This started as one of Steve’s demo bikes — a Cervelo Caledonia he’d been riding with Easton wheels — and when it came time to flip it to its new owner, we reconfigured it for what that rider wanted. Same frame, but with a different set of wheels, a gravel bar, and a few cockpit changes. The headline upgrade is a set of Boyd Podium carbon wheels.
The Build
The Frame
This bike was one of Steve’s demo Caledonias, so it had already been through a couple of configurations before landing here. For the new rider we kept the stock Ultegra Di2 drivetrain and 50/34 chainset and focused the changes on the wheels and cockpit. The Caledonia keeps impressing: it’s got a generous stack and comfortable endurance geometry, but it still looks sleek and it’s genuinely fast once you’re up to speed. It won’t snap to like a Soloist or an S5, but it holds speed nicely and keeps Cervelo’s aero-ish frame features.
Wheels & Tires
The wheels are the biggest change: a set of Boyd Podium carbon 36mm. They’re a hooked rim at about 21mm internal, so the rider can run whatever tire they want without the limitations of a hookless wheel. They’re a real step up from the stock endurance wheels and come in at a nice price — good bang for the buck. For now the bike is on its stock 30mm Vittoria Zaffiro Pro tires; the plan is to start there and likely revisit a nicer tubeless setup down the road.
Cockpit
Up front is an Easton EC90 AX carbon gravel bar. Why a gravel bar on a road bike? Because it’s comfortable — the flare in the lowers works well, and it’s been a super popular upgrade in the shop; Steve ran one on this bike himself and liked it. This rider tested it, liked how it felt, and we went with the carbon version. It’s wrapped in Lizard Skin 3.2 tape, which feels fantastic — good enough that Steve rides it bare-handed.
The saddle is the Ergon All Road, which has an extra foam layer under the base to soak up some vibration. The stem is stock, and for now the rider is starting on the stock aluminum setback seatpost. If Steve were doing one more upgrade, it’d be a carbon post with minimal offset to round out the comfort — likely a change for down the road. A set of Shimano Ultegra pedals rounds it out.
A smart, bang-for-the-buck Caledonia
This was Steve’s way of showing a second way to set up a Caledonia — a stock endurance bike lifted by a well-chosen wheel upgrade and a comfortable cockpit, at a price that makes sense. The Boyd wheels and the EC90 AX bar are exactly the kind of upgrades we expect to see on more and more all-road bikes. Comfortable, sleek, and fast once it’s rolling — a very enjoyable bike to ride.
Want a Custom Build Like This?
We build custom road, all-road and gravel bikes at Maklin Bike Shop in Scandia, MN. Tell us how you ride and your budget, and we’ll put together a proposal.