A MATTER OF WATTS
Back in 2019, Áspero shook up the cycling world by ushering in a “new era of speed in gravel.” The new Áspero stays true to those early, simpler days of pure gravel racing, but now comes with a series of refinements: a threaded bottom bracket, tidier cable routing, and a UDH-compatible derailleur hanger for riders running SRAM drivetrains. And of course, it’s more aerodynamic.
With Áspero, however, aerodynamic performance isn’t just about outright speed—it’s about saving energy through reduced drag. After a long day of headwinds, the three watts saved compared to the previous Áspero might be the equivalent of one less energy gel your stomach has to digest. Try it, and you’ll feel the difference.
Beyond the aero gains, we’ve also dropped the seat stays to improve rear-end compliance and slightly reduced front-end stiffness to take the sting out of those final hours of truly long races. Between the lowered stays we carved out more mud clearance, drawing from what we learned on the R5-CX (and at the mud-soaked 2023 Unbound).
Each of these updates might seem small on its own, but together they add up to a lot. The result is a bike that looks very much like the original Áspero, but in practice is faster, more comfortable, and more versatile.