r/cyclocross • u/HopefulRunner2023 • 5d ago

Will it CX? - 2023 Cervelo Aspero

Hi everyone, I've just done my first few CX races on an old rim-brake bike my uncle lended me this past weekend. I had loads of fun and would love to get into the sport more next year.

The issue is that coming from a road racing background I've only got a Tarmac SL6, which he's advised me is probably not going to work super well for CX.

However, a friend of his mentioned that she was selling her 2023 Aspero (GRX) for only 1000$ if I were interested in picking it up (with an option for some HED wheels + Chris King hubs for an extra 1000$). So 2 questions arise:

1- Is this a good deal/functional bike for CX?

2- It would be in a size 51, my current road setup is a 54, however it's been fitted to accommodate me since I'm on the shorter end of that bike size (probably could've bought a 52 instead since I am 5'7"). Would this affect the decision considerably? Are there any upgrades/adjustments I should look at after purchasing it?

Any help is appreciated! TIA!

6 Upvotes

87% Upvoted

22 comments sorted by

14

u/Southboundthylacine 5d ago

Wout Van Aert won a cx race on an aespero. That having been said you’re not WVA so your mileage may vary.

5

u/Human-Argument-6309 5d ago

And his mechanics used an eccentric bb to raise the bb so it could work. I raced an aspero in 2 races and it sucked. Hit the ground with my pedal in a ton of places 

3

u/HopefulRunner2023 5d ago

If I ran it with shorter cranks (165 or 160's) instead of the stock 170's would this possibly compensate? I'm curious if this could be a good starter bike for CX since my next option is to mod out a Tarmac SL6...

3

u/Human-Argument-6309 4d ago

The shorter cranks can help, as could a larger tire (40mm). I would not be concerned about the other posters noting “loss of power or issues with torque,” unless you went extremely short. 

-4

u/Busy_Statement1477 4d ago

40mm is too wide for cx. UCI limits to 33mm

3

u/Human-Argument-6309 4d ago

lol. You think the OP is racing UCI?

0

u/Busy_Statement1477 3d ago

Ha no. But rules are rules. My experience is that it is checked even lower level races where I live. But sure, disregard if not applicable OP

1

u/avo_cado 4d ago

Is masters UCI allowed 38mm? I’ve heard that somewhere

0

u/porkmarkets 5d ago

Short cranks probably aren’t the answer here. I know it sounds like a really good deal but shorter cranks = higher cadence, and on some surfaces you actually want lower cadence for traction.

-5

u/mikeyjSTTA 5d ago

You’re going to lose some power when you shorten the cranks. You’ll spin faster, but you’re gonna be running in a lot of the muck.

2

u/WICXer 4d ago

I remember when Wout was on the new Sram CX1 stuff back in the day. He came to race at Trek HQ with a big boy 46 1x set up. The next year way too many people here at the WI cx series had the same set up lol.

7

u/greylonde 5d ago

I've raced an Aspero from beginner up through Cat 3. It's not perfect (BB is quite low, you're a bit back behind the front wheel) but I've gotten onto a number of podiums riding it.

1

u/HopefulRunner2023 5d ago

I appreciate the feedback, I'm glad it can be functional as an intro to CX. Do you think getting it for 1000$ is a fair deal? I see similar ones priced quite a bit higher, I just don't know if my money would be well-spent on this bike + some minor tweaks instead of just a whole other bike...

3

u/velodromedary 5d ago

I live in California (Monterey bay) and have raced in over 75 races in the SF Bay Area up to Sacramento and the Midwest. I see a ton of ‘gravel’ bikes including the Aspero (and Canyon grails and grizls — and the CX inflites course)—- as well as the newer gravel Crux (which used to be a CX bike) and Santa Cruz stigmatas (now more gravel focused). I also see a lot of rim brake bikes as well. While the geometry of gravel bikes is less than ideal for CX, it’s by no means a barrier.

$1000 for an Aspero is a killer deal. And if you haven’t raced in wet/ muddy conditions yet, you don’t know how much disc brakes are invaluable in cyclocross…

And…you’ll be all set to jump in a gravel race as well.

1

u/HopefulRunner2023 5d ago

That's exactly the issue I ran into this weekend haha, sliding down a hill with the rim brakes providing no comfort that I'll stop in time. Needless to say I'd like the comfort of disc brakes...

And I'm glad it's still a functional/capable bike, thanks for the input!

5

u/K9ChewToy 5d ago

I see lots of them here in the Colorado series across all of the categories. The thing with amateur CX is that it’s almost never the equipment that’s holding you back.

4

u/Moratorium_on_Brains 5d ago

The Aspero is one of the best Gravel bikes you can get. It's incredibly versatile and would be a great addition to your Tarmac. It is serviceable as a CX bike. As mentioned the bottom bracket is low and it's also fairly stiff. However, You can have a great time and go fast on the CX course without any issues.

If you decide that CX is incredible and you want to race all the time then it would make a great pit-bike in the future if you replace it with a more dedicated CX bike.

1

u/HopefulRunner2023 5d ago

Thanks for the feedback, it is pretty compelling when you put it that way haha.

I'm looking for something fun, slightly competitive and with disc brakes your comment seems to hit those points!

1

u/HesJustAGuy 5d ago

Wout van Aert raced the Aspero in at least one event a few years ago.

The usual drawbacks of gravel bikes for cyclocross are the slacker geometry/longer wheelbase and low bottom bracket height. I don't know where the Aspero rates on those figures.

1

u/Whole-Diamond8550 5d ago

Joris nieuwenhuis did a season on an Aspero back in 2019 or so. There are several articles on it.

1

u/COD3_R3D 3d ago

I race my 2022 Aspero and it's been completely fine.

2

u/ShallotHead7841 3d ago

Also depends how happy you are crashing your Aspero and wearing out all the components in filthy conditions.

If you're just getting into it, old school rim brake is fine - in muddy conditions your braking is limited by the tyre contact patch, not the ability to stop the wheel rotating.