Specialized S Works Venge or Cervelo S3

tarmacpro

Got some cash to spend on a new frame and i'm torn between the Venge and the S3..anyone have experience of either?
Bike will be used for club rides/sportives but no races.

si2k2000

My friend just changed from the S3 to the Venge. He really rates the Venge higher than the S3 and says it is super stiff and responsive, like the S3, but says the Venge is a lot more forgiving and not such a harsh ride. Both great bikes so you wont go far wrong. I've never been a Speciliazed fan in terms of looks of the bike and I think my friends S3 looked much better than the Venge but it is a nice decision to have to make.

styxd

Would you not be better off with something a bit more modest if all you're doing is club rides and sportives? What about a custom steel frame? It'll be comfier, last forever and wont go out of fashion either. Probably money better spent.

giant_man

Same response for all these types of questions: try both yourself and make a decision. You're not going to know otherwise.

napoleond

Although I own a carbon Cervelo (R3) I'll never buy that sort of frame new, only lightly used at a good price from a dentist who took up road riding for 6 weeks.

If I was buying new I'd get something nice and custom in steel.

thegreatdivide

Neither, get a Wilier Cento Uno or a Cento Uno Superleggera frame.

symo

Scott Foil or Something by Enigma in Ti?

ddraver

Never ridden either, but seen them in the flesh and I reckon the cervelo is purtyer...

You need to try them both though, they re full on race bikes and any comfort issues are going to really show!

option_click

A friend of mine has the Venge and absolutely raves about it - says it's possibly the fastest and most responsive bike he's owned - and he has owned and ridden a *lot* of bikes over the years.

However, he also has a Cento Uno and says it's often a difficult decision as to which one to take out.

Personally, I'd take the Venge but that's mainly because I'm not a huge fan of Cervelos.

giant_man

The cento uno is a great riding frame imo ... it's no C59 of course, but a very nice ride-all-day frame.

Gary Sinclair

I think the s5 is taking over from the s3, the s5 looks better than the venge.

okgo

Whatever one you like the look of more.

Personally I love the shape of the s2/s3, loathe the shape of the S5 and love the shape of the venge. If I had the cash to buy a new frame I'd buy a venge because its the fastest frame out there, simple as that.

styxd

I'd buy a venge because its the fastest frame out there, simple as that.

Its not if the rider's middle aged, over weight and unfit.

rolf_f

okgo wrote:

If I had the cash to buy a new frame I'd buy a venge because its the fastest frame out there, simple as that.

Even if you were buying it for club rides and sportives and not racing? Why would you buy a frame solely for a reason that isn't of primary importance to you?

Personally, I'd think about what was best over a long day ride. And then I'd find the frame that fitted that requirement best and fitted my body shape best......

okgo

Well he clearly isn't fussed on comfort as he's looking at race frames, and of the two you might as well get the fastest one, which its been proved the Venge is!

And whether he is a fat and slow doesn't make much difference does it? He'll still be slightly faster on the Venge as its more aero than the rest

styxd

of the two you might as well get the fastest one, which its been proved the Venge is!

Who proved this? You?

The Venge isnt necessarily going to be the fastest for him if it doesnt fit him properly.

okgo

It was tested in Tour magazine.

Why wouldn't it fit? The amount of adjustment you can have in stems, bars, seats, posts, cleats, hoods, means that as long as you buy the right size frame, (so if you're 6 ft then you can reasonably assume a 56 for example) you can make most things fit well.

I think people get kicks on here from trotting out "test everything, make sure it fits, blah blah blah" there is truth to it obviously, but its not that big of a deal I don't think, I am a 56 but have a 58 as a training bike and its fine, just has slightly different set up to my other bike.

rolf_f

styxd wrote:

of the two you might as well get the fastest one, which its been proved the Venge is!

Who proved this? You?

The Venge isnt necessarily going to be the fastest for him if it doesnt fit him properly.

No no - hang on a mo. He may have a point. Imagine your friend and you have just completed a 50 mile ride on your bikes - he has a Venge, you have a less aerodynamic bike. You won't be sniggering whilst he is relaxing and enjoying a well earned restwhile you still have a quarter of a second to pedal

okgo wrote:

Why wouldn't it fit? The amount of adjustment you can have in stems, bars, seats, posts, cleats, hoods, means that as long as you buy the right size frame, (so if you're 6 ft then you can reasonably assume a 56 for example) you can make most things fit well.

You don't know much about bike fitting do you... We aren't all of the same proportions. As it happens, I'm 6ft 1 and 56 is a bit long for me. No mount of ultra short stems and seats innappropriately far forward will change that. Why would anyone pay thousands for a frame that is a compromise fit when you could buy a different frame that fitted like a glove? Or buy a bespoke frame?

okgo

Not really no, I think most of it is marketing tbh.

I have a 58 and a 56, I can't surely fit both of them according to you? yet they're both fine for long rides at speed, I must be a freak of nature

bcur7

Can we back up a little here – you’re looking a new frame to do club spins and sportives. The two frames you’ve mentioned are total out and out racing frames – you’d be better buying something that is designed for your needs - comfort. Your style of riding needs comfort NOT speed. The two frames you’ve mentioned could very well give you back-ache due to the riding position.
Just a thought.

thegreatdivide

TBH I don’t get the ‘aggressive race bike not built for long rides and comfort’ thing. These are bikes that pros do ultra long Classics and three week Grand Tours on! Yes they’re Pros and they’re extremely fit, but I’m lucky enough to own a Cento Uno and although I’m no Pro I can ride the thing all day without any problems. A full-on race bike set up with measurements from a bike fit will be a comfortable bike.

rolf_f

okgo wrote:

Not really no, I think most of it is marketing tbh.

I have a 58 and a 56, I can't surely fit both of them according to you? yet they're both fine for long rides at speed, I must be a freak of nature

Probably not - you probably have the sort of body shape that most bicycles are made to fit. Maybe you are large for a 56 and small for a 58. I wouldn't fit any racing geometry bike whatever you did to it. I have to find short, tall framed sportive bikes. Those give me a fairly aggressive geometry. For my shape, there is no such thing as a sportive geometry. Probably just as well as it would have a bizarrely tall head tube.

Most of it is marketing but then, on the other hand, if 99% of the bikes made today have virtually identical geometries, I'm certainly grateful that marketing has provided me with a frame to match my shape.

Gary Sinclair

The s5 was proven to save more watts over 40k than the venge.

bristolpete

Have a Venge. Stunning bike - accelarates better than any bike I have had - literally smoking people in the sprints. Does that make it the best over ? No, but then there are a lot of exceptional bikes out there.

Also great on a club run as the free speed is excellent. I really rate it as a bike frame. Climbs really well to as the BB is super stiff. I am running 53/39 with 12/25 at the back and paradoxically, this makes climbing better I think.

The head tube also despite not having massive oversized bearings. The only caveat I have with the Venge is that the geo is big. I ride a 56cm bike which is 14mm taller than my Tarmac at the highest standover point but thats only a small detail to me as I hate bikes where your bollocks feel close to the tt though I run short cranks which in turn elevates me.

I would prefer to see the geo changed for 2013 though it wont be as the arched top tube clearly helps with the stiffness when honking on the bars in a sprint.

My opinion is that its a great solo bike, group ride bike or club run machine as it is after all just a bike.

bristolpete

Gary Sinclair wrote:

The s5 was proven to save more watts over 40k than the venge.

mmmmm, where was this and furthermore, the S5 was designed by a blind fella who thought he was making a garage door