My new S3

Dunkeldog

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11897644@N05/6033199685/

Picked up my new Sram Red/Black build S3 today. Bike fit tomorrow then a wild and wonderful 70miler on Saturday to test her out! Sweet!

canbakay

nice but mate, gota get some serious miles in good conditions to feel the power of that beast.

one suggestion though, im guessing you have 3t ergosum bars: you should re-route your cables to go under your bars, and if a bike store did it, go slap them and tell em to redo it! on long rides, that'll sore up your hands!

ill be selling my 2011 zipp 404 clinchers soon, maybe, that would finish it off

enjoy!

ps, the lizardskins are easy to retape!

Dunkeldog

Cheers - cables actually come out right on top of the stem so they don't actually get in the way - can see what you mean though. Funny you should mention the Zipps - I was only thinking today what else can I add. Dura Ace came off my last bike. As for the power of the beast - heh, I'm under no illusions i'm Thor Hushovd! Just thought life's too short - you know!

canbakay

thats the spirit buddy!

thought they might have come off a different bike but didnt want to say! im guessing you got her from primera...?

Dunkeldog

Frame I got from The TriStore - was hard tracking down a 58 in the limited green colour. After years of Dura Ace drivetrain I went Sram for a change and everything else got swapped over from my old Felt AR2. The wheels are actually pretty good - not exactly 'sexy' but rock solid, light and run fast and smooth. At some stage though... heh

Berk Bonebonce

I would review your chain length. I am no SRAM expert so do not know if the rear mechs are available in different lengths.

JRooke

Yea might need a link or 2 out of the chain

Looks very nice though, thor doesn't stand a chance!

sfichele

sweet

Dunkeldog

Cheers folks! Yes, chain looks a bit baggy on the shot. Went for a quick spin last night and in the big ring things are better - no real sag. Will know more after a good workout over the weekend.

AndyD2574

You will LOVE it.
Had mine for 4 weeks now and cant believe how good it is.

Enjoy it mate!!

shinfein

what's that on the toptube? 75/222 ? Sweet bike mate

JesseD

Nice bike, I love the S3.

Asthetically:

Lose the spacers under the stem (if fit allows)
Tilt the bars down so the brakes levers are lower down.
Get some deep wheels, this bike is crying out for it!!!!

Apart from that I am jealous.

Dunkeldog

JesseD - had fit today and height perfect as is. Just need to trim the steerer tube now and lose the spacers above the stem. Long ride tomorrow should let me know how it all feels re bars down. And as for wheels - Zipp deep rims when the wife gets over the frame purchase!

Shinfein - the frame is a limited green/white colour to celebrate Thor Hushovd's green jersey last year. They made a frame for every point Thor won - hence mine being 75 out of 222.

AndyD - just a fit on the turbo and a spin round the block fine tuning the Sram in - looking forward to a proper blast tomorrow. Can already feel the bike is just ready to fly! Hope yours keeps a smile on your face!

Cheers...

FransJacques

Looks good darkdog, my front ends are just like yours as I dial them in, always best to do 2 or 3 100km rides before you fine-tune a steerer with a hacksaw. You can't go back. That said, your saddle's the same height as your hoods, would you not have preferred the new R series with the taller HT?

Hopefully as you grow into the bike you'll be able to shift the stem down a spacer at a time as your back and hamstrings get used to it. Would be a pity from purely an aesthetic p.o.v. to leave your bat-tilt and stem height like that forever. I believe your stem is flipped to go upwards a little bit no?

Don't worry about the chain, more chain usually = less friction. I always err on the side of 2 extra links. Please do a pic with with the chain in the 53x12 and the DS crank arm at 5 o'clock, lined up with the ST. If the RD cage is tilted slightly forward you've nailed it.

How do you like the C35s? I almost got them but the C24s were only £650 instead of £950 and the rotating weight was prob a bit less, bit I was seriously lusting after the C35s.

Tyre-wise the Rubinos are killing your set-up, this rig is crying out from some Ultremo ZXs with the green stripe: http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... CHWTYRF220 I just got a set and £26 represents a seriously good deal for what they deliver.

bristolpete

Nice, I have built an S2 with parts I had knocking about from other builds. These machines fly. I had an S3 but bought a 54 based on the wrong advice so did not give it a fair shout.

