I have an R5 from when they came out in 2017. Its a great bike and there’s lots of reviews from when it came out in 2017 comparing it to the old R3/R5. Compared to the current r3 the biggest differences were shorter head tube on r5, stiffer and the D shaped seatpost which is more aero and comfortable. Am ignoring how it gets built up. Bike didn’t change from 2019/20 so a ‘19 if discounted is just a better deal.
All that s aid it is now a 3 year old model that seems like it was designed more for rim brakes than disc (This is my impression - ready for a cervelo designer to correct me and say it was designed first for disc then for rim) and thus personally I wouldn’t get this version right now. I think specialized is coming out with a new tarmac this year and I’d give that a serious look before the cervelo if you’re buying right now. I’m assuming the R5 isn’t that many years from a redesign itself (don’t really know their launch schedule) and if you like Cervelo (which I do) I might wait to see what that is like (at which point the tarmac might be affordable). The current R5 tire clearance is only a 28 while i understand newer bikes are going to more like 30/32. All this is predicated on my assumption that one believes discs are the future of all high end riding whether you agree with merits or not and therefore when buying a bike in 2020 it doesn’t make sense to buy soon to be outdated gear.

Great reply thanks .

I have a R5 disc from late 2018, and it's an amazing bike. It's weight is as light as one could hope and it's super lively and a joy to ride. I run ENVE AR 4/5s with 28mm tyres and there is plenty of room. Could easily run larger tyres.

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"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." T.S. Elliot | Cycle2Tri.com
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I have a 2019 R3 LTD rim brakes, and it is a great bike. I could have gotten an R5 but the geometry was a tad to low/long for me. I got the frame and built it up. Can easily run 28mm tires if I wanted to. Climbing on this bike is a legit pleasure.

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Next races on the schedule: none at the moment

The R5 Disc is a solid, even great bike. If you happen to snatch a limited colour (usually available as framesets only), it looks really great.
It can run 30mm actual width tyres easily, has a trail of 57mm, so handles pretty nice too.

However, to get the best out of it, you will have to:
1) change the R.A.T. axles to something more aerodynamic and way lighter
2) the stock stem is a boat anchor; and the only thing it does, is "optimises" the DI2 wire while your disc brake hoses keep hanging in the wind; so if you need a different length, you probably would want to source a different aftermarket stem
3) the rear brake hose tends to rattle inside the frame, but that can be fixed by proactive action when building the bike
4) the rubber cover over the seatpost clamp is a totally unnecessary stupid design, as it absolutely doesn't prevent the road grit getting straight onto the seatpost clamping screw; you'd be better to mask that area with a nice looking masking tape

As mentioned previously in this thread, Specialized is coming out with the Tarmac SL7 this autumn, while Trek is going to officially drop the new Emonda in 2 days (but pictures of real bikes already available around if you wished to take a look); these would be the 2 alternatives.

Not fully sure about Emonda, which in the SLR version suggests a sub-700g frame, but the current Tarmac SL6 can be built around 200-300 g lighter than the R5 (disc versions); however, since Specialized is doing inner cables, most likely changing the BB for the SL7 to BSA and dropping the Sworks cranks in the process, most of these weight differences probably will evaporate. Anyway, the SL6 (and SL7 most likely) is also as good bike as it gets, and to choose between R5 / SL6 would be almost pure brand preference.

Don't know if Cervelo has any plans for a new R5, no rumours at all around. The "standard" 36 months upgrade cycle expires this year, however, if I'm not mistaken, the last major R5 update also took 4 instead of 3 years for Cervelo.

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Need more W/CdA.

