IS THIS THE BIKE YOU SHOULD OWN? The Cervélo Caledonia 5 Long Term Review 

Thanks!

I'm so glad to hear that you're loving it! It's a super bike and, if you want to go faster, whack some deep section wheels on it and it'll be awesome!

A Caledonia for you first bike 😮. It's not about the bike. It's the mind and the legs. I made my best memories on a simpler bike. I sold it today to be able to purchase a Caledonia. I hope I get half the fun out of it as I did on my previous bike.

Really glad to read that! It’s a fantastic bike isn’t it? The S5 would be an awesome ‘upgrade’ too

I love that purple! It looked amazing!

@@ChrisHallRides it really does

I have always wanted to do that ride! Awesome I'm so glad to hear you've enjoyed yours!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment! I appreciate it!

Yeah there’s not many on the market but there certainly are a few

I use a Scicon bike bag where you literally just take the wheels off and have never had any issues.

Nice that’s two awesome bikes ordered!

Glad to help! I’ve not used them so I can’t comment but I’ve found the g one speed and all round from schwalbe a good tyre for a bit of everything

Thanks so much for watching! I’m glad it was useful

🙌

It’s for sure a fantastic all rounder

is there any difference from the s3?

@@timdoom Yes, believe it or not more aero, much more compliant, accommodates wider tires, I run Vittoria 28’s, had Di2 on the S3 with 11/30 cassette 11 sp, my Caledonia came with wireless SRAM e tap 12 sp with 10/36, 48/36 up front, in my opinion SRAM much better, the gear ratios alone make it a climbing machine and much faster ratio in middle gears on casesette, plus it came stock with power meter. A - group rider here, I could go on and on regarding the Cali. Good luck out there✌🏼👍

I had a pretty good experience with specialized turbo cotton on the Reserve 35 wheels. Rarely had to use a tyre lever. Usually twitchyness in cross winds is related to the front wheel as it can create steering moment… side profile of the frame would be swamped by side profile of the rider

Yep I agree with what Ben is saying here too. It’s unlikely the down tube causing that issue. Could be your tyre/ rim combination. Personally I’ve never had any issues in cross winds. I’ve also had no issues with the schwalbe g one speed set up tubeless on the reserve 35s. I can pop them off without a tyre lever

Ian also thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching. I absolutely love the 2005 Soloist, they are hard to get hold of nowadays too! I've been so impressed with the new one as well. It's a fantastic ride. Incase you missed it, we did a restoration and rebuild on one of the original ones: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2ZwnklRqCkY.html

@@ChrisHallRides Awesome thanks for the link will watch it now !

Thanks for watching!

@@ChrisHallRides welcome! I’d also love to see some more interesting colour choices too 👍🏻

The soloist is a shorter frame so should feel snappy out if corners for example

Thanks for watching!

Thanks!

The best thing to do would be to talk with a bike fitter about what would work best for you

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching!

Caledonia is a bit more relaxed. Soloist is still quite racy

Similar yes but the R3 mud was actually still slightly longer and a different carbon layup as far as I’m aware

I hope it arrives soon for you. You won't be disappointed!

Yours is more lovely too!

It’s Cervélo’s own bar and stem that it came with

@@ChrisHallRides Many thanks, appreciate the prompt response!

Totally right!?

I love the Aspero too. I've been very interested in the Redshift range too. The Caledonia does not have fully integrated cables but the Caledonia 5 does. If you also want the Caledonia 5 but want external cables, you can use the top cap that has been designed for the Soloist, which will allow you to run the cables external of the stem but still into the headset (so you could use your own bar and stem but have the cables in the frame. I think that makes sense?) and if you want, you can go into the down tube port (where the junction box is) I think Cervelo have done a fantastic job with allowing people to set them up how they would prefer.

@@ChrisHallRides Definitely give the Redshift a trial,it makes a 38c tyre ride like a 45c without giving up rolling resistance and aero. I have the first gen Aspero with Di2. Aside from the BBright BB it’s a gem. Very responsive but also stable due to it’s low 76mm BB drop.

You have to choose one, Aspero or Caledonia, which do you go for? Primarily road but want extra confidence when doing trails and gravel bikepacking…Is the Caledonia up to that task? 34mm seem too thin…Thanks for the advice!

They are both fantastic bikes but theres a few things for me personally which make me swing more to the Krypton Pro, namely a threaded BB, frame storage, tyre clearance and not fully integrated cables. The cabling is still really neat but it's way easier to maintain and chain things if you need to. I also think the geometry for the Krypton is probably what more people need. The caledonia yes is more relaxed than many of the Cervelo range but it is still a race bike used at Paris Roubaix so it does still feel a a bit racy if thats your thing. One more thing to mention is the Caledonia has been out for a LONG time now. I have no idea if they are going to update it or not but I think the Soloist has taken it's place now a bit more. (a bit more racy geo but doesn't have all the fender mounts. It's what the pros used at Roubaix this year.) Faster is such an pretty much impossible to say. They are both fantastic bikes. They weigh pretty similar in terms of real world weights (not listed weights on a website) that I have found for both but if you want a lightweight bike you shouldn't really be looking for a more all round bike but more of a hill climb bike like a SUM, R5, Addict, etc etc. For what I do, the Krypron is a fantastic comfortable training partner and I used it at a road ultra in January, then a training camp with semi pro riders a week later and it performed fantastic across both. I love the versatility to use it for gravel if wanted and needed and I think the internal frame storage is smart in keeping essential repair tools in one location, instead of in the depths of a saddle bag when on a long ride. Hopefully that helps somewhat? I've done plenty of ride reviews of the Krypton Pro too on this channel.

