Im looking to purchase a new endurance road bike and have narrowed it down I think to the cervelo r3 with mechanical ultegra for about 3700 or the Giant Defy advanced with ultegra di2 for 4100. Is the cervelo that much of a better bike to pay around the same but only get mechanical ultegra? As a recreational fitness rider who does long rides of 60 to 100 is di2 the way to go.
My main focus is comfort . I can get a 2013 r3 with 105 for like 2k, but was hoping to get ultegra, plus my wife has that bike and not sure if twin bikes is something we want.
I’ve ridden Di2 (Dura Ace) several times on long rides - love it. But I don’t own it. I have Dura Ace mechanical on my bike ( an R3), and when it’s tuned up, it shifts fantastic - smooth, precise and never misses. So then when I am back home, riding my own rig, I always go . . would I ever buy up to Di2? Hard to answer.
I guess im wondering if the Giant is that inferior that I can get di2 for nit much more money. Im just looking for the best bang for my buck is that the cervelo with mechanical or the Giant Advanced with electronic shifting.
Would a recreational fitness rider notice the difference in the frames between the r3 and advanced? I routinely ride between 60 and 100 miles and comfort is priority.
If I wasn’t so brand loyal to Trek and was in your situation with two bikes that close together to buy and one had Di2… I’d get the Di2 hands down every single time. The overall quality of ride and maintenance is worth every single penny.
As for is the Giant inferior to Cervelo… probably not by much at all.
I can’t speak to the Giant, as I am totally unfamiliar with it. The R3 is a tried and true frame. The current year model has benefited from all the trickle down from the California Project aka the RCA.
I have a 4 year old R3 that has served me extraordinarily well. For long rides, it is an awesome rig. You’ll not be disappointed.
If I were you, I would save the money, get the R3, and put the extra bit of cash into a wheel upgrade to a really nice all-around wheel-set - this will yield better performance up-grade and ride feel to your ride than going with electric shifting.
Is the cervelo that much of a better bike to pay around the same but only get mechanical ultegra?
R3 much easier to get the fit sorted as it doesn’t have a daft proprietary steerer (and thus stem) size or seatpost like the Giant.
As mentioned above - nicer wheels on the R3 would make more of a difference than electronics.
I went with a Trek Domane 5.2 with Ultegra components (including the crank and the brakes) and can’t be happier. When I do triathlon I put on clip-on aero bars and turn the seat post around. When I do a grand fondo I take them off and reset the seat post.
I actually went to the shop convinced I would not buy a Trek and tried Specialized, Cervelo, and Orbea and IMHO Specialized and Trek were clearly better bikes for me. Between the Trek and Specialized I went with Trek because at the same price point the Trek had better brakes and a better crank.
I think the components are equal. The Giant is all ultegra and the cervelo us all ultegra except for a ROTOR crank. Theres only a 400 difference probably can’t get any quality wheels for that. But I understand the philosophy. The bike store owner says you cant beat the ride of tthe cervelo, but it comes at a price.
Ill have to ask about the difference in fitting between the two thats a good poont.
Some shops will let you sub out the stock wheels and give you the difference in price. So if it’s a $5000 bike that comes with a $500 wheelset, but you want a $1000 wheelset, you could pay $500 and get only the upgraded wheelset. Does the shop that you went to do that?
Have you ridden both bikes? Which do you think? These days Cervelo is the sexy brand so you pay for the brand C on the down tube. Tell the dealer that you were really wishing for the Cervelo but want di2. Maybe he will cut the difference to $200. After riding both, you should know which one you want. I’d probably go with the Giant.
I don’t know why you automatically assume the frame of the Cervelo will be superior. The Defy has won Bike of the year by Bicycling Magazine and Bike Radar for something like 3 of the last 4 years (beat this year by the Cannondale Synapse). The Defy is a great ride, and surprisingly lively for an endurance bike. I’d go for the Giant personally.
If it were my choice, I would choose the R3. In the smallest sizes, there is enough of a difference in their geometry that could cause a preference. While the R3 is not a “long and low” bike, the Defy is even more upright and slacker in geometry than the Cervelo. For that reason, I find the Cervelo to be comfortable but it is a matter of individual preference. Last year, 10% of my year’s mileage on a Cervelo RS was from rides that were metric centuries.
The Giants components are proprietary in sizes? I know its their own house brand but I didnt know it was not a “standard” size. I guess once its fit I would have to change it
Giant use a 1.25in steerer that means only their brand stems (and a couple of hard to find others) will fit. They’re a real curse if you happen to be an independent fitter
Seatpost is an “aero” model (might be better to say bladed). It has been improved to offer a flippable head for two offset options but it’s still limiting.
If you happen to be able to get your position with the stock parts it’s no problem, if you need anything special it can be a deal breaker. So just make sure you can hit your position coordinates first.
I used to really like Giant road bikes but I very rarely recommend them now, though the tech and quality only ever improve.
Thanks Ill check that out with the fitter. He is a slowtwitch fitter. Im not really concerned with the brand of stem just as long as it fits me. But if its harder to get parts it may not be in Stock which holds up the delivery
any reason to not look at the new s2/s3? they both have the tiny seatstays inherited from the r-series and should be pretty comfy(as i have an s1, almost everything is more comfy
I had read the s series was more aero but not as comfy for endurance riding. I cant recall the sspecifics but it was something to do with making it aero affected the comfy.
i’ll throw in a vote for a test-ride of the new bmc SLR02/03 - i’ve ridden the SLR01 and it was absurdly silky-smooth despite feeling very efficient. the test ride was on one of my usual routes with hills and cracked/rutted asphalt. the smoothness seems at odds with climbing/sprinting efficiency, but there you go. my only complaint was the bike isn’t very aerodynamic with a giant downtube blocking the air.
obviously the major differences between the 01 and 02/03 are weight and money, but if bmc can keep the smoothness at a lower price-point, then that’s a really nice bike, still fast, but smooth.
