I was wondering what was up with the welds on the cervelos. I know that cervelo makes one of the most aerodynamic and technological advanced bikes out there but the welds are terrible. Does cervelo not have the technology/ know how to sand down and heat treat their welds or do they just not care. I’m not bashing their bikes, i was just wondering if this is an area where they might have overlooked. I guess it shouldn’t matter what a bike looks like as long as it is aero and fits but i hate to spend several thousand dollars on a bike that looks like it was welded right next to a pacific. Any comment Gerald?
What’s wrong with the welds? They aren’t as pretty as my Cannondale, but that’s the only aluminum bike i’ve seen that’s any better. Perhaps you are looking at an older model Cervelo?
If you check the close up comparison photos in this article you can see the difference between the old Cervelo welds and the new Cervelo welds on the P2k. The new ones look pretty slick to me too.
There are different ways to smoothen a weld, some make it stronger, some weaker.
double pass weld, where the welder goes over a weld for the second time, re-melting the weld and taking the edges off it. This makes the weld stronger, since the edges are stress raisers.
Smoothening the weld with sand paper or a file is more tricky, it is possible to get a weld even more smooth than with a double pass alone, but it also leaves the risk of material being taken off in the wrong spot. I don’t have that concern so much with a Cannondale, but companies with less experience would be vulnerable to this problem.
We usedto use method 2 on the OLD P2, but that was rather easy since that frame was relatively heavy and there was enough material to work with without risking taking too much off. But with the newer frames, we prefer a double pass weld over using the file or sand paper. Maybe not as nice looking, but stronger and safer.
It is worth noting that we have sold a substantial number of Cervelos, most of which have been on the road for at least a season. AS of this date, we have not had a single weld failure, including crashes. I cannot say that about any other bike brand we sell at this point. To me (as a triathlete and shop owner) the primary purpose of the weld is functional: It holds the tubes together. Beyond that, the secondary purpose (a distant second) is its appearance. Compared to a lot of what goes out of these doors Cervelo is either first or second best in appearance, but consistently best in performance.
Bit confused on this one. I’m looking at the three bikes in my basement. The Giant TCR1 and Cervelo P2K both have welds. The TCR’s welds are a little nicer, but not by much. Those on the P2K are still nothing to complain about. But then of course there is also my Italian lugged steel classic. Those lugs put the welds to shame.
This is a strange complaint, my Team Soloist had gorgeous welds and I’ve never heard of this frame fail.
Many like Ti welds to look thin and pretty, but they don’t use filler rod and it results in a weaker weld.
I was wondering what was up with the welds on the cervelos. I know that cervelo makes one of the most aerodynamic and technological advanced bikes out there but the welds are terrible. Does cervelo not have the technology/ know how to sand down and heat treat their welds or do they just not care. I’m not bashing their bikes, i was just wondering if this is an area where they might have overlooked. I guess it shouldn’t matter what a bike looks like as long as it is aero and fits but i hate to spend several thousand dollars on a bike that looks like it was welded right next to a pacific. Any comment Gerald?
-Wes
I have bought one Dual, two Soloists and one P2Sl for my son and I think that their welds are very well done. I have also checked closely many Cervélo cycles and the welding is of very high quality.
Only cycle I have seen with bad welds and sporting the Cervélo logo was a cycle of unknown origins rebadged as a Cervélo.
We’ve never had a welded aluminum Cervelo fail- even in crashes. For that matter, I can only remember one Cervelo of literally thousands we’ve sold over the years (we’ve been a dealer since Cervelo started) failing and I suspect that one had help…
Keep in mind that the best looking aluminum welded frames normally have filler (like Bondo) applied to the weld area to improve cosmetics of the frame. Not a bad thing, but it adds a slight amount of weight and a slight amount of cost for no benefit.