Bought a used 56cm S2 and man these fly. Hit 35 mph on the flat in the week without trying and did 7,500 feet of climbing and 103 miles in 6 hours on mine last Sunday and they climb great too.

Lovely machine, enjoy, however it is set up. Looks great.

Pete.

Dunkeldog

Cheers folks,
FransJ - very much a work in progress at the moment. A few bits and pieces swapped over from my old frame (AR2) and I'm kind of assessing things as I ride - like you say. Oddly enough had a bike fit on Friday and my hamstrings are terrible. Part of the after fit report mentions a more aggressive postion as I improve so bars looking to come down soon as. Absolutely love the C35s - I know people expect Zipps and Rotor cranks on a Cervelo but I love these wheels.The Ultremos are on the shopping list too! As for the R series - I know what you mean but I guess I'm so used to the geometry of a more aero frame. I'm more of a power down rider than a climber and felt the S3 was more 'me'.

Bristolpete - I know what you mean about the bikes flying. For the first time on a bike I felt like Saturday's ride was a 50/50 contest between me and the bike! I almost had to tap the garmin to make sure it wasn't displaying kph on one particularly descent. I think set up is a very personal thing too - what's good for one isn't the same for another. First and foremost it's about comfort and I've always found I go faster and can ride for longer when I'm comfortable for me rather than for some 'rule'. Cheers!

Gingerflash

"to celebrate Thor Hushovd's green jersey last year"

Just a minor point, but he didn't win, he was third. A little odd to make a bike to celebrate that, but there you go.

BTW, I agree about getting those bars lower. Looks a bit touring at the moment. No point having aero frame and wheels if you're sitting upright in the wind. :-)

If the wheels are staying, I'd get rid of the stickers, or at least replace them with plain white.

woody1545

"to celebrate Thor Hushovd's green jersey last year"

Just a minor point, but he didn't win, he was third. A little odd to make a bike to celebrate that, but there you go.

If I recall I think Cervelo were trying to make a point about the colour scheme. They thought that Thor would have won an extra 30 points or something if one of the early stages wasn't neutralised by Saxo Bank. This would have put him in the Green jersey in Paris.

In fact I think they actually produced 252 frames, with 30 being numbered differently and given to Cervelo staff.

P.S Nice Bike!

Dunkeldog

Ginger - sorry, my mistake - 2009 win being celebrated with the frame. Bars already down 10mm and seat up a fraction. Need my LBS to take some of the spare steerer tube off now and should be good to go.

Woody - cheers - nice bike and rides like a nice bike!

saintdracula

Great bike - but I'm just wondering what made you pay 3.5k over the other slew of aero bike frames. Brand, performance, or you just wanted something really special?

Just so you know, I'm not trolling - in fact I lust after that bike too; I've seen a frame and I really like the way the headtube blends into an aerofoil. But if you've tested other bikes as well, I wonder how they compare to this beast.

Dunkeldog

Drac - No trolling suspected! I did test out other bikes but primarily I had my heart set on a Cervelo. I went to the Specialized store in Brum and looked at the S-Works SL-4. A very nice bike. Test rode a Dura Ace version and it was a good ride but didn't feel as good as I thought it would. To be fair you don't really get a chance to give it a proper work out but I wasn't won over. Have a Felt AR2 which I love, but I wanted aero without the TT look. Also I analysed my riding style and climbing is definitely a weakness. The S3 is happier going uphill than the AR2 so I've kind of the best of both worlds with it. Friend of mine has a Trek Madone which I've ridden a fair bit. Again, great bike. I guess at the end of the day I just wanted to try out a few other bikes before I went ahead and bought the S3.

Pricewise I got my frame from TheTriStore on offer at just under 3K. If you shop around a few places have S3s at around the 3K mark.

Pokerface

Really nice bike. I have the 'bog standard' paint scheme S3 - but have had my eye on the green accented one - just to go with my team kit (Ireland).

Really happy with how the bikes rides andy handles. have raced on it the past 2 years.

Dunkeldog

@Pokerface - I can't imagine a better handling bike - at least not one that I'd notice the difference on. Still tweaking a bit but every ride is a joy. Feels like my Garmin has developed a fault and is displaying a few mph over the norm!