Triathlete here, I usually ride my Caad 9-5 when out on hilly rides with my roadie friends. Do you think I would notice a big difference if I upgraded eventually to an S2 or S3? (can’t afford it now, just dreaming of hitting the lotto)
Triathlete here, I usually ride my Caad 9-5 when out on hilly rides with my roadie friends. Do you think I would notice a big difference if I upgraded eventually to an S2 or S3? (can’t afford it now, just dreaming of hitting the lotto)
Probably not. I didn’t notice a huge difference upgrading from an old Felt B2 (the old alu kind w/ cf fork and seatstays) and my P4. Seriously.
Is there a difference? Yes, for sure.
Big difference? Nope.
There is no way a $4k bike (road, or otherwise) is the best “bang for the buck”. By definition.
Sorry Sergio.
You come up w/ a bike in the $1.5k to $2.5k range, and then yes, that’s probably a more real-world contender for “bang for the buck”.
A cf frame is nice, but not mandatory.
According to Cervelo themselves, they think (and I agree) the S1 is truly the best “bang for the buck” out there:
The most underrated bike in the world according to magazines and pro riders, the S1 is quite simply the best value in road bikes.
The S2 is a fantastic bike no doubt. Felt also has some really good bikes in that price range AR4 and the AR3. When they find a frame design that is a winner, they almost always offer that design throughout the bike series. This means that a consumer is usually getting the best aero design from Felt regardless of price. With Cervelo, in order to get the best aero design, you’re often having to purchase the top of the line model.
Agree with what others said. Great bike, but not exactly bang for the buck. Plus, they don’t fit everyone, especially shorter folks. Effective 73 degree seat angle on all sizes, and very short reach for smaller sizes. I tried a 54 for a while, and found I was way over the front of the bike, and a ton of toe overlap.
its all relative
I would think more along the lines of S1 as bang for the buck
others might thing more along the lines of a used steel frame for $50 being bang for the buck. smaller tubes, more aero!
the correct answer of course is a used P3 aluminum. You never see one of those under somebody who isn’t pretty decent at time trialing.
never
except me
Agree with what others said. Great bike, but not exactly bang for the buck. Plus, they don’t fit everyone, especially shorter folks. Effective 73 degree seat angle on all sizes, and very short reach for smaller sizes. I tried a 54 for a while, and found I was way over the front of the bike, and a ton of toe overlap.
IF YOU REQUIRE AN AERO ROAD FRAME.
JR,
These are triathletes. Isn’t it all-aero-all-the-time? 
[
In terms of who can benefit from an aero road frame, yes it probably is EVERYONE. There are some challenges though if you set aero above certain stiffness and ride quality parameters. They are not insurmountable. But they are not necessarily entirely able to be overcome either. There are some things - even with carbon - that you can’t yet do.** I think you’d be hard pressed to make an aero frame, for example, that equaled the vertical compliance of a non-aero frame.** So that’s a big factor in many of the Classics races. CTT did not use S frames for Paris Roubaix, for example. And I don’t know if you ever could make the best aero frame be as good as the best stiff/compliant frame. You really do seem to have to optimize for one or the other.
So that becomes a factor on the type of racing you are doing. If you are a GC contender, the comfort & stiffness that’s available in non-aero frames so far has trumped the aero edge. That may change. But it hasn’t YET.
Ummm…IIRC, that was really only because they’ve got a stock of custom R3s that have more tire clearance (so they can run much wider tires) than either the stock R3s or S3s. The stay design on the S3 has it’s “vertical compliance” nearly as good as the R3…so good that they apparently even convinced Carlos Sastre to ride one in certain races, and he was typically the lone hold out on the R3 last year due to nagging back issues.
Of course, this is all operating under the assumption that the R3 is some sort of aero “dog”…which, I’ve been told by some folks who know, isn’t necessarily the case (looks, as in squarish downtubes, notwithstanding). I was told that it actually is lower drag than pretty much every other “non-aero” offering by other manufacturers. I guess that Cervelo engineers design low drag bikes, even when they aren’t trying 
Now then…my question is…what large manufacturers are “conspicuous by thier absence” in having an “aero road bike” offering?..and when is that going to change?
