I am retiring my old Scatante (8 years old) and I am looking to buy a 2013 Cervelo road bike this January. I was wondering if I could get some valid feedback from some of you guys. I use my road bike to do long rides (80-90 miles) for endurance training (120-130 miles) and centuries/double centuries. I ride couple times during the week no less than 60 miles per day and on the weekends I do my long rides.
I am not sure which model will be better for me and for what i use it for. Any help will be appreciated.
I have not ridden the S5, only read about it. However my R3 with its super narrow seat stays act like a pseudo suspension taking alot of grit out of the ride. But the bb is rock solid and translates power so directly. Not sure if you need to be aero, as the R3 is the squoval tubing. R3 is a great long distance bike for sure.
I would say the exact thing you said. I have the r3 and love it. The S5 intrigues me but I have read a ton of threads on this and it seems that the R3 will be more comfortable for the long rides he describes
I have a 2009 R3 and a 2012 Rival Version S5, and from what you describe the R3 is the bike that you want. For the long stuff that you plan on doing the R3 is going to be the most comfortable bike between the 2, not that the S5 is horrible the R3 is just a bit better. Enjoy the new bike, that is quite a big upgrade from what you are currently riding!
You may want to take a look at the R5 instead of the R3… (and the R series of bikes is really want you want for longer distances, just more comfortable)… The R5 geometry has a slightly taller head tube, whereas the R3 has a very short head tube…
You may want to take a look at the R5 instead of the R3… (and the R series of bikes is really want you want for longer distances, just more comfortable)… The R5 geometry has a slightly taller head tube, whereas the R3 has a very short head tube…
Not true. Geometry is the same for both. Only difference is weight.
You may want to take a look at the R5 instead of the R3… (and the R series of bikes is really want you want for longer distances, just more comfortable)… The R5 geometry has a slightly taller head tube, whereas the R3 has a very short head tube…
goodboyr is correct, although I think I can guess what your mistake was. Current generation R3 and R5 have the same geometry. MIght have been comparing the ‘old’ (2010 and prior) R3 geometry (Same time period R3-SL existed.
I just got an R5 this past Friday. I put 115 miles on it withing the first 24 hours after I got home and I’ve put another 122 miles on it since then … much of it on some fairly harsh chip and seal roads that I have around my area. About half of those miles were on a set of ENVE 3.4 carbon clinchers and the other half were on a set of Fulcrum Zero 2-ways set up for tubeless.
It’s a pretty remarkable bike. Going uphill it feels like the tubes are full of helium compared to what I’ve been riding (and I’ve got a lot of nice bikes). I don’t have an S5, but I have a Venge and, for the long miles, the stiffness of the Venge takes a toll. The R5 is stiff where stiffness is important to transfer power to the ground and where it has bearing on control, but it’s forgiving everywhere else and that makes for a very sweet ride! And when I was at the Saturday group ride and we were doing our long, high-speed testosterone contest along a 7-mile stretch of mostly-flat road, I had no trouble hanging in and taking my pulls. She goes fast, too.
Handling is insane. Far better than any road bike I’ve ever ridden. I’ve never been a confident descender, but this bike is so rock-solid I’ve been able to carve some stuff I don’t normally handle all that well.
Finally, ignore the person who talked about geometry; stack and reach should be normalized between all Cervelo road bike models except the S2 if I remember right.
Generally speaking, the R-series is the “better” option for many riders such as yourself who are not full-on road racing. If you are doing that, then the S5 would be the better choice, due to the better aerodynamics of the frame. For raining rides as a triathlete, for hard group rides, century rides, Gran Fondos etc . . the R-series are perhaps the best all-around bikes out there.
I just got an R5 this past Friday. I put 115 miles on it withing the first 24 hours after I got home and I’ve put another 122 miles on it since then … much of it on some fairly harsh chip and seal roads that I have around my area. About half of those miles were on a set of ENVE 3.4 carbon clinchers and the other half were on a set of Fulcrum Zero 2-ways set up for tubeless.
It’s a pretty remarkable bike. Going uphill it feels like the tubes are full of helium compared to what I’ve been riding (and I’ve got a lot of nice bikes). I don’t have an S5, but I have a Venge and, for the long miles, the stiffness of the Venge takes a toll. The R5 is stiff where stiffness is important to transfer power to the ground and where it has bearing on control, but it’s forgiving everywhere else and that makes for a very sweet ride! And when I was at the Saturday group ride and we were doing our long, high-speed testosterone contest along a 7-mile stretch of mostly-flat road, I had no trouble hanging in and taking my pulls. She goes fast, too.
Handling is insane. Far better than any road bike I’ve ever ridden. I’ve never been a confident descender, but this bike is so rock-solid I’ve been able to carve some stuff I don’t normally handle all that well.
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I have a 2012 R5 and have to agree everything written above. I was in the market for a R3 but my lbs said they could put an R5 together for about the same price I jumped on it and haven’t looked back since. For the first few months just about every ride was a personal pr or strava pr. Love love love my R5.