Cervélo – Steeped in Science and Supplier to UCI Teams

If asked, many cyclists don’t realize how much research, development, and engineering go into their bikes. After all, it’s a frame with two wheels, a saddle, a handlebar, and pedals, so how difficult can it be? More difficult than you think would be the answer. Before a bike is ever built, materials are researched, design and engineering are applied, the frame’s weight is assessed, so lots of elements are considered.

Once the bike is assembled, many frame manufacturers wind tunnel their bikes and the bike is refined or maybe even scrapped altogether. While this approach doesn’t make Cervélo unique in the world of bicycle building today, it’s how the company built such a successful brand over the last 30 years.

All About Cervélo

Cervélo was founded in 1995 by Gerard Vroomen and Phil White. Vroomen had a background in researching bicycle dynamics that he developed while working at the Eindhoven University of Technology.

The word Cervélo stems from two words, the Italian word for “brain” and the French word velo. The company was started in Montreal, Canada.

In 2011, Vroomen sold his part of the company. It now “makes or has marketing rights to bicycles from Raleigh, Kalkhoff, Univega, Focus Bikes, Ghost, and Santa Cruz Bicycles.”

Neither Vroomen nor White had a history in the bicycle industry, just an interest in the science behind what makes them work. For them, the launch of Cervélo was a project that started quietly in a school basement and evolved into a brand that sponsored pro cycling teams and would win the “Tour de France, the Olympics, Ironman” and many other races.

The company would also go on to win numerous awards: the Gran Fondo Design & Innovation Award, the Red Dot Design Award, the 220 Triathlon: Bike Brand of the Year, and the VeloNews Gear Awards 2018.

Cervélo’s Sponsoring of Pro Cycling Teams

The company has been working with pro teams since 2003. The most notable one was team CSC, which was also the team with which they had the longest partnership of 5 years.

Today, Cervélo is still partnering with teams in the pro peloton, specifically Jumbo-Visma, which would become Visma Lease a Bike. What follows is a list of teams they’ve worked with over the last 21 years.

• Team CSC (2003–2008)
• CSC–Saxo Bank (2008)
• Cervélo TestTeam (2009–2010)
• Team Garmin−Cervélo (2011)
• Team Garmin−Barracuda (2012)
• Garmin−Sharp (2012–2014
• MTN–Qhubeka (2015)
• Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka (2016–2018)
• Team Sunweb (2019–2020)
• Team Jumbo–Visma (2021-current)

Types of Bikes Cervélo Builds

While the company specializes in road bikes and has won awards around its designs, Cervélo also builds Time Trial, Triathlon, Gravel, Mountain, and E-Bikes. Its mission is to engineer bikes steeped in innovation.

The company currently makes “5 series of bikes: the C series and R series of road bikes, the latter featuring multi-shaped, “Squoval” frame tubes; the S series of road bikes and P series of triathlon/time trial bikes, both of which feature airfoil shaped down tubes; and the T series of track bikes.”

It says, in fact, its mission statement is this: “Whether you are a pro in the Tour de France, are taking on your first full distance triathlon, or simply enjoy riding on the weekends, we apply engineering, ambition, and passion to make a bike that is better for you.“

Last Thoughts

Cervélo is a well-known brand in the bicycle industry. And although it was developed by two university engineers, the company has garnered praise from pro riders, pro teams, and the bicycle industry itself.

The company’s bikes consistently make an appearance in the pro peloton. In fact, Jonas Vingagaard rode a Cervélo to second place in this year’s 2024 Tour de France. That’s saying a lot for a brand that is a little over 20 years old. Who knows what new developments the company will bring to cyclists in the future.