Cervelo Aspero 5 Review: lighter and sleeker but at a price

Рет қаралды 65,400

3 жыл бұрын

The Cervelo Aspero is one of our favourite gravel race bikes. And while the Aspero was designed with racing in mind, it has since proven to be a bike that comes wonderfully close to the unicorn that is the drop-bar quiver-killer.
The original Aspero was released in 2019 and marked Cervelo’s entry into the gravel space. Gravel has continued to boom since and the Aspero has been an undeniable success for Cervelo. There are numbers to prove it. As of March 2021, the Aspero, along with the fresh do-it-all Caledonia, made up approximately 60% of Cervelo’s global sales, a staggering fact given the company continues to be a leader in the triathlon world and is best known as a performance road brand.
And with such strong demand comes a new version of the Aspero that sits above the pre-existing and continuing offering. Introducing the Cervelo Aspero 5. Having hidden the bike in clear sight for nearly two months, this not-just-a-first-ride review details what is and isn’t new.
Read more about the new Cervelo Aspero 5 (including our full review notes) at CyclingTips: cyclingtips.com/2021/04/cerve...

Пікірлер: 106

@davidrae8475 3 жыл бұрын

Having James basically, talk with Dave on this as though going through his homework assignment was a bonus...

@Grunge_Cycling 3 жыл бұрын

That paint job can only be called nail polish glitter ✨

@davidwargin1766 3 жыл бұрын

I own the Aspero and have already did a mullet build, swapped out seatpost and handlebars are next. I’m a big fan of cowbells.

@spin2win721 3 жыл бұрын

That’s a pretty sick looking gravel bike.

@michaelandrich8113 Жыл бұрын

I love my Aspero 5 with GRX di2. Simply does it all when you have a road wheelset and gravel wheelset.

@johnguillaume5919 3 жыл бұрын

Love the paint!!

@DahronJohnson 3 жыл бұрын

Not that I'm biased, but I'd love to see a head to head of the Aspero vs the Basso Palta. There's big differences certainly, but they're both meant to be purpose-built carbon go-fast gravel machines, and I feel like it would be an interesting comparison on that level.

@manji001 3 жыл бұрын

I love the Older Aspero... It still a bike that makes me smile when i swing a leg over it. Also, I agree with you guys it can be unforgiving with its stock components. However, after upgrading the handlebars and seatpost for carbon ones, I found the ride far more forgiving even off-road. Now... if i had the money, would i buy this bike? If I didn't have the Older model, YES - ADD to shopping cart. But the off-road riding + serviceability sounds too much for me to handle. I'd rather have full integration on a road bike, rather than for off-road riding. That said... THE PAINT JOB IS AMAZING!!!! I WANT IT!!!!

@bloodsouls725 3 жыл бұрын

What impresses me is that there are people who can afford these bikes.

@MrYoumitube 2 жыл бұрын

Yes and No. When you consider a small hatchback car is around $14-15000, and then this is around $7000. If you are serious about your bike riding and you do bike rides regularly then it's not that much considering there are pro bike in $15000 to $20000 range. But yes if you are just casual and could care little then I guess you can settle for a $500 bike.

@joemaki2187 2 жыл бұрын

I just received my Aspero 5 frameset. For a premium frame focused on being lighter than the Aspero, it comes supplied with the heaviest stem I've ever owned. Unfortunately, you need to use it to take advantage of the internal cable routing.

@davidlenneberg4303 3 жыл бұрын

Tell Cervelo tell him they’re dreamin’

@keithmalarick 3 жыл бұрын

So does the GRX build come with a 4iiii dual sided PM? See it in the pics on the Cervelo site but it's not explicitly mentioned in the specs.

@SojuForAll 3 жыл бұрын

Recently totaled my Canyon CF SLX 8 frame. I am thinking about replacing the frame with the Aspero 5. I like the Canyon seatpost with the Grail so I probably switch that out. But before I pull the trigger wondering if the Grail is more comfortable has more compliance than the Aspero 5. Your feedback would be appreciated.

@gtsimmo1 3 жыл бұрын

I bought the Aspero GRX 810, immediately switched wheelset to Roval C38 and a carbon seat post. I don't see any huge benefit to the new frame and would make my original purchase again.

