A few months ago, Richard Sachs, the man we generally think of as the literal torchbearer of American custom frame-building, reposted on Facebook a rant from Dave Lloyd, an English contemporary:
“I think all Roadies should boycott Disc Brake Road Bikes,” it began. “There is only one place for disc brakes and that’s on Mountain Bikes.” And so on it went, with the usual litany of arguments that discs for road are A) unnecessary and B) just a ploy to sell bikes.
All respect to Lloyd, here’s my position on the matter: Remember that no one can compel you to spend money on anything. If you are interested in disc brakes, perhaps you should get a bike with them. If you think they’re unnecessary and are perfectly happy with rim brakes, ride those. I’m not sure why people feel so threatened by newfangled technology that such a cri de coeur is necessary. A boycott? This is a bicycle, not apartheid-era South Africa. It’s particularly head-scratching when the bike industry is still making some damn fine bikes with rim brakes, that can do almost anything a disc-brake bike can.
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Case in point: the Wilier GTR SL. The GTR series sits adjacent to Wilier’s more race-oriented bikes like the Zero.7 and Cento1AIR. I say “adjacent” and not “below” because they’re not far apart in price or quality; the differences are the bikes’ intents.
GTR stands for "Gran Turismo Race," and it essentially continues the company’s previous Gran Turismo line (and replaces the Zero.9). With taller head tubes, shorter top tubes, and slacker head angles compared with the race bikes, the GTRs use all the standard tweaks to get the rider into a slightly more upright position on a bike with a slightly longer wheelbase and more stable handling.
Again, that is not to say it’s a lower-performance bike. That geometry, for instance: It’s a blend of genres that typically get lumped into the “race” and “endurance” piles—the rider is slightly more upright, but still in a reasonably aggressive position.
Also, the GTR uses the same blend of carbon as the Cento1SR, a mix of intermediate- and high-modulus fibers that keep it quite stiff, while adding about 200 grams compared with the top-end Zero.7 model.
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Wilier USA kits the bike with a full 11-speed Shimano Ultegra group, down to the cassette and chain, plus an FSA cockpit and Shimano RS-11 wheels, for $3,500. An optional wheel upgrade to Hed’s Ardennes SL hoops, which our tester came with, costs an extra $1,000.
No rap on Shimano, but the Ardennes are some of my favorite wheels. They’re also the perfect complement to this bike. On the 25mm-wide rim, the Vittoria Rubino Pro tires grow to a pleasantly plump 27mm (and the bike’s brake and chainstay clearance will allow you to fit tires even a bit wider than that).
The net effect of the geometry, carbon blend, and the parts kit is an exceptionally capable and versatile, all-around road bike. Jump in a fast group ride and, if your legs are good, you’ll have no trouble keeping up. The GTR SL is light enough (just 16.1 pounds in our medium tester with the Hed wheels) for all-day climbing. It’s stiff and powerful enough when you stomp on the pedals to close a gap. And don’t give me no guff about the compact gearing holding you back when chasing on a descent. I’ll say it for the Nth time: a 50x11 is a bigger gear than a 53x12.
But the GTR SL excels in quieter moments too. With the Ardennes wheels and the slightly slower handling, it’s perfect for long, dirt-road rambles. I routinely took it off pavement on Boulder’s spiderweb network of dirt roads, gravel open-space trails, and even some light singletrack.
My overarching impression of the bike was not of stiffness, or efficiency, or value, or any of those qualities, which it has. It was of fun. After 20 years of testing bikes, I’m convinced they have personalities. The GTR SL was like that riding buddy you love to go with, the one who’s always up for an adventure, who’s always positive, and who you always have a great time with. Whatever I was doing on the GTR SL, I pretty much always wanted to keep going even when time or fatigue signaled it was time to head home.
Yes, if you venture further afield you might look at the GTR Team Disc, which has a little bit more tire clearance and some excellent Shimano hydraulic brakes. But what I love about the GTR SL is that it’s an effective and beautiful response to Lloyd’s rant, and its implication that in the slavish devotion to sales, the bike industry is no longer giving you a choice.
Want a bike that has some Italian style and a slightly more traditional look, but still offers versatile performance, comfort, and confidence on and off the pavement, for a fair price? Here you go; here’s your bike.
At $4,500 with the Hed wheel upgrade, the GTR SL is not cheap. But it’s a timeless-looking machine that will serve you beautifully for years to come, and it’s so capable that I have trouble envisioning the “road” ride I wouldn’t take it on. It’s a bike you can enjoy almost anywhere, and on it, you’ll never worry about what someone else is riding.
What You Need to Know:
- Italian style, modern technology
- Barrels down dirt and chopped-up pavement; no disc brakes necessary
- Yee-haw—this thing is fun to ride!