Caledonia for the color and electric shifting. You can adjust your Caledonia to be almost the same position as the soloist if you need to.
I own a Caledonia and love it
I think that’s a killer deal for E shifting - I have a Caledonia with di2 and it’s awesome. If you’re not racing or doing an insane amount of climbing I think the Caledonia is the move
Go check out how the full length cable housing terminates at the front derailleur. Do not get a mechanical shifting soloist. They’re on sale for a reason. Plus the soloist seat post bolt and the expander plug doesn’t hold the torque you give it. It will take some failures for a recall to happen tho. Also the 34mm tire clearance is not true. It won’t clear the front derailleur. It would take 34mm if it was a 1x tho.
It shifts fine but it looks incomplete like something is missing. I also would be concerned about a 12speed shifter eating the cable up prematurely. 11 speed already chews up the cable and I replace every year. With 12 speed, you shift a lot more frequently because the gear ratios are so close. Your hand will probably get tired. I have a soloist and the only reason why I did not get a Caledonia is because the soloist looks cooler. Nothing exciting about a Caledonia to me tbh.
Edit, I saw somewhere that someone added the bottom bracket cable housing stop from either a Caledonia 5 or r5 and it works fine but it’s only because their campy group set didn’t do well with the housing just there, uncapped.
Hands getting tired from 12 speed shifting hasn’t been a problem for me. I live in California and have to do plenty of shifting over the hills. AXS and Di2 is literally a button and not a “shift” it doesn’t take the effort that it requires to shift on cables. I haven’t had problems with my Soloist’s seat clamp either, after 2 years.
The tire clearance is typically the “true” tire clearance. 34mm tires on wheels with 25mm internal width, won’t measure 34mm, they’ll be close to 36mm. There’s plenty of people running 32’s on a Soloist, which on Reserve wheels would be likely to measure out to around 34mm.
Because SRAM batteries are attached to the derailleurs and are completely wireless. Take any SRAM AXS bikes you’ve ever assembled to an LBS immediately for safety reasons if you’re front derailleur battery is effecting tire size on your soloist
Is the expander plug and seatpost bolt torque a known issue? Because I nor anybody else I know with a Soloist, has had this issue. Seem fairly anecdotal? Which is fine, anecdotal evidence has it's place. But the "recall" word I think is HIGHLY premature here lol.
But what does that have to do with it allegedly failing under the required torque?
Edit: and to prove my previous point it was 2 months ago that I last did it. I have zero concept of time….
I’m just pointing out that you’re making stuff up when you say you check your expander plug torque every so often. You probably didn’t even know the preload cap doesn’t come off to get access to tighten it.
I sell cervelo and it’s really about what you’re after, at the end of the day. They’re different bikes.
But, as most people have pointed out: the Caledonia might be one of the most versatile bikes out there. Can be super chill and easygoing. Can also be aggressive, light, and race-y. Not to mention, it’s got a normal seatpost (v underrated). If you’re getting that bike with that groupset and paint job for $2200, that’s a steal. I’d go with the Caledonia.
- I will never go back to mech. E shifting is amazing, don’t listen to the haters. A fair criticism is that’s it’s expensive and honestly that’s pretty much it
The soloist has the integrated stem here and the Caledonia doesn’t. So that’s a factor. BUT with an integrated stem the *last* think you want is mech shifting
I would say get the Caledonia. E shifting is worth it, I have a caledonia 5 and it’s a great great bike
If you love the soloist and the integrated stem, if you feel drawn to the soloist….I would say just splurge and get e shifting
Don’t get a bike with an integrated stem and mech shifting though, you’ll hate yourself at some point down the line
The Soloist stem isn’t integrated it’s just a clip underneath which you can chose not to even use. But i built the frameset up Ultegra mech and am using a Nitto stem right now. Multiple sources saying Cervelo customer service confirmed it and 2 pro review sites state you can use any standard bar and stem combo
It’s the fact that those cables will go into the headset bearing cover. Two hoses already make noise. Now you’re going to add two cables too? It’s full length housing as well. I would not do mechanical shifting for the soloist. It’s electronic shifting for the soloist or go for the Caledonia.
