Cervelo R3

Price Paid:  $3000.00 at comp. cyclist

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
fast crit with hill at start/finish

Bike Setup:
7800 Dura-ace, SRM, 404 tubulars(for race)

Summary:
As much as I love riding, I consider my bike a tool. My primary focus is to train hard and win races. This bike gets the job done and is comfortable doing it. All my wins come from field sprints and, for that, this bike is as good as I have ridden. As a race bike, especially for criteriums, it's hard to beat.

Strengths:
Light, stiff, and proven to be durable (except the wolf fork)

Weaknesses:
The deraileur hanger is always bending and cracking, and I replace it as often as my shoe cleats; a barrel adjuster is needed for the rear deraileur so it can be adjusted in races. Riding a 60 mile race with an out of tune rear deraileur sucks; and finally, the bike is a bit sketchy in wet criteriums. All I can figure is the tight geometry (frame is a 51)and stiff frame make it sensitive in wet corners.

Similar Products Used:
many

Price Paid:  $0.00 at Big Shark

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
Country Hills

Bike Setup:
SRAM Force, Easton ea90slx (great wheels)

Summary:
Mine is the 2008 version . . . This bike is amazing in every respect: stiffness, weight, comfort, steering/handling, braking . . . what a ride! Other than races, I've used it sparingly, so I've only got 600 miles on it, but every one of those miles have been pure enjoyment. It's worth upgrading the wheels if the oem configuration doesn't have a good set. Ditto for the saddle (for me).

Strengths:
Everything, if you're ready to fork over the dough.

Weaknesses:
The dough you have to fork over (but won't regret) The stock saddle wasn't comfortable, for me . . . worth the upgrade.

Similar Products Used:
Specialized Allez Elite

Price Paid:  $0.00

Bike Setup:
Shimano

Summary:
I’m a former hardcore road racer (6’3” and 190lb) and decided to buy a new carbon frameset. Going into the process, I expected to buy the R3. I road tested most of the bikes on my short-list (Cervelo R3, Specialized Tarmac, Trek Madone, Kuota Kebel) but not all (eg Kuota Kredo). I learned a lot on these rides however and to my surprise, my favorite overall turned out to be the Kebel which I bought. Here’s what I learned:

- Power. The R3 does have the most snap in climbing and sprints, but by a smaller margin than I expected. The others are close behind and likewise very impressive. All of them have more than enough power for decisive attacks and break-away speed. Enough said.

- Handling. I was surprised to find that for me, the Kebel has the best balance and most intuitive feel. I felt within minutes as if I had been riding it for years. In fast descents its tracking and stability are just superb, and at normal speeds it turns and corners instantly but with complete composure. After the Kebel, the R3 was my next favorite but it required more attention to steering at low to normal speeds. The Tarmac seems to have some front end quirks at speed and a disappointing lack of road feedback. The Madone feels more like a crit bike to me with its short wheelbase and fork rake. On the Kebel, the stable and predictable feel may have to do with its stiff head tube joins, fork rake (longest) and frame setback (shortest chainstays and lowest seat tube angle).

- Ride. The R3 has a lively ride but feels more harsh than any of the others. I didn’t expect that and am still a bit puzzled by it. Both the Tarmac and Madone have less road feel than I like. The Kebel’s ride is lively like the R3, but so smooth and silky that I got the wrong first impression. I thought that nothing this smooth could ever have enough snap, and wondered why the European press rates its power so highly. It’s only when I finished some steep climbs and hard sprints and then repeated them on the R3 that I realized just how much power the Kebel really has, but in a deceptively sleek and non-jarring way. I’ve noticed the same thing with some racing skis, that a smooth ride can mask their acceleration because everything feels more composed and less “exciting”, and it’s only when you get your times after the run that you realize how fast you just went. Those are skis to keep! The Kebel’s surprising ride quality may have to do with its top and down tube walls which are thinned out much more than usual.

- Build. In the mountains I need to totally trust the build to stay on form and relaxed in long fast descents. I have confidence in the structural integrity of the R3 frame, but less so in the forks which are outsourced and just had a recall for steering tube failure (Wolf SL). I likewise had some initial concerns about the Kebel because of its ultra-thin walled tubes, its lack of a kevlar wrap, and the fact that it’s not race proven like the other bikes in this group. I finally concluded that there were four things here to keep in mind: that the Kuota folks got their start making strong carbon forks, that they rely heavily on CAD/CAM data in their design decisions, that the frame was top rated by an independent stress test lab, and that their production process is ISO 9002 certified which requires exceptional product consistency and quality control (eg they cut apart one frame in four for quality inspection).

Overall the Kebel was the standout for me because of its combination of qualities. I liked its smooth lively ride and effortless handling the most, and discovered that its power is among the best (but deceptively smooth) when compared side by side. The R3 was my second choice for its power and high speed handling. The Tarmac and Madone had good power but could not match the road feel or handling of the R3 and Kebel.

Strengths:
The R3 was my second choice for its impressive power and high speed handling.

Weaknesses:
There are smoother riding bikes that also deliver great handling and lots of power.

Similar Products Used:
Tarmac, Madone and Kebel most recently

Price Paid:  $1500.00 at frame only price

Favorite Ride:
Anything in the sun

Bike Setup:
centaur, racing 3's - 56cm - 7.6 kg's

Summary:
2008 White and Black, £1500 frame only. Not a superbike build - Campag Centaur and Fulcrum 3's. Have ridden 3 carbon bikes (including cervelo rs), cervelo soloist team and two much loved steels. This bike is just awesome. So quick when you accelerate, incredible in the climbs and weighs only 7.6 kilos with fairly average (but very good!) componentry and wheels.

Strengths:
The way the bike reacts when you put the power in. The way it climbs, the way it sprints and the way it feels. Soloist team (al) was fast, this is another story on the climbs. What's more - it is so smooth over bad surfaces! P.S Have a look at the bike that Fredrik Ericsson was riding on the last stage of the tour of britain - finished 2nd. The r3 was not the team's normal bike. It worked for him!

Weaknesses:
My legs, heart, lungs and pain threshold. The bike - absolutely none. It is better than most pro machines so how could I possibly comment!

Similar Products Used:
Soloist Team, RS, 2 old Italian steels

Price Paid:  $1800.00

Favorite Ride:
Riverside in Brisbane

Bike Setup:
See above

Summary:
2008 model white/black frame.
Built up myself with SRAM red, 3T stem, FSA carbon bars, campagnolo seat post (to fit the odd seat post size), specialised toupe seat, DT swiss white mon chasseral wheels.
Have to agree with previous reviewers. Does everything and more that you could ask for. Amazingly light frame, compliant/comfortable ride but able to accelerate instantly as soon as you require it. Superb downhill handling, just a great all round ride. And I really like the white frame, nice change to the red/black.

Strengths:
Super light, stiff frame, a joy to ride.
Different to most others here in Australia (see a lot of treks).

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
Specialised Six 13

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