The Cervelo R5 has long been the all-around and mountains-oriented road race bike that complemented the company's more aerodynamic S5. Few bike concepts have been as well received in World Tour racing and with serious enthusiasts as the R5, and the intimate connection between the R5 and its riders means Cervelo truly listens when they offer feedback. By using incredibly sensitive, detailed topology studies of the frameset, the experienced engineers at Cervelo definitively identified how, where, and which carbon choices could be applied in the lay-up process to optimize weight and ride quality without sacrificing stiffness or overall efficiency, defining the principles that convey this premium grade 2023 SRAM Red eTap AXS build to achievement in any endeavor.

For mid-2022, Cervelo released this new R5, which has been seen in 2021 at the front of the Tour de France and Vuelta a España. Lighter, more compliant, with greater stability, increased aerodynamic efficiency and better fit/set-up concepts, the 2022 R5 frameset also delivers impressive tire clearance while maintaining the same essential geometry and handing. Yes, some of the numbers differ from the last gen, but only to accommodate the updated design and larger tire capability. This bike features a 700 gram frameset in a 56cm (15% lighter) that is ready to race and ride everyday.

The previous R5 was built to seriously improve power transfer, deliver a pro race preferred geometry, and be as efficient as possible in a non-aero bike. Pro cyclists loved the geometry, power transfer, and handling, but longed for it to be a bit lighter and more forgiving. The massive Squoval™Max downtube delivered the lateral and drivetrain stiffness required, but added some weight and impacted vertical compliance. For the 2022 R5, the topology studies led to a refined carbon layup, new downtube and headtube, along with fork crown and housing integration. The seatstays and upper rear triangle junction was also changed to lower the seattube/toptube junction, allowing for more exposed seatpost length- which aids in increasing vertical and ride compliance.

The super clean, fully internal housing and wiring system increases aero efficiency, as does the integrated leg taper and "chinned" crown of the new R5 fork with the downtube. With a reduced factor downtube and subtly improved Squoval™Max tubes, small gains are achieved, with a total improvement of 19 grams in reduced drag, or 2.5 watts, which may not sound like much, but the previous generation R5 was pretty efficient, and remember- the R5 is not a pure aero design- that is what the S5 delivers.

Cervelo was able to outfit the updated R5 with 34mm tire clearance, yes- really, without using a dropped driveside chainstay, by maximizing the oversized asymmetric nature of the BBright bottom bracket shell and vertically oversized chainstay design. Remember, the R5 has been strongly informed by the previous development of the R3 Mud- built for the Classics and famous for wider tire clearance, as well as the premium vertical compliance of the minimalist seatstays. A 410mm chainstay length delivers clearance but keeps the handling responsive. The designers maintained the 73mm seattube angle with a 57.5mm fork Trail on a 28mm tire in all sizes, and carry over the same size-specific Stack and Reach.

With the new, lighter R5 Carbon disc brake fork, Cervelo ships a C-shaped steerer expansion plug, which will thankfully make steerer tube height cutting a simpler task. The headset upper bearing cover now comes in a super low 7mm stack height, as well as a mid-height 22mm. By adding 30mm of the fork-specific spacers, up to a max 52mm stack height is an option. Cervelo also changed their D-shaped seatpost offerings. The new 400mm long SP24 is available in a Zero offset- shipped with 48 and 51 cm sizes, as well as a 15mm Setback version- coming with all other sizes. Cervelo expects most racers to regularly ride 28-30mm tires on the R5, but they can train on 30-34mm tires. In races such as Paris-Roubaix, the pros will also opt for higher volume.

With this spectacular SRAM Red eTap AXS complete build Cervelo includes the reconceived Reserve Carbon 34|37 rim disc brake wheelset. The clincher/tubeless ready design now features 24 hole front (34mm) and 24 hole rear (37mm) specific depths as well as internal widths for a better balance of low-mid profile aerodynamics as well as better stability and handling characteristics. These rims laced to the newer DT Swiss 240 CL disc hubset, featuring the SRAM XDR freehub body, coming together to be an ideal complement to this impeccable build.