Wilier’s all-new Rave SLR ID2 takes its inspiration from the original Rave SLR. The new bike, however, has been designed from top to bottom with racing at its core.
That's not to say the original Rave SLR was a slouch when it comes to racing, notching up wins in the Serenissima gravel in 2021 (the first professional gravel event), the Traka 200 in 2022 and Unbound 2022, with Ivan Silk the first non-American to win gravel’s blue-ribbon event.
While it's still an excellent racer, there’s more to the Rave SLR ID2’s bow – a lot more.
Wilier Rave SLR ID2 frame
The new frameset was developed at Wilier’s Innovation Lab, using full 3D modelling and CFD to create an aerodynamically optimised frameset. This is then made in resin and put into full wind-tunnel testing and aesthetic evaluation. Wilier certainly doesn’t want to build an ugly bike.
Further prototyping and testing led to the bike you see here.
Wilier claims the new SLR ID2 saves 5.3 Watts over the previous SLR at 35kph, with full NACA tubing profiles and design details such as the widening down tube, which shields water bottles from the wind. The fork has a wide profile inspired by Wilier’s Supersonica SLR time trial bike. The broad crown has space for 52mm tyres, with a generous gap besides.
The frame has an optimised layup, resulting in improved stiffness versus its forebear, and the revised gravel racing geometry means a tighter rear triangle and shorter wheelbase, which Wilier claims gives the new SLR ID2 more precise handling off-road.
It’s also brought up to date with a UDH rear dropout and tyre clearances up to 52mm. That makes the SLR ID2 compatible only with 1x drivetrains.
The frame is stripped back, with two sets of bottle bosses, a third set of bosses under the down tube and bento box mounts on the top tube.
That’s all, though; there is no provision for mudguards, bags or other storage, and like the Cinelli King Zydeco 2 Apex I tested it alongside, Wilier has forgone internal storage to keep down the weight. The claimed frame weight of 990g (medium, painted) is low for a bike with true aerodynamic tubing and such generous tyre clearances.
Wilier has also chosen a colour range that pays homage to the 1990s dance culture the bike is named after. That means some very bold colour choices, such as the Pixel Green you see here. Wilier calls this "the colour of energy", inspired by CRT screens and laser beams from rave parties, I’m told.
Wilier Rave SLR ID2 geometry
The geometry matches a 71-degree head angle to a steeper 73.5-degree seat angle; the stack on my large test bike is a low 570mm, combined with a 391mm reach. These are numbers more akin to a road race bike than a full-out off-roader.
The sculpted cut-away aero seat tube is used to maximise the tyre clearance while keeping the wheelbase short. Enabled by the short 423mm chainstays, the 1,031mm wheelbase is shorter than most gravel race bikes I've tested to date.
| | XS | S | M | L | XL | XXL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat tube C/C (cm) | 43.2 | 46.2 | 48.2 | 50.2 | 52.2 | 54.2 |
| Top tube (cm) | 51 | 52.7 | 54.5 | 56.1 | 57.9 | 59.7 |
| Seat tube (cm) | 45 | 48 | 50 | 52 | 54 | 56 |
| Seat angle (degrees) | 75 | 74.5 | 74 | 73.5 | 73 | 72.5 |
| Chainstay (cm) | 42.1 | 42.2 | 42.3 | 42.3 | 42.5 | 42.7 |
| Head tube (cm) | 9.8 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 15.4 | 17.2 | 18.9 |
| Head tube angle (degrees) | 70 | 70 | 71 | 71 | 71.5 | 72 |
| Reach (mm) | 370 | 377 | 384 | 391 | 398 | 405 |
| Stack (mm) | 513 | 532 | 551 | 570 | 589 | 608 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 997 | 1012 | 1017 | 1031 | 1041 | 1051 |
The 50mm fork offset, when combined with the 50mm tyre, leads to a 69mm trail. It’s a happy medium between racy and trail-capable.
Wilier Rave SLR ID2 build
As you’d expect from a premium gravel bike, the Rave SLT ID2 gets a very premium build. The drivetrain is a wholesale SRAM Red XPLR with its direct-mount rear derailleur, skeletal brakes and ergonomically excellent shifter design.