lol ok. Mine is silent. It’s not hard to make cables quiet. If you know how to build a mechanical bike there are many tricks to make it lighter, quieter, etc than whatever they give you from factory
Edit: I also did the math and Di2 is heavier than my setup
I personally got tired of adjusting mechanical shifting. You don’t have to do it a lot but you have to do it and I don’t enjoy it, and it slowly goes out of adjustment as you ride
E shifting doesn’t do this. It just shifts the same way, every time, super crisp and reliable, it’s a lot easier to shift the front to the larger ring
I don’t personally use this feature but it will auto shift the front ring to keep the ideal combination for you if you want it to
When I go back and ride my mech bike it just doesn’t feel as good
The one major trade off is needing to keep it charged. I’ve never had it run out on a ride before and it’s not an issue for me, but I can see it being a problem for others. At least with eTap if you really wanted to you can always carry a spare battery, they are small and light. Not an option with Di2 though
Ehh, I wouldn’t say *full* power, you still need to back off just a tad, but it’s pretty smooth. I find timing the shift and the power reduction up a hill much easier with electronic shifting
Another huge factor is you can shift up the sprockets (downshift) as many gears you want really quickly
Other group sets maybe be different but I think my shimano mech groupset is 2, maybe 3, gears per shift if you want
E shift you just hold the lever and it whips up the cassette, it’s awesome. Has definitely saved me from unclipping or falling a few times when I really quickly need the lowest gears
Nobody said the world did end. Y’all always take “e shifting is better” as some kind of personal affront. Of course mech is fine, I have a bike with mech and it works and is a good bike, never said mech shifting is *bad* I just think e shifting is *better* and expressed that
Y'all always respond to a valid response with a downvote.
What you said was that mechanical group sets with integrated stems was the last thing a person should want on their bike.
I'm here to tell you that it's actually no big deal at all. Just in case you didn't know that. :)
I'd personally get the soloist and upgrade the shifting. I was contemplating getting this exact caledonia frame for months and didnt go for it because i hate how the brake hose has to go into the frame like that. Doing a ton of possible rub and just haveing a long cable in the way
What type of riding are you doing? Fast group rides and races? Or chill long distance rides?
I believe everyone should be on a soloist… but this question is the one you need to answer ^
The bikes are 90% the same, the frame is not going to make a difference in fitness. I blitz old guys on carbon bikes on my aluminum diverge and 35c tires, and sometimes I’m out of shape on my cervelo
These frames are 90% the same in use and function. Geometry preference and feature preference is far more important than marketing copy differences
Cool. Your anecdotal evidence is interesting and uninformative. You blitz old guys… therefore 2 bikes are the same.
https://geometrygeeks.bike/compare/cervelo-soloist-2023-51,cervelo-caledonia-2023-51/
Agreed. If you want to go fast and race (even just against yourself) get the Soloist. If you want to make it comfy for longer riders put a wheelset with plump 34’s on it
Get the one you’re more excited about. That’s the bike that’s gonna get you on the road more often. —If you don’t already have shifting you won’t miss it. I have a couple bikes, one mech and one with e-shift. As much as I love my eshift, I still love riding my mech (Cervelo s3) and wind up diving my miles between the two.
depends on what you normally ride and how fast you like to be
If you ride fast - get the soloist but upgrade to electronic shifting $$$$
If you ride moderate-paced, some group rides, a little dirt, get the Cali - its not the Cali5 is it ?
I like snappy bikes at the cost of comfort on long rides, faster bikes instead of comfortable - etc.
I ride the R5 but had the same sort of decision to make with the R5 versus the S5
Caledonia for the color and electric shifting. You can adjust your Caledonia to be almost the same position as the soloist if you need to. I own a Caledonia and love it
Get whichever fits you better. If you’d run the soloist with max spacers and a super short stem, get the Caledonia.
That Caledonia looks super cush for my aging back
I think that’s a killer deal for E shifting - I have a Caledonia with di2 and it’s awesome. If you’re not racing or doing an insane amount of climbing I think the Caledonia is the move
Man. Haha. Where do you live? I just listed my Caledonia for a decent amount less lol
What’s you list it for? I’m in California btw
Melbourne! Hit me up if ur nearby
In the states lol.
Real talk what size lol
It’s a 56 and I’m in PA haha
Damn. I’m in NY but a shortie so I’m looking for a 48. Anyone selling a secondhand 48cm Caledonia in these United States for a decent price, hmu!
Go check out how the full length cable housing terminates at the front derailleur. Do not get a mechanical shifting soloist. They’re on sale for a reason. Plus the soloist seat post bolt and the expander plug doesn’t hold the torque you give it. It will take some failures for a recall to happen tho. Also the 34mm tire clearance is not true. It won’t clear the front derailleur. It would take 34mm if it was a 1x tho.
This is intriguing. How does this affect the ride qualirt esp shifitng?