They are still quite different bikes. I haven't built up my Soloist yet and haven't ridden one so I can't say what its like to ride yet. The ability to mount mudguards on the Caledonia and the less aggressive geometry will certainly suit some people who want a bike that still looks very racy too.

Completely different bikes - one for racing, another one for endurance rides.

I understand they are different bikes but the lines are getting blurred, soloist is a mix of r series and s series, Caledonia is a mix of r series , s series and aspero. Soloist can support a wide tyres clearance too, mud guards don't matter in some parts of the world. Without soloist the choice would have been clearer to many. consumers.

@@ChrisHallRides I've also been considering the Caledonia or the Soloist. My target events are ultra-distance events such as 24-hour time trials, 500-mile races, and miscellaneous time/distance records. Weight is somewhat of a concern, but comfort is definitely a higher priority. Do you think one of these bikes would be better suited to 24+ hours in the saddle in a variety of terrain?

Jumbo Visma dropped the Caledonia at this year's Paris-Roubaix and opted for the Soloist

Making sure you have good cycling insurance is a good way to help with that worry for sure

All of mine I’ve either changed to a kogel, c-bear or ceramic speed bottom bracket and had no issues

Thank you for watching! The larger rear pack is made by tailfin. They’re a fantastic British brand

Thank you for watching! The larger rear pack is made by tailfin. They’re a fantastic British brand p

Honestly I’m not sure about the weight. It’s never been something I really care about. It’s not heavy but equally it’s not super hill climb light. If weight is something you’re really concerned about maybe better looking at an R5 and a separate gravel bike. I’ve got a set of Reserve 40/44 due to arrive for my Caledonia5 soon. They’re fantastic, even off road too. I have a set on the R5 CX

I’ve never ridden a supersix evo but it’s a TDF bike so I’d think it’s still pretty stiff. The Caledonia could be a good option but also check out the Argon 18 krypton

Thanks so much! So tricky as a lot of money

I've been using bikeinsights website a ton to compare geometries. I have a 2019 Domane, but it would seem there are more equivalent bikes in terms of stack and reach than the Caledonia. What is it about the Caledonia that fits you well? I've never ridden one, but as a guy with short limbs, I'm trying to get as much info on these endurance bikes as I can before an upgrade. My domane is apparently quite upright, second only to maybe the Roubaix. I get a pro bike fit tomorrow and will maybe get some good info, but I'd love to get some good pointers from anyone who has compared these bikes.

Cervelo never made mudguards as far as I’m aware. Just the parts to allow you to mount them. These are SKS Blummels

@@ChrisHallRides ok thank you for the info :)

Worth looking at places like Cycle Exchange in Kingston, UK. They have some good deals sometimes

The best advice I can say is you should listen to what your bike fitter recommends. They know what would fit best for you.

@@ChrisHallRides Thanks for the answer. My problem is that the Caledonia 5 is a lot expensive than the Soloist. Ok the "normal" Caledonia is cheper but outside cables ........ The soloist has better cabeling and also threaded bottom bracket. Maybe in a couple of months the new caledonia also brings T47 BB and better cable routing

I’ve ridden and owned both. I loved the C3, a fantastic bike but I do think that the Caledonia 5 is a nicer ride and how the mudguards mount is a bit more refined from the C3. The Caledonia feels like a faster bike too if that makes sense but still very comfortable

They’re SKS bluemels but the matte black ones. Super easy to fit. No mods needed

@@ChrisHallRides Thanks. Did you go for 45mm? I was looking at the velo orange hammered aluminium in black, but wasn't sure if they would fit. I'll check out the SKS bluemels. I have a Cal 5 (51) and i'm wondering about increased toe overlap with the mudguards, but the beauty of riding in the wet without crud on the bike sounds fantastic.

Hello, the spacers come apart in two pieces so that it’s easy to adjust your height too. In terms of removing the handlebars it’s easy to do so but will depend on the bike box you use. There are also options to use the the soloist headset if you want more versatility

Hi Chris, thanks fo the reply, much appreciated. When you mention the soloist headset I take it you mean the stem, spacers top cap etc ? if it fits as you say then that looks like a good get out of jail card. Thanks Andy @@ChrisHallRides

Yeah I wouldn’t use it for something like that. I think you’d want bigger tyre clearance

I think it may work on the front but potentially tight on the rear. Hard to know to be honest

@@ChrisHallRides i will give it a try maybe. Thank you very much for your respond! :)

These are Reserve 35s which came with the bike

@@ChrisHallRides thanks once again ;)

If you’re after something more racy then the soloist would tick that box. The Caledonia was designed as a bike for, in Cervélo’s own words ‘big stupid rides’ which to me is using it for ultras where you do have to accommodate the potentials of unknown such as gravel on the route. Also I think now most gravel bikes are going bigger than 40mm tyres which adds to the blur between gravel and mtb. It’s fascinating how these boundaries are blurring more and more

Best suggestion really would be to talk with a bike fitter if I’m honest

@@ChrisHallRides Makes sense. Thanks for the reply and the great video in the first place!

👍👍

SKS Blummels I think they’re called

@@ChrisHallRides cool. God the same bike and planning to install those also.

😅

Honestly I’m not sure. I’ll ask and see if I can find out

I hope it comes soon!

After waiting for almost a year and the distributor not being able to give an ETA (does Cervelo actually have any form of supply chain management?) i bought a different bike. A Cannondale SuperSix EVO LAB71. A different type of bike, but a good match in a bike fit and I was not really looking for bike packing or gravel capabilities anyway. It will be ready next week. Still the Caledonia looks nice!