First Ride: Cervélo Polishes Its Áspero Gravel Bike

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Cervélo Áspero Apex XPLR AXS 1

• $4,300 (Apex XPLR AXS 1 tested)

• 20.07 lb. (61cm)

• 6 sizes (49-61cm)

• 6 complete bikes ($3,200-$5,500)

• Frameset in 3 colors ($2,500)

Takeaway: A fast-gravel bike for riding and racing fast on gravel. The new Áspero has updated geometry, more compliance, slightly improved aerodynamics, and better component compatibility. It’s not a full reset on the Áspero as much as a good and thorough refresh. Complete bike prices range from $3,200 (Shimano GRX RX610 1x) to $5,500 (SRAM Rival XPLR AXS 1).

Now that the Spring Classics road races are wrapped up, and with the Sea Otter Classic in the rearview, gravel season is underway. The first brand stepping to the plate with a new gravel bike for the 2024 season is Cervélo with a refreshed Áspero.

The Áspero is the California-based (by way of Canada) brand’s gravel platform. The bikes sit squarely into the fast-gravel subset of the category and lean heavily into Cervélo’s racing roots and pro peloton pedigree. Like several other bikes in its range, Cervélo offers the Áspero in a standard and higher-performance variant (which the brand denotes with a 5 suffix).

Of Cervélo’s dropbar offerings, the Áspero offers the most tire clearance. The brand lacks an extreme-gravel or adventure-style bike—if you want a Cervélo with wider tires your options are the ZHT-5 or ZFS-5 mountain bikes. For something less gravel-focussed, the Caledonia is Cervélo’s endurance road bike and fits rubber up to 34mm wide.

The Background Story

Cervélo was a little late to the gravel party when it launched the Áspero in the summer of 2019. At the time, the brand’s C-Series model was more of an endurance or all-road bike than a dedicated gravel rig. So, Cervélo had some ground to make up in the overly-crowded gravel market.

However, while competitors were busy adding suspension, mounts for bags and equipment, or applying mountain bike-esque geometry to their gravel bikes, Cervélo leaned into its brand heritage and took the faster the better approach. It heralded the Áspero model as a “new era of speed in gravel.”

Indeed, the Áspero was quick—a road racer’s gravel bike. It featured aero tube shapes to increase speed and reduce drag, and the bike used a low bottom bracket height for stability. Most importantly it lacked mounts for extra gear or a suspension fork. The only thing to take the edge off was some compliance engineered into the frame and the stock 38mm wide tires. When Matt Phillips reviewed the bike for Bicycling’s 2020 Bike Awards, he stated, “The Áspero feels like a fast and light road-racing bike, only with bigger tires.”

Cervélo returned in 2021 with an updated Áspero-5. The flagship gravel bike in Cervélo’s line, the Áspero-5 improved upon the standard Áspero’s aerodynamics, shaving some weight, and offering carbon wheels and top-end groupsets. (A Cervélo PR rep was tight-lipped about when an updated Áspero-5 might arrive.)

What’s New and Updated?

You might not even realize this is an all-new Áspero frame with only a casual glance. The design language and aesthetics are very similar to the previous-generation bike. And while the new Áspero’s has fresh paint colors, the graphics carry over the same minimalist style from the prior model.

But closer inspection of the new Áspero frame shows a slimmer overall silhouette than the last bike. The seatstays meet the front triangle lower on the seat tube for a more compact look (and claimed added compliance). The seat tube cutout now looks much cleaner and flows smoothly, without the abrupt cut of the original model. Lastly, the cables and housing now route through the headset for a tidier appearance and better aerodynamics. (Cervélo claims a 4.2-watt improvement over the previous Áspero.)

Another improvement to the Áspero is more mud clearance and room for wider tires. While the original Áspero was equipped with 38mm tires and fit up to 40s, the new bikes come with 40mm wide WTB Vulpines. Cervélo says it certifies the Áspero tire clearance up to a 44mm measured width. Slightly longer (up 5mm to 425mm) chainstays on the new bike help with clearance and provide a smidge more stability at speed.

Sticking with Cervélo’s fast-gravel approach, the new Áspero fits bigger chainrings. For those who want to go flat out, clearance is approved for up to a 46-tooth 1x ring or 52/36T double. Complete Ásperos are equipped with 40T rings for 1x models and 46/30T for 2x bikes.

Cervélo’s product team also made things easier for mechanics or riders looking to upgrade their Áspero.

First up is the bike’s cockpit. While it’s now more integrated for aerodynamics, the Áspero shares bearing dimensions with several other Cervélo models (R5, Soloist, R5-CX, and Caledonia). It means riders can use any mix of bearing top caps and stems from Cervélo’s offerings (or those available from aftermarket vendors). Riders seeking the fully-internal look can install the ST31 (stem) and HB13 (stem) from the R5.

