duncan wrote:
Dan, in your long term review of the Cal5, you write that the base Ultegra DI2 model has a 36 x 30 lowest gear. However, it actually comes with an 11–34 cassette, just like the mechanical versions. I know, since I had my LBS swap it out for an 11–32 on my Ultegra/GRX mashup. Apart from that, I went for the regular Caledonia over the Cal5 for, well, all the reasons that you give. One thing that I have not read in any of the Caledonia reviews is how freaking silent the bike is. My R5 race bike is like a rolling sound board; when accidentally hitting large potholes, the front end in particular can make terrifying "bang" sounds. In comparison, the Caledonia is quiet as a mouse, which I believe makes a big difference in the sense of smoothness and confidence it gives on rough surfaces. I can't help but think that Cervélo must have specifically worked on acoustic damping.
i guess i goofed on the gearing. i remember that one option was really limited, gearing-wise, and that's especially at the high end, in the Cal5. as in, maybe, 11-30 or something. and that defeats the purpose, in my opinion, of a bike that's built for it's specific use case, in areas where there are mountains or at least ascents or any consequence.
what we really need are mechanical versions of SRAM's current AXS drivetrains. we need a mechanical 1x 12sp 10-50, and we need mechanical 12sp 2x using SRAM's AXS cranks and wide range cassettes. basically, we need mechanical shifters and derailleurs that will cover those gearing ranges that AXS covers. a groupset like this on a caledonia frame (the affordable version) would just be killer. or, shimano mechanical groupsets that do this.
Dan Empfield
aka Slowman