Cervelo R3

SimonGoesSideways

Her everyone,

This is my first road bike, a 2014/15 Cervelo R3. Its the 51cm model which I weighed at 7.33kg. With pedals that became 7.64kg

I'm sure you all know what these look like but here we go anyway




Plans for the bike are:

Arundel carbon bottle cage (already fitted)
Swap cassette for an 11-32 (already ordered)
Swap derailleur for the med/long cage one (already ordered)
Change tyres to 25mm
Change the wheels to something sub 1500gr

Over the longer term, get the weight down to around 6.5kg and my weight from 75kg to 70kg.

Cheers

fluided

Looks really nice, I bought an R2 black and red, really like cervelo's

SimonGoesSideways

Thanks !

it will look even better once I get some proper wheels on it.

Great bikes, glad you like your R2 !

singleton

SimonGoesSideways wrote:

This is my first road bike, a 2014/15 Cervelo R3. Its the 51cm model which I weighed at 7.33kg. With pedals that became 7.64kg
......
Over the longer term, get the weight down to around 6.5kg and my weight from 75kg to 70kg.

Hi, that's a nice bike.
I replaced the stock wheels on my bike with fulcrum zeros, lighter tyres and tubes and took off approx 575g in weight - which would get you close to 7kg if you get a similar saving. But, getting from there down to 6.5kg will be a lot more difficult and possibly very expensive.

Sb4rly

Hi, lovely bike, how tall are you? Looking at an r2 or r3 and can't decide between the 51 or 54.
Thanks

napoleond

I wouldn't bother with any of the weight saving stuff. Concentrate on making it nice to ride.

singleton

NapoleonD wrote:

I wouldn't bother with any of the weight saving stuff. Concentrate on making it nice to ride.

Making some changes - e.g. replacing the wheels and tyres - will make it lighter and will also make it nicer to ride. But I agree with your advice that just saving weight should not be the ultimate goal.

styxd

Too many stem spacers and the hood/bar angle looks a bit weird; they need rotated forwards by the looks of it.

Other than that, it looks like a nice build

SimonGoesSideways

Singleton wrote:

SimonGoesSideways wrote:

Hi, that's a nice bike.
I replaced the stock wheels on my bike with fulcrum zeros, lighter tyres and tubes and took off approx 575g in weight - which would get you close to 7kg if you get a similar saving. But, getting from there down to 6.5kg will be a lot more difficult and possibly very expensive.

Cheers for that, and yeh it would take a lot of money to get it to 6.5kg but something I can do over time hopefully. I think it will be a few months before I change the wheels just yet.

Sb4rly wrote:

Hi, lovely bike, how tall are you? Looking at an r2 or r3 and can't decide between the 51 or 54.
Thanks

Well I am 5'7 but with short legs, like a 29inch inseam. So while I look like I would fit a 54, it was actually a touch too big. the 51 was much better for me. There are a few differences from the R2 to the R3 but then there is a £1000 price difference.

Singleton wrote:

NapoleonD wrote:

I wouldn't bother with any of the weight saving stuff. Concentrate on making it nice to ride.

Making some changes - e.g. replacing the wheels and tyres - will make it lighter and will also make it nicer to ride. But I agree with your advice that just saving weight should not be the ultimate goal.

I agree in theory but then I can't help myself....... deffo wheels a tyres in a few months. it is already a great bike to ride as standard but there are always tweaks to be made !

styxd wrote:

Too many stem spacers and the hood/bar angle looks a bit weird; they need rotated forwards by the looks of it.

Other than that, it looks like a nice build

The stem spacers come like that as standard, it is set at the max height, gives the option to lower it later when I get more used to riding a road bike.

That pic was when I first got the bike and built it without setting up properly. The bars have been rotated forward more since then as I experiment with different angles.

Othewise, cheers, I will post more pics soon.

I am tempted to have a proper fitting done, but just as many people swear by them as people who think they are a waste of money.

bianchimoon

baffles me why people comment on other peoples bikes and say 'too many stem spacers' as though it's a matter of fact, no one here knows how many spacers SGS needs to be comfortable. Apart from that looking good SGS

styxd

bianchimoon wrote:

baffles me why people comment on other peoples bikes and say 'too many stem spacers' as though it's a matter of fact, no one here knows how many spacers SGS needs to be comfortable. Apart from that looking good SGS

I don't give a shit how many stem spacers the OP needs to be comfy; bikes just look much worse with a big stack under the stem.

ayjaycee

styxd wrote:

bianchimoon wrote:

baffles me why people comment on other peoples bikes and say 'too many stem spacers' as though it's a matter of fact, no one here knows how many spacers SGS needs to be comfortable. Apart from that looking good SGS

I don't give a shoot how many stem spacers the OP needs to be comfy; bikes just look much worse with a big stack under the stem.

