Looking for a bike which would be good for (1) training, and (2) race bike on tri courses which are extremely hilly or multi turn crit type. The Cervelo soloist (aluminum) advertizes the flexiblity of use of this bike for road and multi sport events…however I’d sure be interested in any feedback on this bike or comparable bikes which would meet the two objectives I have. Checking a pure cycling forum, I found a number of people not very satisfied with the ride…too harsh/noisy internal cables.
Thank you in advance for any feedback.
ps. the new carbon cerevelo soloist is outside my price range for a training/1-2 per year race bike.
I have a one year old '04 model. It’s perfect for me. Purchased for comfort in training with aero capabilities. Use it for flat rides, hilly rides, curvy rides, tris, training and everything else under the sun. It meets all my needs and never blinks in any circumstance.
thanks james. i know alot times only the complainers post with regard to a product, but you have to checkout their complaints (very harsh ride/noisy internal cables)
I purchased a new '03 Soloist 105 in the summer of '03 for training and group rides. At ~$1500, it represented a great value when compared to other bikes in that price range. The first ride sealed the deal for me. Very responsive and predictable. If I had found the ride harsh I would have long since sold it. Instead, the solid ride quality has convinced me that this bike is a keeper. Some don’t like aluminum and will dis any bike made of aluminum. If the bike is properly set up the cables will be silent. Let them go slack on any bike and they will rattle. I have never heard them make any noise at any time on my Soloist. In fact, I also own and race an aluminum P3 - no cable noise there either. Yes, some roadies look down at it like a mongrel at the poodle show. That’s triathlon. You’ll see that at the pool too as you practice ONLY freestyle WITHOUT kicking. Know what I mean? Bottom line: the Soloist is a fantastic ride at a reasonable price. Get one. You are going to love it.
I’ve got a 2004 Soloist (combination of Team and 105), as does my wife. We’ve never found the ride to be harsh. Never heard any noise at all from the internal cables either. The only problem we had was with the cable grommet, where the rear brake cable exits, squeaking; nothing a little grease couldn’t solve.
I used it in the tri configuration this summer and it did a reasonable job. That said, I just bought a P3 to use as my tri bike. It wasn’t worth the effort of switching it back and forth between road/tri geometry and using the Soloist as a road bike when in the tri position was terribly uncomfortable.
I bought an '05 Soloist at the beginning of July, and love it! I don’t have anything to compare it to, but I agree with the others – it hasn’t seemed harsh at all to me, and I haven’t noticed any noise from the cables at all.
Not only do I think you won’t regret buying one, I think you’ll love it!
I have the 05 Soloist Centaur, and use it for tri’s, group rides, commmuting etc. I love it, it feels very comfortable to me (although I have never owned a carbon or ti bike, so I can’t compare to that). Never had any rattling cables, the seatpost seems to be squeeking a lot at the moment though. I need to grease it. Anyway, I think it’s a great bike and i’m sure you’ll be happy with it (if it fits).
I have not seen the specs on the 2006 but I still really like my 2005. I have never had noise from the cables. The ride on the stock Vista’s is OK. On a set of Open Pros it is very smooth. The frame even survived (without a scratch) a nasty 40kph crash that broke 2 spokes, bent the handlebars and required 6 stitches.
have a 04 (red/white) with mixed parts which i got in Jan 05 and since put in a lot of kms in training and racing. Mine does suffer from some cable chatter but I just apply some WD40 which seems to do the trick.
Cant really complain about anything in particular, its a fine bike for the money. Having said that I also have a P2k which I bought before the Soloist, so I know how to deal with some of the annoying factors. These include the seat post head, creaking seat post and cable chatter. I mostly race RRs and some TTs on the Soloist, I have two seat post heads/seats combos so I dont have to mess around when I TT. If you use it for tris and depending on fit, the head tube is long so harder to get low without an adjustable stem. I am 5/8 and ride a 54, ridden 90% in road config.
cant really go wrong with the Soloist, especially at the price, its a good road bike
BTW I do have extensive experience (4yrs) on a Trek 5500 before I got the Soloist. Carbon v Alu comfort is a non issue. But I do have a sneaking suspicion that the Trek was a little stiffer when it counted - in the first few pedal strokes on a sprint - but this might well be just my imagination at work. Why this is might be the case I have no idea, again I think its just my imagination.
I have a 05 Team. It is rock solid in both positions. I spent all summer in the tri position and felt it extremely comfortable. I just switched to the road position for some fall riding and it is even better. I have a carbon 2001 Trek 5200 and the Soloist is more comfortable IMO.
“BTW I do have extensive experience (4yrs) on a Trek 5500 before I got the Soloist. Carbon v Alu comfort is a non issue.”
I couldn’t disagree more. But hey, I guess all butts perceive things differently. I bought a Cervelo Soloist Team about four months ago. I live in an area with predominantly tar and gravel (aka chip and seal) roads. The Soloist absolutely beat me up. It’s fine for 25 miles … better than fine. It’s fantastic. But 40, 50 … 70 miles? It’s killer. I’ve had a Trek 5500 for many, many years. It got unretired after I realized that the Soloist was only gonna serve me on shorter rides … which I don’t do very often. The soloist hangs in my garage and I scratch my head and wonder what I’m gonna do with it. Maybe some day they’ll come out where I live and pave all the roads with smooth ashphalt and I’ll be in business.
The Soloist has the worst seat clamp I’ve ever seen. It’s simply awful.
My longest session dont stretch much over 120km and I have never raced or trained for an IM on the Soloist but did on the Trek, so cant really comment on the long ride comfort issue. But I do agree with you on the clamp.
BTW I assume you run the same tires and tire pressure, same seat and same dimensions? In my experience these have a significant effect on how the bike “feel” . The slightly different cockpit lenght between my Trek and the Cervelo might account for the sensation that the Trek is quicker to spin up in the first few pedal strokes, I am over the pedal a little bit more than on the Cervelo - but again might be my imagination.
ive had a 2002 Team Soloist for 2 years, it was the perfect entry bike to Tri’s…great versatility, not superlight, but for the money, very good.
…clamp on the aerobars…then with a spare seatpost head and saddle you dont fiddle with getting the seat forward you just drop in the second saddle…race setup…cest tout.
its its very good for both…thus far…ive had my best bike split in a race on this bike and am still riding it on road rides, find no problems with my backside.
harsh ride…hmm. no…i came from a full carbon frame and didnt find it any harsher, though, i have the carbon seatpost on the soloist i don’t know how much this benefits the ride. i find the bottom bracket much stiffer than my previous frame and the ride is just as good, though it does have the ‘deadness’ or lack of ‘twang’ steel might have…all totally subjective.
rattling cables…never…if there are rattles somethings not snug enough…
find a good used one, get a spare seatpost head, some clampon aerobars… see if you like it, if not you will be able to find a buyer.
have a 04 (red/white) with mixed parts which i got in Jan 05 and since put in a lot of kms in training and racing. Mine does suffer from some cable chatter
Cable chatter is easily solved by putting some cable donuts on the cables. you can do this by pushing the donuts up the cable with a piece of cable housing, we will have a tool in the next few months to make this even easier.