Cervélo Aspero-5 Force eTap AXS 1 Disc £8,199 | 8.3kg

Rupert Radley takes the rough with the smooth on a boutique gravel bike whose dazzling paintjob conceals a design DNA dedicated to speed

- Rupert Radley

PROS

GORGEOUS LOOKSHIGH-END SPEC

FAST RIDE QUALITY

CONS

STIFF FOR LONG OFF-ROAD DAYS

MORE SUITED T O W I D E - OPEN GRAVEL THAN TECHY SINGLETRACK

It’s more common to find gravel bikes marketed as do-it-all machines, capable of everything from multi-day bike-packing trips to offbeat, off-road adventures than it is to find them touting increased aerodynamics and a lower weight.

However, in Cervélo’s words the Aspero-5, launched earlier in 2021, is a bike designed to “haul ass, not cargo” and is unashamedly marketed as a racing bike for off-road roadies.

Frame

This design is a melting pot of tube shapes that are distinctively ‘Cervélo’ and drawn from the likes of the Cervélo Caledonia, R3 and S5 – all pedigree bikes in their own right.

Although it hasn’t changed in its looks since the Aspero’s first appearance back in 2019, Cervélo says the Aspero-5 is 32 grams of drag more aerodynamic and weighs 10% less.

While the brand claims there have been savings via the frame’s tube shaping, most of the effiiencies are the result of completely integrated cable routing.