Ever since the company was founded back in the 90s, Cervelo has focused all its attention on building the fastest time-trial bikes. It’s a lofty but straightforward mission. This year, however, the Canadian outfit has opted to expand its horizons, producing a line of endurance bikes on top of its usual racing models. The Cervelo C5 is the flagship in that new line.
Granted, going from race bikes to endurance bikes isn’t exactly a massive leap. Gran fondos are, basically, road racers, after all, albeit with a lower center of gravity, better stability, and improved rider comfort. You know, a race bike for folks who don’t really intend to race and that’s exactly what this new model brings.
Instead of being rigged to ride at the fastest speeds, the Cervelo C5 is built to strike the right balance between performance and ride quality, ensuring you can complete long rides without succumbing to the challenges of the road. It has a frame that weighs just 850 grams (complete with paint and small parts), courtesy of heavy carbon use throughout the construction, while changes in the back end and bottom bracket ensure it doesn’t sacrifice stiffness one bit.
Features include an all-carbon fork, unique curved seat stays, longer chainstays for better trail-balance handling, longer wheelbase for better stability, hydraulic disc brakes, a cable management system that Cervelo calls future-proof, and 28c tires. It comes in six sizes.
Available now, the Cervelo C5 is priced at $9,000.