Cervelo Áspero Gravel bike

The spirit of Grav-lo-cross. No but seriously, cyclocross and gravel go here!

Moderator: Moderator Team

Post Reply
simoncx
Posts: 223
Joined: Sun Nov 15, 2009 12:27 am

by simoncx

VTR1000SP2 wrote:
Wed Jan 01, 2020 2:25 am
simoncx wrote:
I've had the same experience with kogel, never again.
What experience exactly? Just curious on the specifics.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Bearings dont last, on my mtb one bearing went after only a couple rides and the one on my road bike lasted 2 months and was starting to get rough. Now I have 2 bad BB's which I ended up taking the 1 good bearing out of each and using them in my winter bike, but I'm not really counting on it making it through winter. Warranty is pretty much useless unless you buy directly from them.

User avatar
VTR1000SP2
Posts: 930
Joined: Tue Nov 05, 2013 8:21 pm

by VTR1000SP2

simoncx wrote:
VTR1000SP2 wrote:
Wed Jan 01, 2020 2:25 am
simoncx wrote:
I've had the same experience with kogel, never again.
What experience exactly? Just curious on the specifics.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Bearings dont last, on my mtb one bearing went after only a couple rides and the one on my road bike lasted 2 months and was starting to get rough. Now I have 2 bad BB's which I ended up taking the 1 good bearing out of each and using them in my winter bike, but I'm not really counting on it making it through winter. Warranty is pretty much useless unless you buy directly from them.
Well that’ sucks, thank you for sharing. Have you tried sourcing better quality bearings to go in those BB cups?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Focus Izalco Max - 4.84kg without pedals
Cervélo Áspero - 8.28kg
Trek Madone SLR Rim - 7.73kg
Standert Triebwerk Disc - 8.47kg

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



simoncx
Posts: 223
Joined: Sun Nov 15, 2009 12:27 am

by simoncx

VTR1000SP2 wrote:
Wed Jan 01, 2020 11:26 am
simoncx wrote:
VTR1000SP2 wrote:
Wed Jan 01, 2020 2:25 am
simoncx wrote:
I've had the same experience with kogel, never again.
What experience exactly? Just curious on the specifics.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Bearings dont last, on my mtb one bearing went after only a couple rides and the one on my road bike lasted 2 months and was starting to get rough. Now I have 2 bad BB's which I ended up taking the 1 good bearing out of each and using them in my winter bike, but I'm not really counting on it making it through winter. Warranty is pretty much useless unless you buy directly from them.
Well that’ sucks, thank you for sharing. Have you tried sourcing better quality bearings to go in those BB cups?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
They look to be regular 6805 bearings with a thin sleeve that holds the plastic cover. I didnt really check if another bearing would fit since the winter bike is a trek boone with bb90 and I dont need the cups. I just knocked them out of the cups, flushed them out, regreased and put new seals in and hopefully they make it the winter. If not I did the same to the 2 bad bearings so I can swap them out if needed, they arent super smooth but will be ok for the winter bike. So far I'm not too impressed with there customer service or the best in the industry warranty they claim. Maybe yours will be ok but like I said before make sure you pop the plastic cover off a give it a good clean because crap seems to collect inbetween there.

User avatar
VTR1000SP2
Posts: 930
Joined: Tue Nov 05, 2013 8:21 pm

by VTR1000SP2

simoncx wrote:Maybe yours will be ok but like I said before make sure you pop the plastic cover off a give it a good clean because crap seems to collect inbetween there.
Will do for sure


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Focus Izalco Max - 4.84kg without pedals
Cervélo Áspero - 8.28kg
Trek Madone SLR Rim - 7.73kg
Standert Triebwerk Disc - 8.47kg

User avatar
IrrelevantD
Posts: 857
Joined: Sun Nov 29, 2015 5:47 pm
Location: Near DFW Airport

by IrrelevantD

Sorry to change the subject away from bottom bracket bearings, but I've got through axle and trail mixer questions.

