One of the bigger trends of Eurobike in terms of e-bikes seemed to be the growth of the e-road category. While an e-road bike is very similar to other types of e-bikes, here more than anywhere, features like weight and ride quality are very important. Wilier claims they set out to reinvent the category and create the lightest e-road bike available. At just 11.9kg (26.24lbs) for the production Cento 1 Hybrid, they seem to have succeeded, and it isn’t even their lightest configuration.
While the production version is still impressively light, this concept build takes it to extremes with a crazy light 9.8kg (21.61lb) build. Like the production bike, the concept Cento 1 Hybrid used an Ebikemotion servo-assistance drive system with a rear hub mounted motor that comes in at 3.7kg for the total weight of the system (motor, battery, and controls). That battery is stashed inside the downtube and is quite a bit lighter than the standard e-bike battery thanks to its small 250Wh capacity. That’s about half the capacity of a standard e-bike battery, though Wilier still claims it’s good for +1000m of altitude gain.
If you need more juice, there will be an external range extender battery that will give you double the range. Other benefits to the system include a fairly high 40Nm of torque from the motor along with a standard Q-factor since the motor is at the hub, and not at the crank.
While the bikes can be controlled through a simple button on the top tube, Wilier has developed a control app that truly makes the Cento 1 Hybrid into a “smart bike” by integrating features like heart rate control. Basically, you can link your heart rate monitor to the bike, and set a maximum heart rate through the app, and when your heart rate reaches that point the motor will automatically kick on and help keep your maximum heart rate below the target threshold. For people who are forced to ride below a certain heart rate due to health reasons, this could be a true game changer.
In the stock configuration, the 11.9kg bike is still quite impressive. Given its light weight and hub mounted X35 motor, it should be easier to pedal with the system turned off, allowing you to reserve the e-assist for those times you really need it. Or, use it all the time and go for shorter rides or bring the additional battery pack.
Wilier also points out that the frame uses the same level of carbon technology as their standard road bikes and borrows the relaxed endurance road geometry from the Cento NDR family of bikes. The only component difference is the rear hub, while the rest of the build includes standard parts from Shimano, SRAM, and others. Pricing for the bikes start at €4,500 for a Shimano Ultegra 8020 Disc build, and top out at €8,200 for a full Shimano Dura Ace Di2 9170 disc brake build.
