2021 Cervelo Caledonia Ultegra Di2 review: the true all-rounder
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- Опубліковано 24 вер 2024
- Cervelo’s Caledonia isn’t like the other all-round road racers we tested in Victoria’s High Country. A wholly new model for 2021, the Caledonia is somewhat of a drop bar jack-of-all-trades that’s an oddly shaped peg for any existing hole. And many of us at CyclingTips believe it’s where many road bikes will be headed in years to come.
We’ve previously taken a deep dive into what the Cervelo Caledonia is and isn’t. We’ve also shared some early impressions about how the pro-level Caledonia 5 rides. However, what we wanted to know was how the more affordable Cervelo Caledonia (without the “5”) performs, and if it too is a game-changer of a bike.
And so we got our hands on the new Cervelo Caledonia Ultegra Di2 for review. This more affordable version does miss a few tricks compared to the more expensive version but it’s still a highly intriguing bike.
See the full review at:
cyclingtips.co...
Thanks to alpinecider.co... for hosting us during our conversation.
Music by Epidemic Sound
Includes paid promotion: Our second Field Test was done in partnership with Ride High Country, the tourism and advocacy group responsible for cycling within Victoria’s North East region. We thank them for their support in being able to produce this series.
This is the type of bike most of us need, hope to see more companies do this!
I totally agree. Bikes like these are built for the joy of riding. I take comfort and confidence over an aero rocket ship any day.
Agreed. I’m liking the Specialized Aethos as well.
@@jamsxr in a way I’m glad aero and weight are being combined on bikes that are tailored for racing, so we can go back to bikes built just for the love of riding... not racing.
@@mediocrecyclist this is still pretty aero compared to round tube bikes of a decade ago
One of my best bikes yet..i. brought the Ultegra mechanical..I swapped out the seat post for a carbon "black inc" seat post and added the specialized "aerofly 2" carbon bars and the bike rides amazing..i also got rid of the problemsome vittoria tires and went with GP5000 tires.. the saddle was nice so I kept it the same.. I also have a 2021 specialized tarmac sl6 comp w the same Ultegra set up and honestly I like riding the cervelo more..the Tarmac sits slightly lower and has a 11/30 cassette vs the cervelo which has a 11/34..both bikes are fast and nimble..they both are somewhat around the same weight too..everyone be safe out there..much love from Brooklyn NY.
Those are the exact changes I would consider. Maybe wheels, too. Are you still loving it?
@@daniels6554 yes indeed..I kept it simple and went with the carbon c38 rovals with a 54ratchet
I've been on this bike 45 days. It's a joy to ride. All-rounder, all-road bike is best category to place it in. Comfortable but fast.
@8rick1ane I think BMC is the "RoadMachine," but I have not ridden it.
I ride an average 30-40 miles per ride, and the occasional century ride over the weekend. With this bike, on its first century, no pain anywhere on my body, i was quite surprised of how comfortable it is. Doing a 100 miles and wanting to do more after is crazy *________*
I bought the mechanical ultegra version the day they launched it (without test riding it) because of the fender mounts - as this is my winter bike. My summer bike is an S3, so specing the size was not a problem. These fender mounts can be manufactured for any bike, so it's not special. Further the seat stay bridge was too narrow for the seat stays and could not use the stock screws. I had to use tie wraps to secure the seat stay mounts. The uniqueness is the tire clearance - 30mm tires without any fender rub or rattle. I slammed the stem to match my S3, so it feels aggressive. Mine weighèd in at 9kg (without fenders) - yes a whole 2 kg heavier than my race bike (with Zipp 202s)!! So i'm disappointed in that. But I've ridden this in 4 training races last summer (hilly > 100 km) and to be honest, I didn't feel the extra 2 kgs - i was in the exact same spot at the sprints and top of he mountains. Further in my 25 km TT, i got within 30 seconds of my best time on the S3. So, it's not about the bike, it's the rider on the bike. So Eddy Merckx had it right - don't buy upgrades, ride up grades.