So I took the trail mixer off to flip it around to the rear position just to try it out without realizing you have to buy a new front brake mount to make it work (BRP-160-ASP if anyone cares). Feeling bummed, I got to looking at the mixer and it apears that you can mount either piece on either side of the fork. This got me thinking...

Is there any reason why we couldn't, or shouldn't mount the mixer so that the through axle threads in from the NDS, same as the rear? I tried it, seems to work fine, but I haven't ridden it that way yet. Furthermore, is there any good reason why some manufactures thread their front TAs in from the DS and some from the NDS? I'm assuming Cervelo does it from the DS because most, if not all of their other bikes are that way, but why is it that way to begin with? Having the TA levers on oposite sides always annoyed me.

Getting back to my original reason for going through this, has anyone actually played with the mixer in different positions? For the most part, I'm pretty OK with it in the forward "higher trail" position. With lower volume road wheels it handles very similar to the Allez Sprint I came off of but more stable in corners (assuming due to lower CG and longer wheelbase). With high volume 650Bs on MTB trails, it is fairly closer to the agility of my CX bike with 700s. I'm just kinda wondering if I should even bother trying the rear position, kinda seems like a pain in the ass.
* There is a 70% chance that what you have just read has a peppering of cynicism or sarcasm and generally should not be taken seriously.
I'll leave it up to you to figure out the other 30%. If you are in any way offended, that's on you.

User avatar
VTR1000SP2
Posts: 930
Joined: Tue Nov 05, 2013 8:21 pm

by VTR1000SP2

IrrelevantD wrote: So I took the trail mixer off to flip it around to the rear position just to try it out without realizing you have to buy a new front brake mount to make it work (BRP-160-ASP if anyone cares).
My frame set came with this extra mount in box. I would check with the dealer as it should have been included and they may have inadvertently kept or thrown it.

As for the orientation of the axle, I would guess it has to do with thread direction and security from backing out as you ride but the rear would contradict that thinking.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Focus Izalco Max - 4.84kg without pedals
Cervélo Áspero - 8.28kg
Trek Madone SLR Rim - 7.73kg
Standert Triebwerk Disc - 8.47kg

User avatar
IrrelevantD
Posts: 857
Joined: Sun Nov 29, 2015 5:47 pm
Location: Near DFW Airport

by IrrelevantD

VTR1000SP2 wrote:
Wed Jan 01, 2020 4:50 pm
IrrelevantD wrote: So I took the trail mixer off to flip it around to the rear position just to try it out without realizing you have to buy a new front brake mount to make it work (BRP-160-ASP if anyone cares).
My frame set came with this extra mount in box. I would check with the dealer as it should have been included and they may have inadvertently kept or thrown it.

As for the orientation of the axle, I would guess it has to do with thread direction and security from backing out as you ride but the rear would contradict that thinking.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I actually contacted Cervelo directly when I got the bike about some other small parts that were listed in the dealer's manual such as the plugs for the downtube port as I was switching it to Di2, etc. They said that they ship only with the parts that it needed for the specific build (2x GRX in my case) and that any optional parts would need to be ordered through the dealer.

On the TA, my assumption is that the lever is on the NDS side in the rear to avoid any issues with the RD. Specs for tightening the TA bolt in the dealer manual is minimum 15Nm. I would think if you're wheel bearings have enough drag to back that out, you have much bigger problems. It's not something consistent between MFGs, some put it on the DS, some on the NDS. Only think I can think of for the origin of this is if you're kneeling facing the tire from front or rear it puts the handle in your left hand. Actually... I'll bet it was to make it easier for team mechanics to do wheel changes in race situations.

I was just curious if anyone knew about any differences in the fork that would prevent swapping it. The interface with the fork looks the same on both sides, everything is flush and apears to fit and the bolt interfaces with the metal plate of the mixer on the non-threaded side so I don't see why this wouldn't work. I supose I'll try it and report back.

