I am contemplating between two bikes. The Caledonia 5 and the Soloist.
They would have to fit in next to my Cervelo P3 which I ride on solo training rides training for Ironmans.
The new bike is for the every day ride. Some long, some not so long (between 60 and 200km). Sometimes solo, sometimes with friends. Mostly flat, sometimes climbing.
Is there really much difference between the two bikes? Would I be much faster on the Soloist than the Caledonia 5 (due to rider position)? Or is this negligible? Would the Caledonia really be that more comfortable on the 100km+ rides than the Soloist? Or is this negligible too?
I’ve been trying to find answers but not been finding many.
Are there any pros or cons for either of the bikes that you can think of (please feel free to share your subjective opinions, no need to be scientific ;-))
Is there anything to say regarding which bike should compliment the TT bike best?
Biggest thing is probably position. If your road bike position is closer to “racer” then the Soloist would involve less fit hassle. If it’s more “fondo” then Caledonia would have the edge.
If your trainer rides ever take you off road, the Caledonia is a bit more gravel-friendly, with better geometry for chunky stuff, and a tad more tire clearance if you want to go full 35mm without too much worry about frame rub. Though the Soloist can certainly go off road.
Yeah, the Caledonia might be marginally more comfortable on long rides, but I tend to think most of that’s in the tires. But frame compliance may play some role.
Soloist more aero if staying wtih fast buddies while training is an issue.
Went bike shopping with a friend a few weeks ago who was looking at these exact two bikes. He was a cyclist in the past but a weekend warrior at best now. He liked the Soloist better on test rides around the parking lot, but agreed that the position was too aggressive for him. Depending on how low/high you want to get you can most likely create the same position on both bikes.
If you plan on doing road racing the Soloist will be faster, if you plan on doing long rides the Caledonia will be more comfortable and cheaper. If you can get into the proper position on the Caledonia and have no plans of racing, I see no reason to spend the extra money on the Soloist.
I’ll also add in the same thing I said to him, do you really need a Cervelo? They’re great bikes, but (IMO) they are priced above comparable bikes from other less flashy brands.
@mathematics. “Need” is a big word. For me though, riding pleasure is greatly elevated when I ride a bike I love. I love Cervelo and spending more on a bike that gives me pleasure riding it I worth the spend. I have been riding for years and have never bought a new and all out dream bike. This will be it
I really like the Caledonia 5, but I need to fly with my bike periodically. My cases require removal of the fork and bars, but the way the Caledonia 5 brake housings are routed through the bars and stem seem to make this a real chore. Not sure if the Soloist would be different.
@mathematics. “Need” is a big word. For me though, riding pleasure is greatly elevated when I ride a bike I love. I love Cervelo and spending more on a bike that gives me pleasure riding it I worth the spend. I have been riding for years and have never bought a new and all out dream bike. This will be it
If that’s the case and you’re going for a dream bike then the Soloist is a better bike, or go all out with their flagship S5.
I am contemplating between two bikes. The Caledonia 5 and the Soloist.
What do you want to do with this bike?
Are you planning on racing in Licensed Road Races or Gran Fondos seriously? If yes to this, then the Soloist would be a great choice - It’s an All In Race bike that would not be out of line on the Start Line of the most competitive Road Races or Gran Fondos anywhere.
If none of the above, and you are just using this other bike for logging training miles, maybe jumping in a Gran Fondo with some flexibility for surfaces - light gravel usage, then I would suggest the Caledonia would be the better choice.
Another bike model to consider in the Caledonia vein, cause I am looking at one right now is the Argon 18 Krypton line either the GF or Pro models. Very similar to the Caledonia - with great versatility and range of surfaces that it can take on!
My previous bike was an R3 mechanical Ultegra/ rim brake .New bike Caledonia 5 Ultegra DI2 bought in September 2020 just after they came out .
As an older rider I wanted a comfortable bike but still wanted a faster bike without race type geometry .
I could not be happier, after logging approx 15,000km since I got it.A big change was switching to 28mm Continental Tubeless from the stock 32 mm tires .
DI2 is a game changer for me and no issues with the Reserve 35mm carbon wheelset .
Major Kudos to JP Tesolin at La Via Ciclante for the input on choice of bike and bike fit .
I’ll also add in the same thing I said to him, do you really need a Cervelo? They’re great bikes, but (IMO) they are priced above comparable bikes from other less flashy brands.
Interesting observation, though it’s not clear specifically which brands you consider as “less flashy”. Not at all consistent with my recent experience.
I bought a Caledonia 105 last month. Over the summer, I looked at that bike, as well as comparable endurance bikes from a number of other major brands. Trek Domane, Specialized Roubaix, Giant Defy Advanced, Canyon Endurace, Cannondale, yadda, yadda, yadda. The pricing I was seeing on Caledonia was in line with pricing on most of the other brands.
Exceptions were Canyon and Giant. My first choice would have been Endurace, but I got tired of seeing nothing but vapor ware. Doesn’t matter what the advertised price is, if there ain’t no stock. The Giant was definitely cheaper, but my current road bike is a Giant, and my experience with it was just so-so. So I went with the Caledonia. Satisfied customer so far.
Which brands specifically have you found to be significantly less expensive than Caledonia for comparable build (say, 105) on an endurance
Carbon fiber road bike? Would love to see the list.
Went bike shopping with a friend a few weeks ago who was looking at these exact two bikes. He was a cyclist in the past but a weekend warrior at best now. He liked the Soloist better on test rides around the parking lot, but agreed that the position was too aggressive for him. Depending on how low/high you want to get you can most likely create the same position on both bikes.
If you plan on doing road racing the Soloist will be faster, if you plan on doing long rides the Caledonia will be more comfortable and cheaper. If you can get into the proper position on the Caledonia and have no plans of racing, I see no reason to spend the extra money on the Soloist.
I’ll also add in the same thing I said to him, do you really need a Cervelo? They’re great bikes, but (IMO) they are priced above comparable bikes from other less flashy brands.
I don’t know any big name carbon aero road framesets at 2700 dollars at real world sub 1000 grams. Everyone with the Soloist at weightweenies and on YouTube are really liking it. The fact you can use any cockpit and bars you want is also a big plus. As is the T47 bb.
I would definitely get the Soloist over the Caledonia. I don’t go off road ever, and you can fit plenty of rubber under the Soloist for comfort. 28s at low pressure are plenty
Just curious, which choice did you make and are you happy with your choice?
I’m in the exact same boat and looking at these exact same 2 bikes. Looking to add an n+1 bike to my P-Series. It would be used for rides in the 50-100 miles range and up to 6k ft of climbing on the longer rides.
I like to ride up and down hill, and want a bike that’s snappy and feels fast.
I also don’t want to be miserably uncomfortable 4 hrs in to a 6 hour day.
I’d be interested to hear if anyone is logging 80+ mile days on a Soloist and whether it hold up comfort-wise.
If I were you I’d focus more on the geometry of the two. If you think you’d ride with a high stack, the Caledonia is probably the one for you, if you’re looking long and low, probably better off with the soloist. Set up with similar wheels, tires, etc I’d imagine either can get the ride qualities you’re looking for.
Fit coordinate geometry is going to be way more important. For example, in size 56 the Caledonia has 15mm more stack and 5mm less reach. If you have to put a ton of spacers on the soloist, that’s going to change the intended weight distribution and impact handling
