There will be only 200 Wilier Filante SLR Unico units, all rigorously numbered and decorated by the famous Japanese artist Jun Inoue. Two hundred specimens created specifically to make tribute to the first 100 years of history that Shimano is celebrating this very year.
Jun Inoue and Filante SLR
For exactly a century, the Japanese giant, world leader in the production of cycling components and accessories, has represented a perfect synthesis of technology, rigor, and reliability: just like the profound essence of Japan. And to best celebrate this extraordinary anniversary for Shimano, Wilier Triestina wanted to entrust Jun Inoue with the interpretation of a frame from the Unico series that could best evoke the intimate Japanese spirit.
The final result of the artist's work contains in a single work both the ancient calligraphic art of the country of the Rising Sun – called Shodo – as well as the contemporary art inspirations emerging from the megalopolises of Tokyo and Osaka. The Wilier Filante SLR aerodynamic frame from the Unico series thus pays homage to those who, over a century, starting from tradition, have radically changed – and innovated – bicycle technology.
Art and bicycle
Sports performance and art may seem like two opposing worlds. On one side, physicality, sweat, and competitive spirit. On the other, inspiration, creativity, introspection, and often a touch of madness. There's something very powerful, however, that underpins these two very different disciplines: total dedication. Athlete and artist share passion, commitment, and perseverance over time. Without these basic ingredients, neither high-level sport nor noteworthy art would exist. And precisely for this reason, Wilier Triestina has sought to bring sport and art together. And the Unico series is a perfect example of this.
For Wilier, Unico is the place where art and cycling meet. Sometimes, however, what concerns the bicycle is already art in itself, and the creator is an artist. In 1921 Shozaburo Shimano He didn't know it. The passage of time has established him as one of those who have best combined the pure technique of cycling with an important aesthetic concept. After all, Japan is the ideal place to pursue not only technical perfection but also a natural pursuit of aesthetic beauty. Southern Japan, moreover, possessed other fundamental qualities. Sakai, where the Shimano Iron Works was founded, is less than ten miles from the hub of trade relations established in 1868 between the West and Japan: the port of Osaka. The bicycle was one of the novelties that landed from Europe on the Japanese docks of Osaka Bay at the beginning of the 20th century.
Made in Japan style… For the only one branded Inoue
Made in Japan style… For the only one branded Inoue
It's the year of Dura-Ace
In 1973 Dura-Ace crossed the ocean and entered the world of European professional cycling, establishing Shimano as the most important partner for drivetrain components. And Dura-Ace is the symbol of the Shimano family, from Shozaburo to his son Shozo and then to Yoshizo.
To celebrate the centenary of Shimano Iron Works' founding in the best possible way, Wilier Triestina has created a Unico frame, entrusting it to the mastery of an artist who beautifully interprets centuries-old Japanese traditions in a modern key. Japan's past and present are celebrated through the art of Jun Inoue and Wilier Triestina with an exclusive artwork for the Filante SLR, replicated in two hundred examples: all truly unique pieces created to celebrate Shimano's centennial history and everything that great Japanese art continues to represent.
