Wilier Blade

Wilier's Blade is Stealth

It seems like every tri bike manufacturer are painting their triathlon bikes matte black these days. One of the first that I’ve seen was the Wilier Blade and it looks the best by far (in my humble opinion). Wilier essentially used a clear coat to let the natural pattern of the carbon frame to show through making each bike unique. They added a few minimal white graphics to maintain some branding but overall the bike looks like a stealth fighter. Since then, more and more matte black bikes are popping up and now it is no longer cool to have a matte black bike because everyone makes one.

Other than the paint job, the Wilier Blade handles like a dream. It corners like it’s on rails and climbs fairly well. The aerodynamic front forks and body design make the bike feel like it’s slicing through the air on a flat, fast ride.

Components

The Wilier Blade comes standard with Ultegra components; derailleurs, rear cassette, and front brake. It comes with a TRP cantilever rear brake that is tucked under the bike behind the bottom braket for a more aerodynamic design. The bike comes with Shimano Dura-ace shifters and alloy aero and handle bars from Vision. The crankset is also a base level Vision Trimax model. And, the wheels are excellent Shimano RS10’s. Their small blade spokes contribute to the overall aero package.

My overall opinion on the bike is that it is a solid triathlon bike. Althought the frame feels heavy, it feels like it is designed for racing. With a seemingly aggressive drop between saddle and handle bars (yes, I know you can adjust the saddle height) the bike puts the rider in an extremely aerodynamic position.

The suggested retail price for the bike is $3700 and I feel that this is on the high end because it feels heavy. I have not weighed it, but at that price range it should compete on weight with the Cervelop P3, and BMC Timemachine (with similar components) which are both less expensive.