Bike at Bedtime: Wilier Cento10 SL

The Cento10 SL is Wilier's latest aero road bike and it's both stunning to look at and stunning to ride. The comfort you get here is sublime for such a performance-orientated bike, and the geometry creates perfectly balanced handling.

Read our review of the Wilier Cento10 SL 

The Cento10 has a punchy, direct power delivery with no hint of flex anywhere in the frameset, but it is also really smooth with none of the harshness of some super-stiff carbon bikes.

It feels eager and sprightly on the climbs and the sweet handling makes descending a pleasure. Reviewer Stu reckons that when it comes to the ride experience, the Cento10 SL is right up there with the best.

The Cento10 SL replaces the Cento10 Air, which started out as Wilier's top-end road bike and gradually became the mid-level option. The Cento10 SL sits mid-range too, although the only real difference from the high-end Cento10 Pro is the cheaper carbon fibre layup.

You still get NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, a US agency that developed airfoil profiles) tube shapes that use Kamm tails, meaning that they're cut off abruptly at the back, rather than tapering away gradually. While Wilier doesn’t make any specific aero claims about the new SL bike, it does say that it offers similar aero properties to the Pro design.

Like an increasing number of mid to high-end bikes, the Cento10 SL comes with internal cable/hose routing. That applies to models with both mechanical and electronic shifting systems. The cables enter underneath the Stemma SL stem, while narrow headset bearings allow them to slip down through the head tube before heading off where they need to go. You can adjust spacers without having to remove the cables or handlebar.

Many brands have dropped rim brake versions of certain models, but the Cento10 SL is available in both disc brake and rim brake flavours, the latter using direct-mount callipers. Each can accommodate tyres up to 28mm wide.

Wilier has gone for an integrated seat clamp with an expander wedge inside the seat tube. It's easy to tweak and once tightened the post doesn’t slip.

The Cento10 SL comes in various builds although the issue at the moment is getting your hands on one, with many bikes in short supply. You might get lucky but it could be a question of pre-ordering with your local Wilier dealer. The UK retail price for the Cento10SL Ultegra Di2 with NDR38KC wheels is now £6,220.

Britain’s bike shortage, part 1: what’s going on, when will supplies return, and how can you improve your chances of bagging the bike you want? 

Overall, the Wilier Cento10 SL is an outstanding bike. It's not the lightest option (our medium-sized model hit the scales at 8kg), but the ride quality – the balance between comfort and stiffness – is its outstanding feature. It just feels so good out on the road!

https://wilier.com/