Cervelo Aspero First Ride Review

At Westbrook Cycles, we always get really excited about gravel bikes - especially from brands such as Cervelo, for whom a gravel bike is the most off road bike they will produce. The Cervelo Aspero range provides the functionality of a gravel bike, without many of the gimmicks that we now find across gravel bikes - there's no suspension for example, this is a gravel bike which is designed to go fast, exactly what you would expect from Cervelo. It's an incredibly efficient machine, but it does have decent tyre clearance, and can fit a number of different diameter wheels.

The Aspero is also light - the frame weighs 1,110g and the fork weighs just 450g - as you would expect from these numbers, both components are made from carbon fibre. There's aerodynamic cues across the frame, with a flat backed down tube and seat tube. Underneath, the Cervelo Aspero benefits from the all new BBright press-fit bottom bracket, which has an oversized diameter and a 78mm width.

There’s room for 700cc tyres up to a width of 42mm or 650b tyres up to 49mm wide. There’s the option of 1x or 2x drivetrains and there’s internal cable routing which can work with both mechanical and electronic shifting. There’s also a decent size guard on the bottom of the down tube, and as you would expect - disc brakes, 12mm thru axles and dropped seatstays.

We have been lucky enough to test the Aspero range, and we found that it's a bike which is suited to being pushed, the bike feels fantastic on and off tarmac and is light and stiff. Cervelo know how to make an aesthetically stunning machine, and the Aspero is no different - the bike has a lovely shape to it, which draws plenty of attention and compliments from those in the know. The geometry of the bike feels road focused, but this does not detract from go anywhere performance - the bike feels good in the climbs as well as on the descents, with an aggressive position which allows you to feel truly sat in the bike.

Clearly, the Aspero is not a bike designed for bikepacking or the daily commute - but it still makes light work of a range of different surfaces, with plenty of style and speed. A quick tyre and wheel change, and you also have a very serious and quick road bike to use and enjoy.