Cervelo Aspero-5 Force AXS 1 Bike

Cervelo Aspero-5 Force AXS 1 Bike is the entry point into Cervélo's redesigned Áspero-5 gravel race platform, built with a full SRAM Force AXS mullet drivetrain. At $9,000, it's the most affordable electronic-shifting build on this frame, giving riders access to the same race-focused chassis as the flagship Red AXS build for meaningfully less money.

The frame underneath this build is the same one Cervélo calls the most aerodynamic gravel bike it has made, applying the aero development the brand has used on its road bikes for decades to gravel racing. Cervélo says the redesigned Áspero-5 is 37 watts faster than the outgoing model and 34 watts faster than its nearest competitor, with the aero handlebar and stem responsible for nearly 6 watts of that gain on their own. Whether or not a rider ever measures the exact number, the shaping is deliberate: the front end, cockpit, and tube profiles are all cut to reduce drag on fast, open gravel roads.

Race-day practicality carries over from the rest of the Áspero-5 lineup. The frame clears up to 45mm tires, and this build ships with 42mm Vittoria Corsa Pro Control tubeless tires mounted. Cervélo built downtube and top tube storage into the frame, and this build includes in-frame storage rolls for a flat kit and spare tube, a Smartpak top tube bag, front and rear accessory mounts, and two Arundel Mandible carbon bottle cages. The bottom bracket is a threaded T47 design rather than a press-fit unit, which matters to anyone who's dealt with a press-fit BB creaking after a wet, muddy race.

The drivetrain is a mullet setup, same as the rest of the Áspero-5 electronic builds: SRAM Force AXS E1 shifters and hydraulic disc brakes on Paceline Centerlock rotors, paired with a single 48T aero chainring and SRAM's X0 Eagle AXS T-Type mountain bike rear derailleur. That derailleur runs a wide-range 10-52 cassette, giving this build the same low-end climbing gear as the more expensive Red AXS version while holding a usable top gear on flat, fast sectors. The crank carries a built-in power meter on a ceramic DUB WIDE bottom bracket. Reserve 48/53 GR wheels handle the rolling stock here, built on DT Swiss 350 hubs rather than the higher-end 240 hubs on the Red AXS build, and a Fizik Vento Argo X3 saddle finishes out the contact points.

Cervélo has raced this platform at the top level, debuting it under Marianne Vos at the UCI Gravel World Championships, where she won wearing the rainbow jersey. This build is available in Five Black across six frame sizes from 48cm to 61cm. For a rider who wants the race-bred speed and storage of the Áspero-5 platform without paying for Red AXS, the Force AXS 1 build delivers the same core bike at a more accessible price.