Wilier unveil 2011 Gran Turismo

We're a sucker for a good-looking bike here at road.cc. And while there are plenty of bikes that divide opinion looks-wise, we don't think this is going to be one of them. It's the new 2011 Wilier Gran Turismo – ain't she a beauty?

The name reflects the Italian tradition of luxury long distance sports cars of course. For a country with a long tradition of Granfondo riding, the Italians have generally been a little slow to embrace the more relaxed geometry of sportive bikes, but the GT is very much a sportive bike, albeit a performance one.

"The aim was to produce a high-performance frame that has the efficiency & stiffness of a high quality road race frame yet is easy to handle & comfortable over long distances", they tell us. "The frame is laterally stiff so it is safe & easy to descend on.  It is ideal for Sportive/Granfondo riding but is definitely aimed at performance riders". Performance with comfort? Check. Laterally stiff but vertically compliant? Check.

Tech-wise the GT borrows its back end from the range-topping Cento 1, with asymetric seat stays. Up front, Wilier are using something they call Razor Edge design, which manifests itself as a series of sharp edges on the main triangle and semi-aero fork. Wilier claim this increases stiffness though we're not quite sure how. Cables go inside the frame but Wilier say they've spent a lot of time making the routes as easy to thread as possible.

Finishing kit is all from FSA; Wilier and FSA are thick as thieves, it seems, and all the bolt-ons are Wilier co-branded for a seamless look. The bike will be available with either Athena or Chorus in six sizes, and there are three finishes, red/white, red/blue and carbon. The bike will be available in the UK from September. No word on pricing yet, but it doesn't look like one you'll be scoring on Cyclescheme...