My Cervelo R3

chaffordred

Cervelo R3 with full Dura Ace 7900/Di2 groupo (apart from SRAM RED cranks)

FSA Carbon seat post, FSA carbon headset spacers, 3T ergonova bars, 3T ARX Pro stem, white 3T pro bar tape/ends, white nokon brake cables, de-stickered Mavic Cosmic Carbone wheels with Ultremo R.1 (white) tyres and conti supersonic tubes. White Prologo saddle and a couple of elite cages.

Di2 frame loom is fully internal. A pain in the arse to fit, but aesthetically worth it. I was toying with the idea of going wireless, but that's for another project. Di2 battery is a 1400mAh LiPo stick battery in the seat tube, so should be good for a whole year between charges.

Anonymous

Splendid! Why did you go for the Red chainset over 7900?

chaffordred

Just preferred the look of the red cranks over DA on a white R3 and Di2 runs perfect with the red, especially shifting from the small to big chainring and vice versa.

White Line

Looks sweet! Were the wheels the new ones with the weird decals?

This must have been the frame the guys at Elite were thinking of when designing those cages. They're camouflaged on there!

Who's birthday was it? Happy birthday to them!

Anonymous

chaffordred wrote:

Just preferred the look of the red cranks over DA on a white R3 and Di2 runs perfect with the red, especially shifting from the small to big chainring and vice versa.

Roger. I run red but much prefer the look of the 7900 chainset. I replaced the red chainrings with Stronglight CT2 ones, found the shifting improved (and preferred the look...)

I like what you've done with the battery.

chaffordred

White Line wrote:

Looks sweet! Were the wheels the new ones with the weird decals?

This must have been the frame the guys at Elite were thinking of when designing those cages. They're camouflaged on there!

Who's birthday was it? Happy birthday to them!

The missus's 40th. She got a 58cm cervelo. Unfortunately it doesn't fit her

Yes. The wheels are the new ones with the white decals. A bit too much going on there, so they came off. They looked good on my trek, but made the R3 look like a christmas tree. I think the R3 looks better with the plainer, more industrial look and a tiny amount of bling.

As for the cages. It came down to a choice between black carbon Zipps and the Elites. Or £80 v £20. I saw the elites in halfords of all places and immediately thought 'perfect'. Just a shame they're not carbon

chaffordred

NapoleonD wrote:

chaffordred wrote:

Just preferred the look of the red cranks over DA on a white R3 and Di2 runs perfect with the red, especially shifting from the small to big chainring and vice versa.

Roger. I run red but much prefer the look of the 7900 chainset. I replaced the red chainrings with Stronglight CT2 ones, found the shifting improved (and preferred the look...)

I like what you've done with the battery.

Thanks. I'll have a look at the Stronglight chainrings.

RE: The battery. Chopping up a Di2 wiring loom was a bit hairy, but quite a simple procedure with a multimeter, soldering iron and heatshrink.

I said in my first post the battery is in the seat tube. It's actually in the seat post. It think the stock Di2 battery just looks wrong on the down tube. I noticed some bikes have them on the non-drivetrain chainstay and some under the saddle. According to long term testers, Di2 batteries are lasting around an average of six months between chargers. The LiPo stick battery is lighter (it's designed for model helicopters) and should last twice as long as the stock di2 battery. So, once a year I undo one bolt, pull out the seat tube disconnect the waterproof plug and put it on charge for 2 hours. IMHO this is a minor inconvenience to keep the bike looking clean.

I also wanted to put the handlebar loom in the bars and stem, but it would mean the control unit wouldn't be accessible and I would have to drill a hole in the stem.

One day all this stuff is going to be wireless.

tlw1

looks great!

garryc

The wheels look much nicer without the stickers. How easy was it to desticker them?

chaffordred

garryc wrote:

The wheels look much nicer without the stickers. How easy was it to desticker them?

Very easy. They peeled straight off with no heat.

Lagavulin

Stunning. 8)

leeroy72

Yes I agree...lovely bike..looks really fast if that's possible!!.. 8)

all show no go

Stunning bike. I want one. Gonna have to sell my children though.

Slightly silly question, but how do you find the Prologo saddle? I know a cyclists perch is a personal thing and everyones bum is different, but I was thinking of getting the exact same saddle that you've got there.

billy.

thats one gorgeous bike mate. 8)

davelakers

I want one of those so much it hurts...........

