The second Áspero has landed with a few key changes on the popular first generation
Words and photography Jack Lynch
If you asked me to narrow my bike collection down to one, I’d ditch the roadies, farewell the mountain bike, get rid of the cargo rig and send off the commuter until all I had left was my gravel bike. It does it all.
A gravel bike gives me the chance to ride on the tarmac without being too sluggish and the opportunity to get off -road and have some fun on singletrack, fire trail or even the occasional bush bash.
If I had to choose one gravel bike, you ask? The new Áspero would be right up there on the list of wants.
It gives you that road bike feeling without being constrained to the pavement.
There are lots of bikes that do this, but few come in such a tidy package that feels so capable off -road.
Feels like a road bike, but comfy
The first few minutes on the Áspero had me thinking I was on a road bike.
I hit the road after weighing it at 8.79kg with cages and pedals, and feeling it spin effortlessly thanks in part to the excellent Reserve 40/44 wheelset.
I was hooked.
These wheels weigh less than 1,500g, have a broad profile with 25mm internal width and spin fantastically well, aided by Zipp’s 76/176 hubs, which are used in Zipp 303s wheels.
The 74° seat tube angle had me pedalling over my bottom bracket, like a race bike, and the 107mm head tube kept me fairly low.
The bars are a relatively narrow 40cm on the hoods and the saddle was firm.
Only a slightly shorter reach than my road set-up was a cue that the Áspero could do more than cruise the streets.
My typical test gravel route is short and punchy, including 6km of climbing on tarmac before a 15km track on varied sandstone-base surface.
When making my way to the track, I was a bit worried the bike would be too much like a road bike to enjoy the dirt.
Maybe it was designed for the coveted ‘champagne gravel’ and the rest of us on our ‘beer gravel’ would miss out on the best of the Áspero.
However, the 51cm frame ensured I had plenty of the 27.2mm seatpost showing, which should flex a bit and allow for extra comfort through my back, and Cervélo claims this bike is not as stiff through the head tube compared with the previous Áspero to help reduce some vibration.
‘Maybe things won’t be too bad,’ I hoped as I drew closer to the off -road section.
I’m delighted to report that I found the bike consistent with more adventure-style gravel rigs.
Comfy and stable enough to ride across mixed terrain and light enough to go fast.
In my first ride, I was pleased the ruckus I’d expected off -road was subdued, and I drew a single conclusion: this is one heck of a fun bike.
Going for it
Once my mind was made up that this Áspero was destined to give me a great time, I decided to push the pace and my capabilities on the bike.
The way it skips over the stones and bumps at speed is so much fun.
When riding, I’m reminded of the pros saying you need to push maximum power across Roubaix cobbles to smooth them out.
When driving the Áspero in the saddle, it seems to skip over objects that may otherwise encourage you to look twice.
This reckless riding through rough terrain is only possible, of course, with tubeless tyres.
I was blown away (pun intended) by the ease of setting up the Reserve wheels with WTB Vulpine tyres and the secret sauce, the Fillmore Valves.
The valves are a high-flow, low clog design which allows for air to get into the tyre faster than presta valves.
I had both tyres set up with just a few pumps of my Silca floor pump.
No swearing, no fussing with compressed air, just the sweet, sweet snapping sounds of tubeless tyres seating in seconds.
The only downside to the Fillmore Valves throughout the testing period was that they didn’t mix well with the chuck on my pump and needed to be fiddled with to get a pressure gauge reading.
That’s a big deal – we know how important tyre pressure is – but given how well they work when seating the tyres, it’s something I can look past.
Built for speed and room to move The Áspero is known as a go-fast gravel bike, rather than an adventure or bikepacking bike.
There is only one set of screws for storage, and they’re for a small top tube bag that comes with the bike – no mounts or fenders here.
There is, however, room for 46mm tyres (and maybe even more), so if you have quality frame bags and are comfortable with a racy set-up, I’m sure the Áspero can do more than meets the eye. This is a huge improvement on the previous Áspero, which had a max tyre clearance of 40mm and a more horizontal top tube, making the bike less comfortable over the rough stuff.
I don’t think anyone buys the Áspero specifically to bikepack around the world, but it is possible to make the bike work for you.
A neat package at a neat price
The version I was testing, the Rival XPRL AXS 1, includes excellent carbon wheels, a wireless drivetrain, a carbon handlebar and internal cable routing throughout.
Even though it’s on Sram’s lower-end Rival groupset, I think the $8,000 asking price is as fair as you’ll get in 2024.
You don’t need to do anything to the bike – it’s specced perfectly for a gravel-leaning all-rounder.
However, if I was to purchase the bike, I’d be looking for a larger cassette than the 10-44t and would therefore need one of Sram’s Eagle AXS rear derailleurs to fit a 50t or 52t top cog.
It’s an expense I’d pay to ensure I can get up the steep and slippery fire roads around my area.
To get the opportunity to ride Cervélo’s updated gravel bike was a pleasure for a host of reasons.
I enjoyed it’s road-like geometry and loved its plushness off-piste.
I had a good time skipping over rocks on quick sections of trail and appreciated the stiffness and stability of the bike when grinding up a climb.
I loved the large tyre clearance that did not bog up through mud and admired the simple paint design, enjoying the basic yet striking colours.
Most of all, I liked the Áspero because it lived up to the hype.
Everyone who owns the first generation loves it and with a few small tweaks, Cervélo is bound to win more fans eager to ride fast off road with the latest Áspero.
THE SPEC
Model Cervélo Áspero Rival XPLR AXS 1
Price $8,000
Weight 8.53kg (51cm)
Groupset Sram Rival XPLR
Deviations Nil
Wheels Reserve 40/44 w Zipp 76/176 hub
Finishing kit Cervélo AB09 handlebar, Cervélo ST36 alloy stem, Cervélo SP19 seatpost (27.2), Prologo Dimension STN saddle, WTB Vulpine tyres (700x40c)
Contact cervelo.com/en-au
