ZFS-5 is Cervélo’s first full suspension bike, and only its second proper mountain bike (this prototype doesn’t count), but it doesn’t look like it. The sleek lines and clean design
The ZFS-5 is not earth shatteringly original, clearly building off of what is a very common flex-stay design in cross country racing these days, and it is not perfect. But, after months of ripping around trails on the 120mm version of featherweight racer, it’s clear Cervélo succeeded in creating a bike that really wants to go fast. It sticks close to the brands roots, as in it is still very much a race bike, but, with some added suspension travel, carries that fun beyond the race course.
Cervélo makes mountain bikes?
When Cervélo announced it was moving into mountain biking, the ZHT-5 was first out of the gates. It was about what was expected. The race hardtail was very well done and fast, but safe for the historically road brand. That changes with the ZFS-5. While it keeps the frankly lackluster naming convention, it is a much more interesting bike. Many expected to be a rebranded Santa Cruz, as the two brands are part of the same larger ownership group. And, well, the silhouette is very similar. But there are a few unexpected differences between the two. Which is good, as Cervélo needs some way to justify the hefty price on the ZFS models.
Those differences, detailed at length when the bike arrived over the summer, are refinements, sure. But when so many brands are using the same basic flex-stay design for their XC full suspension bikes, details and refinements can be what sets one bike apart from the herd.
Cervélo ZFS-5 120: Ride review
Two versions of this full suspension cross country bike arrived at the same time. The ZFS-5 100 is the more XCO race focused of the two. We opted to test the ZFS-5 120. With slightly more travel, 120mm front and rear vs. 100mm, it is still race ready for marathons or stage races. But it mixes efficiency with enough forgiveness, it is fast withough being harsh, to be fun on a wider range of trails and for everyday riding where I was testing it on Vancouver Island.
Personally, I really like this range of travel for an XC bike and the ZFS-5 120 really shows off why. It is still so quick on the pedals that you want to stand out of every corner and attack every steep pitch. It does that with just slightly more movement in the suspension than a shorter…
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