Don’t buy upgrades, ride up grades
Lol that’s great
This review led me to go out and buy this bike. I am well into my 70s and have an E-assist road bike for long distances and bigger climbs. I added the Cervelo and I was really surprised that I felt immediately at home. I have configured it rather upright (neck problems) but I can get into the drops very easily. The bike is comfortable, very stable and quick (relative in my case). I really thought my road bike days were over as I could not get comfortable, but this bike is perfect for those of us that need an easy but fast ride. But don't be misled its not just a bike for seniors - I think it will suit everyone
@@morningtidefilms I chose a fairly small frame, the headset is adjustable and I have it in the highest setting. That gives me a good upright position. The drops are fairly shallow so I can get into them with a headwind and still see the road ahead without straining my neck. The geometry is what I think the pundits call 'relaxed' with a long wheelbase. Its an extremely comfortable bike and by my standards it feels quick.
Orbea's Orca OMR fits 35c tyres, and even the cheapest model at £1799 keeps those front-end cables hidden. Plus on the more expensive models you can choose your own colour scheme. Not sure why you'd choose the Caledonia over that.
I was going to say because Orbea's QA is terrible but Cervelo is worse so
It has Tiagra components for that price. No caparison at all.
@@tonyw4863 You're completely missing the point. Cervelo don't hide the cables until you're paying serious money. Orbea do it right from the base model upwards.
do a cervelo caledonia vs bmc roadmachine vs orbea orca
+1
Quite an interesting bike; get another wheelset with light gravel tyres (G One Speed, GravelKing SK, etc) and you can take in forestry fire roads, bridleways, etc
And agree - most of us don't really need a race bike; something a bit more versatile is the way to go - you can mix up a road ride with a bit of light off road.
My 2016 S3 has an identical 555mm/378 stack/reach. The BB is a few mm higher though. Cervelo has been forward thinking when it comes to comfortable geometries.
hi there, always interesting reviews BUT I think when you show the geometry figures you really should add the seat-tube angle. Seat tube angle is so much important in that it contributes to the rider position relative to the bottom braket and therefore is related to the "geometry of the rider" and to the amount of power you can put into the pedals. In truth I believe reack and stack without seat tube angle say only a part of the story on the geo of a bike. Take lessons from recent evolution in seat tube angle in trail mountain bike for example. Too much important not to be mentioned!
If you have stack and reach, seat tube angle is meaningless unless by some strange chance you need an extreme saddle position relative to the BB.
@@scotth3354 I need an inline seatpost if the angle is less than 74 degrees. Won't matter for lots of people they will be fine on the standard 73 73.5. But for some of us especially those with longer legs on larger sizes it can become an issue and thus should be considered. On bikes like the Caledonia its not much of a problem as its got a round seatpost so it can be swapped with an inline post. But for bikes like the TCR or emonda which have proprietary seatposts it can almost be a deal breaker as they don't make inline posts.
Aluminum seat post on a di2 equipped CF bike? Weird choice Cervelo
This bike likes to be clamped on fixing stand.
Those big block letters don't pay for themself.
Yes not good,it should definitely be carbon at this price. I thought it was supposed to made to absorb road vibes, Ally wont. 🤔
Magic, did my fitting thurs, heard from fitter today that I can get the 105 in April. Get the seatpost, and those new aero wheels you just reviewed and it is a win all around.
This review summarized: "turns out endurance bikes are really useful". Also "we will do everything in our power to not call the Caledonia an endurance road bike even though that's what this is."
Excellent & informative review. Victoria looking resplendent.
I have a new aspero, with c36 wheels and 30mm contis. My friend has a Caledonia and he is running 30mm tires also. Will be riding with him next week. Will be cool to compare them. They look verrrrrry similar
How did you find your aspero on the road? I’m looking at both but can’t decide. Would like to do walking trails that are crushed gravel, not chunky. And roads on trips.
