My new S3!

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19735343#p19735343]Denny Crane[/url] wrote:

Love this. The colour scheme is so much better than this year's. Tempted by a S3 for a while and prefer the look of it over the S5. How do you find the assaults? Thinking of getting them but tempted to spend a bit more and get Zipp 303s.

Hi Denny, yep I was exactly the same, waited until I saw what Cervelo announced at Eurobike, expecting the S3 to be just a paint-scheme update given the bigger updates to the frame 14/15, and although the official dealer pictures (and real bike) of the '16 S3 looks better than the originally grainy/out-of-focus phone camera shots posted online from dealer catalogues!, I went with the previous paint job. I could have probably saved a bit had I waited for some places to start offloading the "old" paint-scheme frame, I didn't want to run the risk of not being able to then get my frame size in the 14 year-model paint scheme! In the end my bike shop recognised the significant sum I'd be spending with them overall on the build, and offered a reasonable discount, so I probably didn't do too badly.

The Assaults. Love them, although to be fair they are my first experience of carbon wheels, and I only got into road-cycling in March '13, specifically buying my Trek 4.9 Di2 to train-for, and then take part in, a London to Paris cycle ride for charity. As expected, I loved the training and road cycling so much have stuck with it - probably like most on these boards.... Anyway, the wheels! I have no other carbon rims as reference points, but I do like them. They spin-up well and seem to hold speed, more easily than the clapped-out wheezing engine powering the bike! Not been troubled with any side-gust problems, yet!
Using the supplied blue cry-power Reynolds pads, I'd suggest ear-defenders when braking - I'm thinking of treating my riding buddy to a set for Christmas - the ear defenders, not the wheels!
I scoured the net trying to find solutions, half suggesting the pads need toe-ing in and then will be fine, the other half suggesting don't waste time, toed-in pads still making a racket! I'm living with the noise currently, and trying to ensure I brake hard and short, & don't "drag" the brakes. Not due to noise, but to help reduce heat-build-up. Love the wheels though. I spent more on these, as I had wheelbuilder.com in the US build-up to the spec I wanted - which was the DT Swiss 240 hubs straightpull, red spoke nipples and Sapim X-ray spokes. Whilst building-up the order online, I then thought "what the hell", and upgraded to ceramic bearings at the same time..... Again, lots of research beforehand, and can I tell the difference? (with the bearings), nope, but the wheels were going to represent a sizeable investment, and spec'ing the ceramic bearings at the time as options, was sort of "in for a penny, in for a pound" mindset!

I had these wheels on my trek for 2 months before the S3 build came, and the Trek felt good with the Assaults. Would recommend them, but then I've never ridden the Zipps!!
My bike shop did have a lust-worthy pair of Lightweights in though - I'm sure they'd have looked great on the new S3!!!

A friend of mine is 40 next year and wants to have a crack at Mt Ventoux, to which I've said I'd tag along, but I'll be switching to an alloy brake-track for that, i don't want to risk the heat-build up on descents. My Bontrager rear rim on the Trek developed hairline cracks around some of the spoke holes, and although I've looked hard, a new rear rim is in updated colours from original - my OCD won't permit such differences, so it's another new set of wheels for that. Trying to get some Kysrium Elite S '16's delivered - spotted a bargain but they've twice sent the wrong model. They'll go on the Trek, but I'd use them for the Ventoux adventure.

Sorry for the War & Peace, but it doesn't take much to start me off regarding the bikes!