Wilier unveils high-end Rave SLR in both road and gravel builds

Wilier has launched a new top-end range of Rave SLR bikes that are available in both road and gravel builds. These bikes don’t tread on the toes of the brand’s existing Filante SLR and the 0 SLR road race bikes, but Wilier says that, depending on the configuration, they are perfect for both all-road riding and gravel racing.

“If we translate performance into concrete aspects, it’s about a frame that is light, responsive (stiff where necessary) and features racing geometries,” says Wilier. “To create a light frame, we used the same carbon mix found in the Filante SLR and the Wilier 0 SLR. 

Read our review of the Wilier Filante SLR

“To create a reactive frame, we’ve channelled all the experience gained in the use of techno-polymers, mixing carbon with special viscoelastic fibres such as liquid crystal polymers. Construction technologies [have been] borrowed from those used for the Filante SLR and the Wilier 0 SLR, products that offer an excellent riding quality.”

Wilier claims weights of 950g (± 5%) for the frame and 415g (± 5%) for the fork, and says you can fit tyres up to 42mm wide on 700C wheels.

Wilier offers different combined handlebars/stems depending on whether a particular model is designed primarily for gravel or road. The gravel J-Bar (above) is Wilier’s monocoque aero bar originally designed for its Jena bike. It has a split, V-shaped stem section, flared drops, and a claimed weight of 390g (± 5%, 430 x 95 version).

The 0-Bar used in the road builds is a monocoque too but it has a more conventional stem section. It is also lighter with a claimed weight of 330g (± 5%, 420 x 100 version).

Each bar takes the gear cables and brake hoses internally before routing them into the frame via a cavity in the composite headset spacers. These spacers are two-part, the different sections being separable, so you can remove them to adjust the front end height without needing to disconnect the hoses/cables. Most other brands are using similar systems for bikes with fully internal routing these days.

The Wilier Rave SLRs use Mavic’s Speed Release thru-axles. This system has been around for a few years now but if you’ve not come across it before, this is how it works…

You don’t need to remove the axle fully from the hub to take the wheel off your bike, making the process a little bit quicker. Wilier reckons it cuts wheel change times by an average of seven seconds compared with a traditional thru-axle system. Well, you know, it all adds up. It also means you’ll never find yourself scrabbling around to find the axle following a repair because it stays in the hub.

The Rave SLR’s incorporation of the seatpost clamp is reminiscent of the 0 SLR’s, a step holding the wedge system in the angle between the top tube and the seat tube.

The Rave is designed to be race-focused and so does not have bosses for mudguards or racks.

Geometry

“To create a frame with balanced racing geometries, we started with top range road racing references and mixed them with frame parts of endurance and gravel origin, all without distorting the performance target that we set for ourselves at the start of the design phase,” says Wilier. “A slightly higher stack and a somewhat shorter reach compared to a pure competition bike, combined with the available carbon monocoque handlebars, become the perfect synthesis between high performance and comfort.”

The large version of the Rave SLR is built with a 56.1cm top tube, a 52cm seat tube (centre of BB to top), and a 15.4cm head tube.

The stack on this size is 570mm and the reach is 391mm, giving a stack/reach of 1.46.

For comparison, the stack height of the Filante SLR road bike in the same size is quite a bit lower at 555mm, which is what you’d expect.

The large Rave SLR’s seat tube angle is 73.5° – the same as the Filante SLR’s – but the 71° head tube angle is slacker than you’ll find on most equivalent road bikes. This, combined with 42.5cm chainstays, results in a wheelbase that’s a lengthy (compared with a typical road bike) 1,031mm.

The Rave SLR is available in black/grey matt and sand/green matt finishes, both with road (new Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, new Shimano Ultegra Di2, SRAM Force AXS) or gravel (Campagnolo Ekar, Shimano GRX, new SRAM Force AXS XPLR) components.

Builds

The Rave is available in three road builds and three gravel builds:

Wilier Rave SLR road with Wilier 0-bar

Groupset Shimano Dura-Ace Di2

Wheels Wilier SLR 42 KC carbon

Price £11,350

Groupset Shimano Ultegra Di2

Wheels Wilier SLR 42 KC carbon

Price £9,300

Groupset SRAM Force AXS 2 x 12 Wide

Wheels Wilier SLR 42 KC carbon

Price £9,300

Wilier Rave SLR gravel with Wilier J-bar

Groupset SRAM Force AXS

Wheels Miche Graff carbon

Price £8,680

Groupset Shimano GRX Di2 2x11

Wheels Miche Graff carbon

Price £8,680

Groupset Campagnolo Ekar

Wheels Campagnolo Shamal Carbon

Price £8,580

As for gearing, Wilier says that it is making changes right up to the last moment due to ongoing component delivery issues, so check the brand's website for details.

https://wilier.com/