I sold my tri bike last year and am looking for a bike that can be used for both road and triathlons. The carbon version of this bike is a little more than I want to spend, but I am hesitant to trade in my carbon road bike for an Aluminum bike. Any thoughts? I suppose I could put some shorties on my current road bike and use that for triathlons, but 76 degrees seems a lot better than 73 degrees. Thanks in advance for any thoughts.
Jeff
It’s a real sweet ride. I’ve did Ironman Hawaii on a P3 aluminum in 4:52 and was able to run fine afterwards. Cervelo’s aluminum rides smooth, not harsh. Full disclosure - I sell Cervelos. However, I only sell them because I think they’re so great.
I sold my tri bike last year and am looking for a bike that can be used for both road and triathlons. The carbon version of this bike is a little more than I want to spend, but I am hesitant to trade in my carbon road bike for an Aluminum bike. Any thoughts? I suppose I could put some shorties on my current road bike and use that for triathlons, but 76 degrees seems a lot better than 73 degrees. Thanks in advance for any thoughts.
Jeff
No…it is not “harsh” in the least.
Despite the fact that you can control ride “harshness” more by choosing supple tires and running them at reasonable pressures than you can with varying frame material properties…just because a frame is made out of aluminum, it doesn’t mean that it’s going to be stiff vertically. In fact, I found the rear of my aluminum Soloist (2002) to be more “comfortable” than another frame I had which had a carbon rear triangle. As I’ve said before, “…it’s not so much the material, it’s what you DO with it that counts” 
IMHO aluminium Cervelos ride like buckboards. I had a P2K and rode a borrowed al Soloist and considered them both relatively harsh rides compared to steel, titanium or carbon frames I’ve owned. Seriously - have a look at the Kestrel Talon. It’s aero carbon dual purpose and about the same price as an al Soloist.
I own one and can’t think of any steel, aluminum, or Ti bike I would trade it for.
All the positive reviews out there are spot on IMHO.
i ride a soloist on nasty Quebec roads and when i first got it I remember being impressed at how comfortable it felt when compared to my carbon tri bike.
i also run 25mm tires at around 110psi for training.
I have an older solist, size 58, feels fine to me.
smaller bike sizes will be stiffer though
its difficult to figure this out without actually riding one in your size yourself, since frame size, tire, and wheel choice will affect this so much…not to mention road quality where you tend to ride!
I sold my tri bike last year and am looking for a bike that can be used for both road and triathlons. The carbon version of this bike is a little more than I want to spend, but I am hesitant to trade in my carbon road bike for an Aluminum bike. Any thoughts? I suppose I could put some shorties on my current road bike and use that for triathlons, but 76 degrees seems a lot better than 73 degrees. Thanks in advance for any thoughts.
Jeff
I have one set up as a road bike and think it rides great. No more harsh than my carbon tri bike.
Thanks, again, Chris.
Can I get one of these with SRAM Red, Dura Ace or Chorus or will it disproportionately increase the price versus the Ultegra SL build?
Jeff
what size are you looking for? I have an 54" '08 in excelllent condition that I may be selling. Been an awesome bike and would love to keep it, but I just bought a tri bike and 2 bikes just aren’t in the cards for now. It’s all stock components, except upgrades DA front der. and chain.
Thanks for the heads up, but I am likely a 58.
Jeff
I like my Soloist now, but was hesitant at first to get it since I lived in the Virgin Islands…(where there is no such thing as a smooth road) Now I’m in NC where the roads all seem pristine, and still put the majority of my miles on it over my P2C…The bike is rock solid, responsive, and quick. Great Value…
Component selection is an individual choice, and any of those would work if money is no object. However, your best bang for the buck would be to go with stock ultegra and put your extra money into a fast set of race wheels. The stock ultegra gruppo works fine.
In November I bought a 2007 51cm SLT to allow me to save my beloved R2.5 for dry days and high days. As have a pair of American Classics with a powertap built into the rear I swapped these straight over to the SLT for two reasons:
I should disclose that I have congenital spondylolysis (sp?) at L5, so my back is a little on the sensitive side.
My findings over the last 4 months have been that the SLT rides noticeably more harshly than the R2.5. It’s a very responsive ride, even more so than the R2.5, which I previously didn’t think possible. I have tried dropping the tyre pressures by 10% but I stil lhave residual aching in the lower back for 3 days after rides lasting more than 2 hours.
The conclusion I have come to, after discussing this on the Cervelo forum, is that I should test ride a couple of SLC/S2s for compliance. If you have back problems I would suggest you test rides for yourself.
lcl,
Sent you a PM, re: your bike.
I’ve got the soloist centaur. same frame as the team.
i wouldn’t describe it as ‘plush,’ that’s for sure.
yeah, it could be a bit harsh, compared to some other bikes i’ve ridden.
of course, i could put wider tires or lower the tire pressure. but i don’t.