Wilier Rave SLR Ekar

£8,680 Nudging closer to road territory, can this Ekar bike cut it on the trails as well? We get our Rave on

Weight 7.87kg Frameset Carbon HUS with liquid crystal polymer Gears Campagnolo Ekar 9-42t cassette, 40t crankset Brakes Campagnolo Ekar Wheels Campagnolo Shamal Carbon C21 Finishing kit Vilier J-bar bar and stem, Rave SLR custom seatpost, Vittoria Terreno Dry tyres

THE WILIER RAVE SLR is a racefocused gravel bike that doubles up as a convincingly competent road bike. This is reflected in the available builds for the Rave, which cover both road and gravel riding, with groupsets and wheels to suit. I tested the Campagnolo Ekar build, which is paired with Campagnolo Shamal Carbon C21 wheels and Wilier finishing kit. Where the Crux and Checkpoint sit respectively further into the adventurous end of the gravel bike spectrum, the Rave is the most road-like on paper and while riding.

The handling is notably nippy and planted for a gravel bike. The stock near-slick 38mm-wide Vittoria Terreno Dry tyres help here. These are useless in muddy conditions but feel very fast on hardpacked gravel and the road. All gravel builds of the Rave are supplied with the pictured J-Bar integrated cockpit. This uses a V-shaped split stem that’s reminiscent of the bullmoose bars seen on early mountain bikes.

The cockpit uses a normal steerer and is currently available in just two sizes. Both feature a zero-degree rise ‘stem’, which places the bars higher than a typical -6 or -17-degree stem. The overall shape of the cockpit is good and offers a generous rise without looking as ungainly as a conventional two-part cockpit.

At 570mm, the stack of my size large test bike is the shortest on test but, combined with the cockpit, it actually has a fairly lofty front end. Personal preference plays a part here, but this feels ever so slightly unwieldy when climbing out of the saddle on the hoods – it just doesn’t have that connected feel a lower position offers. As the cockpit is fixed, it’s not possible to flip the stem around into a negative rise position.

However, this upright fit does, of course, provide a very comfortable position when smashing along flat trails in the drops. I would like to see Wilier offer the option to spec one of its regular two-piece cockpits (such as the Stemma range) on the Rave to broaden fit options.

For a road-adjacent gravel bike, the Rave is surprisingly comfortable when rattling along at high speeds, though the sceptic in me questions exactly how much the ‘liquid crystal polymers’ that are infused into the frameset have to do with this. “Where the Crux and Checkpoint sit further into the adventurous end of the gravel bike spectrum, the Rave is the most road-like”

Tyre clearance is slightly more limited than the other bikes on test, with a maximum quoted clearance of 42mm for 700c wheels. No figure for 650b tyre clearance is supplied, but fitting chunkier tyres doesn’t really feel in keeping with the go-fast ethos of the Rave SLR. Unusually, the bike is only specced with two water bottle mounts and no toptube bag mount. A third water bottle and bento box are commonly used in the gravel racing world and missing both, particularly the third water bottle, is a significant omission in my book.

The matte finish is also very delicate, to the point that Wilier gives specific washing instructions that suggest a pressure washer shouldn’t be used. A band-on light mount fitted to the bar left visible marks after only two rides.

If you’re after a high-end gravel bike that will double up as a genuinely nice ‘all-road’ bike, you will be well-served by the Wilier, but if you want something for truly long days out or for bikepacking, either of the other two bikes on test are a better choice.

As a final point, I found the integrated seat clamp fiddly in use. These clamps are not uncommon on high-end gravel bikes – and can work perfectly well – but the access port for the 4mm hex bolt sits quite close to the seatpost. It required a fair bit of torque to stop it from slipping, even with carbon paste. I recommend investing in a small ratcheting multitool if you envisage making regular tweaks to saddle height while out riding.

Verdict A treat to ride, but there are better options for serious racers

Slick cockpit Travel light