Cervelo S1 vs Carbon Firbe in same price range

XtotheZ

Hi
ive been cycling for just over a year and im looking into getting my first serious bike for the odd race and cycles

Ive always loved the Cervelo's but the only one relevantly in my price range is the S1. But its Alluminium.

I was just wondering if it would be better than Fully carbon bikes in its price range?

Thanks

warrior4life

I've had a few carbon bikes by big names and I prefer my S1.
Built it up with sram force and some other bits I realy wanted and I love it.

Not sure if its better than other carbon bikes of the same spec but being able to put my favourite bars, saddle and get the correct stem length and bar width has made it just right for me.
I was able to cut costs in area's where I wanted and spend money on the bits I liked most.

I'm known for changing bikes all the time and the S1 has lasted longer than anything yet and I have no plans to change it.

If I was I would go for the Ribble stealth frame on ebay and hang all my stuff on that bad boy.

MaxwellBygraves

I also have an S1 and it's great.
Really solid, classy bike. Fantastic frame.
The only downside is that IMO it doesn't get on with crappy road surfaces.
If your going to be racing, can't go wrong.

FitzM

The S1 is a great frame, I have Ultegra and hand built wheels on on mine. A great race bike on a good surface. Nice and aero helping you achieve and increase in mph especially if you're in the pack

And no problems when doing a century

But on poor roads, oh my poor bones

Alumin-Liam

For racing it is one of the best frames around. I know a couple of people that also use their S1 for time trials and say it performs well there too.

If you've never had a carbon frame then the harsh ride probably won't bother you too much.

Consider Canyon as well - they do a decent discount on frames bought through their website for people with a racing license.

warrior4life

Gotta say im never that sure about the harsh ride.
It never seems any worse than any other bike to me.
always thought that you would get far more flex and and comfort from the tyres and bar tape, the bars, Saddle, seatpost and even your shorts and gloves.
If I ever changed it would have nothing to do with the cervelo feeling uncomfy in any way.
To me the bike feels very fast but at the same time extremely tough.

MaxwellBygraves

warrior4life wrote:

Gotta say im never that sure about the harsh ride.

IMO, the ride is fine as long as the road surface is reasonable. It's only when you hit a poor road surface that you can feel it a bit more. Put it this way, I also own a carbon Cervelo and the difference is subtle but definitely there.

JRooke

As nice as it is to have something underneath you saying Cervelo if you plan to race you would benefit from getting a great 2nd hand carbon frame, s1s are decent but alu frames just aren't as stiff as carbon end of.

MaxwellBygraves

JRooke wrote:

As nice as it is to have something underneath you saying Cervelo if you plan to race you would benefit from getting a great 2nd hand carbon frame, s1s are decent but alu frames just aren't as stiff as carbon end of.

Really? Ridden an S1?

FitzM

JRooke wrote:

As nice as it is to have something underneath you saying Cervelo if you plan to race you would benefit from getting a great 2nd hand carbon frame, s1s are decent but alu frames just aren't as stiff as carbon end of.

That could only be said by someone that's never ridden the S1 :roll:

cal_stewart

Cervelo = Very Good Bikes with Nasty, boring paint jobs

To be fair there was enough of them handing me my arse at the tour of wessex last year.
Is it true you can turn the seatmast to change between road and tt set ups?

furrag

Yes Cal - the seatpost head is reversible. So you take it off and can spin it 180 degrees. I have a spare seatpost head, so don't need to fart about changing the saddle position. I can change it from road to TT set-up in about 5 minutes which is very handy. My Wilier's paint job I find beautiful, and full of flair. Conversely, the Soloist is in a grey anodised finish, but it's so bland I don't worry about it getting prioritised over others when thieves are lurking at cake stops.

I have both a Wilier Izoard and a Cervelo Soloist (now the S1). The idea was that the nice carbon fibre Wilier would be nicer do to do the long days on the bike, with the Cervelo doing the TT/Race's. Especially as the forks had been cut so short, I have no spacers.

I've kept the Izoard in the garage most of the winter, opting to use the Cervelo as the winter bike. I did a 102 mile ride on the Cervelo earlier this month, taking in some pretty shit roads. I didn't find it uncomfortable though.

Despite a bike fitting on the Wilier, my cornering has improved a lot more though with the Cervelo, though that could just be a preference for shallow drop bars and ever-improving confidence.

I won't race on the Izoard. I'd worry what hidden damage there could be lurking if I crashed. Plus, the Izoard cost £2k whereas the Soloist I built for under £1k. Being aluminium shouldn't count against the frame. A cliché which pops up on every bike site is "Expensive aluminium is much better than cheap carbon".

cal_stewart

don't race as i live overseas, want to start on return. Was looking at the s1 to use as u do. Just can't buy it at the minute as waiting on my new custom steel training frame and the missus would have my balls.

The S1 looks a very bike for rider wanting one bike for racing and tt. the only other bike that might do the same is the canyon aeroad.

Garry H

Cal_Stewart wrote:

don't race as i live overseas, want to start on return. Was looking at the s1 to use as u do. Just can't buy it at the minute as waiting on my new custom steel training frame and the missus would have my balls.

The S1 looks a very bike for rider wanting one bike for racing and tt. the only other bike that might do the same is the canyon aeroad.

There are loads of other bikes in the same category...

LangerDan

The March 2011 edition of Cycling Plus has pitched the S1 against three other (carbon fibre)aero bikes. The S1 came out quite well, with the main reservation being the ride, as pointed out above.

Bear in mind the S1 / Soloist has been around for about a decade now - is there an update on the cards?

billysan

I doubt it, it was supposed to be phased out at hte end of last year. I imagine they still had a few left to shift however, hence why it has been carried over to 2011 totally unchanged.

I love mine. Even with a fresh Brooks saddle the ride is fine, not done a century on it yet, but not far off. I ride a few times a week around the Chilterns, and down into Berkshire on some badly broken back roads. No problems

Ciclicasati

There will never be an aluminium race frame like Soloist Team but there will be plenty of mediocre carbon framesets. ride one then decide. I bought an R3, then the S1. There is a difference but the S1 is a lot of fun.