Cervelo has come to believe that the pure road cycling world is evolving, and while there will always be a true race bike that is super light, fast, and quick-handling, the modern road bike requires capability for larger tires, more stability- but moderately fast handling, and power transfer efficiency expected of a race bike. This Caledonia modern road bike shrugs at notorious urban roads, cobbles, chip seal, and floats over the smoothest pavement. Add in SRAM's 12-speed Rival eTap AXS wireless shift / hydraulic disc groupset with a strong build kit, and the complete package is spot on- but it starts with the frameset.
The Caledonia design is an exemplar of Cervelo's understanding that fast handling isn’t always better, and the how the company is evolving toward bike designs with handling and overall development informed by specific needs. The inspiration was the multi-surface Paris-Roubaix, the Spring Classic that is harder on bikes than any other race on the calendar, with zero margin for error. After drawing from some specific history with the team-only, Roubaix-winning R3 Mud, and the R3 the teams used in 2019, the engineers increased the rear center, lowered the BB, and increased the trail while adding tire volume space and better rough surface deflection. Relatively speaking the handling is still fast enough to be corner and descent-friendly but with added rougher surface stability.
The creation of the Caledonia began with this recognition of modern road cycling and a sense of where it is going. This is a pure endurance race bike, unlike the previous C-Series endurance options, which were great bikes with more relaxed geometry, and greater comfort. Caledonia is race-bred, with much more surface versatility than a Grand Tour ready design. With capacity for 34mm tires (31mm with fenders), the more stable handling, disc-only frameset has different overall geometry numbers but Stack and Reach the same as an R-Series. The frame design and cockpit set-up allow for most cyclists a reasonable fit, and unlike with the R5/R3 geometry differences, both Caledonia frame-level options share the same geometry. Much was learned from the years R-Series development and combined with the knowledge gained from the Aspero design process, the engineers found a great balance of speed, comfort, clearance and handling while maintaining the aesthetic cleanliness Cervelo's riders demand. That cleanliness is far from just aesthetic- you know it’s going to be fast because there’s nothing interrupting the flow of air over the front end.
There are differences between the Caledonia and it's 5-level sibling. the Some cyclists considering a Caledonia model might strongly appreciate that this frame has a standard round tapered steerer tube and wire/housing routing instead of the 5-level's fully integrated, proprietary system. Any normal bar, stem, or round 27.2mm seatpost can be used. You aren't sacrificing tire clearance, fender/accessory mounts, or ride quality. There are some carbon and construction changes as a result, and the standard Caledonia frame is 95 grams heavier, but the cost, simplicity and features are your choice to make. The evolved geometry and handling numbers for a more stable, sure-handling ride over long hours of multi-surface riding are here. The proper carbon lay-up for deflection, control, and compliance is just as well balanced. Cervelo measures the stiffness ratings of both framesets as the same at 222 Nm/mm BB / 105 Nm/deg.
The Caledonia has internal routing through the downtube and access plates for wires, cables, housing and hydraulic hose, and can be built as a 1x or 2x mechanical or electronic drivetrain. The front derailleur tab can be removed for a clean look with a 1x set-up. The full carbon tapered Caledonia specific fork features internal hydraulic hose routing, Flat Mount set-up for disc calipers, and a 12/100mm thru-axle interface. Integrated fender mounts make for a clean install and you can run up to a 700x31mm tire with fenders - front and rear. The frameset comes with an IS-2 headset, and uses a 27.2mm round seatpost. The rear dropout is for a 12/142mm thru-axle. Cervelo supplies their lever action, Indexed Thru-Axles front and rear.
SRAM's ergonomic 12-speed Rival AXS features the advanced eTap wireless shifting system with AXS BLE capability for simple management and battery monitoring via the SRAM AXS app. With innovative gearing from the 48/35T crankset matched up with a 10-36T cassette, and the clean aesthetics of zero wires, Rival AXS inspires confidence in range and speed with efficiency at a great price. The Rival HRD hydraulic disc brakes offer effective power and control at any speed, in any weather situation. Add in the Cervelo cockpit components and a DT Swiss E1850 23 Spline wheelset and you have a special modern road bike optimal for all around riding.