The Wilier Zero 9 is set to launch in the UK from this March. The Zero 9 sits below the super light Zero 7, ridden last year by the Lampre-ISD team and the Cento 1SR, Wilier’s do-it-all aero frame.
The Wilier Zero 9 is a cross between the two; it has the curved top tube, rounded tube profiles, standard seat tube and geometry of the Zero 7, but the same carbon layup as the Cento 1SR. Wilier say that the Zero 9 is for riders who ‘prefer a combination of the best of classical and futuristic design elements’. It also uses external cable runs, making life easier for the home mechanic.
All three frames use Wilier’s 60 Ton carbon fibre blend, so called because it can withstand 60 tons of pressure per square millimeter. The Zero 9 and Cento 1SR differ from their lighter sibling in not using Wilier’s SEI film in it’s construction. Special Elastic Infiltrated film is used to allow some flex and impact resistance in the Zero 7 frame. It’s lighter than the intermediate modulus carbon which had previously been used. SEI film has been widely used in the aeronautical and car industry but the Zero 7 was the first bicycle to use it. Apparently the blend is made more impact resistant and void free with the inclusion of a Zinc Oxide nanoparticle resin.
The Zero 9 tips the scale at a claimed 940g, hence the name and comes with FSA’s BB386 bottom bracket. This latest evolution based on the BB30 standard has allowed the bottom bracket to widen out to 86mm, giving Wilier more room to play with tube profiles and increasing bottom bracket stiffness by a claimed 30%. Various press in adapters will allow the new standard to work with existing chainsets. The head tube is a tapered 1 1/8” to 1 1/4”.
So if you want a bike that has the Cento 1Sr’s all round balanced ride, coupled with the Zero 7’s featherweight climbing abilities, you need look no further than the Wilier Zero 9. CycleTechReview.com will be doing a review soon and we’ll see how the Zero 9’s claims match up on the road. The Wilier Zero 9 will retail for around £2,399 as a frameset.