Following its race premiere at the Critérium du Dauphiné and its high-profile appearance at the Tour de France, the new Cervélo S5 is now officially on sale. The bike sees itself as a consistent further development of what was already one of the fastest competition bikes in the world. But how fast is the update? And has the bike manufacturer with proven aero expertise worked on the criticisms of its predecessor? TOUR investigated these questions in the laboratory, wind tunnel and in practice. Visually, the changes to the S5 are comparatively cautious.
Cervélo S5: The new features
According to Cervélo, they didn't want to "mess up an already great bike". The frameset picks up on the flat "flounder design" of the old model. The head tube continues to be extremely low and, like comparable aero specialists, is fully compliant with UCI regulations. The slightly sharper fork sits in front of the steering head again on the new bike; one of the trademarks of the S5 was also recently adopted by competitor Colnago on the new Y1Rs. The distinctive handlebar-stem unit with split stem remains a style-defining feature. According to Cervélo, the design is intended to reduce air turbulence. The supplier to the Visma-Lease a Bike teams led by Tour winner Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Tour runner-up and newly crowned Vuelta winner Jonas Vingegaard emphasises that the cockpit named HB19 complies with the announced rule changes of the cycling world federation. The UCI's plans stipulate that the handlebar width should be at least 400 millimetres at the outer edges from the new season, and that the distance between the grip humps should not be less than 320 millimetres. In addition, the height of carbon rims will be limited in future and gear ratios at the fast end will be restricted. The modifications are intended to make bike races slower and thus reduce the risk of crashes.
Aero characteristics of the Cervélo S5 in check
However, the controversial rule changes announced by manufacturers at comparatively short notice are still a long way off. More exciting is the question of the aero performance of the S5, which has defended a top position among the fastest production bikes in the TOUR test for years. This will not change with the new generation. The 204 watts that the Cervélo needs to overcome its own air resistance at 45 km/h is still a first-class result that only a few racing bikes currently achieve or undercut. In addition to the flow-optimised tube shapes, the newly developed wheelset from Reserve, which is also organised under the umbrella of the Dutch Pon Group, favours top aerodynamics. The result is on a par with our fast reference wheelset (Zipp 404; year 2018).
The carbon rims measure 57 (front) and 64 millimetres (rear) for the first time. The cross-section of the front rim tends to be slightly more bulbous, while the rear rim is slightly narrower and asymmetrical. Reserve is convinced that this will make it easier to control the turbulence of the incoming air. However, the result from the GST wind tunnel also means that the current S5 has not improved compared to its predecessor (202 watts); we cannot confirm the aerodynamic improvement of around six watts that Cervélo claims. However, this should not detract from the strong performance. We are currently only aware of one faster bike in the World Tour: The Van Rysel RCR-F Pro shone with a fabulous 200 watts. Specialists such as the Colnago Y1Rs, which Tadej Pogačar rode on the way to his third Tour victory, and the Canyon Aeroad CFR are exactly on a par with the S5. In the current TOUR leaderboard, the Storck Aerfast.5 (198 watts), Simplon Pride II (199 watts) and Scott Foil RC (203 watts) are only three other bikes ahead of the Cervélo.
The wind slipperiness is noticeable in the saddle, as the S5 reaches a high basic speed without much fuss and almost playfully maintains the magical 30 km/h limit for many amateur athletes. However, the high percentage in the form of steep ramps is immediately felt in the legs. Although Cervélo was able to reduce the overall weight somewhat, mainly thanks to a 100 gram lighter cockpit, at 7.5 kilograms the bike achieves an average value in this discipline, just like its predecessor model. The aforementioned aero competitors are almost all lighter, with the Cervélo leaving a significant gap to Scott (6.9 kilograms) or Canyon (7.1 kilograms) in particular.
Comfort at professional level
In addition to the comparatively high weight, the new S5 also remains at the same comfort level as its predecessor. Although the bike achieved a slightly better measured value on the comfort test bench, the flat seatpost remains extremely unyielding with a measured 3 millimetres of "travel" at a seat height of 750 millimetres. However, with the seatpost extended a little further and the tyre pressure lowered, our testers had few complaints. Terrain with rough cobblestones or even gravel paths, as can now be taken under the tyres of one or the other race all-rounder, are not recommended with the S5 or require a tyre change. With space for tyres with a maximum width of 34 millimetres, the engineers have created room for manoeuvre in order to be able to equip the tough-as-nails base for bad roads and paths to a certain extent. The fast Corsa Pro from Vittoria, which requires an experienced hand on the handlebars even on smooth asphalt, would not be the right tyre for this anyway.
Tribute to aerodynamics
The overall impression is characterised by the realisation that Cervélo remains true to its philosophy and continues to focus fully - and successfully - on aerodynamics with the S5. The previous weaknesses in the stiffness values are a thing of the past with the current generation; however, the relevant competition can easily pull away in terms of weight and comfort. As a result, the Canadian racing flounder, like Colnago's Y1Rs recently, misses out on joining the club of one-series graduates in the TOUR test. However, in view of the design and prominent advertising media such as Vingegaard and Ferrand-Prévot, the Cervélo will still attract interest. In terms of pricing, the S5 undoubtedly belongs to the top club. Even the basic versions with Shimano's Ultegra Di2 and SRAM Force AXS come with a five-figure price tag; the test bike with Dura-Ace Di2 costs 14,000 euros, as does the version with Red AXS. The model with Red AXS XPLR and 1x13 gearing (50, 10-46 teeth) is unusual. As a reminiscence of Primož Roglič's Giro victory in 2023, it is slightly lighter with slightly better aerodynamics. However, the range of use is narrow due to the lack of climbing gears.
Cervélo S5Info & test grade
- Price: 13,999 Euro
- Weight of complete wheel: 7.5 kilos
- Frame sizes: 48, 51, 54, 56, 58, 61
- TOUR grade: 1,9
Geometry
- Seat/top/head tube: 508/590/123 millimetres
- Stack/Reach/STR: 550/391 millimetres/1.41
- Stack+/Reach+/STR+: 623/568 millimetres/1.10
- Wheelbase/caster: 980/58 millimetres
Equipment
- Drive/gear shift: Shimano Dura-Ace (2x12; 54/40, 11-34 t.; PM) | Grade: 1.0
- Brakes: Shimano Dura-Ace (160/160 mm) | Shimano Dura-Ace (160/160 mm) Grade: 1.0
- Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR 29 mm (eff.: 29 mm) | Grade: 1.5
- Impellers: Reserve 57/64 TA
- Impeller weights: 1,223/1,660 grams (front/rear)
Measured values
- Weight of complete wheel: 7520 grammes | Grade: 2.7
- Aerodynamics: 204 Watt | Grade: 1.0
- Driving stability: 7.6 N/mm | Grade: 2.0
- Rear comfort: 326 N/mm | Grade: 5.0
- Comfort front: 140 N/mm | Grade: 4.0
Advantages and disadvantages of the Cervélo S5
- Plus: Top aerodynamics, torsion-resistant
- Minus: relatively heavy, extremely hard, high prices
How TOUR tests
Julian Schultz
Editor