Anonymous

Here's the CT2 chainrings with Red on mine-



Worth a punt when the Red ones are worn.

What was the celebration for?

rake

chaffordred wrote:

NapoleonD wrote:

chaffordred wrote:

Just preferred the look of the red cranks over DA on a white R3 and Di2 runs perfect with the red, especially shifting from the small to big chainring and vice versa.

Roger. I run red but much prefer the look of the 7900 chainset. I replaced the red chainrings with Stronglight CT2 ones, found the shifting improved (and preferred the look...)

I like what you've done with the battery.

Thanks. I'll have a look at the Stronglight chainrings.

RE: The battery. Chopping up a Di2 wiring loom was a bit hairy, but quite a simple procedure with a multimeter, soldering iron and heatshrink.

I said in my first post the battery is in the seat tube. It's actually in the seat post. It think the stock Di2 battery just looks wrong on the down tube. I noticed some bikes have them on the non-drivetrain chainstay and some under the saddle. According to long term testers, Di2 batteries are lasting around an average of six months between chargers. The LiPo stick battery is lighter (it's designed for model helicopters) and should last twice as long as the stock di2 battery. So, once a year I undo one bolt, pull out the seat tube disconnect the waterproof plug and put it on charge for 2 hours. IMHO this is a minor inconvenience to keep the bike looking clean.

I also wanted to put the handlebar loom in the bars and stem, but it would mean the control unit wouldn't be accessible and I would have to drill a hole in the stem.

One day all this stuff is going to be wireless.

nice idea, the seatpost is a handy place for all sorts of things. is the standard battery a normal lipo, given the lower storage (i assume) and more weight. i didnt think lipo batterys were capable of holding charge for that length of time.

freehub

It could be wireless already, they need to design them to have a bettery in the front/rear mechs and the shifters.

AndyD2574

Very nice mate......enjoy.

Looks stunning!

solsurf

one serious bit of kit, I've been drooling over one of these frames for a while.

Enjoy!

chaffordred

all show no go wrote:

Stunning bike. I want one. Gonna have to sell my children though.

Slightly silly question, but how do you find the Prologo saddle? I know a cyclists perch is a personal thing and everyones bum is different, but I was thinking of getting the exact same saddle that you've got there.

On the initial short test ride (no bib shorts) I thought it was a bit hard, then I took it out for a long ride with bib shorts and it felt great. It felt like the more I rode, the more it moulded to my @rse and became more comfortable.

chaffordred

NapoleonD wrote:

Here's the CT2 chainrings with Red on mine-



Worth a punt when the Red ones are worn.

What was the celebration for?

Very nice. They go well with the red and the frame.

They would probably suit my R3 more than the current grey chainrings.

The celebration was my missus's 40th.

chaffordred

rake wrote:

chaffordred wrote:

NapoleonD wrote:

chaffordred wrote:

Just preferred the look of the red cranks over DA on a white R3 and Di2 runs perfect with the red, especially shifting from the small to big chainring and vice versa.

Roger. I run red but much prefer the look of the 7900 chainset. I replaced the red chainrings with Stronglight CT2 ones, found the shifting improved (and preferred the look...)

I like what you've done with the battery.

Thanks. I'll have a look at the Stronglight chainrings.

RE: The battery. Chopping up a Di2 wiring loom was a bit hairy, but quite a simple procedure with a multimeter, soldering iron and heatshrink.

I said in my first post the battery is in the seat tube. It's actually in the seat post. It think the stock Di2 battery just looks wrong on the down tube. I noticed some bikes have them on the non-drivetrain chainstay and some under the saddle. According to long term testers, Di2 batteries are lasting around an average of six months between chargers. The LiPo stick battery is lighter (it's designed for model helicopters) and should last twice as long as the stock di2 battery. So, once a year I undo one bolt, pull out the seat tube disconnect the waterproof plug and put it on charge for 2 hours. IMHO this is a minor inconvenience to keep the bike looking clean.

I also wanted to put the handlebar loom in the bars and stem, but it would mean the control unit wouldn't be accessible and I would have to drill a hole in the stem.

