I have no evidence that Cervelo is perpetuating that myth, nor am I accusing them of such. But certainly a lot of bike shop salesmen do, and that's where I heard the most from. Perhaps as another post here said, they know Cervelo buyers are a pretty loyal bunch, and they just want you buy ANOTHER bike.

I rode my old S2 over plenty of rough terrain including the Spy Belgian Waffle Ride and I regularly would take it through some moderate singletrack as part of a shortcut that cuts out an intersection on my road rides. This was on 28c tires which it cleared without issue. So certainly, I agree it can be done.


Kind of interesting, spoke to LBS in regards to this because I mentioned that part of my paralysis on choosing was based on the fact that I don't really want either bike. I had been planning on selling my S2 for whatever I could get for it within the next year or so and building up either an Open U.P. or a 3T Exploro. I really don't care to have a quiver of road bikes anymore as I'm going to be shifting my focus to mountain biking and offroad and would rather have a single road bike with massive clearance and disc brakes for year-round riding options.

When prompted about what might have higher resale, the LBS responded the R3 without question. Here in Colorado they said the R3 outsells the S3 by probably 10:1. Whether that is because they are pushing climbing bikes on people here or whether that is because that is what people want is unclear to me, but I suspect it's a bit of both.

"I raced my S5 over dirt and gravel with 26c tires this year with no issue".

I assume this was an earlier S5 without the rear wheel cut out. I was going to try 25s on my 2013 S5 to give at least a semblance of comfort, but Cervelo say they won't fit.
As a matter of interest, the later S5 is neither light nor comfortable, but it's quick.

Maybe you can talk Cervelo into replacing your S2 with a C-series. That will solve all your problems.

I am riding a 2015 S5. I find it sufficient light and plenty comfortable - as comfortable as a bike can be with a -17 120mm stem.

I used to have the older mode S5 and yes, wider tires don't fit.

Regarding the one bike to do it all idea - the 3T and the Open are sweet! I saw the Open with 650b wheels at a recent race and was impressed. I have a GT Grade which I love, but it can't accommodate large volume tires. The ability to run mountain tires is the killer feature of these frames in my opinion.

If I had to own one bike it would be the Open with 650b wheels with mountain tires and a set of carbon clinchers for road/CX tire usage.

I don't think it's a myth. It may very well be an imperceptible difference to 99% of people, but just from looking at what pros ride, there has to be something to it. If aero is king when just as light, why do we still see so many "traditional" frames.

You can say their sponsors dictate what they ride, but why would Cervelo/Giant/Specialized/Tek care? Especially when their aero frome is going to pull in more revenue.

And although the weight penalty is tiny, for those looking to be the lightest (if just to brag that they have the lightest), that ~100 grams is quite expensive to get rid of after you hit up the low hanging fruit.

 
What the pros ride is irrelevant in most cases, they ride what the sponsor provides and they do it to sell bikes.

Think about it, if manufacturers admit that the aero frame is just as light, and just as comfortable and faster than the "climbing" bike then there will be absolutely no further need for climbing bikes. How many people do you know that own a climbing bike, a race roadie and a TT bike? The answer is lots! Some people buy into the whole specific bike and specific wheels crap big time and this in turn causes them to buy additional bikes and additional wheelsets.

Flo has proven over and over again that aero wheels are faster than light climby wheels in all but the most extreme circumstances. And their wheels are heavy as hell. Yet we still see people buying aero wheels and then a light climbing wheel. If the manufacturers admitted that a set of 60mm aero wheels in the 1650g range are the best wheels for every situation, they won't sell 3 wheelsets to the same rider.

Cervelo makes the R3 and dealers sell it as a comfortable/climby bike because people buy into the myth and if they don't sell them an R3, someone else will.

Truth is the S series would work for anyone and probably be the best bike for them. I went from a full endurance/comfy relaxed frame to a 2014 Scott Foil which is well known for being a stiff, uncomfortable, aero race bike. Everyone told me I was going to hate it and I wouldn't be able to ride it for more than 3-4 hours. Not so in the slightest. It is plenty comfy, I have ridden it for 120 miles at a time with no issue and I don't miss the "comfy" bike at all. Heck, the Foil won the Paris Roubaix this year, yep, the stiff, uncomfortable, aero bike won the roubaix.

I like the s3 but that is just me. I think it rides great and is not too stiff (unlike the s5). It also handles well on the descends. You can still get them pretty light. My suggestion is to ride both and see what you like most.
Not sure it really matters but i will be posting my trek for sale to get a s3 soon :)

Josh Poertner and the guys at Silca just showed that the stiffest race bike on the planet with the right wheels/tire/pressure can be more comfortable than the "comfort" bike with the wrong wheels/tire/pressure.

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Chris Thornham
Co-Founder And Previous Owner Of FLO Cycling

Try this:

Your weight in pounds / measured tire width when inflated on the wheels being used at max pressure = max tire pressure in Bar on race day.

For me this is roughly:
180# / 27mm = ~6.67 bar = ~98psi.
I run 100psi front and rear on the race wheels if it is dry and good surfaced roads.

My daily road rides are on road plus tires:
180# / 47mm = ~3.83 bar = ~56psi.
I run 50psi front and rear on the training wheels if it is dry and I'm on good surfaced roads. Of course you can use less depending on the conditions but in general using more results in reduced performance and "ride quality".

-SD

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https://www.kickstarter.com/...bike-for-the-new-era

Seems ~10-15 psi high on the narrower tires to me...and my brain hurts from the mixed units ;-)

For example, I've lately been running tires that measure out at ~26mm on my road bike at 80/85 psi F/R. I currently weigh 170#, so your estimator would call for 170/26 = 6.54 * 14.5 psi = 95 psi.

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Sorry for the mixed units. It makes it easy to remember what number goes where in the formula w/o conversion and uses the convention most of us know.

So you err on the side of comfort; no argument as you certainly have done the trials to determine what works. I hoped to illustrate to the "120 psi crowd" that their selection is often too high. I'm sure you'd argue that 95psi is too high for you but too high for the average 170# rider looking for optimal crr?

-SD

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https://www.kickstarter.com/...bike-for-the-new-era

I run 95 psi in my TT wheels F/R, but those only measure 23mm.

" Tis far better to err on the side of too little, than too much, pressure" ;-)

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/