Competitive Cyclist

WILIER CENTO1

Did you happen to see Alessandro Ballan's attack that launched him to solo victory at the 2008 World Championship Road Race in Varese, Italy? Hands down, it was the move of the year. In a pared-down peloton of intensely motivated superstars, he was dominant at the moment it counted most. And by chance did you read about Damiano Cunego's attack at the most-beautiful-but-underrated one day classic, the Tour of Lombardy? He didn't make his move on the climb of the Ghisallo, but instead chose to go on the descent -- a tactic you rarely see in a race so prestigious. With one part fearlessness, and one part skill he shed his companions and rode into Como gloriously alone.

What do these two highlight-reel performances share? Both were done on a Wilier Cento1. Ballan's attack proves how vital lateral stiffness is to a race bike. At the ProTour level, winning normally follows one formula: Conserve, conserve, conserve for 6 hours; saving yourself for your 1 alloted attack, and in that attack pour every last fume of anger into the pedals. In that moment supreme lateral stiffness in your bike is a must. And the Cento1 is designed to deliver it. It comes foremost from its oversized bottom bracket design. You'll see that the Cento1 doesn't require the use of traditional external bottom bracket cups. Instead, the BB bearings are housed inside the frame itself. It's not BB30, rather it allows the use of any Campagnolo Ultra Torque crankset (10 or 11 speed), SRAM system, or Shimano Dura Ace 7900 & 7800. And the result, according to Wilier testing, is a 39% increase in drivetrain stiffness over a bike with a traditional BB assembly.

The asymmetric chainstays and integrated seatmast are two additional details designed to deliver stiffness. Pedaling forces put different loads on the driveside chainstay vs. the non-driveside chainstay. Engineers have known this for over 20 years (do you remember the Davis Phinney-edition Serotta frameset from the 80's?), and Wilier modernizes the concept in the Cento1. And think of the integrated seatmast as a true extension of the seat tube. Note how the seat tube progressively flares as it goes from top tube to bottom bracket -- a stiffness-minded design detail. The integrated seatmast is literally an extension of the seat tube, and it's made to complement the function of the seat tube.

One of the most beautiful details of the Cento1 is the head tube. Note how it's round at the top and square at the bottom. Every time we glance at it, we think of Cunego's awe-inspiring descent of the Ghisallo. The squared headtube mates to a squared fork crown, with the goal of providing outstanding steerability. Under speed (be it descending a mountain, or sprinting out of the final corner of a crit), the Cento1 is stable and sticks on its line. But if you must flick around an obstacle (a patch of gravel, a manhole cover, etc), the bike responds with telepathic quickness.

Wilier designed the Cento1 in collaboration with Mitsubishi, taking advantage of their very highest grade of carbon fiber. This "46 Ton" carbon fiber can withstand 46 tons of force per square mm. Thanks to this immense strength, Wilier could design the Cento1 with requisite strength and stiffness while keeping the overall weight to a minimum. Stronger carbon allows the use of less material as a whole.

How light is the Cento1? Combine the frame with its Ritchey WCS Stubby seatclamp, and you get a total weight of 1180g. Compare that to your typical 950g "wonderbike" from other brands. When you add to that nominal 950g weight a 225g seatpost, a 30g front derailleur clamp, another 30g for a seatclamp, and then 55g for bottom bracket cups you end up with an actual weight of 1290g -- a quarter-pound heavier than the Cento1. And how strong is the Cento1? It passed the exhaustive "CSI" testing protocol of the European Community to ensure product safety.

A few final notes on the Cento1: While the frame comes standard with an integrated seatmast and a Ritchey WCS Stubby seatclamp, you can cut down the seatmast and add a seatclamp for use with a 31.6mm seatpost. In addition, the frame comes with small composite spacers for use with a Shimano or SRAM crankset. These spacers are not necessary for use with a Campagnolo crankset. (Campagnolo cranks come with the bearings pre-pressed to the BB spindle, so you just slide the cranks into the bike, and you're all set.) And, lastly, please focus on the effective top tube length as you make a determination of your proper size. Given the integrated seatmast and the unconventional top tube, focusing on the seat tube measurement can cause unnecessary confusion.

The Wilier Cento1 is available in sizes XS-XXL. It comes standard with a Wilier Monoscocca monocoque carbon fork, with a Ritchey integrated headset, and with a Ritchey WCS Stubby seatclamp. It requires the use of a braze-on front derailleur.

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2010 Wilier Cento1 Pricing

2010 Wilier Cento1 Geometry

Size	Seat Tube c-c	Seat Tube c-top of seatmast	Effective Top Tube	Head Tube	Seat Tube Angle	Head Tube Angle
XS	41.0	66.0	51.5	11.0	74.5	72.0
S	43.0	69.0	52.4	11.5	74.5	72.0
M	45.0	72.0	53.8	14.5	74.5	73.0
L	47.0	74.0	55.5	15.9	73.5	73.0
XL	50.0	78.0	57.0	19.4	73.0	73.0
XXL	53.5	81.0	58.5	20.0	73.0	73.5