One day all this stuff is going to be wireless.

nice idea, the seatpost is a handy place for all sorts of things. is the standard battery a normal lipo, given the lower storage (i assume) and more weight. i didnt think lipo batterys were capable of holding charge for that length of time.

The standard battery is a Li-ion and weighs 70g, but it also has a housing that is mounted to the frame. By getting rid of these and replacing them with the lipo stick battery I managed to lose a few grams, but more importantly kept it looking tidy by putting it in the seat post. Up to now the lipo battery has been connected to the DI2 kit for around a month and not lost any charge yet.

chaffordred

freehub wrote:

It could be wireless already, they need to design them to have a bettery in the front/rear mechs and the shifters.

Rather than having 2 batteries at the FD & RD's it could have a shared battery in the seat post (like the lipo stick) then have a transmitter with a coin battery in the bars from the shifters. Therefore no external wires. It looks more complicated than a simple RF set up though. I think fairwheel bikes are currently doing a wireless Di2 project which they are going to unveil in a few weeks time.

Robert456

I'm suprised there are not specific battery seatposts on the market already, seams the most sensible solution to keep the lines of the bike clean

mister p

I have seen quite a few Cervelos over the past 3 years and I like this one a lot.

yuffie

chaffordred

Hi

With your internal Di2 fit how did you get the cable from shifters to BB without drilling frame - I can't see a way

Any pointers appreciated

Keith

keith@newcityfinance.com

yuffie

chaffordred

Hi

just looking at your DI2 project - jusy got an R3 and want to do similar as I hate the cabling - is there any chance you might share some wisdom -

it looks as though you've gone with wiring from the bars into the down tube NOT through the headset area - any reason why ?

also - was cutting off the connectors and re-soldering them a pain or did you find another method

Did you re-use Dura ace cabling throughout or substitute with another off the shelf brand ?

How do you recharge battery - by removel I guess

Is battery in seat post itself or in frame tube ?

hope you don't mind me asking

thanks

Keith

you can reply to my email if you like

keith@newcityfinance.com

flanners1

mister p wrote:

I have seen quite a few Cervelos over the past 3 years and I like this one a lot.

Understatement :P

Lovely bike though!

chaffordred

yuffie wrote:

chaffordred

Hi

just looking at your DI2 project - jusy got an R3 and want to do similar as I hate the cabling - is there any chance you might share some wisdom -

it looks as though you've gone with wiring from the bars into the down tube NOT through the headset area - any reason why ?

Yes. I put the wiring through the downtube because that's where the cablestop was. Obviously with no cables the cablestop was redundant and looked ugly, so I removed it. It is held on with adhesive and two small aluminium rivets. With the rivets removed I put the wire through one of the original holes.

also - was cutting off the connectors and re-soldering them a pain or did you find another method

The only bit of cutting was at the battery connector. It's basically 4 wires. 2 black, 2 red. I joined them together with a Tamiya type waterproof connector and heatshrunk it.

Did you re-use Dura ace cabling throughout or substitute with another off the shelf brand ?

I used all original Shimano Di2 wiring. Make sure you get the internal wiring kit.

How do you recharge battery - by removel I guess

To be honest mate I have been running it for around 4 months now and haven't had to charge it yet! The battery status indicator is still showing green (100%)

When it does eventually need a charge I just need to pop the seat tube out and disconnect the connector, then plug it in to the charger for a couple for hours. The battery can stay in the seat post whilst charging. I then just pop it back in and tighten the seat clamp and it should be good for an estimated 12 months

Is battery in seat post itself or in frame tube ?

The battery is in the seat post. It is a 19mm wide 7.4v LiPo Stick battery (800mAh).I also have a spare 1400mAh, but will not need it as the 800 seems more than capable of lasting a long time between charges. I think the stock Shimano one is 500mAh.

hope you don't mind me asking

No problem. One thing I would say is getting the wiring down through the frame is a pain and requires lots of patience.

To pull the rear mech wire through the frame I used one of those kits you use to pull wires through walls. I pulled that wire through the rear chainstay.

I used an inner brake cable with a small magnet on the end to pull the front mech wire through the existing hole on the upper bottom bracket area.

Finally, I used a Snap On pick up tool (24 inch) to retrieve the power connector by going down the seat tube.

Hope this helps.





thanks

Keith

you can reply to my email if you like

keith@newcityfinance.com