Especially when paired with the budget tyres, the compact crankset’s 34 inner ring reduces the ratio to aid climbing, but the race-orientated 11-25 cassette doesn’t quite offer the wide spread that we’d expect for a sportive special. As we’ve said before, it’s a tough wheelset that’ll last and last and won’t let you down, but on the ascents we couldn’t help noticing the extra mass. Wheel-wise, Wilier has gone with Shimano’s budget R500s, the choice of many steeds in this price range. Thankfully Wilier has also dropped using own brand tyres in favour of decent budget Vittorias they may not be the lightest around but they’re hardwearing and have ample grip in all but the worst conditions. As the weather took a turn for the worse midway through our test loop, we occasionally ended up overbraking on descents rather than feeding in the power to control speed. FSA also provides the brakes: these super stiff, good-looking units deliver ample power, but compared with Shimano’s 105 they do lack somewhat in terms of feel. The GTR features a predominantly 105 drivetrain, but uses an FSA-built Wilier crankset using 50/34 rings. We’ve been critical of Wilier in the past with regards to value for money, but for 2014 the firm has certainly addressed things in that arena. If we had a Cobbled Classic sportive in mind then the GTR would be a bike we’d like to be astride. On one section of broken unmetalled road, midway through the test loop, the GTR rolls with a smoothness comparable to Specialized’s Roubaix. The ride quality is impressive: it combines a firm efficient feel, which promises rapid acceleration on the flat, with a gliding character across broken and battered tarmac surfaces.

It carves through corners impressively it’s a bike we could easily have pushed harder on descents and through twists and turns, never reaching its limit before we reached ours.

On the road that translates to a bike that feels flighty and swift. The length of top tube and reach are consistent and those frame angles haven’t been relaxed. In fact its shape is very much classic ProTour, with the wheelbase being just a few mm longer and the head tube barely 10mm taller. Neither Colnago, Pinarello nor Bianchi tend to relax geometry – or compromise anything, for that matter – when designing a bike intended for the endurance rider, and the GTR is no different. The GTR is very much in keeping with what you’d expect of a sportive bike from an Italian brand.

Gran turismo price