Cervélo Caledonia 5 Ultegra Di2 review: it rides like a dream, but the price is a nightmare

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The Cervélo Caledonia 5 has long been a great blend of endurance and high performance, and this latest update to the platform only reinforces that.

With increased tyre clearance, down-tube storage and refined adjustability, Cervélo has ensured the Caledonia’s place at the sharp end of endurance road bikes.

The new Caledonia 5 is priced at £7,400 / $8,700 / €7,999.

Cervélo Caledonia 5 Ultegra Di2 frame

The Caledonia 5 frameset looks, at first glance, much the same as the previous version. Take a closer look, however, and you’ll find an increase in tyre clearance from 34 to 36mm, and a smart new down-tube storage hatch.

These are small updates, no doubt, but they make the Caledonia more user-friendly while maintaining its road-performance edge, rather than tipping into all-road territory.

Think of the Caledonia 5 as a pure road bike, a bike to rival the Giant Defy, rather than taking on rough stuff like the Trek Domane or Specialized Roubaix SL8 – which have 38 and 40mm tyre clearance respectively.

Cervélo also wanted to keep the chainstays on the Caledonia as short as possible, at 415mm (the Defy’s are 420mm), to keep the handling as agile as the race-focused R5, just with a more comfortable ride position. 36mm is ample for riders who rarely go beyond tarmac, though.

The hourglass head tube is also reminiscent of the R5, as is the way the fork integrates cleanly with the crown.

The aero-shaped headset bearing cover and spacers also now have a split design to make stack-height adjustments easier.

An added benefit is it’s easier to adjust the stack height and switch headset caps without needing to first split the brake hoses and remove the stem.

Anything, no matter how small, that makes internal routing maintenance easier is welcome in my book.

The rear of the bike has low-slung seatstays that look as if they could have been harvested straight from the gravel-going Aspéro.

The seatpost is D-shaped for added aero efficiency and, much like Giant’s D-Fuse design, adds a smattering of compliance.

The biggest change is the down tube; it's typically Cervélo – oversized and boxy, therefore the perfect shape for hosting storage space.

The storage is accessed through a flip-locking hatch just above the down tube bottle cage and, inside, a storage bag holds a spare tube, multi-tool and C02 cartridge.

The bottom bracket shell is Cervélo’s long-standing BBright standard, although here it's combined with a thread-together bottom bracket.

So instead of relying solely on an interference fit with the BB shell, the two halves of the bottom bracket ‘thread together’ centrally to help keep the two bearings aligned and stable within the frame.

The frame has fender/mudguard mounts with a removable bridge on the rear stays. It's a welcome addition on a bike designed to be ridden big distances all-year round.

Cervélo Caledonia 5 Ultegra Di2 geometry

The bike's geometry is classic endurance bike stuff, pairing a 72-degree head tube angle with a 51mm fork offset, giving the Caledonia 5 a trail figure of 57.8mm on a 30mm tyre.

The seat tube angle of 73 degrees is regular road stuff, but the chainstays run out to only 415mm – short by modern standards. For endurance, 420mm is more typical, although Ribble’s racy Allroad also has 415mm chainstays.

Although it has a longer rear centre than a pure road race bike, such as the R5, it’s shorter than most. The lower bottom bracket and increased trail add up to a bike with quick handling but more stability.

The Caledonia 5 comes with UCI certification and it’d be a useful racing companion for tougher classic events.

Cervélo Caledonia 5 Ultegra Di2 build

Shimano’s Ultegra Di2 8150 is the heart of this build. The 12-speed gearing is very much at the racy end of endurance, pairing a tall 52/36-tooth crankset with a wide 11-34t cassette.

The Caledonia’s gearing is pitched at elite riders and certainly not at the average-fitness rider looking to head for the mountains.

Its 52/36 crankset means you have ample speed for the flat and descents, although at the other end of the scale, stiff climbs will be more of a challenge.

The Ultegra brakes are combined with 160mm CL800 rotors front and rear.

Cervélo has specced 4iiii’s Precision Pro dual-sided power meter crankset, which reinforces the performance-focused nature of the bike.

The bike rolls on sister brand Reserve’s latest 42/49 wheelset. This features a 42mm-deep front rim with a 25.5mm internal width, and a 49mm-deep rear with a slightly narrower 24.5mm width.

These rims are now combined with Zipp’s 76 and 176 hubs, weigh 1,400g a pair and are tubeless-ready.

The bike rolls on voluminous Vittoria Corsa N.EXT TLR G2.0 tyres in a 30mm width – a definite upgrade from the second-tier Rubino Pro tyres on this model’s predecessor.

Up-front, we get Cervélo’s neatly integrating ST32 stem and the shapely HB13 carbon bar. At the rear, Cervélo also provides the bespoke D-shaped carbon seatpost, topped with Selle Italia’s short Novus Boost saddle.

Cervélo Caledonia 5 Ultegra Di2 ride impressions

The Caledonia 5’s on-road manners are impeccable – the bike has a wonderful blend of pace, reactive handling and rut-reducing smoothness.

On hard, frosty roads and scarred surfaces, the 5 is one of the best bikes of its kind.

This sort of smooth riding wouldn't usually be associated with a bike that feels so alive when it comes to handling. It’s confidence-inspiring while also exciting.

The ride position is spot-on, with the bar height and reach enough to keep me comfortable on long rides, without feeling dull or lazy.

The Caledonia 5 accelerates without drama – the overwrought feeling of stiffness from the head tube, down through the bottom bracket and into the rear wheel, gives the feel of an efficient, purposeful race-ready bike.

It's a superb combination with the Caledonia 5’s ample comfort levels, aided by the excellent Vittoria tyres.

Each element of the Caledonia 5 gets things right. The handlebar is superbly shaped, wrapped in quality tape and does a good job of stilling road buzz.

At the rear of the bike, the Selle Italia saddle is a personal favourite, so I’ve no issues there either.

The Ultegra Di2 drivetrain is Shimano’s best option for real-world riders, with the same ergonomics and exemplary performance as Dura-Ace but at a much cheaper price.

The 52/36t crankset is suited to stronger riders, but still offers a 36/34 lightest gear that's ample for even the most severe climbs.

The broad 11-34 cassette won’t put off elite riders either because, thanks to the 12 sprockets, the ratios are close with single-tooth jumps for the first five gears (11 to 15).

The stiffness in the frame makes itself known when climbing – the efficient way in which it accelerates on the flat is mirrored here.

It’s a bike that revels in out-of-the-saddle climbs and I felt it punched above its 8.28kg weight when riding uphill.

Cervélo Caledonia 5 Ultegra Di2 bottom line

I’m smitten with the Caledonia 5’s ride, it’s the most accomplished version to date and is a joy to ride.

The major downside is the price. When I tested the previous Caledonia 5 in 2020 in the same Ultegra Di2 guise, the price was £5,799. It was £6,999 last year, but is now up to £7,400.

Yes, it has gained a power meter, but £7,400 is a lot of money. It’s not just a Cervélo problem, Trek’s Gen 4 Domane with Ultegra Di2 is £9,275, Specialized’s Roubaix SL8 Pro is £8,000 and neither of those comes with a power meter. Cervélo has bettered both when it comes to value.

But compared to the Ribble Allroad SL R Pro I tested it alongside at £4,599 – with Ultegra Di2 and Mavic 42 carbon wheels – it's expensive.

It's more than double the price of the similarly equipped Cube Attain C:62 SLT, at £2,999.

The Caledonia 5 is a wonderful bike, I’m just not convinced it’s twice as wonderful as the Cube.

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