Cervelo teases Backroad Racer gravel road bike coming December 15

Written by Tyler Benedict Dec 08, 2015 4:08 p.m. ET

Support us! Bikerumor may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More

Cervelo opened the molds to disc brakes with the introduction of the R3 Disc at Eurobike, and soon to follow is an all-new gravel/any/all road bike that was behind closed curtains at the big show. So, we don’t have all the details yet, but judging from three preview videos they’ve published, there’s a lot to be excited about.

Roll on in for the vids and lots of screen caps and speculation…

The new bike looks to based on the Squoval and round-tube aesthetics of their R-series, but with the S-series’ pencil thin seatstays.

The big difference is that those stays meet the seat tube much lower, likely to improve small bump compliance and redirect vibrations from the rider’s rear end.

Front and rear brakes appear to be flat mount, like on the R3 Disc, and thru axles front and rear are likely.

Tire clearance looks generous.

If this new bike can keep close to the R3 Disc’s claimed frame weight of about 950g, it should be a real competitor in the high end gravel/gran fondo/endurance road bike category. Here’s the videos:

Cervelo.com

Tyler Benedict

11,206 articles

Tyler Benedict is the Founder of Bikerumor.com. He has been writing about the latest bikes, components, and cycling technology for almost two decades. Prior to that, Tyler launched and built multiple sports nutrition brands and consumer goods companies, mostly as an excuse to travel to killer riding locations throughout North America.

Based in North Carolina, Tyler loves family adventure travel and is always on the lookout for the next shiny new part to make his bikes faster and lighter.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

21 Comments

Oldest

Newest Most Voted

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Dude

8 years ago

Reminds me of a Giant Defy.

Greg Devins

8 years ago

I hope they got rid of the evil toe overlap that their normal road bikes have.

TomM

8 years ago

OMG, Enve makes carbon fiber socks? How much do they weigh?

Myke

8 years ago

@TomM Enve does and they are crazy light! But it will cost you arm & a leg!

Birdman

8 years ago

This is very exciting news!

Rocky Gardeno

8 years ago

Listiening to bad music on hold with the warranty department to place a claim, I figure I will get this process started early

Ajax

8 years ago

I zoomed I. To the rear drops. That is not a thru axle rear. I’m not buying unless it has thru-axles front and rear, and a 100 x 15mm front. If they decide to put a 100 x 12mm front on there, I am going to buy a different bike.

Bill

8 years ago

I want to like this company, I really do. The Aluminum Soliost I wanted from the first time I saw it, and when I got it it was great.. until the seattube cracked at the weld. Then, when the warranty frame’s headtube weld cracked, I figured maybe there was a reason they went all in on carbon and quit making aluminum. I got a P3, and well.. The BB issues others had, the shitty seatpost clamp design that compresses a point in an aero seatpost.. yeah, same story everyone else had here too.

Then the company pivots into the R5Ca and the founder “leaves” to make cervelo off road bikes called Open cycles. Both basically a giant boutique show.. more power to them. Now they want back in the mass market hype-machine that is gravel anything.

Sorry Cervelo, nothing you’ve done has ever really worked out for me. You’re a marketing company that keeps trying to make bikes.

The Germ

8 years ago

Two models: C3 & C5

JonB

8 years ago

@Myke on the plus side, with them costing an arm and a leg, you effectively get an “extra” sock! Your power does get a bit compromised though…

Really liking the new gravel grinder/disc brake road bike push. Slack, comfy road bikes with disc brakes? Yes please! Will have to pick one up used in a few years from the current crop…

Will

8 years ago

@Bill: i loved my cervelo R3 circa 2011. It probably handled better than any bike i have ever ridden. I didn’t like having a pressfit BB, but i think that isn’t something to hang cervelo on (unless you hang the entire industry on pressfit, which i do). I know this might be a bit of a stretch, but i can’t help but notice every carbon bike on the market began to look as close as possible to the cervelo r3/r5. They do their homework, all major companies are marketing machines, i happen to think cervelo made a pretty good bike to go with it.

For gravel though, i think we are talking about a different mentality that pressfit BBs and carbon don’t lend theirselves well too.

Robert

8 years ago

Whoever wrote this has no clue about Cervelo design or history… The R series was famous for the pencil seat stays, not the S series.
The R series that was introduced in 2006 set the standard for the bike industry for the past 10 years, all others were copies.

Rocky Gardeno

8 years ago

need to study the Geometry. The GT Grade is a similar bike but has an amazing ride due to its geometry

8 years ago

@robert – when you say the R series set the standard everyone copied, you mean the Parlees that Tyler Hamilton rode painted as cervelo, which the R was modelled off, right?

Andrew

8 years ago

P- Tyler Hamilton rode Parlees disguised as Looks before CSC was sponsored by Cervelo, but I’m actually pretty sure he never rode a Parlee disguised as a Cervelo…

M.C. Slammer

8 years ago

I have owned two carbon S models. They are the noisiest bikes I have ever been on. I can only imagine he kind of chatter that’s going to come off this thing. No thanks.

Kernel Flickitov

8 years ago

Ajax, I don’t hear Jeff Kendall-Weed complaining about his out-dated QR equipped Ibis Hakkalügi. I see, 12 or 15 front thru axle is really something to get worked up over. But, I digress… Can you ride like this?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQu9Q1viJ9s

Alex

8 years ago

@ Ajax, The UCI just announced the standard for racing will be 100×12. Why would you want 100×15… seems pretty obvious road is going with 12.

Fast Forward Freddy

8 years ago

12mm axles allow for larger bearings to be used with center lock rotors. This is important because if you are running 140mm rotors, you really should have ice techs, which are only made in center lock for 140mm.

Listerine

8 years ago

Any disc bike that Cervelo puts out will be thru-axle. I know this for a fact.

tirider

8 years ago

I rep’d Cervelo for a few years and we were told the R is for Bjarne Riis during the Test Team era, since this was posted I have been holding my tongue. I still remember the day Phil White said they’d never do a disc road due to the aerodynamic disadvantages.