Cervelo Aspero vs Trek Domane
 

I am not an avid biker and do not know much so please help me out. I’m looking into purchasing either the cervelo aspero or the trek Domane 5. I know they’re 2 totally different bikes. But I do 1 big ride a year from NJ to Washington DC.

I like the idea of the gravel bike In the aspero especially going through some of the states with milled roadways.

We climb several hills especially in MD. Any help would be wonderful. Thank you

Both would fit 38mm quality road tires that will be fast and comfortable.

The cervelo is $4000 and the trek is $2900.
This assumes you want a 2x11 drivetrain. Makes sense since you will ride it on pavement and climb.
The cervelo has a wider range of gearing to help with a wider group of people when it comes to climbing. No idea if you need that.

Either way, pretty choice bike centered around a single ride.

I was looking at the $2,800 Aspero

Oh- well those are completely different bikes then.
One is sram and the other is shimano. One is 1x and the other is 2x. You also lose the wider range gearing I mentioned on aspero since it's the 1x model.

Pretty simple choice to me- do you want 1x or 2x drivetrain for paved roads and climbing?
If you have no opinion on that, I would say that perhaps this is more bike than you need right now. By all means spend the money, but usually people have a preference for their drivetrain on paved roads.

Also- ride both. Whichever fits best is really the best one to buy(I assume you already know that both fit you well).

Get the 1x Aspero! Plenty of gearing for hills and more tire clearance and options than the Trek. The Trek is less of a do it all bike. The Aspero can do everything the Trek can plus a lot more.

Also the 1x will have an easier climbing gear than the Trek. Apex 1x has a 40T chainring with the easiest gear of a 42 in the back. The Shimano equipped Trek has a 34T cassette with the easiest gear of 34. Climbing will be easier with Apex 1x. I have Apex 1x with Hydro brakes and it is an awesome groupset.

What about the Trek Checkpoint? It would make more sense to compare that one to the Cervélo Aspero but at the end of the day just go for the bike with the best geometry for the riding you want to do.

I always choose Cervelo for the way they ride and handle.

I've got a proper road bike (Trek Emonda - the 'less soft' version of the Domane you're looking at) and a Trek Checkpoint (The trek version of the Cervelo you're looking at). They are more the same than they are different. You don't pay a big price for getting the versatility of the gravel bike - it's mostly small differences and marketing. Most of the components are the same aside from tires, the fork is slightly wider at the top, and rear tire has a bit more room near the bike. Only the air only notices the fork legs are slightly wider at the wider top of the fork, which doesn't cause much drag. The Domane will ride better than either bike if you're running sub-30mm road tires though, but you can make that up with bigger tires. Tires make the biggest difference in speed, so I'd recommend getting a second set of wheels/tires for either bike. With road tires mounted it's hard to tell the difference between my pure road bike and my gravel bike until I run out of gearing following someone fast at 30+mph.

The Domane takes 38c tires, which will take you pretty far soft roading - basically anywhere flat and not sand/mud/snow/rocky. The other bikes will go a size bigger and handle some mud/sand. The gravel bikes have a few more places to attach things, which is nice if you're going rural. I did a road ride in mid-Michigan on a hot day. I used 3 water bottles and the snack bag attachments. I would have needed to taken another route if I didn't have the extra water.



Buy the one you like the best is what I'm saying though. Consider an aluminum version of the bike, as modern aluminum bikes with modern fatter tires basically perform the same as Carbon ones, especially in this category. The softer ride gimmicks on the carbon versions work, but they only turn hard bump impacts into less hard impacts and the flexy seatposts work just as well. I'd steer you to save on the frame and spend more on the accessories (including a second set of wheels, tires, and a cassette - off and on road mode). Like others have said, take a look at the Checkpoint ALR

this!

I would never buy another Trek anything unless I could "no strings attached" demo it for a 100 mile ride

If I was to have one bike (8 and counting) I'd get the Domane, mount 38mm tires on it, and move on.

Chain stay length are identical for both bikes. Wheelbase almost identical. The Cervelo behaves almost like a road bike, like the Domane 5, yet is offered as a gravel bike.

Both should be quick on the road. You're not an "avid rider". But for me, I would pick the Cervelo.