CERVÉLO R5 DURA-ACE DI2 £6599 › Just one of the Cervélos available to Mark Cavendish
Cervélo’s range has always been split between its aerooptimised S-Series road machines and lightweight Grand Tour-proven R-Series bikes. This year the Dimension Data pros will be on board the R5 once the Tour de France hits the high passes and gruelling ascents of the Alps and Pyrenees.
The R5 shares its design with Cervélo’s range-topping RCA, so you get the same blend of low weight and aerodynamics, even though it’s not technically an aero bike. On the road the R5 wows you straightaway, with the lightness of the chassis immediately apparent as soon as you start to turn the pedals in anger. It’s a well-balanced and responsive ride; lightning quick to turn, you can also accurately weave it through crowds or navigate sharp descending corners without any drama. We tried our best to ride this bike hard to its limits, but the only thing holding it back was our nerve.
Cervélo was a pioneer of oversized chainstays, and here the drivetrain stiffness is astonishing for such a lightweight bike. Cervélo’s patented BBright bottom bracket shell is solid and gives you the feeling that none of your pedalling efforts are lost. The company worked closely with
SPECIFICATION Weight
6.73kg (56cm) Carbon Carbon Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 (Rotor 3D+ 52/36) 11-25 Shimano Dura-Ace HED Ardennes Plus LT FSA carbon stem and bar, FSA K-Force carbon seatpost, Fizik Antares saddle, 25mm Continental Grand Prix tyres
Frame Fork Gears Brakes Wheels Finishing kit
Spain’s Rotor on BBright, so it’s no surprise to see its CNC’ed 3D+ chainset here, which worked seamlessly with Shimano Di2. The thin seatstays and slender 27.2mm seatpost help to reduce road buzz, and though we haven’t always been fans of Fizik’s flat, slim Antares saddle, on the R5 it didn’t give our testers any undue grief.
The Dimension Data team riders may well get the new hydraulic Uno groupset from sponsor Rotor, whereas the rest of us will have to ‘make do’ with Shimano’s top-ofthe-range Dura-Ace electronic Di2, which was spot on every time. In its pro-ready 52/36 setup the Rotor
It’s a well-balanced and responsive ride and lightning quick to turn