At a glance Attractive, race-inspired bike with a quality alloy frame, buzz-damping carbon forks and a Campagnolo drivetrain. Its price squarely targets the sportier souls in the cycle-to-work market, and the ride is as slick as the paintjob
Tested by
Jon Adams, tester for The Bike List
Performance
Despite concerns over the future health of the cycle-to-work scheme - brought about by increases in the 'fair value' at which you finally buy the bike from your employer (see www.hmrc.gov.uk for the bad news) - there's no doubt that it has focused manufacturers' attention on the £1000 price point. This is the standard cycle-to-work threshold amount, and the Lavaredo Mirage from Wilier is a very attractive option.
It
looks stunning with its bright red frame and black carbon forks,
and the finishing kit is a mix-and-match to bring the whole package
in at the right price. Campagnolo components are used on this
model, and the Lavaredo's groupset is a mixture of Mirage (levers,
shifters, derailleurs), Veloce (brake calipers) and Xenon
(crankset). Other bits come from Miche (bottom bracket, wheels and
cassette), and Ritchey (bars, stem and seatpost). While there's no
straight-through purity of range from the Campag stables, there are
no problems at all in performance as the 10-speed Mirage kit
shifted with speed and precision right from the off. With no cables
protruding from the brake/gear levers at the business end, Campag
setups give a very tidy cockpit, and it doesn't take long to get
used to the rapid-fire gears. The brake levers don't move sideways
as on Shimano kit, but instead you have a thumb shifter on the
inside of the hoods that allows outward (harder) changes on the
rear mech and inward (big-to-small-ring) changes on the
front.
The Lavaredo is a long way from a quiet, unassuming bike. With its Italian styling and racy paintjob, it's an eye-catching proposition, and to put it plainly, it looks quick. The Lavaredo is one of those bikes that challenges you to jump on and find out if it goes as fast as it looks. And it does - but more on that later…
Though full carbon frames start to appear from
some manufacturers at the £1000 mark, the Lavaredo opts for
aluminium tubes with a carbon fork. The alloy used is triple-butted
to achieve maximum strength with a minimum weight penalty, and you
won't find any braze-ons for racks or mudguards, as this bike isn't
designed to carry such clutter. Those wanting to carry stuff have
bar bags, seat packs and jersey pockets to choose from, and anyone
who needs to haul kit in panniers shouldn't really be looking at
this!
The frame is stiff and the welds are tidy throughout, and the angles give a nice sense of balance. Though the seat will be higher than the bars when the bike's set up, there's no sense of being pitched forward, and the riding position gave a nice even spread to the contact points, even when right down low in the drops. The top tube is maybe a little on the short side for a race bike, but it's marginal, and is nothing a slightly longer stem wouldn't fix if you wanted your back a bit flatter.
The carbon forks have an attractive curve in their design, and as well as looking good, they're effective too, soaking up road buzz really well. Even with the tyres up to a full 110psi, the ride isn't particularly harsh over rougher surfaces, despite the fact that the bar tape isn't highly padded. If you regularly face rough roads, then it'd be wise to invest in some gel padding to go under your bar tape, but I'm not singling out the Lavaredo on this front, as this is true of any road bike.
As for the ride itself, it's great! Balance is
good, and steering is precise. It's not what you'd call twitchy,
but only small bar movements or bodyweight shifts are needed to
take effect, so it has a proper, efficient racing feel. As for
speed, put down the power and the stiff crankset sends your effort
straight to the back wheel. With very little flex in the rear
triangle, you can really feel it kick when you want to get a move
on. The Campag hoods are smaller than Shimano units, but they're
very comfortable whether you're spinning at a leisurely pace or
honking uphill.
Though at around 20lbs, the Lavaredo isn't particularly light, it doesn't actually feel heavy anywhere, with brisk acceleration and a real lust for climbing. The drivetrain has a middle-ground 12-25 cassette, and this really gives all you need with a 34x50 compact double on the front. 34-25 should get you up a long, sit-down climb at the end of a hard day, and you shouldn't spin out too often with 50-12 at the other end of the scale. It's all very nicely thought through, and though some may cast a snooty eye at the mixed bag of components, such an attitude isn't really appropriate as they all mesh together rather well.
My first hour's run was in the wet, and the Veloce
brakes are as solid in the rain as they are in the sunshine. The
Miche wheels are equipped with flat, aero spokes and stayed true
despite a number of pothole strikes, and what they lack in 
lightness they make up for in strength, so the
trade-off will be worthwhile for practical riders who aren't
worrying about grams too much. Racers will disagree, but for my
kind of riding, I really don't mind having heavier wheels if it
means I get durability. Sure, acceleration and efficiency will be
blunted by extra rotational weight, but I can live with this if the
hoops can take a few hits and stay true.
I persevered with the fitted Selle Italia QBIK saddle for a week or so, but I didn't really get on with it, and switched to my regular perch. The QBIK is perfectly well made and carries a decent amount of padding, but I found it a bit unforgiving, as the frame's stiff rear triangle transfers upwards as well as down! I missed the big cut-out channel in my normal saddle, and for me the comfort (and hence the ride) improved hugely when I swapped it out.
Overall, the Lavaredo Mirage is a quality machine that brings a sporty edge to the £1000 category. There's an awful lot to choose from in this sector, from light, full carbon models right through to bombproof cyclocross bikes, and it's easy for a mid-price race bike to get lost in the crowd. What the Lavaredo offers is a proper race experience for the ride-to-work market. It's a great summer commuter for those who don't have too much to carry, and it's a great pleasure ride as well. It's quick for its weight, it responds well, and is very comfortable considering its race-inspired geometry. The frame is an ideal candidate for some choice upgrades when the supplied kit has worn down, but in the first instance, the only thing I'd change is the saddle. Good job, Wilier!
