Wilier is a brand renowned for its high-end race-ready bikes, such as the Filante SLR, Verticale and Rave SLR. Its bikes usually come with a high price and a high-end build.
Now Wilier has launched the Rapida. The new bike has the same design styling as Wilier’s aero-focused road bikes, but comes at a price that’ll appeal to a much wider audience.
There are two models, each based around Shimano’s 105 groupset, starting at £2,999 for the 105 2x12 mechanical drivetrain and rising to £3,499 for the 2x12 105 Di2 model.
Usually, major brands' lower-tier models skimp on the latest details, so it’s great to see Wilier has included everything needed to make the Rapida a truly modern road bike.
That means a UDH dropout, one-piece cockpit and 36mm tyre clearances. While it’s still very much an aero road bike, Wilier describes the geometry as "accessible for everyday riding".
The geometry sits somewhere between Wilier's long and low race bikes and that of an endurance bike, which, alongside the tyre clearance, should bring plenty of comfort.
A size XL (58cm) Rapida has a 592mm stack compared to the Filante's 571mm, and a 396mm reach compared to the Filante’s 395mm.
That still puts it very much in the race-geo camp, compared to classic endurance bike geometry. It's 25mm lower, and 3mm longer than the Giant Defy in the same size.
Aero frame design
The Rapida frame was designed with NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) aerofoil profiles, although Wilier doesn’t provide any wind-tunnel data.
It has plenty of the details I’d expect of a modern aero-optimised road bike, including a deep sculpted head tube, wide-bladed fork, dropped sculpted seatstays and a rear-wheel cutout in the aero-shaped seat tube.
The details are there, too – full internal routing, a one-piece aero-shaped cockpit and an aero-shaped seatpost with integrated seat clamp.
The Rapida has generous 36mm tyre clearances, making it compatible with the latest large-rsized road tyres such as Continental's GP5000 S TR. The UDH dropout and removable front derailleur mount also open it up to 1x drivetrain builds.
Great pricing
The Rapida certainly has a premium look, with both models getting Wilier’s one-piece Z-Bar cockpit and Miche wheels.
The £2,999 / €2,899 Shimano 105 12-speed mechanical bike gets Miche Reflex DX alloy wheels, with the £3,499 / €3,999 Shimano 105 Di2 model getting carbon Miche Asfalto 45 hoops.
