Wilier Mortirolo Mirage Review

Reviewer: Stu Bowers

19-Mar-2009 | 5 Reviews

Rating:

£1,271.00 (at time of review)

Pros

Excellent frame and fork
Climbs well
Race-bike feel

Cons

Low spec

See verdict and spec

£1,500 can buy you an impressively specced bike, as this is one of the most competitive price points on the market. We review four

With the smallest and most compact frame of the four, the Wilier Mortirolo Mirage's carbon monocoque design did not disappoint, making for a very nimble, responsive ride.

The frame and fork complement each other well, neither giving way to flex, so the response to rider input is immediate and holds its line in turns very reassuringly – you really felt like you could throw it into turns and have some fun with it.

So good was the performance of the Wilier Mortirolo frame on the climbs, it started to highlight flex in other areas. The frame is remarkably stiff, and stands firm to large forces being applied. We’ve ridden Fulcrum Racing 7s a fair bit — indeed they are specced on the Kuota — and never found them to be particularly flexy. But in combination with the Mortirolo’s frame stiffness, the back wheel particularly stood out as having a bit of ‘give’ under high stress. The frame seems to be fighting above its weight and is as stiff as a good majority of top-end race rigs.

Both the Wilier and the Boardman Pro Carbon picked up speed well, and it was becoming apparent that these two bikes’ frames shared a number of similar traits, except the Boardman’s combination of low weight, stiff wheels and stiff frame gave it a tendency to skip around if you weren’t careful. The Wilier kept a straight line and delivered a good result.

What stood out was the big gap between the kit on the Wilier and that on the Boardman. OK, so the Wilier is a couple of hundred pounds cheaper, but even so. Its Campagnolo Mirage spec, while a solid choice, is somewhat belittled by the SRAM Force and Ritchey WCS kit on the Boardman.

The lively carbon frame of the Wilier Mortirolo Mirage elicited a highly charged ride feel, which meant you got a fair amount of vibration coming back through the bars and saddle, but also, quite noticeably, the pedals. It’s certainly surprising how much the Mortirolo felt like a race bike, considering it was the cheapest on test. At 74.5 degrees, the Wilier's seat tube angle is a whole degree steeper than the Boardman's, which means that much less vertical 'give'.

Verdict

The Wilier Mortirolo Mirage was runner-up in our test, behind the Boardman Pro Carbon. The Wilier frame and fork is exceptionally good for the £1,299 price tag, it’s just the stuff bolted to it is a little low-key. Such a stiff and punchy frame with superb handling is crying out for something better than Mirage and Fulcrum Racing 7s. So it’s a very similar dilemma to the Kuota, but the difference is the Wilier’s starting price is £200 less, so you’re left with some spare cash to invest in some choice upgrades in the future.

We unlocked some of the Wilier’s potential by giving it a run with Fulcrum Racing Zero 2-Way Fit wheels during our recent tubeless tyre test. The transformation was clear, although this was taking upgrades to the extreme, with the Racing Zeros costing nearly as much as the bike.

User reviews

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Andrew

May 27 22:33

It's all very well saying how good the Boardman bike is, but a friend of mine discovered that our local Bikehut were unwilling to get him the model he wanted and showed a lack of knowledge of the product that lead to him being unconvinced that he'd get any knowledgable or helpful after-sales backup. He opted for another brand from a local bike shop.

Peter

August 07 22:14

I have found this bike different to the review. I have upgraded to ultegra and xero wheels. The bike feels pretty light to me. Personally I think the frame could do with being a whole lot stiffer - I would give this bike a low score for acceleration. Once up to speed - it is a pure joy though, and descending is the bikes strong point, this bike just hugs the road. It looks fantastic, and in my opinion is the most hansome Kuota in the range.

ZEMPOALTECATL

October 10 17:29

HELLO I AM VERY HAPPY W MY BIKE I BUILT IT W THIS FRAME AND SRAM RED GROUPO AND SRAM s60 WHEELS W FSA PLASMA AND I THING THIS FRAME WORKS AWELSOME P.s SORRY MY INGLISH IS SO DAD. AT. ZEMPOAltecatl FROM CALIFORNIA.

Pedro

March 20 13:17

I absolutely love my Boardman Pro Carcon Frame set, Like the previous comment I built it with Full Sram Red Groupset, Ceramic BB30 Bearings Ritchey UD SL Kit and Roval Carbon Wheels. Absolutely Fantastic in every way. I used to own Specialized Tarmac Pro and I'd say this ia a more lively and responsive ride, specially on climbs. Well Done C Boardman.

Sy

April 08 00:41

Fabulous climber, harsh and skittish over long distance. Jury is out on descending. Bloomin' robust, converts really well to TT/Triathlon angles if it's a smooth course. Avoid on bad road surfaces. It's Yuk and very fatiguing.