The new Verticale SLR is Wilier’s lightest road bike ever. The next new road bike to be developed together with the Groupama – FDJ team, this new Wilier Verticale SLR is an undeniable lightweight, built for when the roads head up into the mountains. But it’s not just an ultralight climber’s bike, the all-new Verticale is a light and stiff allrounder with modern wide road tire clearances and slick integration.
Plus, it never hurts that our XS test bike weighs in at just 6.7kg, without any component compromises…
Wilier Verticale SLR lightweight carbon climber’s road bike
Out of the box under the minimum UCI weight limit before we threaded on a set of pedals, the new Wilier Verticale SLR immediately feels lightweight. They say it is the lightest bike the Italian bike maker has ever built – based on a kit of frame, fork, hand;lebars & seatpost. But that statement would seem to include some light rim brake bikes of the past – like the 680g 110th anniversary Zero.6.
In any case, this bike is light and feels light. Wilier pegs that frame kit at 1623g.
It claims to be 9.7% lighter than the disc brake 0 SLR – down from its 1798g frame kit. And that sensation is only amplified when the road starts to point uphill.
But Wilier made clear that they weren’t cutting performance corners to save weight. This was built to be a Pro Tour race bike, and need to back up its light weight with race-ready stiffness.
Groupama – FDJ R&D
Wilier and FDJ worked back and forth from the R&D lab to the wind tunnel, to out on the road to refine a lightweight bike with “maximum control”. Wilier aimed to build a bike to climb quickly up the mountain, then descend the other side in complete control.
“You can feel that the Verticale was designed to respond specifically when the gradients are challenging and you’re dancing on the pedals. It gives you back exactly what you give it and you feel in complete control during highly technical high-speed descents: this is very important because a professional cyclist needs to fully trust his bike. It truly is an excellent bike for mountain stages. It will be my trusted companion throughout the Tour de France and I can’t wait to test it during the mountain stages.”
– David Gaudu, Groupama – FDJ pro cyclist
New carbon manufacturing tech
The new Wilier Verticale SLR is carefully crafted with a combination of extremely high tensile strength T800 & T1100 carbon, mixed in with hi-mod M46JB fibers. The target was lightweight with superior torsional stiffness. The real secret to making that work though, seems to be a new “Active Moulding” process that uses a new type of “foamed polymer” inner molds that “adapt to the materials during the curing process” presumably expanding from the inside to eliminate any air bubbles, excess resin, or wrinkles in the carbon layup.
What else is new?
Compared to the previous 0 SLR, the new Verticale SLR is slimmed down and tweaked across the board, shedding a few grams with every little change. But the frame and fork shape changes are mostly quite subtle, with most of the upgrades happening inside the carbon layup.
One of the most prominent changes in the new bike though, is the revised seat cluster. The Verticale now gets a smoother web between the seat and top tubes, angled down in line with the seatstays. The new revised integrated wedge-style seatpost clamp, now fits angled into that connecting web to clamp the proprietary 27.2mm deep but just 22mm wide aero seatpost.
The Verticale SLR also features revised racing geometry compared to the 0 SLR. The changes are relatively minor, but Wilier expanded the frame Reach range – shorter on the smaller, longer on the largest sizes – to offer a wider fit range, while retaining low Stack numbers. Combine that with new sizes for the all-new cockpit to deliver race-ready fits to more riders.
That new 1-piece monocoque carbon V Bar cockpit is said to weigh just 310g. It has a smooth flattened top with high mounts for the lever hoods. Then, just below the hoods, the bars quickly widen for more stability.
It has the same effect as a bar with about 10° of flare, yet the drops remain parallel with the full transition happening just under your brake levers. The end result is the bar is 3cm wider at the drops than it is at the hoods. Narrow & aero up top, then wider for sprinting stability and wrist clearance down below.
Tech details
- Asymmetric full carbon fork with 1.25″ tapered steerer, flat mount disc brake & 12mm thru-axle
- Generous clearance around max 32mm tires (there’s room for 35s in our test bike, with room to spare)
- New removable braze-on front derailleur hanger, for perfect compact or pro 2x chainring ratios
- New full carbon dropout for 12mm thru-axle & flat mount 140mm, with modular insert and replaceable derailleur hanger
- Proprietary aero carbon seatpost with either 0mm or 15mm offset heads, plus integrated number plate or taillight mounting
- BB86 PressFit bottom bracket
- V Bar full carbon integrated one-piece handlebar cockpit with replaceable alloy steerer clamp hardware
- 6 cockpit sizes available: 37/40mm & 39/42mm widths, with 110, 120, 130 & 150mm stems
- V Bar-specific alloy out-front GPS mount, included
First Climbs
With modern wide tire clearance, powerful disc brakes, and race-proven geometry, this lightweight bike is still a solid all-rounder. And we’ve been pedaling to lots of PRs & the occasional QOM – from cobblestone sectors to local climbs.
On the flats and through rolling terrain is simply feels fast. The handling is quick and the bike is really light though, so high-speed descending in the wind requires careful attention.
Steeper climbing felt quick, but even with the UCI-illegal weights amateur riders looking for a climber’s bike might want compact instead of the mid-compact gearing that came on this bike. Our XS test bike slackens the head angle out quite a bit to eliminate toe overlap, which is fine for most riding. But standing & pedaling out of the saddle on the steepest climbs, and the front end flops a bit. Maybe a shorter cockpit might help keep weight stable further back when climbing? We might also suggest smaller riders on the edge to size up if they plan to spend a lot of time in the mountains.
Riding Impressions
A pleasant surprise was how planted and smooth the bike felt over the cobbles and broken asphalt. A lot of that certainly goes to the light and supple 30mm Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR tires (31mm measured). But fast-rolling, comfortable, and grippy tires are one of the greatest things about top-tier modern road bikes. And there’s plenty of room for wider tires for heavier riders or more time on rougher roads.
Another nice surprise was the Prologo Onetouch 3D tape with its little CPC connected power control tubes. They deliver great grip even when sweaty and pleasant airflow. We just wish that Wilier would have wrapped it all the way around the bend a few cm further. Sure, more bar tape is less aero, but let’s prioritize comfort, please.
We also were a bit shocked at how bright the green frame was when it first came out of the box. But it quickly grew on us. Now we love it. It literally pops in any weather, from rain rides to sunshine. The green cockpit is a bit over the top, but a little more bar tape would sort that out too.
Wilier Verticale SLR – Pricing, availability & options
The new ultralight 2024 Wilier Verticale SLR is available as a frame kit starting at $6900 / 5800€. That includes the full carbon frame, fork, integrated cockpit, headset, and seatpost. Pick from 4 finishes – gloss red, semi-matte black, Hulk green, or the red, white & blue Groupama FDJ team replica.
Then, there are 7 standard complete bike builds, starting from $12,100 / 9900€ with either SRAM Force AXS or Ultegra Di2. Out full Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9270 build with Miche Kleos RD36 carbon wheels but no powermeter, sells for $14,500 / 12,200€. Complete bikes top at $15,700 / 13,400€ with a Campagnolo Super Record Wireless build.
Order yours from your local Wilier dealer starting today.
