A centuries-old castle perched high up on a cliff came into view as we rounded a corner in Northern Italy's Prosecco region. Castle Brando was Wilier's chosen location for the launch of the new Filante SLR ID2 aero race bike, and somehow the ancient castle cum hotel we were staying in seemed to mirror the hundred-odd-year history and passion of Wilier Triestina's brand.
Five long years have passed since the Filante first arrived, and Wilier has been hard at work creating the new model, which was used at the Tour of Lombardy at the end of the season.
The last time I rode a Wilier road bike, it was the Cento Uno, briefly, a long time ago, so I was going into this test with no prior bias or knowledge of the Filante.
Wilier has maintained the general Filante silhouette, and instead of creating a wild, spaceship like aero bike, something that has happened aplenty this year with the likes of the Colnago Y1RS and Factor Prototype, seems to have quietly and studiously set out on a programme to make the Filante faster and more effective, whilst sticking firmly to what they believe their range topper should look and feel like.
You can read all about the design and details of the new bike in our Filante SLR ID2 news piece.
I completed a three-hour ride on the bike and pushed pretty hard in places on a range of terrain. It was an excellent first ride, and more comprehensive than other too-short test rides I've done in the past. However, despite having a great first ride and getting on well with the bike, I came away feeling I didn't fully understand it at the end of the ride. The Filante ID2 still holds some secrets for me.
Design and Aesthetics
You'll want to read the news piece for the full lowdown on everything. But overall, I would say Wilier has set about making the new Filante more aero and just downright faster in a range of ways, whilst keeping the aesthetics and styling the way they want them.
The fork, downtube, seatstays, seatpost, seatpost clamp cover, head and top tube have all been tweaked and altered, and the brand has designed a new Aero bottle and cage system to boost aerodynamics further, and it really does integrate well with the new downtube shape.
A programme of CFD and wind tunnel testing has also gone on, with the brand travelling to the Silverstone wind tunnel in the UK, the site of our own CN Labs aero testing work. The brand claims that with a rider on this bike at 40km/h, 14.15 watts faster than the old bike with the Aerokit bottles and 11.51 watts faster without.
On the topic of aesthetics, I don't mind the bottle cage system at all. I think because the cages interface very cleanly with the downtube, though I do think that darker paint options may suit them a little better and help them blend in.
I liked the pure white colourway I was riding and the one you can see in the images in this piece. The paint across the board looked fantastic, on all versions, deep and glossy. I was impressed. Fellow journalists commented that the glossy black plastic jarred with the pure white downtube, but I think there was enough black elsewhere on the bike that I didn't find it offensive.
Overall, I like the Filante styling; it's a pretty clean-looking bike, there's nothing over the top or too insane looking, and if you don't like the aero bottles and aren't racing or watt counting, you can always use a standard round bottle, which is nice.
Specifications
The Filante is a range topper and comes in a range of pretty premium specs, starting at SRAM Force and Shimano Ultegra.
The model I tested comes in at $14,950 / €12,900 / £11,650.
My size small bike came with a zero setback seatpost and handlebars with a 90mm stem, and 37/40cm flared handlebars.
It was built up with the excellent SRAM Red AXS groupset, no complaints from me there; it's a fantastic groupset, and the brakes are the best around currently.
Elsewhere, there were Miche Kleos 50 wheels with CeramicSpeed bearings and 30mm Vittoria Corsa Pro tyres.
There are also some smaller Miche components included, such as thru axles, disc rotor lockrings, computer mounts and bottom brackets, all made in Italy.
The bar is Wilier's own, and I liked it, one the painted white tops look great, and the new inverted flare didn't cause me offence, though I'm told the Groupama pro riders are still somewhat divided currently.
First impressions
I had a really good first ride with the Filante. I was able to jump on it and get comfortable straight away, and there wasn't much faffing with my setup or feeling uncomfortable.
The bottle cages may disappoint real purists, but it is a beautiful-looking bike; the paint really aids this. Park one up at the local cafe, and you're going to get a few comments. It's a bike that slowly draws you in for a closer look.
The first few kilometres of the ride drew a grin from me on some fast, flat roads as we accelerated up to 50km/h quickly and just sat there, the bike felt fast on the flat, purring along easily on the lovely 30mm Corsa Pros.
Handling was all very good; it was easy to change direction on the bike, point it into corners and generally manoeuvre around. With the zero setback post and 90mm stem, coupled with slightly turned-in levers, it felt just a touch short for me, and I'd probably stretch things out in time.
I'd call the handling confident and fast without it being too lively; there was no nervousness, understandable given the slightly longer wheelbase. We even tackled a dirty, rutted, steep descent, which reminded me of being at home in the UK, and the bike was great. I felt confident and comfortable on it; I could see myself sitting in a road race bunch or throwing it around easily.
The Miche wheels felt fast, and overall, the whole package felt stiff when doing things like climbing out of the saddle and getting the power down.
Elsewhere, it was exactly the same positive feeling. I was happy with it on the climbs and threading it through fast bends; it was stable under braking, and just did everything well.
It was a good ride, but I finished feeling I didn't really fully understand the bike or feel like I had it all worked out and knew where it excelled or felt best. I came away wanting more time on it to really understand it and see if it's as fast as Wilier is claiming.
Initial verdict
I find this bike exciting, and having spent some time learning about Wilier's culture, I do feel this bike demonstrates what the brand is all about. Things like the paint and aesthetics are very important to them, and you can feel the passion. This is a new chapter for a brand that's been making bikes for a century.
I don't have any qualms about this not being a fast, capable and comfortable race bike; it did everything well for me and didn't miss a beat.
However, unlike some new bikes I ride, I didn't feel like I unlocked the bike. I can't wait for my long-term test bike to arrive to dial things in and really set about understanding exactly what the Filante is all about, where it might excel and seeing just how quick it might be.
