Cervélo Soloist Carbon Ultegra R8000

JakeJ

Hello all,

I've finally built my bike up so I thought I'd share it with you.

So the story goes, I got into road cycling just under two years ago, I started out just by simply borrowing a friend's Btwin bike & pretty much instantly I was hooked & started riding to work, one day riding to work I saw a Bianchi go the other way, I didn't even know what a bianchi was at the time, but I knew I loved the colour and had to find out what this beautiful celeste bike was, then I found out the price of them and it went to the back of my mind as a dream bike as even 2nd hand ones were still really expensive, then in the summer watching team GB on the velodrome on Cervélo bikes, I drew my attention to them, I fell in love with the S3 and still would really like one, so I went to eBay and eventually stumbled across my first soloist, £500 with full Dura ace group set, even at this point I wasn't too clued up about it, but I knew dura ace was the best, however the bike was old as were the group set & it was a 58cm frame.

However because the original btwin was a 57cm frame I thought I could just lower the seat a bit ect and it would be fine.
And it was for a while, I even had a professional bike fit to get the most of out it and it was great, but I always knew it was a bit big for me, so I'd often look for a 56cm frame on eBay with not much luck, but I loved the bike so I wasn't too bothered.

Here's a picture of my original bike and pretty much how I bought it minus the wheels and bottle cages.



Fast forward a bit and upon washing the bike I found some small spiderweb like cracks around the head tube.
I still don't know if the cracks were in the carbon or just in the paint, but it meant I had to find a new frame, so daily searching the web for a new frame, I loved my bike so I wanted to keep the same frame but ideally in a 56cm frame, but being built in 2008 there aren't too many around anymore, but as luck would have it, one day on eBay I found one and it looked mint & it was fairly local!

So I went and bought it £300 I think it was in the end, for just the bare frame, no forks, seat post ect. Not that this mattered because I could and did just use the ones from my original bike.

Then winter came and I still needed to get to work, so I used a marker pen and put small marks on the cracked frame so I could monitor it and see if it got any worse.

All the while the new frame was gathering dust, I could have just taken the groupset from my cracked bike and used that but it was old and getting a bit tired, so I wanted to build a best bike, so I started collecting new parts for it, deciding between Ultegra 6800, DA 8900 & then out came Ultegra R8000 and Dura Ace 9100, I really wanted the newest Dura ace as I already had DA, but money I just couldn't afford it, it was so much more expensive than the R8000, so that's what I settled with.

Here's a picture of the frame with eventually all of the collected parts, I basically had to buy a component a month to spread the cost out. I'm also using a C-bear ceramic bottom bracket, because I saw a pro bike was using one.


I also loved the look of the gold chains that some of the top spec bikes out there have so I had to get one of those as well.

So now I've got all of the parts and everything I need but the weather is still pants and I've only got the one bike so I didn't want to build this bike up with all of these brand new components and ruin it with all the winter grit, even though now really that's what I'm doing. :roll:

So I got a really good deal from a friend who works at the lbs and he built it all up for me and I'm in love, I'm so happy with the way it's come out and how it rides now.

This is it all built up.


Building your own bike, means you can build it to your own spec, which is why I'm using a 52-36 front chainring and 34-11 on the back, 34! and it's awesome.




So I'm back to riding to work every day and loving it, everything on the bike just feels great and super smooth.

All that left for future plans for it, is a new black saddle, probably a Fiz:ik item, new black pedals and most importantly another bike fit, as this frame is smaller than my last one, so just needs a bit of fettling and that stem slammed.

So I'll finish this off with just one or two more pictures of it.




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Thanks for reading.

Matthewfalle

Lush, mint, see. Very cool.

Get rid of that rubbish from under the stem and it'll be finished.

Top work.

sloppyschleckonds

Matthewfalle wrote:

Get rid of that rubbish from under the stem and it'll be finished.

That's why the 58 looks a better fit

Matthewfalle

he Just has to learn to be more flexible.

Or pm’s me to sort out a deal for it so I can take it off his hands and are sure that it goes to another home to be cosseted,

Matthewfalle

I want it,

sloppyschleckonds

Matthewfalle wrote:

he Just has to learn to be more flexible.

No reason why he cant i suppose, those mis-matching wheels though

Matthewfalle

Oooh - I hadn’t noticed those. Yup - deffo need to get them sorted.

Selcof in the sales or Carbonzone for reliable, light well priced wheels for that.

Sell what he has on there will pay for most of the new wheel purchase.

Leave the white saddle though as it’s two fingers to clubbies and Euro cool.

Matthewfalle

That CXR wheel looks appalling on it though.

cougie

Yes very nice but that odd front wheel has to go or be destickered at least.

strongy1

Very nice, but in agreement with cougie, de-sticker that front wheel. Nice job.

JakeJ

I'm sure I mentioned it in the OP, the only reason for the front wheel is the weather.

I know it looks horrid, but the exalith brake surface is brilliant, wet, dry, covered in grit ect..