If anyone has tried playing with the different fore/aft positions, I'd be curious for your take on it.
* There is a 70% chance that what you have just read has a peppering of cynicism or sarcasm and generally should not be taken seriously.
I'll leave it up to you to figure out the other 30%. If you are in any way offended, that's on you.

JBMASON1975
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Dec 23, 2019 6:34 pm

by JBMASON1975

Good looking bike!!

thefuzzycow
Posts: 95
Joined: Sun Aug 19, 2018 8:52 am

by thefuzzycow

I really wish you could squeeze some 2.0 or 2.1's in this frame. Maybe on the right wheel you could, but who knows.

Let's talk about some price points.

I just sold my Exploro frame(loved the bike but just wanted to get away from their seatpost design and difflock) and now I'm onto another bike. I'm keeping my ultegra Di2 group to transfer to my next frame. Here's where it blows my mind.

Aspero frameset: $2500
Aspero Apex build: $2800

You can get a set of wheel and full Apex build-up for only $300 more? Interesting. Seems like a no brained to get the Apex build, strip it down for my di2 build and then throw the Apex on an aluminum or entry carbon frame for my CX bike! 🤘🏼 Win win?
"moo"
Cervelo Aspero
Specialized Epic
Quintana Roo pr5

User avatar
IrrelevantD
Posts: 857
Joined: Sun Nov 29, 2015 5:47 pm
Location: Near DFW Airport

by IrrelevantD

thefuzzycow wrote:
Thu Jan 02, 2020 10:23 pm
I really wish you could squeeze some 2.0 or 2.1's in this frame. Maybe on the right wheel you could, but who knows.

Let's talk about some price points.

I just sold my Exploro frame(loved the bike but just wanted to get away from their seatpost design and difflock) and now I'm onto another bike. I'm keeping my ultegra Di2 group to transfer to my next frame. Here's where it blows my mind.

Aspero frameset: $2500
Aspero Apex build: $2800

You can get a set of wheel and full Apex build-up for only $300 more? Interesting. Seems like a no brained to get the Apex build, strip it down for my di2 build and then throw the Apex on an aluminum or entry carbon frame for my CX bike! 🤘🏼 Win win?
That's what I was going to do. Sell the Apex group for about $300 and put my Di2 on the Aspero. Unfortunately, when I bought mine everything I was hearing from the shops was that the Apex was sold out until April~May. I ended up getting the GRX and stripping the group. Nowhere near as good of a deal, but I wasn't about to wait 5~6 months.

On a side note, if anyone wants a zero milage 2x GRX mini-group (shifty bits and brakes), I still got one in a box in my garage I'll let go for $700.
* There is a 70% chance that what you have just read has a peppering of cynicism or sarcasm and generally should not be taken seriously.
I'll leave it up to you to figure out the other 30%. If you are in any way offended, that's on you.

Velosprints
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Aug 30, 2019 11:29 am

by Velosprints

Hi guys,

Please forgive me for not wading through 22 pages of posts before I ask these questions: is it light? Would it double well as a road bike if I were to change out the wheels or tires? I have had my eye on a cross bike in order to get a more "race" geometry, but I just read an article that the Aspero has been used as a cross bike in competition! I have a boat anchor of a cross bike now with an Al frame, and I definitely have been a weight weenie since I started riding years ago, so I'm hoping the Aspero is light as a feather and responsive as a Ferrari.

