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cervelo caledonia... is it comfortable?
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im currently on a roubaix, previous gen from this current one. my use case is just me riding my bike on super flat roads, mostly crap roads, all by myself. im wanting to "upgrade" to something else... nothing really horribly wrong with my current roubaix other than its 105 and i cant put fatter tires under it, id like to go to electronic shifting with fatter tubeless road tires, so this is a good a reason as any to get something new / different.

for those that have ridden / do ride the caledonia, any impressions on how comfortable the bike is versus a roubaix or domane? from what ive read it leans more towards a race bike over comfort, no springy seat post, no fancy dampening in the front end. that said i know what some good fatter tires running lower pressure can do wonders for comfort.

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Re: cervelo caledonia... is it comfortable? [damon.lebeouf] [ In reply to ]
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Currently riding a Caledonia 5 Ultegra DI2 , I have about 1,000km on it .
Came from a Cervelo R3 mechanical, so I can’t compare to the Roubaix or Domane .
But what I can tell you is that it’s nothing like the R3 , it’s not twitchy, it’s not a climbing bike .
The bike is fast , the bike is comfortable , forgiving , responsive when giving it power , and on 30mm tires at 71PSI .
It’s my first bike with Disc brakes and DI2, both are incredible additions .
I did not want another race type bike , the logical upgrade was to move up to the R5 but I’m 65 and did not want that , I had a Cervelo RS before the R3 .
Reserve Wheels are super comfortable on uneven roads along with the DT Swiss hubs .
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Re: cervelo caledonia... is it comfortable? [sward] [ In reply to ]
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sward wrote:
Currently riding a Caledonia 5 Ultegra DI2 , I have about 1,000km on it .
Came from a Cervelo R3 mechanical, so I can’t compare to the Roubaix or Domane .
But what I can tell you is that it’s nothing like the R3 , it’s not twitchy, it’s not a climbing bike .
The bike is fast , the bike is comfortable , forgiving , responsive when giving it power , and on 30mm tires at 71PSI .
It’s my first bike with Disc brakes and DI2, both are incredible additions .
I did not want another race type bike , the logical upgrade was to move up to the R5 but I’m 65 and did not want that , I had a Cervelo RS before the R3 .
Reserve Wheels are super comfortable on uneven roads along with the DT Swiss hubs .

At the risk of hijacking this post... I have a R3 mechanical and am considering getting a Caledonia. Would you mind giving me more details on the differences / similarities between the R3 and the Caledonia? Thanks in advance
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Re: cervelo caledonia... is it comfortable? [ejd_mil] [ In reply to ]
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ejd_mil wrote:
sward wrote:
Currently riding a Caledonia 5 Ultegra DI2 , I have about 1,000km on it .
Came from a Cervelo R3 mechanical, so I can’t compare to the Roubaix or Domane .
But what I can tell you is that it’s nothing like the R3 , it’s not twitchy, it’s not a climbing bike .
The bike is fast , the bike is comfortable , forgiving , responsive when giving it power , and on 30mm tires at 71PSI .
It’s my first bike with Disc brakes and DI2, both are incredible additions .
I did not want another race type bike , the logical upgrade was to move up to the R5 but I’m 65 and did not want that , I had a Cervelo RS before the R3 .
Reserve Wheels are super comfortable on uneven roads along with the DT Swiss hubs .


At the risk of hijacking this post... I have a R3 mechanical and am considering getting a Caledonia. Would you mind giving me more details on the differences / similarities between the R3 and the Caledonia? Thanks in advance

Was just thinking of asking the same question. I love the feel of my R3 so am curious to know what's different.
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Re: cervelo caledonia... is it comfortable? [sward] [ In reply to ]
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Would you be able to expand on what you mean by the Caledonia not being a climbing bike? Purely a weight comment or something else?

I've had a 2013 R3 and a 2018 R5. Both have been sold and I was eyeing the long front center of the Caledonia along with the tire clearance. Other than a slight weight penalty and 5mm extra chainstay length I'm not sure what would make it not a climbing bike compared to the R5.
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Re: cervelo caledonia... is it comfortable? [daleks] [ In reply to ]
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Purely a weight issue and slightly different geometry / feel in my unprofessional opinion.
My 2014 R3SL (both bikes 54cm ) feels like I could jump out of the saddle and accelerate up the climb regardless of the grade .The Caledonia 5 feels like I can still get up the climb but power up it and may end up with the same time if that make sense .
It is an incredible bike in terms of comfort and being able to power along uneven roads (not gravel) on 30mm tires is important for me in group rides.
Still not 100% happy with my fit yet , but after only 1000km it is to be expected and I will probably get a Retul fit over the winter .
I looked at many bikes over the summer and was torn on what I wanted. Realistically my ratio of asphalt / gravel would be 90/10 and that makes no sense to go high end gravel .
So when Cervelo announced the Caledonia series it ticked all of the boxes right away .
Last edited by: sward: Nov 13, 20 4:47
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Re: cervelo caledonia... is it comfortable? [daleks] [ In reply to ]
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daleks wrote:
Would you be able to expand on what you mean by the Caledonia not being a climbing bike? Purely a weight comment or something else?