I think you forgot to type 'IMHO' somewhere in that last sentence.

bianchimoon

ayjaycee wrote:

styxd wrote:

bianchimoon wrote:

baffles me why people comment on other peoples bikes and say 'too many stem spacers' as though it's a matter of fact, no one here knows how many spacers SGS needs to be comfortable. Apart from that looking good SGS

I don't give a shoot how many stem spacers the OP needs to be comfy; bikes just look much worse with a big stack under the stem.

I think you forgot to type 'IMHO' somewhere in that last sentence.

Even a IMO would have helped, not holding my breath

part time waster

Have you considered Mavis RSYS SL wheels , with the carbon tube spokes ?
They transform the ride into real comfort and are light too. Not aero in any way but great all day hilly sportive wheels. Just don't rack your bike up at the café and have others stacked on top as the spokes may be delicate. Never had any trouble with mine though.

Lifeboy123

I'm 5'7 and half with 30inc leg , 51cm was my size in R3

I hired the older model (silver with 105) In Malloca for 4 days, it served me very well as climbing bike up Sa Colebra , not a bad desecender either but not as planted as my Trek Madine but a big more lively ride

SimonGoesSideways

bianchimoon wrote:

ayjaycee wrote:

styxd wrote:

bianchimoon wrote:

baffles me why people comment on other peoples bikes and say 'too many stem spacers' as though it's a matter of fact, no one here knows how many spacers SGS needs to be comfortable. Apart from that looking good SGS

I don't give a shoot how many stem spacers the OP needs to be comfy; bikes just look much worse with a big stack under the stem.

I think you forgot to type 'IMHO' somewhere in that last sentence.

Even a IMO would have helped, not holding my breath

Each to their own opinions of course, the main priority is getting the bike set up properly for me, so if it means a big stack or 'shudders'......flipping the stem, I'll have to go with it

SimonGoesSideways

part time waster wrote:

Have you considered Mavis RSYS SL wheels , with the carbon tube spokes ?
They transform the ride into real comfort and are light too. Not aero in any way but great all day hilly sportive wheels. Just don't rack your bike up at the café and have others stacked on top as the spokes may be delicate. Never had any trouble with mine though.

Interesting, good to know. I am not in a rush to change the wheels, I need to rack up some mileage on the bike first. It will probably happen later this year.

Lifeboy123 wrote:

I'm 5'7 and half with 30inc leg , 51cm was my size in R3

I hired the older model (silver with 105) In Malloca for 4 days, it served me very well as climbing bike up Sa Colebra , not a bad desecender either but not as planted as my Trek Madine but a big more lively ride

So you are a touch taller than me overall, and good to know you enjoyed riding it.

SimonGoesSideways

Update - yesterday I fitted the 11-32 (swapping out the 11-25).

I did also buy the GS (long cage) derailleur that was recommended. When I fitted the cassette I thought I would test it with the SS DR and found that it works, shifts as normal, no noises, grinding etc. Only thing I wouldnt do is try to shift into the 53-32 gear. That might not work, but why would I do that anyway.

Took the bike out for a test just now and can report all is fine on the road. Although I only had to use the 36-32 once, it was still great to have it there for the short 10/11% gradient to give my legs a break !

So I'll be returning the GS DR.

Next item is to get a proper fitting done, I'll be going down to Condor Cycles. I spoke with quite a few different companies and decided on Condor, helps that they charge £100 (most are £200 - 250 for the Retul or similar fit), leaves some leftover cash if I need to buy anything else for the bike.

menthel

Condor do good fittings. It's old school as such as its not done with a fancy computer but they are great at it.

SimonGoesSideways

Yeh I've heard lots of good things about them and had a good chat over the phone. I also really liked their video of the setup bike on which every angle can be changed to mimic whatever bike you own.

I'm going there thursday morning, just over a 12 mile ride there and back. Hopefully on the ride back I will notice the difference in the changes.

