- A very light bike in 61 15.1 pounds with Enve 3.4
- Smooth, umfatiguing ride quality
- Stiff bottom bracket
- Great looking bike with Enve 3.4 smart system hoops

- NOT torsionally stiff enough front-to-back in 61cm
- Slightly nervous handling, almost twitchy, but not quiet
- The stock Fulcrum wheels...what a huge disappointment at the price

This is a very nice bike first of all. Good organic feel...like it is a part of your body and the fit is great for me.

Climbs very good, does pretty well on flats, but downhill...whoa. I don't know about the other posts, but I just finished Ride the Rockies and the downhill manners of this bike were not confidence inspiring...especially butt-puckering over 40 mph.

I immediately replaced the Fulcrum wheels and ended up with Enve 3.4 Smart System. A massive and expensive upgrade, but they 'fit' the bike. I have been unable to sell the Fulcrums for even $200 after 3 months on Craigslist. What an insult to consumers to ask $5900 for a bike and try to spin it to make about customer choice. At least put some Easton EA90's or Mavic Ksyrium Elite...something. Thus the low value rating.

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Cervelo S2, Cervelo R3, Cervelo RS, Cervelo R3SL, Giant TCR Advanced SL, Orbea Onix, Trek OCLV carbon, BMC Team Machine, Ridley Noah RS, Specialized Roubaix

Just i found one store, Cervelo Frames amazing price at http://www.aliexpress.com/store/group/S3-S5-R5-VWD-Carbon-Frameset/819025_251269430.html

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Handling, Stiffness, Ride, Weight

MSRP cost

Just purchased a 2012 R5 VWD on closeout. By far the best handling bike I've ever had. Allows me to go through corners much faster than any other bike I've ridden. Very stiff laterally, and stiff vertically, but not harsh like my old CAAD10. Has a great ability to smooth out the road, but you still feel the big hits. Not sure if it's worth the premium over the R3, but if you can afford it or get one one sale it would be hard to beat. 61cm with Sram Force and Ksyrium Elites ways 15.6 lbs with pedals.

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Bianchi Virata, Orbea Arin, BMC Pro Machine, Cannondale CAAD10

LIght. Stiff. Climbs like a goat.

Pricey? Little stiffer ride than R3SL. SRAM front shifting still not what I'd like.

About 18 months ago I bought an R3SL equipped as noted here. Then, 3 months ago when I took it for a tuneup the LBS told me the frame as cracked at the bottom bracket, which is apparently a common problem with the 2010 R3SL. Cervelo not only warrantee replaced the frame, no questions asked, but upgraded me to an R5 because they don't make the R3SL frame anymore. They also included a Rotor 3D+ crank to fit the new BBRight bottom bracket. So, this review is also a comparison of the R5 vs the R3SL. Both are amazing bikes; the R5 is bit stiffer with a slightly less cushy feeling due to those soda-straw thin seat stays. The R5 is still very comfy but I don't have the feeling the rear tire is flat. The longer head tube sits you up just a bit more. The differences in the two frames are very subtle and I give both of them a huge thumbs up as a great ride. My only dislike on the bike is that, to use the BBRight, I was switched from an FSA crank to the Rotor setup and it just doesn't shift as well. Don't know if that's something the LBS can still tune with front derailleur adjustments or an intrinsic difference.

The Zip 101s are great all around wheels but had truing issues that led to severe wobble on the first descents I tried with the R3SL. In addition, the Schwalbe tires (Ultremo ZX) had noticeable radial runout and developed sidewall cracks. Truing the wheels and replacing the tires has cured the wobble, but I am still just a bit afraid of the bike on descents because it picks up speed SO fast.

I upgraded to the R3SL from a 2003 Trek 5200/Ultegra and the Cervelo, with either frame, is an incredible upgrade. The bike far exceeds the capabilities of this 57 year old rider. Weaknesses have been the wheelset/tires, now fixed, and the slightly "off" front shifting with the SRAM Red and Rotor cranks (FSA was fine).

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Nothing even close to this.

Fast, Stiff, Handles Very Well, Comfortable

Fulcrum 7's, But I replaced them before I bought the bike.

I was looking for a second bike to go along with my 2011 Madone 6.9 SSL, and my LBS had a 2011 R5 hold over. I took the bike for a short test ride and bought it for $4000.00 plus $1300 for a set of Mavic Carbone SLE's. Out the door for just over $5000.00 for this bike was a great deal.

