“Haul ass, not cargo”. That’s what Cervelo said when it first launched the Aspero back in 2019. Back then, it was in a category of its own in the burgeoning gravel scene, being the only aero race bike while the rest had taken the ‘one-bike-for-everything’ approach. It had no luggage mounts, sharp geometry and aero tube profiles and applied all of the Canadian brands’ know-how on how to make a bike as fast as possible.
(Image credit: Future / Kate Hunneysett)
With the ever-changing market seemingly offering more extreme and fast machines, is there still a place for the Aspero, and how does it compare to the best gravel race bikes?
I spent the past few months on my rocky, fast and sometimes technical Peak District trails, as well as taking a crack at the Gralloch and Graean Cymru to see if it still ‘hauled ass’.
Design details
The Aspero’s silhouette is very similar to the original, with subtle tweaks and lay-up differences rather than significant changes. I guess if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. Unlike the latest Aspero-5, it has a standard bar and stem, internal frame cable routing and more clearance, taking up to a 47mm tyre.
My test bike came in at 8.8kg, with the frame alone weighing a claimed 1,100 grams (size 56), which is plenty light for an off-road model. Style-wise, it looks very similar to other models in the Cervelo range, with aero tube profiles and nicely rounded edges that give it a classy, subtle look.
(Image credit: Future / Kate Hunneysett)
The fork has an adjustable dropout, which I feel is a little redundant now. It was initially designed to let you swap between 650b and 700c wheels and maintain the trail and, therefore, the handling characteristics when you swapped sizes. It’s a clever idea, but seeing as few people use 650b anymore, it’s not something I see getting much use. The fork offset switches between 46mm and 51mm on sizes 54 and up; on the 51, it’s between 49 and 54mm; on the 48, it’s between 52 and 57mm, to ensure there’s no toe-overlap and handling is consistent across sizes.
(Image credit: Future / Kate Hunneysett)
The downtube is stout but not overtly oversized and has a neat rubber protector just above the bottom bracket to give you some protection from front wheel rock strikes. Unlike the original, it no longer has BBright press-fit bearings; instead, it goes for the more reliable and easier-to-live-with T47; it’s still offset like the original to allow for better chainset alignment and stiffer chainstays.
(Image credit: Future / Kate Hunneysett)
The chainstays also have neat rubber protectors, and flow smoothly into the seatstays. It has a UDH derailleur hanger, which is not only stiffer and much easier to replace if you damage one, it also opens up the possibility of upgrading to MTB-style mechs should you want a much wider range of gears.
The seat stays are nice and low to add some flex and comfort at the back end by exposing more of the upper section of the seat tube, which follows the curve of the rear wheel, as on other Cervelo aero bikes. It wraps around, covering the width of the tyre, but still has a reasonable amount of clearance.
Specifications
I had the ‘entry level’ SRAM Rival AXS build to test, which comes in at £4,400, though for an extra £600 you get the Reserve 40/44TA GR carbon wheels, which I think, given its speedy intentions, is a worthwhile upgrade for anyone looking to pin a number on.
With a 40t chairing paired to an 11-44 12-speed cassette, it has plenty of range for racing, though you might want to size down the front if you tend to ride lots of steep off-road climbs or fancy some bikepacking. Unfortunately, it uses the cheaper SRAM APEX D1 cassette with a Shimano HG spline, which, though handy if you already have wheels, means it’s a heavy cassette and misses out on the 10-tooth sprocket option found on XDR freehub builds, which would give a wider range.
(Image credit: Future / Kate Hunneysett)
It comes with a standard bar and stem, with cables routed underneath the bar, clipping in under the stem and going down into the frame at the headset. It’s a neat setup and makes changing stem lengths to dial in your fit easier than a fully integrated version. The bars are the excellent carbon AB09 bar with a comfortable flat top section and a 16-degree flair, though I’d prefer something narrower than the 40cm specced (measured from lever hoods).
(Image credit: Future / Kate Hunneysett)
Wheels are from Reserve, and are the 30GR AL. With 30mm-deep rims and a 27mm internal width, they are billed as a no-fuss, bombproof wheelset. They weigh 1,645g, which is ok rather than exceptional, but they do come with Reserves’ lifetime warranty for some peace of mind.
Tyre size has increased from previous versions, with a 45mm-wide WTB Vulpine TCS fitted front and rear. A special mention needs to be made for the tubeless valves, too. Whilst not normally the most exciting of components, the Filimore versions specced here allow a much higher volume of air to pass through during inflation, making tricky tubeless set-ups a breeze. It’s a design Ive used many times on MTB, so I was pleased to see them used here.
The seatpost is a carbon inline affair, topped by the Prologo Nago R4 PAS with steel rails. It was a comfy set-up for me, with the shorter-nosed saddle fitting much better than the older, more angular versions, though of course, saddle preference is personal.
(Image credit: Future / Kate Hunneysett)
In keeping with its racy intentions, the Aspero’s geometry is closer to that of a road bike, with numbers similar to the brand’s Caledonia model but with a longer top tube designed to pair with a shorter stem, a common setup inherited from the MTB world. It gives you more room to move around, shifting your weight as needed when in and out of the saddle. In the 56cm version I had on test, its stack was 580mm and the reach 397mm, which is 7mm lower but 13mm longer than the Pinarello Dogma GR I rode in a 54.5cm, and 2mm lower and 9mm shorter than the equivalent Dark Matter from Argon 18.
