman in the aero bike category. That said, it is still competitive on the WorldTour, being Mark Cavendish’s ride this season, and the older it gets, the more ahead of its time it seems. Several aero features the Filante SLR debuted have seen more widespread use in subsequent rival bikes.

‘We may be 117 years old but we’re never content to trade on our heritage, otherwise the company wouldn’t have survived so long,’ says Claudio Salomoni, Wilier’s head of product development. ‘We’re always looking forward at emerging technology and new design concepts. In the case of the Filante, a good example is its wide-stance fork and seatstays.’

Versus its predecessor, the Cento10, the Filante’s fork legs and seatstays are 7mm further outboard.