2024 Cervélo Áspero: A Lot of Updates

Doubling down on the “Haul Ass, Not Cargo” mantra used in the marketing language of the Áspero, Cervélo’s team has just announced some updates for the flagship gravel chassis, turning it into a lighter, more robust racing package, while offering an increase in tire clearance. John reviewed the OG Áspero back in 2020 but a lot has changed in this new model. Let’s check it out.

The new Áspero remains true to those early, simpler days of gravel, before gravel bikes started getting way too many bells and whistles. Think stripped down, fast-paced geometries with moderate tire clearance and no active or passive suspension.

Yet with a few years of valued PR&D from riders and customers under its belt, a few notable improvements come to light with this generation, including a threaded BB shell, neater cable routing, and a UDH-compatible derailleur hanger for those who want to use SRAM’s Transmission drivetrains.

And because it’s Cervélo, the new Áspero is faster, of course. For the wind tunnel metric hounds, the brand shaved off three watts worth of drag in the redesign process. The new Áspero also has dropped seat stays to give a bit more compliance in the back, and reduced front-end stiffness slightly to make the last hours of a long race less painful.

With this massaging comes an increase in tire clearance (45 mm), something John noted he would have liked in his OG review…