Carbon overlord

Good work! Keep the pics coming!

davidb67

Enjoy it Simongoessideways!!
Treated myself to an S3 last year (pre the new colour way) and absolutely love it.
Can't wait for the nicer weather to be back out on it.

SimonGoesSideways

Cheers there will be more pics after the set-up tomorrow.

And DavidB67 - the S3 is an awesome bike as well, hope you enjoy it !

JesseD

Having a bike fit was probably the best money I have spent recently, lots of people say don't do it and its a waste of money but I 100% disagree, however the most important thing is to find someone who knows what they are doing, I had a Rutel fit and would recommend, but I think it was as much the person doing the fit as the software they were using.

I was expecting the bars rto be dropped, maybe a longer stem, higher saddle etc, but I think that was me wanting to look "pro", what I actually got was a lower saddle, brought forward a bit, moved the cleats, upped the bars a bit changed the angle slightly???????

For the first couple of rides after I felt strange on the bike and like I had no power, but I stuck with it and after a couple of weeks it all felt natural.

Now I feel totally comfortable on the bike and a lot more powerful, plus I climb better.

Moral of the story is after the fit you may feel at odds with the bike, give it a chance to settle and if your fitter knows what they are doing you will adapt and be more comfortable/faster!

SimonGoesSideways

Ok I'm back now from Condor Cycles. Really cool shop with load of stuff/bikes to look at.

Had a good session with them there. Process took around 50 mins. Asked what riding I do, asked about previous injuries or problems, checked my flexibility, how I walk, how I pedal etc etc and then adjustments were made. I ended up with:

Adjusted Cleats to give me even left/right float and increase Q factor slightly.
New footbeds for my shoes to give more inner arch suppor (I have flat feet)
Saddle raised 5mm
Saddle moved forwards 5mm
Handlebars rotated forward (not sure of exact measurement)
Stack height reduced by 10mm

And here she is:



So currently the changes/additions are:

Shimano R550 SPD-SL pedals
Quad Lock Iphone mount
Bontrager Flare R rear light
Arundel Carbon bottle cage
11-32 rear cassette



The 11-32 cassette on SS mech , in the 36-32 gear to show that is does work



Arundel Carbon Bottle Cage because you can't have too much carbon

Carbon overlord

Lovely! I run Arundel Mandible carbon cages on my bikes. Great choice of cage!

I have a set of Mavic Ksyrium Elite's brand new if you fancy some of those some time in the future. They're 11 speed Shimano so would work a treat.

Not needing to sell - you know me by now. Just an option for you. That said, I've had the Fulcrum Racing 4s and they've been fabulous!

SimonGoesSideways

Cheers !

I'm gonna get another bottle cage as well. I have to return the long cage derailleur I bought , so with the money I'll get refunded from that, I'll get another Arundel.

Thanks for the offer of the wheels, I know they are highly rated but when I do change the wheels I want to get something a bit more tasty and deffo something sub 1500gr.

Carbon overlord

I have some Mavic Ksyrium SLR's on the winter bike. They are an awesome wheel and would tick all your boxes, that said, so would the Fulcrum Racing Zeros. Enjoy!

SimonGoesSideways

Cool thanks ! When funds allow (and the Mrs allows) I'll be doing some heavier research into my choices. My general problem though is what I call 'up-buying'. I'm sure you all know, start looking at bikes for £1000 and end up buying a £3000 one. £300 wheels turn into £1500 carbon ones etc etc etc heheh

SimonGoesSideways

Mini ride report update:

I have been out for a number of rides so far, mostly short 10 - 15 mile routes as I have been a bit time restricted. So far I have found the bike quite a lot of fun and more comfortable than I expected. Having the 11-32 cassette really does help even though now my fitness levels are built up, I havent used the 36-32 in the last 50 miles of riding !

Yesterday I had more time on my hands and just went out for a ride. Ended up doing just under 32 miles, again really enjoyed it. My Strava showed an ave.speed of 14.3mph which isnt bad at all considering I wasnt pushing too hard and had some slow traffic sectors and lights to get through before I got out into the country lanes.

I'm not going to rush to change the wheels, I could lose a few kg personally and I want to get fit enough to do 50 plus mile rides comfortably. Then I will be happy dropping some decent money on some high quality lightweight wheels.

I am really glad I got the Cervelo rather than other bikes, I can't explain it exactly, but I think it's like that self-satisfaction in driving around in a nice car for example