Wilier Filante SLR Hybrid review

Wilier’s Filante SLR in its standard guise is the bike of choice of pro tour team Astana-Qazaqstan, and superstar sprinter Mark Cavendish.

The Filante SLR Hybrid won’t turn you into one of the fastest riders on the planet, but it’ll certainly give you an edge when it comes to heading into the hills.

On the whole, this Wilier is a very impressive electric road bike. It’s only the price that lets the side down.

Wilier Filante SLR Hybrid frame details

Put the Hybrid version alongside the Filante SLR and you’d be hard-pushed to tell the difference.

Only a closer look at the bottom bracket shape (where the Hybrid’s charge port is) and the iWoc controller integrated into the one-piece bar and stem are giveaways to the Hybrid’s powerful secret.

Like the Orbea Gain M10i, Wilier has chosen to use Mahle’s rear-hub drive X20 electric bike motor for its flagship e-road bike.

The little 1,339g X20 hub motor combines with a small-capacity 236Wh internal battery. The X20 packs a 250W output, with 55Nm of torque.

It's controlled by the integrated iWoc controller, or from the wirelessly connected head unit.

Wilier says it set out to make the lightest e-road bike it could, which explains the choice of the smaller-capacity battery than Orbea uses on the Gain. On the basis of my findings, losing weight was a smart choice.

Wilier has done an impressive job of keeping the frame weight down to an impressive (claimed) 1,100g when you consider the reinforcement for the battery, oversized bottom bracket, and reinforced chainstays. The fork is also impressively light, at 360g.

At just 10.74kg for the complete build, the Hybrid doesn’t feel like a weighty electric bike – I’ve ridden some excellent steel road bikes that tip the scales in the same ballpark.

Wilier Filante SLR Hybrid geometry

I expected the Filante Hybrid to ride well, because I’m a big fan of the Filante’s whippet-like acceleration and sharp handling.

The Hybrid is a close match, but Wilier has slightly tempered the handling and eased the aggressive ride position.

On my size-XL bike, the reach is reduced to 389mm (from 395mm) and the stack increased to 604mm (from a very low-slung 571mm).

That’s also borne out by an increase in wheelbase up to 1013mm, and relaxing the head angle by half a degree to 72.5.

Overall, it gives the Hybrid more of a fast endurance bike ride position rather than that of a pro-tour racer.

Wilier Filante SLR Hybrid build

The model on test is the flagship of the range, fitted with a full Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 groupset, Wilier carbon wheels and carbon finishing kit.

For reference, the Filante Hybrid range starts at £8,940 for an Ultegra Di2 model with alloy wheels.

Dura-Ace Di2 performs brilliantly, as you’d expect. The shifting is quick, smooth, and accurate.

The braking is full of power and subtle feel – it's without doubt one of the finest groupsets ever made. However, it does contribute to the Wilier’s superbike price tag (£11,800).

Wilier’s one-piece integrated bar-stem system has a great shape. The flattened tops and compact drop make for comfortable grip positions, while the carbon construction has just enough give to reduce road vibrations and shocks to a minimum.

At the back, a Prologo Dimension saddle sits on top of an aero-shaped seat. I found this setup matched the front end’s firm, yet forgiving feel.

Wilier’s 42mm-deep carbon wheels impressed too – the modern rim shape has a 21mm internal width, suitable for larger-volume road tyres.

A standard set of these 42mm-deep wheels tips the scales at 1,587g, though in this case the motor adds a chunk to that.

The hooked profile is tubeless-ready and Wilier has wrapped them in racy 700x28c Vittoria Corsa Speed tyres.

All in, the Filante SLR Hybrid costs £11,800, which is very expensive. It’s £2,700 more expensive than the similarly specced Orbea Gain M10i, and £3,950 more than the impressive Trek Domane SLR 6, to name two alternatives.

Wilier Filante SLR Hybrid ride impressions

On the road, the Hybrid is simply brilliant. Fundamentally, the low weight makes it feel like a high-performance endurance bike rather than an ebike.

On the flat, or low-rolling terrain, I was always well above the EU-regulated 15.5mph/25kph limit of the motor, but it never felt I was dragging any excess weight around.

When you hit the hills, it’s an easy bike to ride with the motor off, but engage the X20 and it delivers power that sees your speed go up in a natural-feeling way.

Unlike the Orbea Gain M10i, Wilier has left the X20 system as standard, with out-of-the-box motor mapping.

Level 1 uses 25 per cent and is the most subtle of the modes, while level 2 ups it to 50 per cent, which feels like a gentle push in the small of your back.

In level 3, the system delivers up to 200 per cent power (varying between 75 per cent and 200 per cent, depending on the power you’re putting through the pedals).

In Level 3, it helps you punch forward on steep out-of-the-saddle climbs, but because Mahle’s in-built power meter measures your input, it amplifies your power rather than feeling as though it’s surging.

The Mahle Smartbike app gives you plenty of control and tunability for the system, and the Smart charger not only charges the bike in three hours, but can also be used to update the firmware (via the integrated USB port).

The app records plenty of metrics from your rides and will automatically upload to Strava too.

The system can also be used to analyse how you’re using the motor and help you set up the bike to match your own riding style. You can modify the motor’s reactiveness, power and acceleration across each of the levels.

I fully expected the Wilier (with its smaller-capacity battery) to be outdone by the Orbea when it came to range, but it smashed through the 100-mile/160km range barrier with ease.

On my longest outing, I achieved a spectacular 113.4 miles/182.5km, covering 5,085.3ft/1,550 metres.

It lends credence to the theory that the enemy of economy is weight. The Filante SLR Hybrid is 1kg lighter than the Orbea, and nearly 2kg lighter than the Trek Domane SL6.

I would have liked to have seen the inclusion of remote motor controls (as you get with the Orbea), but including the display and integrating the controller into the stem rather than the usual top-tube placement is the next best thing.

Assistance aside, Wilier has achieved something very special with the Filante’s handling and balanced feel. It rides with the subtle nuance of a very good non-assisted road bike.

The fact that it doesn’t feel in any way compromised by the inclusion of an electric system is brilliant and Wilier’s design team deserves huge praise.

Wilier Filante SLR Hybrid bottom line

The Filante Hybrid is a fabulous example of a new-generation high-performance e-road bike, and it doesn’t feel compromised by being motor-assisted.

The only major downside of this bike is the high price tag relative to competitors.

It has an impressive range and handles superbly, but unfortunately, that price tag will put it out of sight of most riders looking for an assisted road ride.