Cervelo ZFS - 5 Race MTB Mid Term Live Ride Review
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- čas přidán 26. 08. 2024
- What's the tech and inspiration behind Cervelo's new XC bike and how does it compare to Blur, Epic Evo and Spark benchmarks? Tech talk though then dark singletrack dive into the details and dynamic vibe of the ZFS-5 after several months riding a pre production frame.
Thanks to Cervelo for getting me well ahead of the curve on this one and Giro Cycling UK, Peaty’s Products, Crud XL Fenders, Torq Nutrition and Hebtroco for supporting the channel.
Thanks as always to my Patreon supporters for their monthly pledges. If you like what I'm doing and want early, extended and exclusive edits, personal buying and tech advice and other Patreon perks click on the link here: www.patreon.co...
Any questions get busy in the comments.
Cheers
Guy
Great review as always Guy, I’m between two bikes, Cervelo ZFS5 100mm GX AXS or the Specialized World Cup Pro, just need something for single track and high speed trails, could you give me your expert opinion having ridden both bikes 👍🏻
What are your opinions on the 100mm version instead of the 120mm? Currently only the 100mm version is on closeout but I'd be slightly more interested in the 120mm version because I'm not 100% convinced of going the full blown xc setup where I would have a hard time taking this on any trail a bit gnarlier than prototypical xc trails (green and blue). I also understand overbiking is a thing, so I am unsure if my concerns are really justified. What do you think? It's just a killer price right now!
Guy, How does this compare to the Carbine SL you tested way bitd? I can get the 120 GX AXS for £4k new. Just wondering how similar the ethos is to the SL, which i still own.
Guy, what 3P Sid lux did you use on the rear? The Blur tune? Or did you get a custom tune for the zfs?
Thanks for the detailed review! Do the more compliant seatstays result in a less firm feeling pedaling platform compared to the Blur TR? Any other thoughts on the differences in ride feel between the two?
I'm currently trying to decide between the two bikes, and it is a difficult decision since many of the differences seem to be in the tube shapes and layup. I have to believe they're very different bikes, or Cervelo wouldn't have spent money on new carbon molds.
Thanks for any thoughts. Cheers!
Kinda wishing I could fit aero road wheels and gravel tires on it - along with TT bars - to turn this into an endurance Frankenbike
No reason you can’t put gravel tyres on the current wheels chief
@@GuyKesTV yeah but it's the deep-section wheels whose limits I'd be interested in testing
@@MrVrob8 I reckon it’s not long before we start seeing deep section wheels on Boost hubs, or you could get some customs made up
@@GuyKesTV Mighttt have started looking into this. Also, what is the biggest chainring that could be fitted onto the ZFS?
@@MrVrob836T
You said the ZHT 5 frame is pretty compliant, even better than some FS XC bikes. The ZFS is tempting, my heart was with the ZHT…
people can’t tell how compliant a frame is, 99.99% of compliance is the tire, a single psi of pressure difference in a tire makes more compliance difference than any two frames. its all just imagined or caused by different tire models/sizes/pressures. the good news is you can delete frame compliance from the list of things to worry about on bikes.
@@JackMott you never rode the carbon Santa Cruz Chameleon then. That thing rattles bones….
@@frienduro24 people say that about all kind of bikes, like roadies say it about aero road bikes, but then if you hide the bike from view with fabric or funny helmets so they can't see it, and see if they can identify the stiff frame from the comfortable one, they cannot. If you rode that bike and it felt awful, it likely had hard tires, or high tire pressures, or badly setup shocks.
Oh christ yes, that made the alloy chameleon feel like a feather bed!
@@JackMott I don't know how, but you can tell.
Is this the 100 or 120 frame? Looking at doing a similar build with the SID Ultimate 3P 120mm and Sidluxe Ultimate 3P 45mm. Enjoy your channel and reviews!
That's the longer shock and fork spec, same as you're thinking of
Does this mean i can use bearings bought from SCruz on this bike in case of replacement ?
Thanks for the review of the new ZFS-5. Looks like a great bike. Trying to decide between this one or sworks Epic World Cup or canyon lux for the Cape Epic next year. What are your thoughts?
There's a review of the WC on my channel from about a month ago. TBH I'd definitely go for the Epic Evo over the WC for an event like Cape Epic (I'm super jealous you're doing that BTW). The EE and ZFS are very similar too in terms of geom and weight and ride feel though the Cervelo has a more positive pedal feel and you get the new 3 position SIDs on the 100mm bikes. Weirdly Cervelo are cheaper too. I've not ridden the latest Lux I'm afraid but from what I gather it's a more old skool suspension / geometry feel so probably hard work as the days get long. Lux Trail is a better shape but the RockShox rear shock needs retuning. Also I checked the other day and they're running very low on stock and only have a few models left which makes me think there's a new version coming? Hope that helps
@@GuyKesTV Cheers that's really helpful - coming from the road I wanted something that would climb well and it sounds like the EVO would be the best all rounder and possibly the Cervelo needs to be tested. Very much appreciate your input
@@grantventer ZFS climbs better than the EVO IMHO. I’m getting a 2nd gen version of a ‘similar bike to the Epic WC’ tomorrow that I’ll be able to tell you about on the 10th. So keep eyes peeled for that. If you let me know roughly where you live I can ask the Cervelo guys where you might find a demo
@@GuyKesTV Im just outside of London - Hertfordshire. Excited to see the review on the 10th. Im going to hold of buying till then
@@GuyKesTV The Orbea Oiz is also a good choice for that whit more bang for the cold hard buck or Scott Spark.
New blur in the pipeline? I am tempted for one of these framesets, what does the seat tube length measure? Doesn't seem to be that measurement on their webpage
Hi Guy, love the videos… quick Q, if you was going to buy one XC bike for yourself what would it be? quite like the spark RC but the PF BB concerns me..
Yeah, my mate Amy has a Spark and it was eating BBs and suspension bearings until we stuck Enduro Bearings in there. Right now I'd genuinely get the Cervelo. With the 3P SID it's basically all the best bits of Blur, Spark and Epic Evo and surprisingly it's not stupid expensive either
I was looking at the stock shimano bb on my spark 910 just the other day and remarking to my colleague just how smooth and free running it is. Probably 18 months old and used almost everyday for commuting like a gravel bike would. I've done a couple of big rides and a 100mile mtb race. What I wouldn't run is a large 29 or 30mm axel in the bb92 though. And I take the crank out and clean the bb regularly.
@@philr696 smaller axles, bigger balls and good maintenance for the win then 👍🏻
How does it pedal/climb vs the Epic WC?
Sorry Jason, EPIC WC can be set up very stiff initially so if you’re smooth it’s rigid. However because the shock lock is air spring based not compression lock once the shock starts moving it’s actually very supple. There’s very low anti squat too so it squashes down with each pedal stroke. That means I generally set it up pretty open so at least I had smooth traction but also a lot of movement when pedalling. There’s no way to change the shock set up/lock while riding either.
In contrast the ZFS with the SID three mode can be run open for a supple grippy feel but with less pedal bob because it has more anti squat. Or you can put it in pedal for a firmer feel or completely lock it for zero bob. All from the twist grip remote.
Seatpost tube and top tube junction looks . Like a failure point . Dunno wait n see
I've been hammering mine like a trail bike for a year now with no issues