Bike World News

On the last day of the show, I was able to sit down with a representative from Wilier Bicycles.

As I’m sure you know, Wilier bikes have a very modern look, but the company dates back more than 100 years to a bicycle workshop started by Pietro Dal Molin. The company was formed on the banks of the Brenta river in the town of Bassano del Grappa and was originally called Ciclomeccanica Dal Molin. It was not until after World War II that the company took on the name Wilier, which is an acronym for W Italia LIbera E Redenta (“Long Live Italy, Liberated and Redeemed”). Triestina came from a tribute to the city of Trieste, which was not yet regained by Italy after the war.

Cycling and bike racing both increased in popularity after the war and Wilier Triestina found a promising new cyclist named Fiorenzo Magni. He won the Giro in 1948, and other Wilier racers found success in the Tour of Flanders and the Tour de France.

Unfortunately, economic progress in Italy saw the company shut down from lack of demand just a few years later. It wasn’t until 1969 that the Gastaldello brothers revived the name and the brand and took the company back into the world of professional racing.

Wilier Triestina Cento Uno

The first bike that we looked at was the flagship (and World Chamionship winning) Cento Uno (that’s 101). The Cento Uno’s development started right after Wilier came out with their 100 anniversary model and represents all of their new thinking in bicycle design.

The Cento Uno utilizes “46Ton,” the world’s strongest, most resilient carbon fiber. The construction of the rear triangle takes advantage of this material and is now more fully integrated. Chainstays and seatstays are
unified as a single, monocoque unit. They are also asymmetrical, with the drive side chainstay lowered to prevent chain slap. Instead of conventional joining of the chain and seatstays at a sharp angle, with dropouts serving as the point of contact, the angle has been “softened” to dampen and dissipate road surface impacts and vibrations. Dropouts now extend from the unified stays, suspended from above. The drive side chainstay also comes with a specially designed, textured alloy sleeve for enhanced looks and protection.

The Cento Uno also boasts an integrated seatpost that is unique in that the internal diameter of the seatmast allows the use of a standard seatpost if the mast is damaged or if the bike is sold. A qualified mechanic can cut down the mast and insert a conventional 31.6 mm post.

Finally, the Cento Uno includes a new integrated bottom bracket shell. This design does away with the need for externally-mounted bearing cups and integrates seamlessly with the most popular cranksets. Bearings are now installed directly into the frame.

The Cento Uno is sold as a frame, fork and headset package for $4300. Six sizes from XS to XXL are availalbe and the bike will come in 5 color schemes. 2 years of crash replacement are included with the frame. To complete the Italian look, each bike comes with a Wilier felpe.

Wilier was also proud to present the Mortirolo. The Mortirolo is their entry level bike and was their best selling bike in 2007. It represents quite a bargain for an Italian carbon fiber road bike. While this is more of a traditional road frame than the Cento Uno, it still shows fine attention to detail and would be a more than worthy steed for those just starting out.

While the Mortirolo’s geometry is similar to that of higher end Wilier Triestina models, it caters to recreational riders and weekend warriors and offers a more relaxed feel due to the frame’s higher ratio of flexible to stiffer carbon fiber. The Mortirolo is available in black with red & white highlights and “12k” carbon weave, or in white. Like the Cento Uno, it comes in six sizes. It is being sold as a complete bike with a Shimano 105 Black gruppo for $2300.

You can see all of Wilier Triestina’s bikes at either http://www.wilier.it/ or http://www.wilier-usa.com/.

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