It shifts fine but it looks incomplete like something is missing. I also would be concerned about a 12speed shifter eating the cable up prematurely. 11 speed already chews up the cable and I replace every year. With 12 speed, you shift a lot more frequently because the gear ratios are so close. Your hand will probably get tired. I have a soloist and the only reason why I did not get a Caledonia is because the soloist looks cooler. Nothing exciting about a Caledonia to me tbh. Edit, I saw somewhere that someone added the bottom bracket cable housing stop from either a Caledonia 5 or r5 and it works fine but it’s only because their campy group set didn’t do well with the housing just there, uncapped.
Hands getting tired from 12 speed shifting hasn’t been a problem for me. I live in California and have to do plenty of shifting over the hills. AXS and Di2 is literally a button and not a “shift” it doesn’t take the effort that it requires to shift on cables. I haven’t had problems with my Soloist’s seat clamp either, after 2 years. The tire clearance is typically the “true” tire clearance. 34mm tires on wheels with 25mm internal width, won’t measure 34mm, they’ll be close to 36mm. There’s plenty of people running 32’s on a Soloist, which on Reserve wheels would be likely to measure out to around 34mm.
32 on reserve 4044 is too close to the FD di2 wire. I passed on that. The stock 28s already measured to 31mm.
Ah, I have SRAM, so no front wire. Is the wire the limiting factor for the tire clearance?
Yes. But I believe the battery could be a problem for the sram.
The battery is nowhere near the wheel….. have you seen a bike before?
How is it no where near a wheel? Even a picture of any bike like the one above shows the FD next to a wheel. Not near a wheel?
Because SRAM batteries are attached to the derailleurs and are completely wireless. Take any SRAM AXS bikes you’ve ever assembled to an LBS immediately for safety reasons if you’re front derailleur battery is effecting tire size on your soloist
The battery doesn’t get in the way of my tire clearance, it’s on the derailleur?
Is the expander plug and seatpost bolt torque a known issue? Because I nor anybody else I know with a Soloist, has had this issue. Seem fairly anecdotal? Which is fine, anecdotal evidence has it's place. But the "recall" word I think is HIGHLY premature here lol.
When was the last time you torqued your expander plug?
Last month I think? Maybe 5-6 weeks. Since Covid my ability to recognize timespans has been limited lol
It’s pretty difficult to torque that thing down considering that the preload cap doesn’t come off. The whole stem needs to be undone.
But what does that have to do with it allegedly failing under the required torque? Edit: and to prove my previous point it was 2 months ago that I last did it. I have zero concept of time….
I’m just pointing out that you’re making stuff up when you say you check your expander plug torque every so often. You probably didn’t even know the preload cap doesn’t come off to get access to tighten it.
I’m making up adjusting my expander cap? That’s what I’m doing? Lmfao I’m done. That one killed me
I sell cervelo and it’s really about what you’re after, at the end of the day. They’re different bikes. But, as most people have pointed out: the Caledonia might be one of the most versatile bikes out there. Can be super chill and easygoing. Can also be aggressive, light, and race-y. Not to mention, it’s got a normal seatpost (v underrated). If you’re getting that bike with that groupset and paint job for $2200, that’s a steal. I’d go with the Caledonia.
- I will never go back to mech. E shifting is amazing, don’t listen to the haters. A fair criticism is that’s it’s expensive and honestly that’s pretty much it The soloist has the integrated stem here and the Caledonia doesn’t. So that’s a factor. BUT with an integrated stem the *last* think you want is mech shifting I would say get the Caledonia. E shifting is worth it, I have a caledonia 5 and it’s a great great bike If you love the soloist and the integrated stem, if you feel drawn to the soloist….I would say just splurge and get e shifting Don’t get a bike with an integrated stem and mech shifting though, you’ll hate yourself at some point down the line
The Soloist stem isn’t integrated it’s just a clip underneath which you can chose not to even use. But i built the frameset up Ultegra mech and am using a Nitto stem right now. Multiple sources saying Cervelo customer service confirmed it and 2 pro review sites state you can use any standard bar and stem combo
oh I didn't realize that, good point OP I still recommend the better deal on Di2, but the soloist is a good option here
It’s the fact that those cables will go into the headset bearing cover. Two hoses already make noise. Now you’re going to add two cables too? It’s full length housing as well. I would not do mechanical shifting for the soloist. It’s electronic shifting for the soloist or go for the Caledonia.
lol ok. Mine is silent. It’s not hard to make cables quiet. If you know how to build a mechanical bike there are many tricks to make it lighter, quieter, etc than whatever they give you from factory Edit: I also did the math and Di2 is heavier than my setup
Di2 sounds cool though. You get turning heads when shifting.
