It has been three years since Italian bike brand Wilier last touched its climbing-specific Zero range. A bike designed for climbing, the Wilier Zero.6 was of its time... in 2016. It’s claimed frame weight came in at under 700g thanks to a special carbon frame developed with Japanese car brand Mitsubishi. It was a rim brake bike and it used a lightweight carbon fibre stem/handlebar combination.
Progression would suggest you assume that Wilier’s newest Zero bike – the Zero SLR – would see a lighter frame, lighter components and a lighter overall build. But if so, you would be mistaken.
The Wilier Zero SLR is heavier than its predecessor, though for good reason: it’s a climbing bike designed for 2019. That means lightweight but with disc brakes, aero-optimised tube shapes, integrated cables and tubeless-ready rims.
A bid from Wilier to lay claim to the ‘first superlight road bike with disc brakes and integrated cables’.
How to keep off the pounds
In reality, the new Zero SLR frame is only 100g heavier than the Zero.6, weighing in at 780g for a medium, and lighter than the Zero.7 generation before that.
So while it is heavier than the Zero.6, Wilier has made a concerted effort to keep the Zero SLR's frame weight low despite the addition of disc brakes which product manager Claudio Salomoni explained was all made possible by the development of a new material within the frame, Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP).
‘Anyone can source the 99% of carbon material used to create a bike frame, it’s how you use that final 1% that makes the real difference,’ claims Salomoni.
‘Working with our partners in the Far East that help us manufacturer the frames, we experimented with different materials but settled on a material called Liquid Crystal Polymer that is mixed with the carbon fibre.'
It’s the use of this LCP, alongside some other undisclosed materials, that helped Wilier keep weight gains on the Zero SLR frame to a minimum but also increase its stiffness-to-weight ratio by a reported 24%.
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Wilier has also restricted the new Zero SLR frame to Di2 and eTap groupsets only to ensure that the frame did not need any holes to run gear cables which would have, in turn, meant more carbon and more weight.
Salomoni admits that the overall weight of the bike could have been bumped down a little if the frame ran external cables but said the brand settled for internally routed cables for a ‘cleaner’ look.
In keeping with current trends, Wilier also opted for internal cables for the aero benefits, too.
That’s paired with the semi-aero integrated cockpit, slight kamm-tail seatpost and mid-section wheels to boost the bike's aero-optimised credentials.
It doesn't mean this bike competes with outright aero race machines, nor has Wilier claimed to have taken it to the wind-tunnel, but it has done enough to give the bike a helping hand on flat, fast roads.
On the topic of aero, the cockpit has been developed in-house by Wilier, too. Again, it's not fully aero-optimised, instead a mixture of round tubing and an integrated handlebar-stem combination in an attempt to offer the best of both worlds.
To keep things simple, the handlebar-stem combo will also come in a limited range of combinations, ranging from 90 to 130mm stem length and 40 to 43cm bar width.
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Wilier has also allowed for 30mm of play with its spacers so you can adjust handlebar height without complete disassembly and removal of the bars.
The material of these spacers has changed from the previous Zero bike thanks to Wilier's sponsorship of the Total-Direct Energie ProContinental team who found the previous spacers flexed in the extreme heat of Africa when racing La Tropicale Amissa Bongo in Gabon earlier this year.
The new material is tougher and stiffer in extreme heat but still light enough not to add significant weight to the bike.
The Zero SLR will also be a disc-only frameset. Salomoni admit that he himself still prefers rim brakes but conceded that disc was the current trend and what the consumer wanted, therefore making the 12mm speed release thru-axles necessary.
Adding discs has seen the calliper side of the forks beefed up for stiffness but also means compliance for 28mm tyres and, from firsthand experience, a pretty comfortable ride.
Expensive tastes
The new Wilier Zero SLR will not be cheap. In fact, its price places it firmly in superbike territory.
Fully kitted with Sram Red eTap AXS 12-speed and Wilier’s own tubular ULT38 wheels, the complete bike will set you back €11,200 (approx. £10,000). Swap out Sram for Dura-Ace Di2 and you’ll save yourself €100.
Even the Ultegra Di2 and Force eTap AXS models will set you back a pretty penny, with those models set to be retailed at €8,000.
The Wilier Zero SLR will come in three colours, none of which are that beautiful ramato orange, unfortunately.
The Admiral Blue is nice, however, as is11 the red. For the more conservative, there is also a traditional black frame.
