gravel bike neon Wilier Rave SLR ID2 Rival XPLR E1 Bike w/Alloy Bar and Alloy Wheels

gravel bike neon Wilier Rave SLR ID2 Rival XPLR E1 Bike w/Alloy Bar and Alloy WheelsIn June 2022, at the end of 200 miles of Kansas gravel in driving rain and mud, Ivar Slik crossed the Unbound Gravel finish line ahead of Kegan Swenson by one bike length. It was the closest finish in the race's history, and it made Slik the first non American to win Unbound since the event's founding. He won on a Wilier Rave SLR. Wilier calls Unbound "the Tour de France of gravel," and they built the ID2 this bike's direct successor in direct

In June 2022, at the end of 200 miles of Kansas gravel in driving rain and mud, Ivar Slik crossed the Unbound Gravel finish line ahead of Kegan Swenson by one bike length. It was the closest finish in the race's history, and it made Slik the first non-American to win Unbound since the event's founding. He won on a Wilier Rave SLR. Wilier calls Unbound "the Tour de France of gravel," and they built the ID2 — this bike's direct successor — in direct response to that victory and Slik's post-race feedback. The Rave SLR ID2 is what a 118-year-old Italian frame builder does when it turns its full attention to gravel racing: wind tunnel testing, NACA-profiled tubes, 52mm tire clearance, and colors drawn from 1990s rave culture that look nothing like any other gravel bike on the market. The Rival XPLR E1 build puts that frame and fork under SRAM's newest 1×13 wireless groupset at $5,800.

HUS MOD Carbon and 8.9% Less Drag

The Rave SLR ID2 frame is built from Wilier's HUS MOD carbon — High Uniformity Structure Monocoque — reinforced with Liquid Crystal Polymer for added stiffness at critical load paths. The frame weighs approximately 990g and the matched carbon fork comes in at 415g. These are not remarkable numbers in isolation, but they provide the structural foundation for what Wilier spent months optimizing: aerodynamics.

The ID2 went through extensive CFD simulation and physical wind tunnel testing. Wilier modeled the frame, fork, and handlebar as a complete system — not as isolated components — because aerodynamic efficiency at the system level is what produces real-world speed. The result: 8.9% less aerodynamic drag than the previous Rave SLR, translating to 5.3 watts saved at 35 km/h. Over a 70km course at 350W average power, that is 54 seconds. At Unbound distances, the numbers compound further.

The most visible expression of that optimization is the down tube. Rather than a uniform tube shape from head tube to bottom bracket, the Rave SLR ID2's down tube begins narrow at the head tube junction and progressively widens toward the BB — mimicking a NACA airfoil profile that shields water bottles from frontal drag. The fork design takes direct inspiration from Wilier's Supersonica SLR time trial bike, with wide stays that maintain an aerodynamic profile around larger tire volumes. This is a gravel frame engineered the same way a TT bike is engineered: every surface is part of the aero calculation.

Race Geometry and Gravel-Racing Specificity

The ID2 designation — second-generation integrated design — reflects a deliberate decision Wilier made when developing this frame: eliminate the dual-purpose compromise of the original Rave SLR. The first generation was an all-road/gravel crossover. The ID2 is gravel racing, exclusively. There are no front derailleur mounts, no provisions for a double chainring, no accommodation for cargo racks or bikepacking mounts. The frame is built around one use case and optimized for it completely.

Geometry reflects that focus. In a size medium, the stack sits at 561mm and reach at 387mm — proportions that put the rider in a low, stretched, aerodynamically efficient position over the bike. The seat tube angle is 75°, steep enough to drive power through the pedals efficiently and keep the rider's weight forward in the position gravel racing demands. Chainstays measure approximately 421mm in medium — relatively short for a disc gravel frame, contributing to responsive handling and quick acceleration. Tire clearance extends to 52mm, a significant jump from the previous generation's 42mm limit, and the UDH-compatible dropout accepts SRAM's Full Mount derailleur system without a separate hanger.

The Rave SLR ID2 is available in six sizes from XS through XXL, with four colorways that announce themselves loudly: Pixel Green Matte, Glitch Black, Neon Purple, and Byte Cream Matte. The color naming — Pixel, Glitch, Byte — is intentional. Wilier drew inspiration from 1980s and 90s rave culture and underground aesthetics for this bike's identity. In a gravel market saturated with matte grey and understated carbon, the Rave SLR ID2 is unmistakable.

Rival XPLR E1, Vittoria Terreno, and the Alloy Build

The SRAM Rival XPLR AXS E1 is the 2026 generation of SRAM's wireless gravel groupset — "E1" succeeds D1 with the defining upgrade of 13 speeds. The XG-1351 XPLR cassette spans 10–46T, providing a range that handles fast gravel descents and sustained climbs without the mechanical penalties of a front derailleur system. Shifting is wireless: no cables to route, no barrel adjusters to dial, no mechanical interference with the ID2's fully internal routing. The Rival XPLR rear derailleur mounts via Full Mount directly to the UDH dropout — no hanger alignment required after a crash or transport. A 40T single chainring, 170mm crankset, and SRAM Rival hydraulic disc brakes with 160mm Paceline rotors complete the drivetrain.

This build runs the Miche Graff Allroad alloy wheelset with Vittoria Terreno Dry 700×50c tubeless-ready tires — the entry configuration of the Rave SLR ID2 range. The Wilier Filante carbon seatpost and Ritchey/Wilier Stemma S2 alloy bar and stem handle the cockpit, with a Selle San Marco Shortfit 2.0 saddle underneath. Higher-tier builds step up to the F-Bar — Wilier's in-house integrated one-piece carbon monocoque cockpit — and 48mm Miche Graff Aero carbon wheels. This build provides the same frame and fork that Wilier's gravel team races, with a component spec that makes the platform accessible at $5,800. The aerodynamics, the geometry, and the Unbound pedigree are identical at every build level.