Additionally, the new Áspero uses a T47A (BBRight T47) threaded bottom bracket, a UDH derailleur hanger, and a standard 27.22mm seatpost. These details help immensely when sourcing spares or upgrading. They also (somewhat) future-proof the bike in an ever-shifting mess of component fitment and compatibility.

New Áspero Line-Up, Pricing, and Geometry

Cervélo offers the Áspero in six complete bike models plus a frameset. Models are available in SRAM 1x, Shimano GRX 1x, and GRX 2x configurations. The colors for the frames and bikes are Woodsmoke, Sea Ice, and Peaches and Cream. Cervélo offers the Áspero in six frame sizes (49cm to 61cm).

Frameset - $2,500

Pricing, general specifications, and colors for each model are below. Check out Cervélo’s site for the full details on each build kit’s parts selection. Bikes and frames are available now at Cervélo retailers.

Rival XPLR AXS 1 - $5,500

• SRAM Rival XPLR AXS 1x drivetrain

• Reserve 40/44 carbon wheelset

• Carbon bar and seatpost

• Sea Ice or Woodsmoke

Apex XPLR AXS 1 - $4,300

• SRAM Apex XPLR AXS 1x drivetrain

• Fulcrum Rapid Red 300 wheels

• Carbon bar and seatpost

• Sea Ice or Woodsmoke
  

GRX RX820 - $4,000

• Shimano GRX RX820 mechanical 2x drivetrain

• Fulcrum Rapid Red 300 wheels

• Carbon bar and seatpost

• Sea Ice or Woodsmoke

Apex XPLR 1 - $3,500

• SRAM Apex XPLR 1x mechanical drivetrain

• Alex tubeless wheels

• Zipp Service Course 70 XLPR alloy bar

• Sea Ice or Woodsmoke

GRX RX610 - $3,600

• Shimano GRX RX820/610 mechanical 2x drivetrain

• Alex tubeless wheels

• Zipp Service Course 70 XLPR alloy bar

• Peaches and Cream, Sea Ice, or Woodsmoke

GRX RX610 1 - $3,200

• Shimano GRX RX822/610 mechanical 1x drivetrain

• Alex tubeless wheels

• Zipp Service Course 70 XLPR alloy bar

• Peaches and Cream, Sea Ice, or Woodsmoke

Geometry

Initial Áspero Impressions

When Cervélo launched its updated Áspero-5 gravel bike three years ago, we turned to Jared Mast—a friend of Bicycling and rider in our local community—to test the bike and provide input. So, when Cervélo emailed us a couple of weeks ago about a new Áspero coming our way, we tapped Mast again to swing a leg over the latest version and give us his first impressions.

Since Mast only had a few rides on the bike (in between his day job, helping raise a one-year-old, and promoting the upcoming Easton Twilight Criterium,) he briefly summed up his impressions for us on the new Áspero. If his thoughts on the bike change, or any issues arise, we will update this story as needed.

Overall, Mast liked the improved appearance of the Áspero. He noted the “better colorways” and appreciated the improved cable routing. However, Mast wasn‘t a big fan of the Apex XPLR AXS 1 model’s carbon handlebar, “I don't love flared bars, but that's an easy swap,” since the stem is a standard clamp size and the brake hoses are not fully integrated inside the bar.

Mast also noted the updates to the bike’s comfort, “Coming from an aluminum road bike [he mainly rides a Specialized Allez Sprint], this may feel a bit more dramatic than with the last Áspero.” He also thought that riders preferring super responsive power transfer from their bikes might not like the Áspero compared to other bikes. However, Mast stands 6-foot-5, weighs more than most cyclists, and is a former college athlete—so your mileage may vary if you are not Jared-sized.

For the components and build kit of the Apex XPLR AXS 1 model, Mast remarked that the Áspero feels like a “dedicated gravel bike.” The 2x GRX-equipped models might better suit riders seeking more versatility or all-road riding as long as they can deal with the “occasional tire/wheel swaps.” Mast added, “In our neck of the woods, where you have to string together gravel segments, I’d run it with a smooth center channel Pathfinder Pro or Panaracer tire, and would opt for GRX for more gearing.”

And what is Mast’s overall verdict?

“The Aspero isn’t earth-shatteringly different from the last version. It remains a fast, light gravel bike capable of all kinds of rides. For faster group rides, or gravel rides that string together longer sections of [paved] road, I’d throw on different tires and maybe adjust the cockpit. But the bike feels capable and flexible.”

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