The seat angle of 73 degrees and a relatively steep head angle of 72 degrees are also similar to what you’d find on an all-road or endurance road bike. Its wheel base is a touch shorter than you’d typically expect on more relaxed gravel bike at 1,027mm, too. All put together, it’s clear this is a gravel bike designed to feel quick and familiar to seasoned road riders.
Performance
Compared to other aero gravel bikes, the Aspero looks much less aggressive; in fact, it seems much more like its endurance road sibling, the Caledonia. I’m a big fan of its clean lines and unfussy graphics, though, and I loved the Marigold yellow colour.
Set up was nice and easy, thanks to the regular bar, stem and seatpost. Dialling in my position was straightforward, too. The original version was pitched as like being an R3 for off-road, and as the R3 disc was one of my favourite bikes of all time, it was no surprise to me that I got on with it straightaway. One possible issue for the more flexible of you out there is that the tall 30mm headset cap limits how low you can get the bars. This wasn’t an issue for me, but one to bear in mind for racing snakes who need or prefer a lower position.
(Image credit: Future / Kate Hunneysett)
For those who have ridden Cervelo road bikes, the ride experience here will feel very familiar; it feels much more like a road bike than other, more adventure-based bikes. Whether that’s a good thing largely depends on which end of the gravel spectrum you ride, but for fast, smoother gravel, it’s a quick, surprisingly comfortable machine with sharp handling.
By sharp handling, I don’t mean it’s twitchy, more that it reacts very well to fast inputs and changes of direction. I used it to race the Gralloch and Graen Cymru in north Wales, and despite not having the legs or lungs to trouble the front of the field I never felt the bike was holding me back in anyway. In fact I think its ‘road like’ handling was a bonus when riding in close quarters with others, enabling me to make quick line changes to avoid the many rocks and holes along the route better than a slower slacker angled bike would have.
(Image credit: Future / Kate Hunneysett)
It’s stable at speed on smoother terrain, though it can get a bit loose and wild on rockier trails, but no more than other racy gravel bikes I’ve ridden. The tyres spec’d are perfectly good for a wide variety of terrain, though I’d prefer something with a squarer edge on the front for off-camber sections and flat, muddy corners. Of course, tyres are very area- and weather-dependent, so it’s not really fair to criticise too much here.
The thing that surprised me most was how comfortable it was considering its speedy intentions. It’s not a ‘floaty magic carpet ride’ as you’d get from a high-end titanium or steel frame, but it’s not nearly as harsh or spiky as you might expect. Part of that’s due to an upgrade from 40mm to 45mm tyres, as well as the carbon bars that will reduce some trail buzz in your hands, and its updated lay-up tech, too. All this combined gives it a very composed and smooth ride.
Having said that, switching to a carbon wheel on the Aspero makes a big difference. The 30 GR AL are a good, solid wheelset, and if you’re the sort of rider who breaks wheels regularly, the lifetime warranty will be music to your ears. But they are a little weighty and don’t show off the bike’s true potential. If the budget allows, then I’d suggest going for the model above at £5,000 to get the full high-speed experience.
Value
At £4,400, I think it’s good value for a gravel race bike. Though of course not cheap, it does compare well to its rivals. Most aero gravel bikes sit at the premium end of the market, and often come with more compromises than I’d like for riding off road, like narrow tyre clearances and awkward proprietary cockpits. This bike isn’t encumbered in that those ways at all.
In terms of competitors, it sits in an area of the market with few true rivals, as most aero race bikes are at the higher end of the cost spectrum, but there are a few notable bikes in the same space. The first that comes to mind is the 3T Primo 2 WPNT, which has similar aero design features and retails at £4,173 in a SRAM Rival build with alloy wheels. However, it trumps the Cervelo despite being just under £300 cheaper and still coming built with the latest SRAM XPLR 13 speed version, which has a wider gear range and the latest T-type rear mech fitting system, a discernible benefit over the standard 12 speed version.
Another gravel bike with aerodynamic features is the Wilier Rave, and there is a GRX 1X version that retails at £3,799. Though significantly cheaper and potentially more capable off-road, as it has space for up to 52mm-wide rubber, it foregoes the electronic shifting of the SRAM Rival groupset found on the Cervelo and has a slightly lower-spec alloy wheelset.
Overall, the Aspero sits in a unique spot in terms of price and design, offering a fast ride at a lower cost than many race bikes released this year, but it is still versatile enough for a broad scope of gravel riding. It’s a bike I’d happily recommend to anyone looking for a speedy off-road option that would feel familiar to road riders.
Verdict
When it arrived, I was curious to see how the Aspero had changed since the first version was launched, as gravel riders’ demands and expectations have moved on a lot since then. I needn’t have worried. Its subtle changes and tweaks mean it’s still a relevant, fast and surprisingly smooth bike. There are better options for chunkier terrain and bikepacking, but if going fast is what you’re after, this bike should be on your list of choices.
