Wilier's latest launch follows hot on the heels of Factor's Monza, promising the prestige of a 'designer bike' brand, in a more practical – or accessible – package.
While affordability isn’t a selling point to get your heart racing, it’s one that certainly appeals to the head, and the new Rapida starts at €2.899 for a mechanical build.
The Rapida is displaying plenty of the tube shapes, integrations and standards (UDH for example) that are now the cornerstones of many of the best road bikes. These modern features have historically come at quite the cost, especially if brand heritage and racing pedigree earned over decades, not years, is important to you.
Designed as an entry point into the Italian marque’s range, the new model seeks to deliver many of the attributes of a quintessential race bike but without the prohibitive price tag.
At €2.899 with a mechanical groupset and €3.999 with electronic shifting, it’s €700 less than the cheapest Filante, Wilier’s flagship model, and €3,500 less than the lowest spec SLR version.
Naturally, there are plenty of distinctions between the two models, but if you want Wilier design and branding on a budget, then the Rapida might actually get the blood pumping. At least a little.
It’s not just the price that Wilier has tamed. The bike’s geometry sees it sit somewhere between its pure race bikes and its endurance models. The press release says this is the “exact point where speed and distance coexist”, and what that means in reality is a stack height of 556mm and a reach of 384.5mm on a size medium.
These numbers suggest that while you won’t need to be a contortionist, you’ll still be able to achieve a suitably low position on the bike if desired, while maintaining comfort during longer rides.
The bike carries the visual credentials of a dynamic contemporary road bike; the airfoil shapes on the tubes, fork and seat post, the dropped seat stays, the integrated headset and monocoque carbon cockpit, are borrowed - generally speaking - from the Filante. But while that bike, and most others in its category, carry with it bags of data to back up its aerodynamic achievements, the Rapida carries none, just a name that suggests that speed is achievable.
Accessibility isn’t only measured in currency. While many of the Rapida's potential customer base will want a bike that wouldn’t look out of place in the professional peloton - or the club run - they also required safer handling and plenty of comfort.
With stability in mind, Wilier has equipped the Rapida with clearance for 36mm road tyres; that’s some 6mm more than the Filante and gives the bike some genuine all-road ability. It’s also compatible with both 1x and 2x drivechains (and comes with UDH), which broadens its usage yet further.
On release there are two build options. The entry level Rapida features a Shimano 105 mechanical groupset and pair of alloy Miche wheels, while the range-topper uses 105 Di2 and a carbon Miche wheelset, the Asfalto 45. Each model is offered in four colours: grey, orange, black and white.