I also had a 2014 Cervelo R3, which was a great bike! I did want to be able to run 28 mm tires on wide rims (HED Belgium Plus and ENVE), so I had my eyes on the newer R3 and R5. I sold the 2014 R3 for a reasonable price, and then had the opportunity to get a 2018/2019 R5 (rim) frame at a great price. I went with rim brakes – the price was great and I already had nice racing and training wheels that I didn't want to have to replace. If I had more money to to put into this, I may have gone with disc brakes, but the entire cost of switching bikes and keeping similar wheels / performance would have been around $2,000 more for disc brakes.
I built up the bike and have been really pleased with it. The differences:
- The R5 feels stiffer and snappier when accelerating, but is very comfortable. In contrast, the 2014 R3 felt muted, less snappy, same comfort.
- I had a 120 mm stem on the R3 and went with a 110 mm stem on the r5 in order to deal with the R5 having a lower stack height. No problems at all with fit. I run a 0 degree seatpost on both bikes (size 56 frame).
- I've been running 28's on the R5 on HED Belgium+ rims, which inflate to around 30 mm wide. There are no clearance issues. I don't see myself ever wanting wider, and if I do, I have a gravel bike.
- The cabling for the R5: the cables enter vertically into the front of the top tube, behind the stem, and then down through the downtube. If you're running Di2, it's fine. If you're running mechanical shifting, this is not ideal – it's a bit inelegant, though it works fine. This might be something to consider strongest.
- Overall I love the R5 and am glad that I went through the process of selling the R3 to make this "upgrade."

OP here , just curious why did you want to ride 28mm on the R5? also was it Ultegra mechanical on both bikes ?

What did you end up deciding?

I’m seeing some great deals on NOS R5s (2019), with a Dura Ace groupset at 40% off. However, similar to what other posters have already brought up, I’ve read that the frame isn’t designed with disc brakes in mind, and you can feel it in the ride quality (words like harsh and dead have been thrown around a lot).

Wondering if this is a bit exaggerated, or more likely, it’s coming from folks who have ridden a lot more road bikes than me and can actually tell a difference.

If anyone else has this bike and can comment on the ride quality and whether or not it makes any sense to pick it up now (especially since it’s a bit aged), I would really appreciate it.

I have an Venge and I just sold my R5 - it was the most difficult decision I have made. The R5 was one of the nicest riding bikes I have ever ridden. I have had stiff bikes and I have had comfortable bikes - this bike manages to nail both. Stiff, comfortable and a really fun bike to ride (not boring/dead at all!).

I sold it a couple of days ago as a gravel bike makes a better n+1 for my use case (and I want a Pegoretti next year). But this was a really painful decision to make, and a part of me regrets it already.

Get it - you wont regret it. At the sale prices, it is one of the best values in bikes out there.

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Those who are slower than me suck.
Those who are faster than me dope

Thank you! That is super helpful feedback. Did you have the disc brake version of the R5?

Hope you’re enjoying the new gravel bike!

You are very welcome. I had the 2019 disc brake version, yeah.

Sadly, the gravel bike is 4-6 weeks away. So I have been using my old custom steel training bike with 37mm wheels (nominal 35c) in the interim. If this is anything to go by, i cant wait to get the Factor :)

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Those who are slower than me suck.
Those who are faster than me dope

OP here , decided and pulled the trigger on a Caledonia 5 Ultegra DI2 .It seems like it’s the perfect bike for my need as I struggled between the R5 and Aspero features on both bikes Reality is that 90% of my rides are on the road but love the option of having the ability to run 34mm tires which should get me on a bit more friendly gravel .
I get it in 5 more sleeps !

congrats. the caledonia is a very attractive bike.

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80/20 Endurance Ambassador

Same here!

2018 RD Disc with Dura Ace Di2 and ENVE 4.5AR's. To say I love this bike, would be an understatement. Managed to convince two buddies to get on the R5 Disc bandwagon too. You won't regret it (especially off you can find on sale like at excel sports https://www.excelsports.com/...major=1&minor=35)

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Tough Times Don't Last, Tough People Do.

Went with this instead of the R5
https://www.cervelo.com/en/caledonia-5

Nice, congrats. That’s a great bike

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Tough Times Don't Last, Tough People Do.