The evolution of a superbike--a term we have come to depend on to report that variety of race bicycle that is so stiff, so nimble & yet so comfortable that testers find no substantial flaw--is a dicy proposition. In the try to make a great bicycle even stiffer, lighter & more comfortable, manufacturers sometimes overdo it, ending up with a next generation that is a hair punishing or compliant in a way that compromises the magical ride feel of the original. Fortunately, in evolving its stunningly lovely 2009 Cento Uno, Wilier didn't try to do much.
The 2010 Superleggera, which the Lampre team rode in last year's Tour de Germany & will ride again this year, retains the Cento Uno's geometry & tube shapes, but Wilier strategically makes use of lighter carbon fiber to shave grams. The traits that contributed to the Cento Uno's exact power transfer & handling--the oversize bottom bracket, seatmast & blocky head-tube junction--are all there, as are the asymmetrical, one-piece looped stays, which Wilier says help generate the smooth ride feel. While the company makes no claim that the Superleggera is stiffer, only that it is lighter & more efficient, our sub-150-pound testers found it rigid, even chattery, on rough roads or when noodling along. They swapped the Fulcrum Racing Zero wheelset for more supple Zipp 202s, reducing the size-medium bike's weight to 13.75 pounds, & found that the Superleggera didn't retain the original Cento Uno's electric ride feel, but may have surpassed it. Despite the ethereally light weight, which made climbing a joy & enhanced the bike's power-now demeanor in sprints, the Superleggera was never nervous. All this, & it is still comfortable for all-day riding. tremendous.--Loren Mooney