I had no idea about gravel bikes. None at all. I've been testing mountain bikes for 26 years, about a thousand of them have passed through my hands. But gravel? New world. Then a TOUR mechanic said a sentence - and suddenly I had a white carbon bike at home. Since then, I've been riding it through forests, over Alpine foothills gravel and once across the Black Forest. And I realised that it suits me surprisingly well.
The sentence that changed everything
"Awesome thing!"
This is how TOUR mechanic Matthias Fischer summarised his impression of the new Cervélo Áspero. In the magazine (TOUR 9/2024), this later sounded a little more sedate:
The bike offered "the best of all worlds - comfort like an adventure bike, acceleration like a race model".
That was enough.
I had no experience with gravel bikes in summer 2024. Mountain bikes yes. But gravel and mountain biking are like skiing and snowboarding: same department, different technique.
I first cycled 50 kilometres through the forest. Then 500 kilometres from Munich to Freiburg. Later across the Black Forest. Later still through the Upper Bavarian hinterland.
At some point it was clear: I'm buying it.
Race Graveller with comfort reserve
The Áspero belongs to the category of race gravel bikes. Stretched seating position, propulsion instead of packhorse philosophy, few eyelets, little expedition.
Nevertheless, sitting on it is surprisingly relaxed.
In direct comparison, a Rose Backroad FF, a Wilier Rave or a Basso Palta, for example, feel much racier. More pressure on the wrists, more road bike feel. On the Áspero, the less photogenic but very effective spacer tower under the stem also helps. Not elegant from the outside - invisible from the rider's perspective.
And then there are the visuals.
The frame looks clean, fast and streamlined. No coincidence: Cervélo was already working on aerodynamics in the wind tunnel in the mid-nineties. The founders Phil White and Gérard Vroomen were engineers - and built bicycles like technical projects. The name itself is a mixture of the Italian "cervello" (brain) and the French "vélo" (bicycle). This already harbours a certain claim.
What I really need for gravel riding
The Áspero showed me pretty quickly what I wanted - and what I didn't want.
No suspension fork. It brings downhill comfort, yes. But I don't ride such extreme terrain that I need it. It also spoils the chic look of the frame. I'm picky about that.
No vario support. Means: I have to be careful on steep descents. In return, I save weight and keep the clear line of the bike.
And yes: looks are important to me. That's why I don't ride a handlebar bag when bikepacking. And I like flare in the handlebars. With the Áspero it is moderate.
Another realisation: 40 mm tyres are enough for me.
After almost two years, I can say that the setup is right for me.
Technology can be annoying - but rarely for long
Of course, the wheel didn't stay new.
I ride in rain, snow, dust and mud. Two nails were already stuck in the tyre. The sealant sealed the tyre at first - then no more. Only sausages kept the air permanently in the tyre. Of course - that's the annoying thing about sealant - the soup in the tyre dries up at some point. Then you have to re-inflate the tyre every few days or, better still, replace the milk. Typical tubeless: no advantage without side effects.
The SRAM Rival wireless gear system also forced me to use a single-speed bike a few times. Battery flat. Classic. Later it shifted hesitantly - until I realised that the button cells in the shift levers were flat. It takes two minutes to change them. Problem solved.
The brake pads, on the other hand, wore out surprisingly quickly. Probably because of the smaller discs compared to the mountain bike. At the front, I braked them down to the carrier plate. This has never happened to me in 26 years of MTB riding.
Then suddenly the bottom bracket cracked.
A noise that is particularly irritating on a gravel bike. These bikes live from their silence. Diagnosis in the TOUR workshop: loosened. Remove, refit, tighten. Since then, the Áspero has been rolling silently through the forest again - like a 212A-class submarine through the sea.
That leaves the handlebar tape. It needs to be changed. I can't do that. Never done it before. I've heard it's an art in itself. That's why it's still on. It's on my list. At some point.
Two years later: still right
After almost two years, I'm happy every time I get on the Àspero.
Handling is right. Sitting position is right. Comfort is enough. And the acceleration still surprises me. Out of the saddle, pressure on the pedals - and the bike immediately moves forwards and rushes off. Marvellous.
At 8.9 kilos including pedals, the Áspero feels fast. Really fast.
A good buy.
Actually: a very good one.
The data of the Cervélo Áspero Rival XPLR AXS 1
- Price: 5799 €
- Weight: 8.5 kg
- Frame sizes: 48, 51,54,56,58,61
Geo data
- Seat tube: 471 mm
- Top tube: 575 mm
- Head tube: 159 mm
- Stack: 596 mm
- Reach: 390 mm
- Wheelbase: 1,030 mm
Equipment
- Drivetrain/gear. Sram Rival XPLR AXS 1x12; 40, 10-44 t.) TOUR grade: 2.0
- Brakes: Sram Rival (160/160 mm), TOUR grade: 1.5
- Tyres: WTB Vulpine TCS Light 40 mm tyres
- Wheels: Reserve 40/44
- Wheel weights: 1,410/1,959 grams
Measured values
- Driving stability: 8.72 N/mm, TOUR grade: 1.3
- Rear comfort: 94 N/mm, TOUR grade: 1.3
- Comfort front: 84 N/mm, TOUR grade: 2.3
- Ride/ bottom bracket stiffness: 62 N/mm, TOUR grade: 1.0
Dimitri Lehner
Editor