I'd have completely destroyed nearly £700 worth of wheel if I'd run the zipp through the winter, and the mavic wheel didn't cost me a penny so I'm not fussed if I ruin it, my club is planning a ride to Brighton this coming saturday so if the weather looks to play ball I'll put the zipp back on for that and snap a couple of pictures.

Stem same again, the people who built my bike copied the measurements from the old frame, thus bumping up the stem, I've already spoken to my fitter about throwing those spacers in the bin, but the bike has cost so much to build as well as two cars to run, I've completely run out of money, however, a bike fit will be booked come this payday.

Watch this space..

Thanks for all of the kind comments though guys, & roll on summer.

shirley_basso

Once you get used to it, remove a spacer and see how you get on. If its too much, put them back. You don't need to pay someone to tell you if you're comfortable.

JakeJ

Shirley Basso wrote:

Once you get used to it, remove a spacer and see how you get on. If its too much, put them back. You don't need to pay someone to tell you if you're comfortable.

The same fitter transformed my riding experience after my last/first fit, I used to get pain all through my knees and in my shoulder and sometimes my hands and feet, after the fit all of that was gone and I got faster, so I've got no problem paying the guy to do the job.

Also with three, free follow ups, I know if I start to feel uncomfortable or I don't like how it feels I know I can go back and get professional advice on what to do to make it better, on top of that I've got a really good relationship with the shop so I'm more than happy to contribute to the cause.

Matthewfalle

Don't bother with all that fitting rubbish or hanging out with clubbies: just send the bike to me and I'll look after it for you.

JakeJ

Went to my lbs to buy some brake pads so I can put the zipp front wheel back on for the weekend & as I mentioned I'm very close with the guys in the shop, especially the fitter and whilst I'm paying, he's putting my bike on the trainer to have a look at my position, within two adjustments he had it better; He moved my saddle forward which I really needed to do anyway, raised my hoods a bit & looked at adjusting my pedals and showed my a better position to ride in.

Since knowing him I've always said that I wanted that face down, arse up, aggressive racer look, so he has lent me this stem to try out and see how I get on with it, my previous stem was an 80mm this one is 110mm, you also notice that the crap from under the stem is now on top of it.

Also because the stem now matches the seat, I don't even hate that it's white, in fact I think it goes really well with it.





Hopefully this is the last picture I'll upload for a while with that mavic wheel on, as from tonight the zipp will be back!

Matthewfalle

Big hat - looks a lot better with that junk gone from under the stem.

Top work.

JakeJ

A few detailed pictures...











and finally, the zipps are a pair again, the whole bike needs a good proper clean, which I plan on doing this weekend.

JakeJ

What does everyone think of the white stem?

I'm really getting on well with it, so I'm going to buy one in the same size as the shop lent me this one to try.

I do like the white, but I guess I'd prefer gloss black, but I'm struggling to find a gloss black one, they all seem to be the anodised/matt/satin black look, which I don't want...

So if I can't find black, should I just get a new one of the stem that's already on there?

shirley_basso

I don't really mind the stem. Deda have a range of gloss black stems - most of them the decals can be removed with acetone.

Are you running Swisstop Black Princes? How do you find them? I have 303s on my bike using the Zipp Tangente Platinum pads and they are, frankly, rubbish.

JakeJ

Shirley Basso wrote:

I don't really mind the stem. Deda have a range of gloss black stems - most of them the decals can be removed with acetone.

Are you running Swisstop Black Princes? How do you find them? I have 303s on my bike using the Zipp Tangente Platinum pads and they are, frankly, rubbish.

I literally fitted them last night and have only ridden the 6 mile commute to work so wouldn't like to comment just yet, but they seemed ok, I didn't die, but I also don't really use brakes much on my ride to work either so kind of hard to comment.

Ned Flanders

I think the stem looks fine. Matches the saddle and Cervelo decals.

lakesluddite

JakeJ wrote:

What does everyone think of the white stem?

I'm really getting on well with it, so I'm going to buy one in the same size as the shop lent me this one to try.

I do like the white, but I guess I'd prefer gloss black, but I'm struggling to find a gloss black one, they all seem to be the anodised/matt/satin black look, which I don't want...

So if I can't find black, should I just get a new one of the stem that's already on there?

Looks good - it picks out the white in the frame, and goes well with the saddle. Top work fella, Chapeau.

Matthewfalle

Euro cool. Keep it.

If you want a nice gloss black one, Planet X own ones - I have two and they are well worth the tenner - stiff, look good, light, funky.

JakeJ

So I need new pedals,

Whilst in the bike shop the weekend just gone, I were looking at the Look Keo pedals and saw that you could get white ones.

Now it seems I'm turning to a bit of a theme with the white touches here and there, would white pedals look any good?

Or should I just get some nice black ones..

shirley_basso

Black. Honestly. They will look naff to start with and when they go grey with filth they will just look dirty.