Click through for our thoughts on the new Wilier Zero SLR that we took for a quick spin the foothills of Monte Grappa
First ride review: Wilier Zero SLR
I never got a chance to ride the previous Wilier Zero.6 so cannot offer a direct comparison to Wilier’s latest lightweight offering, but I have ridden plenty of disc brake-equipped semi-aero climbing bikes. Some have been good – the Specialized S-Works Tarmac – and some have been not so good.
Although I only managed two days of riding on the new Wilier Zero SLR, I’m confident that it’s going to fall into the former camp.
From the outset, Wilier wanted to produce a climbing bike that did not compromise on aspects such as comfort, handling and speed but ultimately performed in the hills and on the mountain climbs.
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Wilier product manager Claudio Salomoni admits the Zero SLR could be lighter. It could have run with external cabling, rim brakes and a less stiff frame to do that but it would have detracted from firstly making an aesthetically clean bike but also a bike designed to perform in 2019.
To demonstrate the Zero SLR’s ability to climb, Wilier invited a selection of international journalists to its backyard in Trento, Italy for a rolling 50km ride.
The hotel we were put in was at the base of Monte Grappa, the 16km Dolomite pass, which would have been a perfect testing ground for the Zero SLR but for the fact that it was still covered in snow.
This meant the testing took place in the shorter but steeper foothills around the picturesque town of Asolo. Never more than a couple of kilometres climbing, the gradients were often harsh and in double figures, always twisting and turning.
In the saddle, climbing was really enjoyable. The use of Wilier’s secret material in the frame manufacturing process and the lack of holes for cables has culminated in a 780g frame (medium) that fundamentally climbs really well.
However, it was on the severely steep stuff that the Zero SLR seemed most at home. It stayed rigid under any sudden surges of power I could muster and despite 90kg lumbering down with every pedal stroke the bottom bracket felt solid.
A light back end meant you could really wag this bike’s tail if you fancied giving it some welly without losing too much power in the pedal stroke either.
With the issues of weight and stiffness being primary concerns for Wilier, you’d expect the issue of comfort to be a slight compromise but, in actual fact, the ride of the Zero SLR is impressively smooth.
The fact that the frame now takes disc brakes has helped raise tyre clearance to 28mm, which always helps the comfort of the ride, but the frame also seemed to absorb a lot of the road's imperfections without transferring it through the saddle or handlebars.
Roads in northern Italy are generally pretty good but even then, I did enjoy the absorbing feel of the bike’s rear stays while the slightly higher head tube angle gives a more relaxed angle that’s ultimately forgiving on longer rides.
Although the integration of cables, one-piece cockpit and Wilier’s own mid-section tubular wheels has helped bring this bike forward in terms of aerodynamics, it’s not the fastest on the flats. It’s probably the only nag I noticed with the bike if I’m honest.
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Granted, Wilier readily admits the bike is not the quickest but says further aero-optimisation – such as the use of flatter handlebars – would have added unnecessary weight to a bike primarily designed to climb. But it did lack the same vim and vigour at 40kmh on a flat road that it showed me at 15kmh on a 10% gradient.
It’s not a massive loss but a testament to the fact that finding a bike for absolutely all occasions is still hard to come by even at these prices.
Lastly, Wilier’s brave decision to spec its Italian bike with Japanese Shimano gearing was also welcome. Don’t get me wrong, Campagnolo remains my favourite but the shifting of Dura-Ace Di2 is flawless, especially when chucking it up and down the sprockets on steep gradients.
Although a little squeaky due to being their first outing, the brakes are also flawless and match the bike’s ability to corner aggressively, letting you carry more speed and brake later when descending.
Wilier will not sell this bike with Campagnolo. You can buy the bike and fit it retrospectively of course but, off the shelf, it will initially only be Shimano and Sram.
Final thoughts
Cyclist is due to get the new Wilier Zero SLR for test sometime soon and I’m keen to do two things with it.
Firstly, I want to take it on a frantic club ride around Kent. I want to feel how this bike handles steep hills and steep descents again and I want to see if my thoughts on its flat speed are justified when trying to stick in the bunch.
Secondly, I want to take it to the Alps. This bike feels as if it would thrive in the high mountains, aiding you just as much with its impressive handling and disc brakes on the descents and it would give you all the tools to climb the mountain pass with its light, responsive frame.