That said, for £9,200, I’d have liked to see the power-meter equipped crankset included in the price.
The Wilier rolls on fellow Italian brand Miche’s new Graff Aero 48 gravel wheels. These 48mm-deep aero-optimised rims have a hookless 27mm-wide internal tubeless design. The rims are built onto Miche’s aluminium hubs with their own RES 30 Rapid Engagement freehub, giving a 12-degree engagement and a 1,525g claimed weight that's low for such a deep wheel.
These are wrapped with Vittoria’s latest Terreno T50 gravel tyres in a large 50mm width.
Up front, the Rave SLR gets a one-piece bar and stem; this aero-optimised combo has a broad aero-shaped top and the subtlest of flares, with only a 30mm delta between the 420mm width at the hoods and 450mm at the drops.
At the rear, the Rave gets the same slender aero carbon post as found on Wilier’s Filante lightweight road bike, although here it’s with a 15mm offset. This is topped by Prologo’s short Dimension saddle with Nack carbon rails.
It’s undoubtedly a premium build, and aside from adding a power meter, there’s very little an elite racer would ever need to change in this package.
Wilier Rave SLR ID2 ride impressions
You'd expect a bike created with an aerodynamic design brief to be fast, but perhaps not exactly comfortable for non-professional riders who aren't hardened to the rigours of long seasons and tough rides.
Thankfully, the Rave SLR ID2 doesn’t fall into that category. Large, 50mm-wide tyres are going to do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to comfort, although they certainly don’t account for all of it.
The front end is remarkably compliant when it comes to high-speed chatter and deep ruts. The one-piece bar design, with its stem that’s far slimmer than a standard example, has enough vertical compliance to nullify hand-numbing vibrations and take the sting out of larger hits.
At the same time, it’s stiff enough to stay firm when honking on the bars out of the saddle, either climbing or sprinting. Throw the Rave into a rough, rutted corner and the same is true; the bar tracks straight, enabling the forgiving tyres to squash and grip.
The groupset has been flawless throughout testing, with accurate shifts, no chain chatter and no misshifts.
I only had one anomaly where I left the bike in a hot garage post-riding, only to return the next day to find the derailleur battery discharged. It hasn’t happened again since, although the weather (and temperatures in my garage) was somewhat extreme this summer.
The wheel and tyre combo is surprisingly fast on the road. I’d have guessed a 50mm tyre with a tread would be cumbersome on tarmac, but that hasn’t been the case. On a ride with a roadie friend running 28mm road tyres, I was able to hold his wheel without struggling.
The Rave excels on gravel roads, doubletrack trails and poorly maintained back roads. It’s rapid to accelerate, and those big aero rims help it hold on to the momentum.
I expected the Rave to falter on my excursions onto singletrack and ridge-traversing sheep tracks. But the lightness of handling at the front end enabled me to make corrections when a bump pushed the wheel off line.
The steering is not so sharp as to make twists and turns on singletrack a handful, and the shorter wheelbase makes for a bike you can flick through tight sections. The Rave SLR even takes the occasional airtime in its stride, with the large tyres cushioning landings with ease.
The 40-tooth chainring, combined with the 10-46t cassette, is a great middle ground for gravel riding and I was never found wanting, either climbing or sprinting.
Wilier Rave SLR ID2 bottom line
Sometimes you need to put away your expectations of a bike based on its looks and specifications, and just ride it.
If I’d been given the choice for a gravel bike of my dreams, I probably wouldn’t have given the Rave a second glance. It looked too focused and too much about aero/stiffness for what I want from a fast gravel bike.
I’m very happy to be proven wrong. The Rave SLR ID2 is a brilliant, very capable all-round gravel bike. Its aerodynamic optimisation and low weight haven’t come at the expense of its off-road ability, and bringing huge tyre clearances into the mix makes it versatile too.
I’m sad that it doesn’t come with down tube storage, because that’s quickly become something I’m a big fan of. However, you may not feel the same and may prefer the stripped-down, aero optimised, lightweight, very race-oriented and great-looking Rave SLR ID2 just as it is.
