Cervelo dominates All-Road segment with a bike tailored for rough gravel terrain.
This donkey just kicked out a bike that'll leave you scratching your head, wondering what the hell the all-road category is any more. It ain't because this ain't a do-it-all bike – it was built for a specific purpose.
Gravel's getting competitive, according to Cervelo. So, they tailored this bike for events like Unbound Gravel or 3Rides, where Marianne Vos fucking crushed it just last week on this new aero bike.
Are you keeping up? Aero matters in gravel races, even at speeds of 21-24mph. 'Same speed as a car on the highway,' I thought. Hell, there's a wide open opportunity to figure out what fast looks like. They say the new Aspero is 37 watts faster than its previous model and 34 watts faster than one of the best gravel bikes, the Ridley Kanzo.
But who gives a rat's ass? Gravel was supposed to be about plaid shirts and drinks with the boys after the ride, at a bar where you could wear the same shoes. We've strayed way far from that simplistic ideal.
I wanted to hate this bike. But I couldn't. Instead, it has me questioning the entire all-road category: When a bike this versatile can feel so planted and fast, while also being more practical than almost any other choice, I damn near reconsidered whether I need a cruiser for kicking back on the weekends.
Let me be clear - this is a gravel race bike, built for the kind of courses we're seeing now in UCI events. It's hardpack, where speeds edge close to those on the road and the races end in sprints. The bike needs to handle that use case, while also being as efficient as possible.
Now, I ain't talking out of my ass here. I've been around bike marketing for a while now, and I'm no stranger to cynicism. So, when they say this is a gravel race bike, I assumed it meant they tried to make it too stiff for the real world and sold it on some spurious aero claims.
But here's the kicker – this ain't it. The aero claims are impressive, backed by sheer data and unparalleled expertise I've come to expect from Cervelo. So... I'm forced to reconsider my cynicism.
I ain't going to dive too deep into the aero claims here. All I can say with some certainty, after a 120-kilometer spin on the bike, is that this isn't uncomfortable. This is a game-changer for the all-road category.
It took an already great bike (the outgoing Aspero) and hit every mark that bike marketing 101 insists they should. It's stiff, it's lighter, it's clearly fast and fun as hell to ride, and they made it comfortable no matter the tire pressure. Plus, it can store bits inside its tubes, run single or double chainrings, and fit enough tire for most all-road and gravel terrain.
They've thought this cockpit through, using the most flexible and useful groupset choice out there (SRAM) with clever adaptations to accommodate both big and small chainrings. And the gearing felt spot-on.
The geometry is the same as the Soloist but handles differently, especially considering the higher stack and shorter reach. It uses the extra chainstay length to provide better power up steep hills, all while remaining a nimble zipper on smoother surfaces.
So let's talk about aero, the crucial factor to this launch for Cervelo. But I digress. Instead, I want to focus on what they've accomplished for those who want speed on gravel, but still want versatility. If you want to take this up mountains like Colle delle Finestre – a mixed surface stage from the TDF or Giro – I can't imagine a better bike.
Sure, you won't pop champagne at the end of a Tour de France stage on it. But who the hell is going to do that anyways? Stay tuned for a full review of this bike, coming soon.
Specs and prices:
- Aspero 5 Red AXS - $12,500 / £10,000
- Aspero 5 Force AXS - $8,700 / £8,000
- Aspero 5 GRX Di2 - $8,700 / £8,000
- Aspero 5 frameset - $5,500 / £5,000
- Despite the competition in gravel racing, the new Aspero bike from Cervelo stands out with its impressive aero features, making it a game-changer for the all-road category.
- The Aspero, built for UCI events, offers a unique combination of speed, versatility, and practicality, challenging the traditional idea of gravel biking being solely about plaid shirts and leisurely rides with friends.
