Wilier Filante ID2 Review: Speed & World Tour Tech

With the Filante, the traditional brand from Rossano Veneto combines the greatest successes in its recent history. Not only did the racer introduced in 2020 offer an exceptionally good balance of aerodynamics and low weight: even at its premiere, the bike, which was designed as a purely aero model, weighed less than seven kilograms. Looking back, the Filante could be seen as an early representative of the all-round racer trend – but also as a comeback for the Italian racing bike industry, which had been left behind by technology for decades.

In the meantime, the manufacturer founded in Bassano del Grappa, which is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year, supplied two prominent Pro Tour teams that almost exclusively rode the versatile aero model. The record of Mark Cavendish, who won his 35th Tour de France stage victory in the Astana jersey on a Filante in 2024, will probably remain in the history books forever. Inspired by the ongoing upward trend, the second generation of the Filante is now set to build on these successes. It took five years to relaunch the flagship. Meanwhile, Wilier invested a lot of effort in wind tunnel tests and CFD simulations, because improved aerodynamics was high in the specifications. The drivers of the Groupama-FDJ team, with whom Wilier has a long-standing partnership, were also the inspiration for the development.

At first impression, the model change is more of an evolution than a revolution. The design of the Streamlined ID2* remains simple and elegant, its proportions are strongly based on its predecessor. The Filante has not become an avant-garde aero racing bike, as Colnago recently presented with the Y1Rs or Factor with the ONE – it also remains visually true to its claim to be a versatile all-rounder.

A new, eye-catching element are the aero bottles with special bottle holders, which were developed together with market leader Elite. They fit harmoniously and streamlined into the tube shapes and are intended to give the bike additional speed. The other changes appear subtle, but upon closer inspection they can be aerodynamically effective: the fork and rear triangle are slightly more flared, as was recently seen on the fastest aero cars. The seat stays connect to the seat tube lower and like a wing, and the new handlebar combination is flatter and more angular than before.

The Filante can impress on the scales: exactly 6,800 grams (without pedals and bottle cages) is the first declaration of war on the competition. But first we get a driving impression before we measure the performance in numbers. We take a seat on an exceptionally sporty racer that leaves no doubt about its intended purpose from the very first meter. The compact, forward-oriented seating position with very low handlebars encourages you to accelerate hard. The bike reacts promptly and readily converts acceleration into propulsion.

Our test bike is equipped with new carbon wheels from Wilier’s own brand Miche, which are constructed with carbon spokes and are correspondingly light. A difference in weight of several hundred grams has a noticeable effect on the driving behavior; The Filante looks significantly livelier than other bikes in the same category and weight class. Fast corners require a bit of concentration because the already agile steering behavior is further enhanced by the light front wheel. A weakness of the Wilier becomes apparent on rough tracks, as it rides relatively hard over bumps compared to its competitors. Given the design of the offset aero support, this is hardly surprising; measurements in the TOUR laboratory will provide more precise information.

We really like the ergonomics of the new handlebars, which are painted in the same color as the frame. The handlebar ends do not describe a constant arc below the brake handles, but are barely visibly angled, which means that the hands can find a better grip in the lower handlebar grip. We also find the top link and the slight flare – the sideways flared handlebar arches – extremely pleasant. We are somewhat disappointed with the practicality of the new aero bottles. You need two hands to fill them because they don’t stand up on their own. The opening is also relatively small, which makes them difficult to fill and clean. You quickly get used to the fact that they always have to be pushed into the holder in one direction. But the promise that round bottles also fit into the holders is only kept to a limited extent. The standard bottles hold up without any problems; large 750 millilevels.

The test on our test benches also reveals some compromises. The moderate impression of comfort is not deceptive; the Wilier only performs averagely here. The driving stability also does not meet the current state of the art, which may be a partial explanation for the somewhat nervous driving behavior in fast corners. Heavier pilots may want a more stable chassis with better feedback. Hard sprints, on the other hand, are no problem, the stiffness in the bottom bracket is great.

The one before the decimal point in the TOUR grade is deserved, but the deductions prevent the Filante from being able to catch up with the best competition racers in all disciplines. Experienced and trained drivers are unlikely to be bothered by the lack of comfort and the lack of driving stability; Racing professionals are generally light, and in crucial situations the core disciplines matter. In this respect, the new Filante is also a hot candidate for further professional victories on all stage profiles.

Wilier offers that Streamlined ID2* in eight equipment variants with switching groups from all three leading manufacturers. However, just getting started is expensive: with Ultegra Di2 and simple Miche carbon rims it costs 9,700 euros. The new Miche Deva wheels are not yet listed on the website, but will probably cost around 1,000 euros extra. The frame set costs 5,800 euros. The “old” Filante SLR ID1, which is still in the range, is cheaper, with prices starting at 7,499 euros.

• ​Preis: 12.900 Euro >> available here*
• Weight of complete bike: 6,8 Kilo
• Frame sizes: XS, S, M, LXL, XXL

• Seat/top/head tube: 530/570/160 Millimeter
• Stack/Reach/STR: 573/390 Millimeter/1,47
• Stack+/Reach+/STR+: 626/590 Millimeter/1,06
• Wheelbase/caster: 1.000/59 Millimeter

• Drive/shift: SRAM Red AXS (48/35, 10-36 Z.) | Note: 1,0
• Brakes: SRAM Red AXS (160/160 mm) | Note: 1,0
• Tires: Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR 28 mm | Note: 1, 5
• Wheels: Miche Deva RD 52
• Wheel weights: 1.047/1.375 Gramm (v./h.)

• Weight of complete bike: 6.800 Gramm | Note: 1,7
• Aerodynamics: 206 Watt | Note: 1,3
• Driving stability: 7,0 N/mm | Note: 2,7
• Komfort Heck: 226 N/mm | Note: 3,7
• Comfort Front: 81 N/mm | Note: 2,3
• Start/bottom bracket stiffness: 58 N/mm | Note: 1,3

• Like this: Top aerodynamics with good weight, many colors
• This can be criticized: average driving stability, little comfort, comparatively expensive

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