@XX-is7ps 2 жыл бұрын

Not going to lie, I was blown away hearing the stat that half of Cervelo’s sales in the past few years have been of gravel bikes. I knew the whole gravel cycling trend was big but that kind of puts it in perspective that an established road brand like Cervelo has been so reliant on the emerging gravel sector. I’m sure the trend will lessen once the market is more saturated (most buyers likely already have/had a road bike, but were buying a gravel bike for the first time - same won’t be true in a few years when the target market is similarly saturated having already purchased a gravel bike)

@esskastanie2046 5 ай бұрын

I guess thats not true. Most of us use the gravel bike as an roadbike with the possibility to turn it into a gravel bike.

@Calispeedboi 3 жыл бұрын

Changing stems must be fun

@VeloVeloVeloTV 3 жыл бұрын

Indeed it is not. Thankfully that task should only need to be done once or maybe twice at most. Dave.

@timdixo 3 жыл бұрын

The original Aspero isn’t nearly as harsh as I was expecting. The geo is superb with the low bb and stack height. Glad I didn’t wait for 5.0. Proprietary steerer and routings....eeeek,that’s why I avoided the Grail.

@David-vb8tg 2 жыл бұрын

You can run normal bars and stem if you wish.

@pascalo5119 Жыл бұрын

Hi, thanks for the video if you don’t mind asking how tall are you and what size frame you picked ? Thanks in advance

@Chris_Rides_Bikes 2 жыл бұрын

since the lower Aspero (I'd be looking at Rival XPLR) comes with Easton carbon bars and seatpost, it sounds like that would be the bike to buy unless you just really wanted the concealed cables? For the price savings, sounds like a no-brainer to me...

@thejimmyzhu93 3 жыл бұрын

What kind of bottles are those? Been looking for something that shape.

@thisisbenji90 3 жыл бұрын

The more gravel bike reviews I see the more I gravitate towards Surly... am I getting old?

@David-vb8tg 2 жыл бұрын

No you're just a peasant.

@thisisbenji90 2 жыл бұрын

@@David-vb8tg well we can’t all be .01%ers.

@David-vb8tg 2 жыл бұрын

@@thisisbenji90 I would have also accepted, takes a PEASANT to know a PEASANT.

@brianschaning1575 3 жыл бұрын

all that weight savings and then a 289g bar adds 90g right back

@eo1830 3 жыл бұрын

Will it be the cx bike for Wout and Vos, or are Cervelo working on a dedicated Cx bike?

@joelell1 3 жыл бұрын

Thought I read in one of the Aspero-5 reviews that a dedicated CX bikes is in the works.

@thelmaviaduct 3 жыл бұрын

The cable downsides are once in a blue moon problems, sooner having it looking neat for 364 days of the year.

@David-vb8tg 2 жыл бұрын

People just cant afford it and are wingeing.

@Nicoya 3 жыл бұрын

It baffles me that bike makers keep insisting on routing the hidden cables through the headset spacers and bearings. Why? Why not just put a port outside of the headset and make a little clip-on fairing to cover it up? It would achieve the exact same aero/aesthetic effect but not make it such a disaster to adjust the stem height.

@perfectly_boring Жыл бұрын

I don't think that would be UCI legal. They don't allow fairings

@Nicoya Жыл бұрын

@@perfectly_boring The "headset spacers" on thru-headset routed bikes are already fairings.

@schuey999 3 жыл бұрын

I have an Aspero GRX Di2 in 58 and it's obscenely heavy. It arrived at nearly 21 lbs. I've put a fortune into it to lighten it. The Aspero-5 reducing it 100 grams is a joke.

@mortlow6688 2 жыл бұрын

The same Bike with carbon Wheels like in the review 21Ibs???

@schuey999 2 жыл бұрын

@@mortlow6688 The review is for the new Aspero-5, mine is the Aspero. Out of the box it will weigh 20 lbs, which I feel is ridiculous for a $7k + bike that is claimed to be 'dual purpose' and 'fast'.

@petern4571 2 жыл бұрын

@@schuey999 many of the other reviews for the 5 have 8.3kg or 18.2lbs out of box with big tires for a di2 version so that seems to be false

@joelell1 3 жыл бұрын

So US$4,300 for the frameset/stem/bar. Cervelo's site states "as low as US$2,500" and "from US$2,500." Is that for just the frameset (no stem/bars) or referencing the original Aspero?

@gooddaykai 3 жыл бұрын

USD2500 should be the original aspero Frameset

@bnzboy 3 жыл бұрын

Your wallet also becomes lighter and aero

@gntfilms 3 жыл бұрын

And your waistline, as you now can't afford food, so instant climbing gainz.