I've had a 2013 R3 and a 2018 R5. Both have been sold and I was eyeing the long front center of the Caledonia along with the tire clearance. Other than a slight weight penalty and 5mm extra chainstay length I'm not sure what would make it not a climbing bike compared to the R5.


The R3 or R5 is an amazing bike from a handling perspective. Climbing and bombing descents are amazing compared to, for example, the S5. Crits in a downtown environment the same. I come from a BMX and MTB background so that informs my opinion of “handling” FWIW.

Those were geometry choices by Cervelo. I’m sure Specialized and other brands I haven’t ridden have similar models.

I think when people talk about “climbing bikes” they mean weight but also how it feels while climbing... I’m with you an S5 or R5 or Caledonia all climb the same normalized for weight but each feels different.

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Last edited by: ericMPro: Nov 13, 20 5:44
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Re: cervelo caledonia... is it comfortable? [sward] [ In reply to ]
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I wonder if the difference between the Rs and the Caledonia in your situation is related to wheels? A 23-25mm on a light set of wheels/rims will accelerate differently than a 30+mm gravel tire on a less light wheels/rim. So that may make a bike feel different on the acceleration on a climb both because of weight bit also fly wheel effect of a heavier radial weight? As with any flywheel, the heavier it is the more force/ power etc needed to accelerate or decelerate it but it does want to maintain its speed, a lighter flywheel is both easier to accelerate and decelerate and has less momentum. Just a thought regarding the difference?
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Re: cervelo caledonia... is it comfortable? [damon.lebeouf] [ In reply to ]
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I have the Dura Ace equipped Caledonia 5 with the Enve AR 3.4 wheels... it's an amazing bike and after my first ride on it I sold my 2019 Domane and am contemplating selling my 2020 S5 as well. The Caledonia is an incredible bike, much lighter than both my Domane and my S5, very comfortable, still has a nice race-like feeling and ride quality and really just a great bike for where I live and the type of riding I do.

Comparing to the Domane specifically, I wouldn't say it's noticeably more comfortable, the Domane was quite a nice ride and very plush but the Caledonia is just faster, lighter and has a more responsive feel. I also like the cleaner lines of the Caledonia with the completely hidden cables and nice front and rear garmin/light mounts.
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Re: cervelo caledonia... is it comfortable? [sorelegs] [ In reply to ]
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Curious why you switched out the Reserve wheels for the Enve? What size tires are you running on the Enve’s.
I have the Caledonia 5 Ultegra DI2 and like the Reserve wheels but I am contemplating switching to 28mm instead of the stock 30’s .
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Re: cervelo caledonia... is it comfortable? [sward] [ In reply to ]
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Has anybody ridden the 105 Caledonia?

http://www.fitspeek.com the Fraser Valley's fitness, wellness, and endurance sports podcast
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Re: cervelo caledonia... is it comfortable? [sward] [ In reply to ]
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Hey... the Dura Ace bike came stock with the Enve 3.4's here in Canada. I'm running them tubeless with Vittoria Corsa Control 28mm tires and they are super nice. Much bigger than GP5000 28's that I have on my S5 with Enve 5.6's.

I wanted the silver Ultegra Di2 bike actually but I could get the Dura Ace bike much faster, Ultegra Di2 version wasn't available from my LBS until March 2021
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Re: cervelo caledonia... is it comfortable? [sorelegs] [ In reply to ]
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SoreLegs = Vancouver?

http://www.fitspeek.com the Fraser Valley's fitness, wellness, and endurance sports podcast
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Re: cervelo caledonia... is it comfortable? [sorelegs] [ In reply to ]
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Oh yes , I remember now that my pocketbook would only stretch to the Ultegra DI2 .
I’m in Canada as well and went with the old school Red/White version .l must agree the clean lines and recessed cables are so nice .
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Re: cervelo caledonia... is it comfortable? [Hydrosloth] [ In reply to ]
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Not Vancouver... East coast. Although you're not the first person to ask me that?!?
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Re: cervelo caledonia... is it comfortable? [sorelegs] [ In reply to ]
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sorelegs wrote:
I have the Dura Ace equipped Caledonia 5 with the Enve AR 3.4 wheels... it's an amazing bike and after my first ride on it I sold my 2019 Domane and am contemplating selling my 2020 S5 as well. The Caledonia is an incredible bike, much lighter than both my Domane and my S5, very comfortable, still has a nice race-like feeling and ride quality and really just a great bike for where I live and the type of riding I do.

Comparing to the Domane specifically, I wouldn't say it's noticeably more comfortable, the Domane was quite a nice ride and very plush but the Caledonia is just faster, lighter and has a more responsive feel. I also like the cleaner lines of the Caledonia with the completely hidden cables and nice front and rear garmin/light mounts.

I don't have the Domane to compare to but everything this person wrote. I LOVE the Caledonia-5. It is such a smooth comfortable ride, yet feels light and fast. I have it on the Reserve wheels and SRAM Force AXS set up. Shifting is so clean and easy. It's a great bike for any kind of road surface including light gravel. It's a great investment and I know will last me a long time.
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Re: cervelo caledonia... is it comfortable? [Hydrosloth] [ In reply to ]
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Hydrosloth wrote:
Has anybody ridden the 105 Caledonia?

I have the 105 Caledonia and I love it. It gives me so much more flexibility and options in where I can ride that I am seriously considering selling my S3 in the spring.
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