I just bought the Caledonia 105 is an upgrade from my cannondale synapse. I will see how good it is in the next couple of days
And, how good is it? 😃
@@GMSlash on my personal opinion is an awesome bike. I like the fact that is not as heavy nor light. Is just the perfect weight for me. Last week I did 160 miles in it and it feels amazing. Just make sure to wear bibs or cycling shorts for the long rides
@@antonioparamo2048 Good to hear you're enjoying the bike!
Have fun!
Well done keeping professional with those flies....
Reminds me of the Cannondale Synapse's approach but minus the aero features. Nice review guys. Did the change from 28mm to 32mm tires make any difference? You mentioned that it was tested with both but don't mention any differences in the ride.
have to imagine in 28 is was that much more stiff, they did another review all on 28s and the Caledonia was included and they liked all the others more, but caledonia was the only 'endurance' bike in the mix.
What is your height and inside leg length? I'm between size 54 and 56, would like to know how it fitted you?
The 105 version is just as good
Given the clearance, could you run 33mm cross tyres with room for Belgian mud and sand, if you ride a certain pro team?
Yes, you can run 33 mm tires easily. I have the Caledonia-5.
Hello Wout van Aert ;-)
@@Stevenafoe haha
I liked the aero features and relaxed feel, also liked the standard round seatpost, stem and bars so I can set up/swap according to my fit , eventually even use the ones I currently have. I only wish it wasn’t a Cervelo.
May I ask why?
I’m sad I didn’t buy this last year. This year the price is 5500 and 8500 (for the 5)!
i have this bike in 105, there is reflector stripes in the front too, but somehow the matte black in some areas is poorly done they didnt sand out they just paint the frame without sanding it with layers
Exactly the reason I didn't get this bike in Di2 model. The raw carbon look made the bike look stained or even worse that they had run out of paint
@@darrenbarlow5759 agreed, but my buddy has the specialized allez very low entry with claris but has amazing matte black finish at least they did put a lot of time sanding the frame to look smooth, but i guess cervelo has alot of lazy robot sprayers
What is a stiffer bike that you liked for climbing? Emonda?
Great reviews of all of these bikes, so well don’t CyclingTips for producing such a good series. What I can’t understand though is consumers sinking the best part of £4K on a bike like this being happy that they need to spend another grand on carbon wheels and a carbon seat post to make it the bike it should be. Surely that puts it out of this price bracket and should be compared to bikes available for £5k?
I don't think Di2 is the right gruppo for the Caledonia, which if mechanical is $3500 vs $5K for Caledonia 5 which means you can get carbon wheels, post and bars for same price as the 5 and still have convenience of round accessories for fit and change and far lighter for the same price and a lot better wheelset than both.
This is the new C3. I would wager that someone in Cervelo realised people like bikes with actual names. Hence Aspero and now Caledonia.
So, it's basically a Canyon Endurace (or any other generic endurance geometry bike)
I was thinking the same. I'm super happy with my Endurace. To Canyon's credit, they include the amazing VCLS 2.0 carbon seat post.
Yes, it's closely comparable. The Caledonia offers more tyre clearance with fenders. Details of how they compare are mentioned in the written review: cyclingtips.com/2021/01/2021-cervelo-caledonia-ultegra-di2-review/
Dave Rome.
Just bought one this morning.
Me too! Congrats
@8rick1ane not really but if you really want something why not buy it
What’s your take @Chris O’Byrne
@@chadlegere I have the mechanical Ultegra version and it’s excellent. Yes very expensive for a bike, agreed. Really comfortable, about 9kg with pedals so not light by any standard but doesn’t feel heavy. I swapped out the Vittoria stock tyres for Conti 4 season but honestly didn’t feel any difference whereas normally this adds a noticeable difference. Stock saddle is comfortable, Ultegra works brilliantly, cut the steerer down by circa 30mm as was very generous, integrated Garmin / Wahoo mount is a nice little detail and I may swap the aluminium seat post for carbon at some point.
