The ZHT-5 opens Cervélo's bid to be a leader in the “emerging multi-discipline market”

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Cervélo has moved into the mountain bike market with the ZHT-5, a cross-country mountain bike that prioritises low weight and efficiency.

Cervélo says the ZHT-5 is “purpose-built” for XC racing and it will make its race debut at the first round of the XCO World Cups in Valkenberg, Netherlands, next May.

The hardtail frame is designed around a 100mm-travel fork and 29in wheels.

Cervélo says it has kept the geometry “rationally progressive” with a 68.5-degree head tube angle.

The ZHT-5 is currently available in two builds with electronic drivetrains from SRAM, but Cervélo says it can also be built with mechanical mountain bike groupsets.

The lower-specced ZHT-5 costs £5,000 / €5,299 and the higher-specced model costs £8,500 / €9,999.

Cervélo has released the ZHT-5 XC mountain bike with the ambition to be a leader in what it describes as the “emerging multi-discipline movement”.

The brand says it sees a “shift towards multidisciplinary racing”, where professionals such as Tom Pidcock, Mathieu van der Poel and Marianne Vos compete on the road and in XC mountain bike racing.

Team Jumbo-Visma, who Cervélo provides with bikes, has also signed Dutch cross-country champion Milan Vader and the ZHT-5 will be the bike he will race at the 2024 Olympics.

Cervélo says its trajectory in 2022 has been ‘positive’ and releasing an XC bike will help it sustain brand loyalty and growth.

Cervélo is owned by PON Holdings, which also owns Santa Cruz, putting the brand in prime position to branch into cross-country mountain biking.

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The ZHT-5’s carbon fibre frame weighs a claimed 870g (size medium). Cervélo says this is competitive with XC bikes from top brands.

For context, the claimed weight of the ZHT-5 is less than 50g heavier than similar hardtail cross-country race bikes from Canyon and Orbea and a bit further off the sub-800g claimed weight of the Specialized 2020 Epic HT.

Cervélo says it has aimed to balance the low weight of ZHT-5’s frame with the ability to descend confidently and aggressively.

Cervélo hasn’t gone into great detail on how it has achieved this balance, but it does say the ZHT-5’s geometry avoids the “lunatic fringe” of ever longer and slacker bike design, instead settling on a geometry that, the brand claims, keeps your weight centred and stable instead.

The ZHT-5 routes hoses and cables internally. Cervélo says this is to reduce cable exposure, adding that reducing the number of holes in the frame keeps weight low, presumably because there are no cable guides or plugs required if holes are not used.

Cables and hoses run into the frame through the headset cover. Cervélo provides different headset cover parts for a variety of setups, including electronic or mechanical 1x drivetrains and dropper post cabling.

The bike uses a 73mm threaded BSA bottom bracket and SRAM’s universal rear derailleur hanger standard.

Cervélo has launched two versions of the ZHT-5.

The two bikes use SRAM electronic groupsets. The higher-specced model uses XX1 Eagle AXS and the lower-specced model has GX Eagle AXS.

The bikes come fitted with rigid seatpost.

The ZHT-5 is available in four sizes, from small to extra large, and in two colours, Five Black and Moss Khaki.

Stan Portus is BikeRadar’s content editor. Stan works on everything from content strategy and breaking news to evergreen updates and long-form features on environmental and social issues in cycling. Stan started working in the bike industry in 2018, writing content for some of the sport's biggest brands, including Chris King, ENVE and Castelli. He has worked as a freelance writer and journalist for over seven years writing reviews, essays and interviews for many art, design and literature publications. A road cyclist at heart, he can be found zooming along the lanes and roads of the South West and undertaking foolhardy pursuits such as overnight audax rides.

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