Cervélo’s second mountain bike is “progressive, but racy”
Cervélo will be debuting its new ZFS-5 full-suspension cross-country mountain bike at this weekend’s UCI MTB World Cup in Nové Město.
While the final specs and pricing are still under wraps, we can take a look at the new Cervélo ZFS-5’s design, geometry and features.
The race-focused full-suspension bike follows the Cervélo ZHT-5 hardtail released in October 2022.
Progressive, but racy
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Cervélo describes the ZFS-5 as “progressive, but racy” and says it has been built for modern XCO courses, which are characterised by large obstacles, jumps and drops.
Cervélo claims the cross-country mountain bike delivers the precision required for “elbow-to-elbow hole shot sprints” and inspires confidence on rough tracks.
Single-pivot suspension
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The new ZFS-5 features a carbon frame and a linkage-driven single pivot with a flex stay, which uses a floating brake mount for even flex on both sides of the swingarm.
The flex stay single pivot seems to be the suspension design of choice for many of the latest full-suspension cross-country bikes, such as the new Pinarello Dogma XC, Santa Cruz Blur and Wilier Urta Max SLR, providing a comfortable and tunable ride in a low-weight package.
Threaded bottom bracket and SRAM UDH
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While Cervélo hasn’t provided much information about the new ZFS-5 cross-country mountain bike, one thing we do know is it has a BSA threaded bottom bracket.
This is the same as the ZHT-5 hardtail mountain bike, as well as the brand’s R5-CX cyclocross bike.
The move to a threaded bottom bracket on the R5-CX was notable given Cervélo had long stuck to press-fit bottom brackets.
From pictures, we can also tell that – like Cervélo’s hardtail – the ZFS-5 can be fitted with a SRAM Universal Derailleur Hanger and consequently SRAM Eagle Transmission.
Cervélo ZFS-5 geometry
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The Cervélo ZFS-5 will be available in four sizes – S, M, L and XL.
There are slight differences in geometry between the 100 and 120mm versions. The longer-travel bike gets a 66.6-degree head angle, compared to 67.8 degrees on the 100mm setup.
The chainstays are shared between both configurations and grow with each size, from 432mm to 440mm, ensuring a consistent ride feel across the range.
| Size | S | M | L | XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat tube angle (degrees) | 76.5 | 76.3 | 76.2 | 76 |
| Head tube angle (degrees) | 67.8 | 67.8 | 67.8 | 67.8 |
| Chainstay (mm) | 432 | 435 | 437 | 440 |
| Bottom bracket drop (mm) | 42 | 42 | 42 | 42 |
| Head tube (mm) | 96 | 102 | 114 | 128 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 1,120 | 1,149 | 1,180 | 1,215 |
| Stack (mm) | 584 | 590 | 601 | 614 |
| Reach (mm) | 421 | 445 | 469 | 496 |
When will the Cervélo ZFS-5 be available?
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Details on pricing and availability are sparse and Cervélo has stated Summer 2023 as the ZFS-5’s release date.
In the meantime, the new bike will be in action under Cyclocross World Champion Fem van Empel and veteran XC racer Milan Vader this weekend in Nové Město.