On the eve of the Tour de France, Cervélo, the company that helped pioneer aero road bikes back in 1995, aim to reset the standard in the aero race bike category with the release of their newest frameset, the S5. Cervélo designed the S5 using wind tunnel-proven aerodynamics combined with a balance of stiffness and comfort derived from their BBright bottom bracket system. The new S5 will be available from Cervélo dealers worldwide July 1 and will retail for $9,000 with a Shimano Di2 build kit and $7,500 with a SRAM Red. Three other lower priced models will also be offered. The S5 has the same fit and geometry as the Cervélo R3, which was ridden to victory at the 2010 World Championships and Paris-­Roubaix in the spring of 2011.


“If there’s one thing that’s at the core of Cervélo’s DNA, it’s pushing the envelope in an effort to make the most aerodynamically efficient bikes possible,” says Cervélo co–founder and CEO Phil White. “With the S5, we’ve created the fastest road bike available, but we’ve also worked incredibly hard to engineer incredible stiffness and ride quality into the frame.”

Looking at the numbers the Cervélo S5 is impressive. Based on wind tunnel testing done at the University of Washington Kirsten Wind Tunnel, the S5 shaves at least 36.8-seconds off a 40-kilometer ride over the Cervélo S3 – often considered to be the fastest aero road bike on the market. The Cervélo S5 trims drag by 92-grams or 9.2-­watts over the S3 frameset, and is defined by five frame elements including a dropped downtube that creates smooth airflow from the fork and onto the downtube. Cervélo then includes a downtube built for bottles, making it aerodynamic even when outfitted with a standard bottle and cage. Next an extended and curved cutout for the rear wheel smooths airflow from the frame and onto the wheel. On the rear of the S5 Cervélo uses brake shielding seatstays that smooth airflow over the rear brake, further minimizing the S5’s drag. Finally Cervélo outfits the S5 with a BBright bottom bracket design for a pedaling platform that is 12-percent stiffer than the S3 with a low weight of of 990-grams. The S5 will debut under the riders of Team Garmin-­Cervélo at the Tour de France.

“We’ve been shown all the test data on the S5, but I don’t need that, I can feel that it’s the fastest and most agile road bike I’ve been on,” said Garmin-­Cervélo’s Thor Hushovd. “In the Tour de France, we’ll be racing about 100 hours over three weeks and, thanks to the S5’s aerodynamics, I’ll be saving energy. That will give me an advantage when it comes down to the sprints.”

The Five Defining Features of the S5


1. A dropped downtube that creates smooth airflow from the fork and onto the downtube.


2. The downtube is built for bottles, making it aerodynamic even when outfitted with a standard bottle and cage.


3. An extended and curved cutout for the rear wheel smooths airflow from the frame and onto the wheel.


4. On the rear of the S5 Cervélo uses brake shielding seatstays that smooth airflow over the rear brake, further minimizing the S5’s drag.


5. Cervélo outfits the S5 with a BBright bottom bracket design for a pedaling platform that is 12-percent stiffer than the S3.

For More information visit: www.cervelo.com