Well done Chris. I agree with Antonio, if you like it, then get it. I am looking at the Caledonia with Di2
Please review the Caledonia-5.
We reviewed the Caledonia-5 at the time of the bike's launch. See it here: cyclingtips.com/2020/07/cervelo-caledonia-5-first-ride-review/
PERFECT!!
What exactly does Di2 give you in terms of shifting performance? Is it faster? Less clunky? Quieter.....etc? I can't get my hands on them to compare in person.
not much better in the back.
A lot better shifting on the front derailleur.
Main benefit for me are the sprint (remote) shifting buttons.
We'll soon have a video on this very topic.
Dave Rome.
Maybe swap out the seatpost to 0 deg setback?
Caledonia 5 is absolutely the most amazing bike I have ever ridden, so comfortable and fast.
Which build on the 5 did you get?
@@jasboehlke Di2 great system.
Why is Cervelo being so cheap on the junk wheels? The Reserve wheels they are putting on $6500 bikes are junk as well.
How is the entry level model? (105)
lol claim the bike is too relaxed while having 30mm+ spacers under the stem, can't take these two guys seriously
It's unclear what you gain vs an Aspero. Similar Geo and ride quality but less clearance. I guess the BB height is more optimal for a 30mm tire?
Looking at the weight caledonia is pretty meh tbh.
@@einundsiebenziger5488 I run 32c in street setup. I see no reason to go more narrow than that as I'm not racing. More clearance just means more flexibility.
is this bike fast?
I think I'll stick with the new TCR with speed wobble thanks....
8,5kg. And there are people complaining about the trek sl6 ...
“SL” stands for super light. Where does the Caledonia claim to be light?
Same total weight despite 30mm tires, alloy wheels and seatpost, all while not claiming to be a 'climbing bike'.
Drink your cider, lads!
Was is it with all the flys in the last two videos?
Australian summer...
would you say this is in the same league as the Factor Vista?
Factor Vista is best compared to the more expensive Caledonia 5.
3 years later...still a great bike. Paintjob is shit though :( (gloss black version)
Who did the cable routing on this bike? :o)
It was a mess. Sadly we only fixed it up AFTER the shoot.
Dave Rome.
Poor guy getting eaten by the bugs...
If you’re gonna put drinks in front of eachother at least drink them
GT Grade from 2015 is lighter than that, and £1500 cheaper.
Ima Crit race this
Messy cables. Almost bought this but didn't like raw carbon look
Get a Roadmachine rather.
*A bit challenging to clean.*
I think somebody is riding too high of tire pressure.
We were using control tyre pressures across all tested road bikes in order to get a more accurate feel of ride quality.
Dave Rome.
Nice vélo
WHY is it so expensive?!!! I don't see anything special about the bike in terms of gadgets or anything to justify 5k. At least a Domane will give you internal storage.
$4500 for a bike with an alloy seatpost, for christ sake
8.55kg without pedals...bloody heavy Chinese built PoS
Doesn’t matter who built it, whomever was only following Dutch instructions.
It always bugs me when a bike is built out with cheaper secondary components thinking the buyer won't mind or will happily spent another 2 grand on wheels. Just crap.
Cycling industry/company can do this over and over because the market blindly believe all the story they put in ad.
It’s because buyers are swayed by things like Di2 or carbon wheels vs things like carbon seatposts. The question is when speccing a bike with those things, how much extra would something that is suggested to make a big difference to ride quality, like a carbon seat post, add to the RRP? £30 perhaps? Can’t imagine any buyers being that price sensitive can you?
Makes, me think of specialized pricing regimes. 👎👎👎😱😱🤬🤬
I think the reason why all the companies does the same is because us as clients are never NEVER gonna be happy with whatever change they put on it. Besides the price will go up. I rather buy it like this ad do upgrades myself to my like than them deciding what to put in it for me