Shop The New Cervélo Áspero Now
Cervélo's Áspero when it first launched back in 2019 was a groundbreaking bike. The gravel category was relatively new back then, and pretty loosely defined, since most people were still figuring things out. Fast forward five years, and we now have well defined categories within gravel, such as adventure gravel bikes and race gravel bikes - moving closer to both mountain bikes and road bikes at the extreme ends of the spectrum. That gravel race category is what Cervélo were squarely aiming at back then, bringing a new era of speed in gravel; and that hasn't changed, only the bike has.
What's New?
Cervélo are doubling down on their commitment to building the world's fastest bikes, and the new Áspero is even faster yet. The new bike stays true to its roots - it was made for going hell for leather on unpaved roads, and winning races, that much is the same. The new bike however sees some updates that make it all-around a more refined ride, making it easier than ever to ride at breakneck speed.
Frame details
The devil is in the details, and Cervélo have focussed a ton of time on getting things just right, that's why the new Áspero features a T47 threaded BB, for stiffness and ease of service. The rear derailleur hanger is now a SRAM UDH, meaning you should be able to find a hanger anywhere, or run SRAM's T-Type drivetrains on a 1x setup for ultimate range and reliability.
The Áspero has always been a clean looking bike; a clean bike is a fast bike, since cables add drag. The new bike cleans things up even further however, featuring headset-routed cables on all builds, tucking those cable away from the air and enabling a much more refined looking frame. The new Áspero shares the same headset as the R5, so those wanting to go fully integrated could swap for the fully integrated cockpit. Aero cues can be seen elsewhere on the bike including the head tube area, and the seat tube/chainstay/seatstay junctions, all contributing to a 3 watt overall drag saving.
The biggest difference in the new Áspero however, is to be found in the ride quality of the frame. Cevélo have made a number of updates to the frame to improve compliance and comfort, including dropping the seatstays slightly to improve rear end compliance, and reducing front end stiffness, because smooth is fast. With a slightly lengthened chainstay, there is now also room for bigger tires - designed around a 42mm tire and maxing out at 45mm, there's room for more ride-cushioning rubber, in line with other modern gravel bikes.
Geometry
The new Áspero doesn't seek to shake things up too much in the geometry department - keeping things racy and fast. The Áspero is still a gravel bike with its roots in racing then, and makes for a quick handling bike with geometry centered around going fast. In a 56cm it gets a 580mm stack, 397mm reach and 72º head tube angle, 73º seat tube angle and 76mm BB drop - all basically unchanged. The main measurement that differs is a 5mm longer chainstay at 425mm, giving a little more stability, and aiding in tire clearance.
Who is The Cervélo Áspero For?
The new Áspero targets a similar audience as the old bike - it's a bike that's made for going fast. If you're the kind of rider that prioritizes speed and performance this is the bike for you. With geometry close to that of an endurance road bike, the Áspero does not hide its intentions. Rather than being a mini mountain bike, the Áspero favours smoother trails and devours gravel roads quickly and comfortably, and will find itself at home atop the podium. For riders looking for something a little more rugged and playful, the Santa Cruz Stigmata may be more the ticket.
Spec
The new Áspero comes in multiple spec complete builds with both mechanical and electronic shifting, with 1x and 2x options, and is available in frame sizes 48cm-61cm, and three different colours - Sea Ice, Woodsmoke, and Peaches And Cream. It's also available as a frame-only.
The top level bike is a SRAM Rival 1x electronic build with Reserve 40/44 wheelset, SRAM Rival AXS XPLR 12 speed groupset with a 10-44t cassette, carbon seatpost, and carbon handlebar with 16º flare.
The next model down is the GRX RX820 build with a full Shimano GRX 820 2x12 build, Fulfcrum Rapid Red wheelset, and the same carbon post and handlebar for a comfortable ride. The Apex XPLR AXS 1 build gets identical spec, but with a SRAM Apex 1x groupset rather than Shimano.
The Apex XPLR 1 model uses SRAM's latest Apex 1x 12 speed mechanical groupset with an 11-44t cassette, Alex Boondocks wheels, aluminum seatpost, and aluminum Zipp Service Course handlebar. Alongside this are two Shimano models - the RX610 Shimano 2x12 build with a similar build but the Shimano drivetrain with double crankset, and an RX610 1 build with a single chainring and 10-45t cassette. All models come with 700x40c WTB Vulpine TCD Light Fast Rolling tires.
Shop The New Cervélo Áspero Now