@jirihutecka9020 3 жыл бұрын

@@gntfilms And you will ride the bike more, because the only type of commute that you can afford now is just your new bike.. :D

@granddolph 3 жыл бұрын

Im sorry..... 9k USD for a bike you are buying to use and abuse. The custom fork and bars are enough reasons to avoid - you dont even get warm fuzzies of having a bespoke / beautiful small production frame buider. Is this bike purely for bankers and san fran IT entrepreneurs?

@David-vb8tg 2 жыл бұрын

@@granddolph believe it or not. There are people with money

@raroshraj 3 жыл бұрын

Max chainring size is still the same?

@VeloVeloVeloTV 3 жыл бұрын

Yes it is.

@tonystanley978 3 жыл бұрын

Roads and trails around Akuna Bay and West Head?

@VeloVeloVeloTV 3 жыл бұрын

Pretty close! Most of the trails filmed are on the other side of Berowra Waters (Arcadia area). The GoPro footage was done on some fire trails closer to Bobbin Head. Dave.

@tonystanley978 3 жыл бұрын

@@VeloVeloVeloTV I'll have to explore 😁and the switchback in the thumbnail?

@tonystanley978 3 жыл бұрын

Actually, that's crosslands. Recognise that!

@Mamilian 3 жыл бұрын

Tiny watt savings for a massive headache when you want to travel with the bike or swap components. Obviously an individual call, but personally not a fan of integrated headsets.

@RbrtMc1 2 жыл бұрын

looking to get an aspero 5 frameset, what size should i get? I stand 5’8” and my inseam in 30.5” anyone please help 🙏

@graemeross1998 9 ай бұрын

54 tells you on their site I think

@kubabud 3 жыл бұрын

Cervelo famous for badly made bottom bracket shells. Cyclingtips, did you at least do a basic bottom bracket check by removing chain and spinning cranks?

@jeremyrobinette2563 2 жыл бұрын

Which color is this?

@DickKnorr 3 жыл бұрын

This video leaves out answering the question it asks - what are the other bikes that you would consider as quiver killers?

@VeloVeloVeloTV 3 жыл бұрын

This is touched on in the written review. It really depends on what you consider a quiver killer to be (road focussed bike that can do off-road, or an off-road weapon that goes OK on road?).

@williamgilbert7595 3 жыл бұрын

Parlee chebacco 👍🏼

@yumyumhungry 3 жыл бұрын

Depends on the terrain you ride. I would consider a Salsa cutthroat or any hardtail with aero bars to be a true quiver killer.

@81caasi 3 жыл бұрын

Find a reasonably priced carbon seat-post to put on any one of your bikes. It instantly adds comfort and makes your bike noticeably lighter It's always worth the extra $$.

@valiantabello 3 жыл бұрын

Which one do you recommend?

@81caasi 3 жыл бұрын

@@valiantabello 27.2mm or 31.6mm?

@valiantabello 3 жыл бұрын

@@81caasi 27.2

@LarryCoffer Жыл бұрын

this is an expensive bike for the groupset. love the look though!

@dimebag5884 3 жыл бұрын

Can we talk about why it’s so much more expensive in pounds than any other currency?

@M9IN0G 3 жыл бұрын

You have been living under a rock since June 23rd, 2016?

@vegyburger4588 3 жыл бұрын

Because the UK voted on making everything more expensive

@andrewegan7011 3 жыл бұрын

Nothing to do with Brexit more to with price comparity 1200 dollars 1200 pounds check out Apple products for example.

@supersixmikeohimod 3 жыл бұрын

@@M9IN0G i dont think you understand how money works. At todays fx rates $7100 is £5090. The bike will cost £8699 in the UK. Thats £3609 or $5035 more based on where youre buying it. Even with tariffs, brexit stupidity, how is the bike priced 70% more in the UK vs its US price

@user-pt3dd5zz4i Жыл бұрын

What is the weight?

@tuukkayla-anttila283 3 жыл бұрын

4300 dollars for a frameset? C'mon.

@David-vb8tg 2 жыл бұрын

Then don't buy it. That's the beauty of the free market.

@jjhaydos9877 2 жыл бұрын

Aspero 5 frame is 100g lighter than the normal Aspero, Aspero 5 stem is 100g+ heavier than a normal stem... Evens out... IMO just buy the std Aspero, buy a nice stem/bar/seatpost and get riding. Pocket the couple of thousand for a 1 week gravel riding trip to south Isand NZ...

@WahyudiWidodo 3 жыл бұрын

Whats that saddle bag?

@VeloVeloVeloTV 3 жыл бұрын

I always swap the stock saddle for my own in order to gain a better feel for the bike. What you're seeing in some shots is a Specialized Phenom holding a Specialized Road Bandit saddle wrap. Dave.

