Some of you might remember the Cervélo Soloist of the early 2000’s when it made a name for itself on multiple Grand Tours. Now the brand brings the popular bike back, with a fast-and-light focus somewhere between the S5 and the R5 bikes.
The Soloist comes in a touch lighter than S5, but improves on the R5’s aerodynamics with a contoured frame, dropped seat stays, and a D-shaped seatpost. It borrows the threaded bottom bracket from the R5-CX and can accommodate either mechanical or electronic shifting.
Cervélo puts the new iteration of the Soloist at “about” 250 grams heavier than the R5 and 250 grams lighter than the S5. The design objective is clear: the company makes the Soloist for anyone who doesn’t have the space, cash, time, or other limiting factors you need to overcome to own multiple high-spec road bikes.
“Far from being pros-only, the new Soloist has been designed for the week-in, week-out amateur racer. It balances lightweight and aerodynamic performance to deliver a bike that really is just right,” Cervélo says.
The bike comes in six sizes, from 48-61cm. Component sets range from a Shimano 105 wired kit at the lower end to Shimano Di2 at the top of the line. MSRP: $3,400 to $6,800, or $2,700 for a frameset including a frame, fork, and seat post.
