Wilier

Cento10AIR Disc Ultegra 8070 Di2 Complete Road Bike - 2018

Only a handful of bikes tug at an Italophile's heartstrings quite like the ones that roll out from the Wilier Triestina factory. It’s a brand rich in history and deep with palmarès and continues to shape the modern bikes we currently see in the peloton. By continually evolving its frameset using the latest materials and frame design, Wilier is able to reduce wattage expenditure through increased aerodynamics and lighter weight, building more responsive and efficient framesets. On this Cento10AIR Disc Ultegra 8070 Di2 Complete Road Bike, the build consists of Wilier's range-topping aero frameset with Shimano's tried and true workhorse road group, for a bike that gives you the exceptional performance of a class-leading frameset, while saving a few dollars and still offering an excellent electronic group. We like to think of this as the racer's build, giving you all the benefits of a professional's frame with a durable groupo that will get you through several race seasons with enough scratch left to cover race entries and team clothing. Honestly, Ultegra shifts pretty damn good and blindfolded, we'd have a hard time differentiating it from Dura-Ace. And while many will find the DT Swiss ER 1600 Spline wheelset is perfectly fine to race on, we understand most will want some carbon tubulars installed when pinning on a number, leaving the DT wheels as perfect training allies.

The Cento10AIR is one of our favorite aerodynamic disc racing framesets, and even with all of the wind-cheating qualities, it doesn't detract from the fact that the Cento10AIR is really an excellent all-arounder too. Wilier specifically developed the tube shapes based on NACA low-speed algorithms, and Kamm theory in particular, which is responsible for the truncated trailing edges that we've come to see on many popular modern aero bikes over the past 5 or so years. The benefits of the flattened back are numerous—namely dropping weight while improving aerodynamics and increasing torsional stiffness. At the fork, a greater gap between the blades and the wheel, afforded by relocating the brake caliper from the fork crown to the backside of the non-driveside leg, greatly reduces turbulence, thus smoothing the airflow, while also providing powerful, and well-modulating braking.

Another frameset exclusive is the included custom carbon monocoque seatpost from Ritchey with 22mm of setback. This post works in conjunction with the frame to help reduce road vibrations and provide a more comfortable ride. The shape is unique as it has to fit inside the aero seatube and is developed to reduce turbulence as air passes by. Anchoring the post in the seatube is a sleek seatpost clamp expander sitting stealthily at the toptube/seattube junction shielding it from the wind. The Alabarda integrated aerobar also needs a mention. It's specifically designed to hide all of the cable and housing, as it does here on this build. We're no strangers to seeing the bars get wider as the stem gets longer on integrated setups but Wilier takes this one step further by ingeniously increasing the reach and drop when the width and length increase too.

When looking to construct a great all-around frame—one that's lightweight and responsive to every pedaling effort and bend in the road—you've gotta start with the right materials. For the Cento10AIR, Wilier relies on 60t Mitsubishi high-modulus carbon fiber for lateral stiffness in critical areas. The 'T' in 60t refers to ton, as in it can withstand 60 tons of pressure per square millimeter. T800H and T1700SC carbon feature in areas where a more elastic characteristic helps smooth the ride by adding a bit of compliance and diffusing chatter. By using specific carbon on different frame sections, Wilier is able to customize ride feel while still building a frame that's easy on the scale.

The Cento10AIR Disc gets a beefy bottom bracket area, helping transfer power for lightning quick attacks and sprints while still utilizing Shimano's cranks ensuring great shifting with its highly engineered rings and to be honest, really ties the group together. The PressFit BB86 bottom bracket allows a cup with bearings to press into a shell that spans 86.5mm wide, improving stiffness over typical shells of 68mm width by increasing the real estate that the downtube can attach to the BB shell and allows more space between the chainstays so the frame can accommodate up to 30mm wide rubber.