Wilier Filante SLR 2021

£10680.00

The Filante's acceleration is impressive. When you're trying to put some daylight between you and the rest of the bunch, you're rewarded with easy speed when you flick the pedals. If someone tries to get the jump on you, they'd better have planned it well because the Filante is up for getting on their wheel in an instant.

As well as being light – Wilier claims 870g for the frame and 360g for the fork – the Filante feels stiff. Launch your biggest out-of-the-saddle attack and it remains tight and rigid around the bottom bracket while the fork and stocky head tube keep everything firmly under control up front. Fast cornering feels fabulous and the quick handling allows you to chop and change your line with the minimum of effort.

Wilier uses truncated NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) aerofoils for the Filante SLR's tube profiles. There’s nothing unusual in that. The difference, according to Wilier, is what it has done with the cutoff at the rear of the tube. Rather than being totally squared off, the edges are more round.

Wilier says that in the real world, where the wind comes from all directions, the boundary layer – the wind particles closest to the frame – adhere more to the profile so the frame maintains good aero characteristics in a variety of conditions.

If you're lucky enough to be in the market for a race-focused superbike, the Filante is right up there mixing it with the best from big-name brands, and it should be on your shortlist.