FAST GRAVEL BIKES

Cervélo Áspero Rival AXS XPLR

£5,200 | More comfort means more speed according to Cervélo

Weight 8.53kg (56cm) Frame Carbon Fork Carbon Gears SRAM Rival AXS XPLR, 12-speed (10-44t, 40t) Brakes SRAM Rival hydraulic Wheels Reserve 40/44 carbon Finishing kit Cervélo SP19 Carbon 27.2 seatpost, Prologo Dimension STN saddle, Cervélo ST36 Alloy stem, Cervélo AB09 Carbon bar, WTB Vulpine TCS tyres 40c, Smartpak 400A Top Tube Storage Bag

Cervélo’s original Áspero, and high-end Áspero 5 (still available), were designed as races bike for off-road, and the new Áspero has the same goals, with geometry only slightly tweaked from the brand’s R-Series road bike.

Updates often boost stiffness and lower weight, but due to rider feedback on the previous version, the new Àspero has ended up a touch heavier and softer. This is still ‘a bike to haul ass, not luggage’, though, so you just get triple bottle bosses – two inside the triangle and one below the down-tube.

The composition of the frame and fork has changed to reduce the stiffness at the head-tube and through the seat-tube and is now a claimed 1,141g for a size 56cm frame, up from 1,100g, paired with a new 452g fork (6g lighter than the old one). The standover height’s also lower, making the bike more agile thanks to a more sloping top-tube and more compact frame that makes it much easier to move around on. Lowered seatstays increase the flexibility in the seat-tube, which now allows you to use a dropper post (there’s internal routing provision for that too).

All clear

Tyre clearance is also up from 40mm to 46mm, similar to gravel race bikes such as the Specialized Crux (47mm) or Trek Checkpoint SLR (45mm). Cervélo has kept the adjustable ‘Trail Mixer’ dropouts from the previous fork (these are f lip-chip-style dropouts that can alter the position of the wheel to help riders keep a similar feel whether running narrower road tyres or wider gravel tyres). The seat-tube now has a more prominent wheel cutout, and the chainstays are 5mm longer at 425mm (though that’s still very short for a gravel bike).

The drive-side dropout now sports a SRAM UDH (Universal Derailleur Hanger), making it future proof and opening up custom builds to SRAM’s T-type mountain bike rear derailleurs.

Up front, the fork chin cuts into the head tube to help improve aerodynamics. Using the new ST36 internal cable routing system from the Soloist also helps reduce drag and make more room for a bar bag. With the reduced diameter of the down-tube, too, the new Áspero’s frontal area is sleeker.

“The frame and fork are remarkably good and the Áspero is a joy to push the (your) limits on”

The geometry puts you square over the crankset for maximum pedalling efficiency, with the inline carbon post and short-nosed Prologo saddle. At the front, the 72° head angle on my 56cm test bike is only a degree shy of what you’d expect of road racing bikes, and very similar to endurance-bike geometry.

This top-tier launch bike has a third-tier groupset, but that’s combined with a quality carbon cockpit, a carbon seatpost, a great saddle and impressive Reserve carbon wheels.

High-end hoops

The Áspero’s Reserve 40/44 wheel combo is a WorldTour-proven aero combo, with a 40mm-deep front rim and a 44mm-deep rear, plus a broad 25mm internal rim width. You’ll also get Zipp’s impressive ZR1 hubset here with its rapid engagement. The claimed wheelset weight of less than 1,450g helped my size 56cm test bike weigh a respectable 8.53kg.

On tarmac, thanks to the racy ride position and handling plus 40-tooth chainring and 10-44t cassette, I never found it wanting at road speeds, and the 40c WTB Vulpine tyres, with their close, checkerboard style tread, weren’t sluggish. Off-road, however, the Áspero really shines: the frame and fork are remarkably good. You get the taut feeling of the Soloist when putting down the power, yet the combination of the quality tyres, superb contact points and a frame and fork that absorb more chatter than they transmit, adds up to a bike that’s very capable on unmetalled roads. Hit a water bar, root, or bump and it loves to get airborne, but it handles impacts and landing much better than previous versions. This makes the Áspero a joy to push your limits on.

While it’s obviously not designed for super-technical terrain, the super-fast pick-up of the hubset helps with slow-speed manoeuvres and injections of power to get up steep, slippery ramps.

If you only have space for one bike in your life, this could be a great option.

Also consider…

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Cervélo Áspero Apex XPLR 1 £3,100
Bag the same premium Áspero frame but with SRAM’s new more affordable 1 x 12 mechanical groupset and some Alex Boondocks wheels.

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Cervélo Áspero GRX RX820 £4,400
It’s the same frame once again, but if you’re a Shimano fan, this 2 x 12 mechanical build with Fulcrum Rapid Red wheels may be just what you’re after.

Photography Russell Burton