User avatar
IrrelevantD
Posts: 857
Joined: Sun Nov 29, 2015 5:47 pm
Location: Near DFW Airport

by IrrelevantD

Velosprints wrote:
Sun Jan 05, 2020 4:39 pm
Hi guys,

Please forgive me for not wading through 22 pages of posts before I ask these questions: is it light? Would it double well as a road bike if I were to change out the wheels or tires? I have had my eye on a cross bike in order to get a more "race" geometry, but I just read an article that the Aspero has been used as a cross bike in competition! I have a boat anchor of a cross bike now with an Al frame, and I definitely have been a weight weenie since I started riding years ago, so I'm hoping the Aspero is light as a feather and responsive as a Ferrari.
- is it light?
It's not going to be as light as a high end climbing bike, but probably would contend with a heavier mid-range Aero bike (IE: low range Madone). My previous road bike was a Allez Sprint, I'd say it's maybe a touch heavier, but it's tons stiffer in the BB and head tube and feels like it climbs and sprints better.

- Would it double well as a road bike if I were to change out the wheels or tires?
Absolutely. That's part of the reason I got it. Geometry is very road like and maybe a touch more agressive than a more "comfort" oriented road bike like a Roubaix. It doesn't any of the pseudo-suspension bits like the springy head tube or disconnected seat tube, but you can run bigger tires to make up for it. I ride 80~90% on the road with skinny tires. 28mm Conti 5000TLs measure out at about 31mm on the factory EA90 AX wheels that come with the GRX model. I run them tubeless at about 65psi, and it makes a great road bike.

- I have had my eye on a cross bike in order to get a more "race" geometry, but I just read an article that the Aspero has been used as a cross bike in competition! I have a boat anchor of a cross bike now with an Al frame, and I definitely have been a weight weenie since I started riding years ago, so I'm hoping the Aspero is light as a feather and responsive as a Ferrari.
While you certianally could race CX on this frame, it's not going to be the best tool for the job. I take mine on singletrack MTB trails frequently. With the 700x40c tires that came with it, the handling is sluggish. Might be better with actual 33mm CX tires, but I can say that the handling is very much improved with 650Bx47.
Depending on what level you're racing at, you may or may not be able to race with that seutup. The tradeoff is that the Aspero has a very low BB compared to a traditional CX bike. Putting 650Bx47 tires on it lowers it nearly another CM. I have noticed a definate increase in pedal strikes. Top tube is relatively flat, so shouldn't be any issue shouldering the bike. It's just not the best tool for the job. It can do about anything, but the only area I can see it being the best tool for the job is exactly what it was designed for, being fast on gravel where you're not worried about carying any extra gear that cant be fit in 3 bottle cages and a top tube bag.

Is it light and nimble and responsive as a Ferrari.... NO. Think more like a Lamborghini Urus
* There is a 70% chance that what you have just read has a peppering of cynicism or sarcasm and generally should not be taken seriously.
I'll leave it up to you to figure out the other 30%. If you are in any way offended, that's on you.

ooo
Posts: 1590
Joined: Sat May 21, 2016 12:59 pm

by ooo

Team Sunweb's Joris Nieuwenhuis (@jorisnieuwenhuis_) race CX world cup on Cervelo Aspero (8th place in Zolder)

Image
'

User avatar
VTR1000SP2
Posts: 930
Joined: Tue Nov 05, 2013 8:21 pm

by VTR1000SP2

For those that have Ásperos, mind sending me images of the NDS crank clearance?
Focus Izalco Max - 4.84kg without pedals
Cervélo Áspero - 8.28kg
Trek Madone SLR Rim - 7.73kg
Standert Triebwerk Disc - 8.47kg

User avatar
IrrelevantD
Posts: 857
Joined: Sun Nov 29, 2015 5:47 pm
Location: Near DFW Airport

by IrrelevantD

VTR1000SP2 wrote:
Sun Jan 05, 2020 10:24 pm
For those that have Ásperos, mind sending me images of the NDS crank clearance?
Something like this?
172.5mm SRAM Red (old 3-bolt spider attachment)
54cm Frame

Image
* There is a 70% chance that what you have just read has a peppering of cynicism or sarcasm and generally should not be taken seriously.
I'll leave it up to you to figure out the other 30%. If you are in any way offended, that's on you.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



Post Reply