Of course, this is all operating under the assumption that the R3 is some sort of aero “dog”…which, I’ve been told by some folks who know, isn’t necessarily the case (looks, as in squarish downtubes, notwithstanding). I was told that it actually is lower drag than pretty much every other “non-aero” offering by other manufacturers. I guess that Cervelo engineers design low drag bikes, even when they aren’t trying
Tom,
When I came off the back two weeks ago in a road race at over 40 kmh, I was cursing myself because I brought the R3 for the race and not an S-series. Darn!! LOL
IF YOU REQUIRE AN AERO ROAD FRAME.
JR,
These are triathletes. Isn’t it all-aero-all-the-time?
There is this triathlete fantasy that they just have to show up to a road race on their aero frame and their TT ability from triathlon will allow them to ride off the front and win the race. Yeah… it’s possible, but not freakin likely! Add a couple of corners, and the chance diminishes even further.
There is this triathlete fantasy that they just have to show up to a road race on their aero frame and their TT ability from triathlon will allow them to ride off the front and win the race.
Full disclosure - my wife is about to take receipt of a new Cervelo S2. Reasons:
-
Women road race in much smaller fields. Breakaways, both solo and 2 or three riders are more common and you are often forced to bridge up on your own. The minor gains of an aero road frame in this context may be an advantage. But you are right with the point you made above.
-
She often travels to stage races where there is a TT as part of the race. The cost( if flying there) and the hassle of having to bring a second bike just for a 10 mile TT, is a bit crazy. The S2 with some clip-on aero bars is a good stand-in for a full-on aero TT bike, in fact it may be more aero than some of the well known TT rigs out there!
-
Cost. Of course the S3 would be the ultimate solution here, but it is significantly more expensive and out of our price range and budget, so the S2 it is.
- She often travels to stage races where there is a TT as part of the race. The cost( if flying there) and the hassle of having to bring a second bike just for a 10 mile TT, is a bit crazy. The S2 with some clip-on aero bars is a good stand-in for a full-on aero TT bike, in fact it may be more aero than some of the well known TT rigs out there!
For the roadie that flies, this is the #1 reason to own an aero frame. In fact, I remember reading about a stage race in the USA where they banned TT bikes and gear… the TT was completely old school. The reason… most teams couldn’t afford the cost of flying out the extra bikes and gear.
My road bike has nice round tubes and Kysriums (can’t afford an aero wheelset right now)… I need to find breakaway partners or race hilly courses.
My road bike has nice round tubes and Kysriums (can’t afford an aero wheelset right now)… I need to find breakaway partners or race hilly courses.
The other option is always to pedal harder.
My road bike has nice round tubes and Kysriums (can’t afford an aero wheelset right now)… I need to find breakaway partners or race hilly courses.
The other option is always to pedal harder.
Pedaling harder gets you spit out the back of the pack, unless your clearly a step above the field. Road racing is about pedaling smarter.
Road racing is about pedaling smarter.
Indeed!
The most interesting stat from one of Lance Armstrong’s Tour wins a few years ago was that outside of TT’s, Armstrong had spent a grand total of 12 minutes on the front of the race on his own in three weeks of racing!
No GC contender should be seen at the front of the peleton!
Your wife racing road nationals in Edmonton this year Steve? I will be there… racing the Masters… wait… “participating”.
For someone new to road bike and tribikes, would something like an S2 be a good compromise for training on the road but racing triathlons? I am concerned about riding on a tri bike full time while I get used to road bikes. I bike quite a bit (about 60 miles a week) but all of it is on a alum frame 99 stumpjumper with a rigid fork and armadillo’s.
When you put an aero cockpit on an S2, how much would you “lose” over a real TT bike in terms of leg fatigue etc?
a lot, because you cant really get low/steep enough.
dont have ass it, use your current road bike if you want to ride in groups, but it would be better to buy a p2 (if it fits). its cheaper and on most courses faster.
The problem is I don’t currently have a road bike, nor am I experienced riding a road bike, which makes me concerned about buying a tri bike.
I could buy two bikes, but my wife would probably kill me, and she wants to quit her job and stay at home next year, so financially it would be tough too.
ive never had a road bike, just a mtn bike as a kid and i chose a tri bike b/c i knew id be committed to triathlon and im not a fan of group riding/running/swimming ect.
if you have a bunch of friends you enjoy riding with, id really consider the s2.
Your wife racing road nationals in Edmonton this year Steve?
Thats’ the plan, but it depends on how some of the first races go for her. She’s had a bit of a late start to the year.