IT'S A MIRACLE THAT THE CERVÉLO R5-CX EXISTS AS an all-new model in 2023. Viewed from outside the cyclocross bubble, this is a niche bike. Bikes like the R5-CX often fail to make it into most brands' product lines, as the market is small. Production bikes are generally not made for a focus group of two riders. But when your name is Wout van Aert or Marianne Vos, those norms go out the window.
The R5-CX is Cervélo's love letter to cyclocross. It's a purpose-built bike designed for the exacting demands of top riders. It thoroughly excels at that task; the bike's results speak for themselves.
Digging into the development process and riding the bike, I discovered the R5-CX is much more than just another elite race bike. This bike is about dedicated people working against the clock to deliver a world-class product. And it's a tale about why some bikes get overlooked because of their name or marketing label.
RACING IS A NEAR-UNIVERSAL ELEMENT MANY RIDERS embrace at some point in their cycling lives. Thus race bikes carry an almost magical aura for many.
Trying to best a sibling around the block on a hot summer's day, going for the town-line sprint on a Sunday morning group ride, climbing the Stelvio's fabled 48 switchbacks in the Giro d'Italia-bikes are formally and informally raced in endless ways. Even if it doesn't require paying an entry fee or affixing a number plate to a bike or jersey, almost all of us "race" a bicycle at some point.
As purpose-built machines, race bikes have a seemingly simple-sounding mission, but one that is sometimes impossible to achieve: carry a rider over a certain distance faster than any other competitors. Since bike-racing disciplines are so varied, having nuanced and specific needs required for success, dozens of variants of race bikes exist to eke out hundredths of seconds in competition.
This story is from the Spring 2023 edition of Bicycling US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Spring 2023 edition of Bicycling US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
ONE MAN'S OBSESSIVE CRUSADE TO Take Down Zwift Cheats
Indoor cycling and virtual racing are booming, and so are the ranks of digital dopers abusing the platforms.
WHAT I LEARNED WHEN LOST IT ON A MOUNTAIN BIKE
A lifelong roadie tries singletrack for the first time. It did not go as planned.
THE UNLIKELY HERO WHO RECOVERED OVER 200 STOLEN BIKES IN ONE AMERICAN CITY
It was a sunny day in the summer of 2022. There were some things I had to move into the house, so I left the garage door open. I was gone less than 15 minutes.
YOU CAN BE MORE THAN JUST A CYCLIST
I'VE ALWAYS HAD A LOVE FOR SPORTS, starting with the usual team ones such as football and baseball. But that faded in favor of more individual pursuits. Watching my dad roll down the driveway to go for a ride, I wanted to do the same. The bike was my first taste of freedom, a freedom to do it my way.
THE RIGHT SADDLE CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE
UP UNTIL RECENTLY, I WAS, AT BEST, A TWICEa-month cyclist.
HOW TO SAY GOODBYE TO THE RIDER YOU USED TO BE
CYCLISTS OF ALL LEVELS GO THROUGH various phases or eras over the years they spend in the saddle. For the vast majority of riders (myself included), these things happen privately, without fanfare.
BIKES MAKE THE WORLD A MORE INCLUSIVE PLACE
LIFE'S A BEAUTIFUL PUZZLE THAT COMES in all sorts of shapes, colors, and sizes.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD CYCLING SCENE, ANYWAY?
I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF INVOLVING myself in a few populous and dramatically different cycling communities.
CHOOSE GEAR THAT INSPIRES YOU TO HAVE FUN E
EVEN THOUGH I TEST LOADS OF CYCLING gear for a living, sometimes I get locked in on particular items and find it difficult to enjoy competing products, even if those products have obvious advantages.
WHY YOU DESERVE A CUSTOM BIKE
Custom. The word evokes passionate opinions about what constitutes a custom-made bike and who gets to ride one. There's this idea that they're wildly expensive pieces of functional art meant only for the fittest, fastest riders.