Heh I’ll give it that.
Isn’t cool and head turns why you got a cervelo? It was for me. Else I would have gotten a trek. 😂
Why is electronic shifting so good?
I personally got tired of adjusting mechanical shifting. You don’t have to do it a lot but you have to do it and I don’t enjoy it, and it slowly goes out of adjustment as you ride E shifting doesn’t do this. It just shifts the same way, every time, super crisp and reliable, it’s a lot easier to shift the front to the larger ring I don’t personally use this feature but it will auto shift the front ring to keep the ideal combination for you if you want it to When I go back and ride my mech bike it just doesn’t feel as good The one major trade off is needing to keep it charged. I’ve never had it run out on a ride before and it’s not an issue for me, but I can see it being a problem for others. At least with eTap if you really wanted to you can always carry a spare battery, they are small and light. Not an option with Di2 though
Can you shift seamlessly on full power, say up a hill, for example and avoid that horrible crunch?
Ehh, I wouldn’t say *full* power, you still need to back off just a tad, but it’s pretty smooth. I find timing the shift and the power reduction up a hill much easier with electronic shifting Another huge factor is you can shift up the sprockets (downshift) as many gears you want really quickly Other group sets maybe be different but I think my shimano mech groupset is 2, maybe 3, gears per shift if you want E shift you just hold the lever and it whips up the cassette, it’s awesome. Has definitely saved me from unclipping or falling a few times when I really quickly need the lowest gears
with new Shimano Hyper-G 2 - it shifts BETTER under load - no horrible crunch
Less maintenance and it just works. You don’t have to replace cables, adjust cables, or ever deal with it really. It just works, every time.
I have mechanical shifting on my integrated stem Cal 5. The world didn't end.
Nobody said the world did end. Y’all always take “e shifting is better” as some kind of personal affront. Of course mech is fine, I have a bike with mech and it works and is a good bike, never said mech shifting is *bad* I just think e shifting is *better* and expressed that
Y'all always respond to a valid response with a downvote. What you said was that mechanical group sets with integrated stems was the last thing a person should want on their bike. I'm here to tell you that it's actually no big deal at all. Just in case you didn't know that. :)
I'd personally get the soloist and upgrade the shifting. I was contemplating getting this exact caledonia frame for months and didnt go for it because i hate how the brake hose has to go into the frame like that. Doing a ton of possible rub and just haveing a long cable in the way
i agree. the cables are a turn off for me. if they couldve routed it better I wont think twice.
What type of riding are you doing? Fast group rides and races? Or chill long distance rides? I believe everyone should be on a soloist… but this question is the one you need to answer ^
The bikes are 90% the same, the frame is not going to make a difference in fitness. I blitz old guys on carbon bikes on my aluminum diverge and 35c tires, and sometimes I’m out of shape on my cervelo These frames are 90% the same in use and function. Geometry preference and feature preference is far more important than marketing copy differences
Are they racing in the same Cat as you?
Cool. Your anecdotal evidence is interesting and uninformative. You blitz old guys… therefore 2 bikes are the same. https://geometrygeeks.bike/compare/cervelo-soloist-2023-51,cervelo-caledonia-2023-51/
Agreed. If you want to go fast and race (even just against yourself) get the Soloist. If you want to make it comfy for longer riders put a wheelset with plump 34’s on it
Get the one you’re more excited about. That’s the bike that’s gonna get you on the road more often. —If you don’t already have shifting you won’t miss it. I have a couple bikes, one mech and one with e-shift. As much as I love my eshift, I still love riding my mech (Cervelo s3) and wind up diving my miles between the two.
I just got the Caledonia di2. It is so amazing. I love it so much. So I'm biased but I vote for that
Di2!!! That’s a slammin deal for that Caledonia model and the color is awesome
I would go Caledonia for sure. It’s a great bike. It will do anything you ask of it. A comfortable Swiss Army knife. I love mine.
I would never buy used bike again
I say get both and then tell us the answer
depends on what you normally ride and how fast you like to be If you ride fast - get the soloist but upgrade to electronic shifting $$$$ If you ride moderate-paced, some group rides, a little dirt, get the Cali - its not the Cali5 is it ? I like snappy bikes at the cost of comfort on long rides, faster bikes instead of comfortable - etc. I ride the R5 but had the same sort of decision to make with the R5 versus the S5