Cervelo introduces the ZHT-5: An XC focused brand first

Wednesday, 5 October 2022 Simon Cox

It’s not every day a brand launches into an entirely new category. So, whatever your take on the geometry, spec, and price point, the all-new Cervelo ZHT-5 is big news.

Why now? Why XC?

Multi-discipline athletes are undeniably the superstars of an already ‘packed with talent’ field of pro riders. Indeed, a certain female multi-discipline World Champion is rumoured to be on the move, and that deal would also have bike brand implications.

Basically, exciting times all round.

So for Cervelo, and Lotto Jumbo, the news that they’d added Dutch XCO champ Milan Vader to the roster meant he needed a bike to win races, including World Cup and the 2024 Olympics. The Cervelo ZHT-5 is designed to be just that.

As the brand points out, “Bike racing is bike racing. Some athletes are great climbers, some are Classics diesels, and some have the blend of skills and fitness to compete at the highest levels of XCO racing, too. We’re about speed, and the shape of the handlebar doesn’t limit us any more than it limits the athletes racing.”

So the ZHT-5 is a bike that’s unashamedly race focused, and targeted 100% at propelling athletes to “the pointy end of any cross-country race”. Makes sense for a brand that’s heritage is in elite racing on the road, and has made a move into Gravel as that race scene hots up.

The 68.5 degree head angle, and the general geometry of the bike, has, in the past 24 hours, certainly gained more than a few comments from the keyboards of the world. For a more balanced view, one Guy Kesteven has plenty of good things to say. I know who’s view I value more….

Either way, I doubt the ‘geometry debate’ will impact on sales one bit. Brand power, paired with elite racing, will surely see Cervelo sell more than they can make for the European XC racing market. In the UK, obviously that’s not the same situation, with the domestic XC scene not having the same amount of fans, racers, and general interest.

The bike is offered in 2 specs, with the ZHT-5 XX1 AXS being full XC World Cup spec (minus dropper post, for which there is an internal cable route), retailing at £8500, and the ZHT-5 GX Eagle AXS, offered at £5000, making it a little more accessible, and not exactly what you’d call lacking in quality kit for weekend XC racers.