@WerdnaLiten 3 жыл бұрын

Nice bike, but no Sram Rival AXS......

@nuttynut722 3 жыл бұрын

350 hub on expensive model?! really?? what a bargain!!!

@amitkumar-wj8gn 3 жыл бұрын

Recently, a 5k Specialized came with 40 dollar DT rims. Hahahhaha. It's amazing how these people fool people

@schuey999 3 жыл бұрын

It's a joke. Cervelo even uses these crappy hubs on a $9,500 R5.

@g.d.1722 3 жыл бұрын

Yes, the joke's on the buyer ... unfortunately ...

@Jeppelelle 3 жыл бұрын

Yep, another amusing one is speccing 5000USD MTB:s with NX groupset & GX on 6500-7000USD (looking at you Trek SuperCaliber 9.8 & many others) & this was even before covid, GX should be on 3000USD bikes, maybe stretching to 4000...what a joke the bike industri have become.....

@thisisbenji90 3 жыл бұрын

@@Jeppelelle you’re not kidding, I have a full XT Trek that’s about six years old. Currently to buy a new Trek would XT would cost me nearly double what mine cost! It’s insane! And no NX/SX isn’t as good as old 11 speed XT.

@thecyclingfactor8055 3 жыл бұрын

So an Aspero frameset is $4300, but a Carbonda CFR696 Frameset is $472....... sure the Aspero has a slightly more aggressive geo but thats insanity

@sabamacx 3 жыл бұрын

Bicycle manufacturers literally don't bring anything else to the table. Just a frame and paintwork. Absolutely every other part on a bicycle is bolt on designed, engineered and manufactured by someone else. It's like the ultimate drop-shipping product.

@industryrule-4080 3 жыл бұрын

You’re paying for marketing dollars, a brand name sticker, and a LBS to hopefully be able to stock/build/service the bike.

@jtsblocks 3 жыл бұрын

Cervelos own reserve rims? Santa Cruz = cervelo?

@vincentl5421 3 жыл бұрын

I believe BBB owns them both. Cherry carbon Cervelo aspero is also the same colour as the latest Santa Cruz nomad.

@rubendeklerkdeklerkperform5501 3 жыл бұрын

how is this 1400 more EUR than USD :(

@BoxCarBoy12 3 жыл бұрын

I may be a broken record saying this, but proprietary and integrated parts on bikes are STUPID and it instantly puts a bike on my no-buy list. My horrible experience with proprietary seatposts on an open mold gravel frame and a Scott Foil. Why should I give up my freedom to run the components I want if it'll make almost no noticeable difference outside a Pro-1-2 racing scenario, and often doesn't work as well? Cannondale and Canyon have long been the worst offenders, and it's sad to see Cervelo going this route with that steerer tube and handlebar.

@granddolph 3 жыл бұрын

WERD

@David-vb8tg 2 жыл бұрын

You can run normal bars and stem on this if you wish. It will just look like a normal aspero. The fork will swallow a normal stem.

@htonmusic 3 жыл бұрын

carbon bar on a gravel bike iono about that

@quantumdecoherence1289 3 жыл бұрын

$7-9000! Ridiculous

@alolympic 3 жыл бұрын

Paint job is very dated to me. Price increase seems crazy for minimal benefit.

@Calispeedboi 3 жыл бұрын

The bars and cranks that come on that bike are too wide/long. A 54cm comes with 172.5 wtf it should be 170 and 42cm bars are a joke. Nobody has shoulders that wide

@jaspreetsidhu5708 3 жыл бұрын

Yea wtf is up with gravel having ridiculously wide bars.

@sabamacx 3 жыл бұрын

Priced as the same as a sports/dirt motorcycle. Bicycle manufacturers are completely out of touch bonkers.

@brendanmangino2956 3 жыл бұрын

The comparing apples to oranges a factory supercross bike can cost $80k, you can buy Cervelos entry level gravel bike with no practical short falls and a carbon frame for $2.8k and cheaper gravel bikes still from other companies with metal frames. Some people like to spend money on nice things, If a premium bike at a premium cost is a turn off for you then its clearly not meant for you. Its the same reason both $500k and $10 watches exist. Maybe dont go through life looking to be grumpy at everything.

@MrYoumitube 2 жыл бұрын

What you talking about? If you really wanted to go cheap you can get a gravel, mountain bike from your local general-purpose shop for $200-$400. These bike are equivelant to a Ferrari or Porsche in vehicle terms. Then if you're a pro, you can easily spend closer to $20000 then that would be equivalent to Moto gp bike or f1 car.