Cervelo Soloist Rival AXS Bike

The Cervelo Soloist Rival AXS Bike puts Cervelo's aero road platform within reach of racers who want electronic shifting and a built-in power meter without paying for a top-tier groupset. This build pairs the Soloist's redesigned aero frame with SRAM's Rival AXS E1 wireless drivetrain, making it one of the more accessible ways into a genuinely race-focused aero road bike.

Cervelo rebuilt the Soloist's frame around a deeper head tube and fork legs, plus a bottom bracket junction shaped to shield the rear wheel from turbulent air — changes Cervelo reports save up to 8.6 watts of drag compared to the previous generation. A Cervelo HB18 one-piece carbon handlebar and stem keeps that aero shaping continuous through the front end while shedding weight versus a traditional two-piece cockpit, and an FSA IS2 headset with dual angle options gives shops flexibility when dialing in a rider's front-end geometry. Across the six-size range (48cm to 61cm), trail stays fixed at 57.3mm, so the bike's handling character doesn't shift from size to size — only head tube angle changes, from 71 to 73 degrees, to keep fit proportional as frame size scales up.

SRAM's Rival AXS E1 groupset handles shifting and braking, with hydraulic disc calipers and Paceline Centerlock rotors providing consistent stopping power. The crankset carries a 48/35 chainring setup and an integrated power meter, so training and pacing data come standard rather than as an add-on purchase. Paired with a Rival D1 cassette running a wide 10-36 range, the gearing gives racers room to handle real climbing terrain without sacrificing top-end speed on flat, fast group rides. Reserve wheels — a 40mm front and 44mm rear — are tubeless-compatible and roll on Reserve's 4-pawl rear hub, wrapped in Vittoria Corsa N.EXT TLR G2.0 tires in a 700x29 width that balances aero performance with real-road grip.

Contact points follow the same race-first philosophy as the rest of the build: a Fizik Arione R5 saddle sits on a Cervelo SP27 carbon seatpost, a pairing built around a stretched, aggressive position rather than an upright, all-day posture. It's a setup that rewards riders who are used to spending time low on the bar, not one intended to double as a comfort-first century bike.

The Soloist Rival AXS is built for racers and fast group ride regulars who want the Soloist's aero engineering and electronic shifting without stepping up to the priciest build in the lineup. It's a strong option for riders moving from a mechanical drivetrain into wireless electronic shifting for the first time, or anyone who wants a built-in power meter without a separate purchase. Available in Cloud Burst and Black Magic colorways.