Wilier have unveiled the Zero 9 at the London Bike Show, designed to combine the characteristics of the Zero 7 and the Cento 1 SR.
The Zero 7 (reviewed last year) and Cento 1 SR (reviewed earlier this month) make up the top-end of Wilier range but arrived from different conceptual starting points, with the former the Italian firm’s super-light climbing machine used by Lampre riders Damiano Cunego and Michele Scarponi in 2012 (although Merida have replaced Wilier as bike sponsor for 2013), and the latter a nod to the future thanks to its aerodynamic tube profiles.
The Zero 9 was given a soft launch at the back-end of 2012 but this is the first time it’s been shown in the UK and you can expect to see it in the shops from March.
Wilier are pitching the Zero 9 as an alternative to the Cento 1 SR, but for riders who want a more traditional looking machine. That means it has the same geometry and round, curving tube profiles as the Zero 7, but the same carbon layup as the Cento 1 SR.
The Zero 9 also has a traditional seatpost, rather than an integrated seatpost, and external cable routing. Other features of the frame include a tapered headtube, Wilier’s proprietary BB386EVO bottom bracket (which has a hollow, 30mm wide spindle, and huge, 86mm-wide shell) and deep, asymmetric chainstays.
The Zero 9 has the same carbon composition as the Cento 1 SR, so it’s super-stiff but not quite as featherweight as the Zero 7 (the name derives from a guaranteed sub-800g weight for a painted, size medium frame). It’s still light, though, with the claimed frame weight for the Zero 9 falling under the magic one kilo mark.
The Zero 9 also doesn’t have the Zero 7’s Special Elastic Integrated technology, which is said to make for a smoother ride, but neither does it have its lightweight brothers’s heavyweight price tag.
UK prices have been set at £2,399 for the Zero 9 frameset and £3,799 for the build pictured here, with Shimano Ultegra (except for the FSA SL-K chainset), FSA stem and handlebar, Ritchey seatpost, Selle San Marco Concor saddle and Fulcrum Racing Quattro wheels shod with Michelin Lithion2 tyres.
