Wilier Love

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

(Before we start, yes I'm aware it's not a great pic, and that I've broken several cardinal rules regarding valve and chain positioning. What can I say, I'm just useless with a camera)

After 18 months of schlepping around on a Spesh Allez (which did me proud, I have to say) I got round to upgrading. Months of 'umming' and 'aahing' over various Felt's, Focus's and Cubes I finally thought 'sod it' and bought the best looking bike (IMHO obviously) I could find. It helps that I'm part Wop into the bargain and thus partial to a bit of Italian engineering. Leisure Lakes in Cheltenham did me a very good deal and delivered it bang on the due date.

It's the more basic Centaur model (Veloce 12-25 cassette swapped out to a Centaur 12-27) as opposed to the top of the range Athena in black. It's now got a pair of Conti 4000 25mm hoops slapped on it. The sun washed the colours out a little in the pic, but the paintwork is a deep red rather than what appears to be orange.

Initial impressions V good. Comfortable and accurate. Very stable. I hit two hidden potholes hard the first couple of rides, hard enough to throw my hands off the bars, but the bike kept straight as an arrow. I like the Campag feel, and I like the thumbshifters too. They feel very natural and you get that wonderful positive feel when you shift.

All in all it's a better bike than I am a rider but I can just about justify it. As my neighbour said, when he caught sight of it, "Lovely bike. It's not much to ask in life is it?