Nat Bromhead
Cervelo’s 2025 model Caledonia 5 has been released with the Canadian company touting this bike as perfect for those ‘Big, Stupid Rides’.
Cervelo says the latest Caledonia is designed for ‘extreme, long-distance efforts that push both riders and equipment to their limits.’ Typical bike industry marketing spin? Actually no, the bike is a beast! The updated Caledonia is fast, comfortable, versatile and an absolute joy to spend time on.
For an endurance / long-distance / all-road platform, it’s exceptionally quick off the mark, remarkably comfortable and compliant, and incredibly zippy.
A New Category?
An endurance bike with purist roady style performance, could the Caledonia 5 be categorised as Performance Endurance? That was our take after the first 100+ kilometre outing on this great looking ruby red Cervelo.
For something different we took the bike on our version of a ‘big stupid ride’, a 120km outer urban loop of Sydney’s west. The difference with this ride? It was planned with the RideWithGPS app and primarily made up of bike paths, trails and various linked cycleways.
The plan was to keep away from roads, cars and traffic, which also meant being off any smooth bitumen. This meant riding on a mix of well-laid bike paths, but also a variety of mixed surfaces which are typically more conducive to fatigue.
The Caledonia 5 hummed along all day, seeming to take it all in its stride. From a sudden right turn detour onto a makeshift crusher dust path, to a 55km/h descent along the M7 cycle way, to a long and smooth flattish section (where a couple of PRs were gained), the bike was perfect in every aspect for the big day out.
A lot of this comfort, performance and all-road ability is no doubt due to the supplied wheelset, Reserve’s 49 / 42 TA along with the 30mm factory tyres set up tubeless.
WorldTour Wheels
This ‘mullet’ wheelset – 49mm deep on the back and 42mm up front, weighs in 1341 grams in DT 180 hub configuration. The TA stands for ‘Turbulent Aero’ technology, and during that first decent ride they did feel exceptionally fast. The same wheels have been raced at Paris-Roubaix and the Giro D’Italia – so we think they’ll be totally fine for us.
Tyre wise, the bike is shipped with tubeless ready 30mm Vittoria Corsa N.Ext and there’s space for 36mm. Aside from the increased tyre size, the bike comes standard with a downtube storage compartment that includes two internal bags.
Cervelo says that the storage area ‘isn’t designed to fit a burrito,’ but it can hold a small multi-tool, tube, and a CO2 canister. Access is via a hinged cover that doubles as the downtube bottle cage mount. It locks into place via a 90-degree latch and sits securely when underway.
The frame has been revised in other areas too, though the changes are subtle. The dropped seat stays, inspired by sister bike the Aspero, help make the rear triangle more flexible, while Cervelo says the downtube has been stiffened to maintain responsive handling.
The Caledonia-5 is the more integrated model in the Caledonia lineup and features completely internal cable routing and aero-tube shapes.
Frame size wise, there are six sizes from 48 to 61. Colourwise, we are riding the deep red (Carmine) and there’s also a classic Black Caledonia 5.
Cervelo Caledonia 5 Pricing
Caledonia-5 Red AXS $17,000
Caledonia-5 Dura-Ace Di2 $16,500
Caledonia-5 Ultegra Di2 $12,000
Caledonia-5 Force AXS $12,000 (As tested)
Caledonia-5 Rival AXS $8,300
Caledonia-5 Frameset $6,900
Gallery – ‘25 Model Cervelo Caledonia 5
