Want a Carbon Fiber Bike for Christmas? Wilier's $2,600 Garda Entices With Capability

Yes, Wilier is a cycling crew that's been around for well over a century, and these days, this Italian team is still hitting the industry hard with two-wheelers designed to offer a peak cycling experience and one that's been tuned and optimized through the ages. Cue their Garda road and endurance bike.

But, before you tear me a new one for bringing to light another bicycle, just note that this bugger is selling for no more than €2,500. Great, a road bike for $2,630 (at current exchange rates) is nothing new, but did you pick up on the fact that this bugger is built out of carbon fiber? While the manufacturer doesn't mention the sort of carbon used or layup placement, there are still plenty of little tricks that the Garda has up its sleeve.

Now, this is a road bike, and according to Wilier, one that's designed to offer a "stress-free ride," and part of that's provided by the way the frame is shaped. For a medium size bike, we're looking at a reach of 383 millimeters (15.1 inches), a stack of 548 millimeters (21.5 inches), and a head tube angle set at 72.5 degrees. These are all numbers that change depending on the size of your bike, so take the time to explore a bit more if you feel you've found the gift to add to your Christmas list.

Part of the Wilier know-how also shines through in the fact that cables are hidden in that sleek frame, offering not only a showy machine but one that's as aerodynamic as possible for this sort of cash. Looking closely at the available colors, I find that the black and matt red Garda Disc shows off this bike in its purest form.

According to Wilier, the Garda is also a trinket "for those who love to ride a modern bike." While that may sound like a very juicy statement, it's just this manufacturer's way of saying that this bike can fit tires up to 32 millimeters (1.25 inches) wide. Why is this a big deal? Bicycle R&D has shown that the classic hair-like rubbers we're used to may be doing more harm than good, which is also why peak athletes now ride bikes with wider tires than in previous decades.

Exploring more of Wilier's magic, I also noticed that we're given options for the sort of brake, rim, and drivetrain setup that we can get our hands on. Sure, for the base price, we're looking at rim brakes with an 11-speed drivetrain. But, as you start to climb the price ladder, rim brakes transform into discs, and drivetrains run through Shimano's Di2, SRAM's Rival AXS, and ending with Campagnolo with a pocket-busting €4,900 ($5,150) price tag.

At the end of the day, there's only one way to really see if this bike is the right one for you: drive or ride down to a local dealership that has one in stock, take it out for a spin or two, and then decide if it belongs under your tree.