Cervelo

[kJUMP]

Sup y'all,

Been living in California for the past year and been commuting to work and back on a bit of a clunky cyclocross bike.

Some weekends, I do longer rides on the same bike which just isn't as much fun. So I'm thinking about taking the plunge into a full on road bike and got my eyes set on the Cervelo R2 or R3.

Anyone with personal experience with this line or Cervelo in general? Any thoughts or feedback? Other bikes I should be considering? I'm going for a "fitting" at a local shop week after next. Just to see what my options are. The plan is to bring the bike to Calgary when I move back later this year.

Thanks.

[lilmira]

I have ridden the S3 but not the R3. What a sweet bike, almost bought it but picked the Propel instead for the better wheels. Are you looking for more comfort or speed?

[kJUMP]

Originally posted by lilmira
I have ridden the S3 but not the R3. What a sweet bike, almost bought it but picked the Propel instead for the better wheels. Are you looking for more comfort or speed?

Probably more for comfort, I'm not going to be racing in a peloton or anything to really warrant the extra speed gains of an aero bike. The R series seems plenty fast though

The Propels look sweet. Is yours full Ultegra? How do you like that? Seems like such a premium to pay for those components. What do you think of the Shimano 105s?

[buh_buh]

I've never ridden a Cervelo but have heard nothing but great things about them. As for 105s vs Ultegra, ive got bikes with both and I find the Ultegras shift just a bit quicker than the 105s, but it's not all that noticeable. For someone looking for a leisurely ride on weekends, 105s will more than suffice and the premium you'll spend on Ultegras aren't worth it IMO.

[lilmira]

Yeah my propel came with ultegra. I just recently upgraded it to di2 and moved the mechanical to my other bike with the last generation 105 originally. Coming from the last generation 105, the difference is quite significant with the 6800 ultegra. The front shifting from small to big is so light due to the longer arm. I feel less frequent to be in between gears with the 11speed. Since the 105 5800 has both features from the ultegra, I don't think you are missing much with the 105 if you want to save some money.

I think the difference in comfort level between the r3 and the s3 is quite subtle. Neither are exactly endurance. Try them out if you can. Buy the one that calls your name the loudest.

[bigboom]

Cervelos are great bikes if you don't mind doing BB maintenance. BBRight is a lousy standard for reliability. Otherwise hands down my choice would be an S3, decent ride compliance and still an aero frame.

[Moonracer]

I have an S3 that's a few years old and it is pretty awesome. I love the aero frame particularly when I'm riding solo of course. I've since gone old school and picked up a used Colnago dream lux and rode that last season, it's also pretty awesome. Anyways, you can't go wrong with a cervelo but there are a lot of options out there but why not go Canadian eh.

[98type_r]

Had an S2 since 2009, just recently sold it to upgrade to an S3. Have never ridden an R-series frame but I never had an issue with an uncomfortable ride on my S2, even after 100km+ days.

[kJUMP]

Thanks everyone. Going for a fitting weekend after next. Will see what they come back with.

[msommers]

God damn, that's a beautiful bike.

[kJUMP]

What do you think about this deal?

http://www.wheelsofbloor.com/special...-11spd-ultegra

It's the 2015 model. They also have the same bike in 105 spec for $2200 but with FSA Gossamer brakes. Upgrading to 105 brakes another $100. Then tax and shipping.

FWIW, I've looked all around the Bay Area here in Cali. Cheapest that a shop can do for me here is 2500USD for the 105 spec brakes included. Then tax but spare the shipping.

[msommers]

Do it!!

[BavarianBeast]

kJUMP, when my dad passed away I was left with his road bike. He was 5'10" and about 185lbs. It's a Salsa El GoGo, it comes with a hard carrying case. It's been sitting underneath my bed for the last 3 years.

http://salsacycles.com/bikes/archive/el_gogo

If your interested, we can work out a deal I am sure.

Cheers.

[CLiVE]

I have an R series, and a P series (tri). The R is a very smooth bike, and the favorite of all the bikes I own (10+).

I've ridden the S series, and if I needed a do everything bike for racing/tri, etc. I would choose the S. For long weekend rides, group rides, gran fondos etc. love the R...

105 vs Ultegra. Since it sounds like you don't have much for comparison I bet you'll be happy with the 105 bike. I notice very little difference between my 105 and ultegra bikes. Save the money and upgrade the wheelset?

[kJUMP]

Originally posted by CLiVE
I have an R series, and a P series (tri). The R is a very smooth bike, and the favorite of all the bikes I own (10+).

I've ridden the S series, and if I needed a do everything bike for racing/tri, etc. I would choose the S. For long weekend rides, group rides, gran fondos etc. love the R...

105 vs Ultegra. Since it sounds like you don't have much for comparison I bet you'll be happy with the 105 bike. I notice very little difference between my 105 and ultegra bikes. Save the money and upgrade the wheelset?

10+ bikes! Holy crow. You must have a big garage.

I've decided on the S2, it felt awesome on my test ride and the current models have the same geometry as the R series, but just more aero.

So in your mind not much difference between the 105 and Ultegra? What does the Ultegra do better other than weight savings? Does it justify an extra 30% total cost of the bike if I'm strictly looking at it from a financial perspective?

[msommers]

I've read users say that Ultegra shifts smoother. Others say it's just weight savings.

If you have money to burn why not but personally unless you're at an appreciable cycling level you likely won't notice the difference. Take a poop instead!

[D'z Nutz]

There was a Cervelo P2 frame listed on Pinkbike last week. I was so temped to buy it and build it up but it just wasn't my style of riding.

[CLiVE]

Ultegra may be a bit smoother, and lighter shifting. I really doubt you'll notice much of a difference. Tough to find fault with 105 at that price point.

my 2 cents. Get the 105, and focus on the 'engine'. Improve your cycling level and worry about it for the next bike.

P2 - good bike, but I do find them fairly twitchy. I would rather be on my road bike most days.

[kJUMP]

So I pulled the trigger on the S2 with full Ultegra, cuz YOLO. Just got delivered to my parent's place on Friday! But now it'll sit untouched until mid-July when I'm back in town :/

Any thoughts on pedals and shoes?

Would be great to go on a Beyond ride with y'allz in the summer!

[lilmira]

Nice! If it makes you ride more then it's money well spend IMO. A 100 dollar bike that you don't want to ride is 100 dollar too expensive.

I don't have any experience on other brands but the Shimano SPD SL has been working for me. They have cleats for different degrees of float. I'm using the blue cleats now. I started with a pair of Shimano shoes as well and now I have two pairs of Diadora that I bought from Chainreaction for cheap. I found the sizes between the two brands fairly close.

I live in Royal Oak so I ride out there quite often. Cyclelpath just started their group ride this week. I think it will be every Wed evening and Sat morning if anyone is interested.