The new Wilier Turbine has an overall form that you could be forgiven for saying looks familiar. But a unique detachable, break-down aero base bar is lurking there too. Outside of the latest P5x, pretty much every TT bike we’ve seen recently looks quite similar (even in steel), and most share a trend for more modular cockpits. The Turbine hits all of those, plus the adoption of road disc brakes, and a new travel aero bar concept.
Wilier Turbine carbon Triathlon & Time Trial bike
Interestingly Wilier talks about their Tri/TT design focusing on four issues: aerodynamics braking, position adaptability & ease of transport. The first three seem quite obvious, and essentially are why every tri bike we see looks so similar these days.
That last one though seemed a bit out-of-place at first, until you think that pretty much every triathlete, pro or amateur, spends a lot of time dialing in their aero fit & position on the bike, then has to break it down to travel to far-flung events.
Compactable handlebar
Having an aero bar & base bar system that is modular enough to fit a wide range of athletes in various aero positions is one thing. 0-70mm of vertical height adjustment. 15° of aerobar extension angle adjustment. And modular arm rest positioning that can move back & forth and in & out along top of the extensions…
But making a bar that is easy to disassemble and rebuild in the right place quickly can make a anxiety-riddled triathlete’s race weekends a bit less stressed. Wilier’s solution is a unique monocoque aero basebar that can se separated in 40 seconds and folded flat for easier packing and travel – without removing cables, and without adjusting the fit setup.
Tech details
Yes, this is another familiar looking carbon time trial and triathlon bicycle built around a modular bar system.
Yes, it gets deep truncated NACA aero tube profiles, a sleek aero shaped external steerer smoothly extended above the fork, a sizeable rear wheel cutout, an aero seatpost with hidden clamping, and widely spaced dropped seatstays. Those are all de rigueur tech features for a modern race TT bike.
Shaping of the new TT/Tri bike is really just an evolution of their road race proven Cento10AIR aero road bike, now like that bike also with disc brakes for improved stopping. Disc brakes remain a bit of a point of contention for TT bike setup, as really only Shimano’s Di2 system officially integrates hydraulic braking and shifting into a single TT lever. (Although TRP has their own solution that will work with both Di2 & eTap.)
The new tri bike features 12mm thru-axles, flat mount disc brake mounting, and up to 28mm tire clearance. It gets modular fully internal cable routing with a Di2 junction box inside the downtube, a PressFit bottom bracket, a removable braze-on front derailleur mount, and an aero Ritchey seatpost with either -65mm, 0mm, 25mm setback options. And of course an integrated Profile Design HSF/Aeria drinking system will also be available.
Pricing & Availability
The new Turbine will be available this summer in three sizes (XS/S, M & L/XL), with pre-orders being accepted at dealers now. In Europe there are a number of Shimano Di2 only builds in Ultegra or Dura-Ace ranging from 7700€ – 11,000€, plus a 5000€ frame kit option. In the US only the $6000 frame kit will be available, including frame, fork, headset, seatpost, and foldable aero bars setup.