Once I was fitted and was able to take the bike out for some longer rides I fell in love. This bike is very fast, and handles extremely well. I was expecting a harsher ride based on reviews I have read, but it is as smooth as my Madone. The more miles I put on this bike the more I like it. I want to try a full carbon wheelset now and see how it feels (the setup now is only .9 pounds heavier than my Madone with full carbon wheels, lighter pedals and other lighter compnents). I am definitely a believer in Cervelo now, and my next bike will probably be another one.

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Trek Madone 6.9 SSL, Sram Red.

Race pace stability, responsive, smooth!

None other than cost

Cervelo bikes just feel fast, period. There are a lot of good bikes on the market but few really feel like race bikes. Meaning, quick, responsive & lively but still stable. The R5 SL has an extremely stiff BB while still being very smooth and compliant. The R5 comes into it own at speed, the faster you go the more confidence it brings. Speeds of 50 to 60mph are never an issue.

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Cervelo R3 SL
Cervelo S3
Trek Madone

Low weight, stiffness whilst still comfortable, geometry/ handling/ cornering capability/ high speed/ responsiveness

None that I can thing of. Price perhaps but that is forgotten about as soon as you start using It.

I wanted to replace two alu framed racers that I had at home and in the countryside house. Bought an R3. Got impressed. So I also bought the R5 (frame/headset/cranks + add’l Campy Record components + Zipp 202 wheels). Started racing as a 10 yrs old in 1973. Raced very actively for 10+ yrs. After that, on a lower, yet regular basis, incl some recreational races. Of all the bikes I have used since (steel, alu….) I am just so impressed by the R5. Until today, I have rode the bike in Sweden and Italy. The general impression is; It just eats kilometers, with a huge appetite.

It is very light, obviously, which is a huge advantage when climbing. You mage argue about losing bodyweight before shaving off weight on the bike but in the end, a lighter bike (and wheels!) does the work better. It is stiff where as you expect it to but what surprises me most is its comfort. For the first few weeks I kept looking if I had a flat tire in the rear. I rode over cobbled and rough surface not feeling the same vibrations I was used to feel on a road racer. Meaning less fatigue on long and hard rides. Also, its geometry perhaps, makes it very responsive when cornering. You just make a small adjustment and it dive in to the turn. Talking about cornering; even in the Italian mountains, with descends at high speeds (have tried 90 kph at the highest), one feels so confident that fear for speed resists more than fear for the bike. Not the slightest of wobbling or so. Last but not least, riding on the flat, is very nice as it transmit all the power you have right down the road.

I’m thinking, what can the talented bike engineers come up with next to provide such a leap in cycling feel and performance? For sure they will but I doubt It will be easy. Until then, I’m looking forward to many and pleasant rides with my R5. Highly recommended.

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No similar.

lightweight, great ride quality

Get rid of those Fulcrum 7's. I completely understand why it makes good business sense to equippe Cervelo line with them, but throw the average consumer a bone here and put some Ksyriums or something on the bikes. True, most High-end bike purchasers will swap wheels anyway, but F7's are a complete joke at this level of frameset. For this reason alone, the bike will get a 4 out of 5 for Value rating.

2011 R5, Sram Red, Stock 3T, Zipp 202's.
I have been and will continue to be a Cervelo believer and customer. Have owned 6 Cervelo's in the past 10 years. Currently race my S2. I recently sold a 2008 CSC R3SL to free-up some cash for an new R5 or similar. I have a good relationship with LBS and was loaned a R5-Red stock equip'd w/ Zip 202's for a week long demo with the expectation that I would buy after riding. I demo'd bike for 1 week (500 miles) and overall bike is great (Give it a 5 out of 5), however it is missing something that is hard to describe. The first time I rode an R3SL I never wanted to get off it..that bike was truly revolutionary for 07-08'. It took me about a week to determine that that the R5 was great, but it only took me a week to want to try the next thing. At the time of this review, I would easily buy a 2010 left-over R3SL frame i.l.o. R5 and save a bundle of cash. Also, not completely sold on the BBRight. Ended up trying and then buying another (non-Cervelo) bike that was on sale at the same price point.

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2007 R3 Force, 2008 R3SL DA, 2009 RS Ultegra, 2009 S2 Red, 2010 P3 Ultegra, 2011 Wilier Cento Uno SL w/ DI2.