Southern California - So i rented a cervelo

to temp replace the fuji till the warranty comes through on the new frame.

I rented it from Nytro, great guys there very helpful and they fit the bike to ya, highly recommend the rental department at least, and cause i forgot my socks they guy threw a pair in

...ok here goes the bashing!!! ..George here's your shot...CLEAN YOUR RENTAL BIKES...respect the cervelos!!! The drivetrain and bike itself were fithly...

Got it home and cleaned it for like 2 hours almost, I should get a free day of rental for that!!!

ummm...let me see...swapped out the seat (there was a seat for elderly ladies on it) and put my rims on it, mounted the computer, flipped the stem and turned the bars up a hair, raised the seat and off i go.

first impressions....speed...the bike seems to have it in aces...i can't imagine what the carbon soloist is like. every pedal stroke seemed to result in a lunge forward. so yeah...it pedals nice even with the crappy crank on it, it's also a compact which i DO NOT LIKE.

so if you ride in a straight and wiggle the handlebars there is allot of movement in the top tube and headset resulting in what seems to be vague steering in corners..not great for crits...not even close to as stiff as my Fuji...um...what else...yeah it's aluminum so i imagine long rides might hurt a bit more.

Overall it seems quite nice and should do well tomorrow in the race...we'll see...can you say a little prayer for me not to chuck it down the road as i DO NOT WANT TO BUY a used beat up rental for the same price as a nice new shiney soloist!!

can you say a little prayer for me not to chuck it down the road as i DO NOT WANT TO BUY a used beat up rental for the same price as a nice new shiney soloist!!

just pretend you're ben for one race, but don't move forward when you get down to laps.

very interesting...thanks for sharing.

t...ummm...let me see...swapped out the seat (there was a seat for elderly ladies on it) ...

sorry my bad.

thx for the report

Did you rented a 51cm? That's what my bro-in-law rented a few months ago. It's got a ladies' Terry saddle on it as well as FSA compact; rest ultegra. Other than that, the brakes on those felt quite a bit stronger than the ultegra that I have on my bikes.

Did you rented a 51cm? That's what my bro-in-law rented a few months ago. It's got a ladies' Terry saddle on it as well as FSA compact; rest ultegra. Other than that, the brakes on those felt quite a bit stronger than the ultegra that I have on my bikes.

I have a hard time believing that! My Soloist at least has the crummy OEM-branded Tektro brakes. It did get a little better when I replaced the pads with Dura-Ace pads, but they still feel spongier than the Ultegra's on my Specialized Transition.

I rented one of the 56cm ones. I usually ride a 54 with a 100mm stem and i have long legs, so we put a 80mm stem on there and i am good to go.

The brakes SUCK!! there is nothing there and they are in desperate need of a change, i might go home and throw on a old pair of DA pads as i am sure those will be better.

oh yeah...the bike weighs over 4 lbs more than my Fuji too....not a big deal in a crit but i feel it climbing even with the compact crank.

the bike just isn't nearly as crisp...i can't really explain it..maybe it's cause my other bike has full DA on it but everything just feels better on the fuji, other than the pedalling part.

Interesting thing is that Fabian Cancellara uses that FSA Gossamer crank (NOT compact) on his Team CSC Cervelo road bike because it is stiffer than the FSA carbon cranks.

Yes it's not the lightest bike, but I'm close to 2 bills anyways. And the aero frame is really slippery - I have not been on a bike that picks up speed so quickly on even a small downhill. I just can't justify spending more to upgrade to the Soloist Carbon frame than I did for my entire bike! I still can't understand why the P2C frameset can sell for $1800 but the Soloist Carbon frame costs $2800!

I rented one of the 56cm ones. I usually ride a 54 with a 100mm stem and i have long legs, so we put a 80mm stem on there and i am good to go.

The brakes SUCK!! there is nothing there and they are in desperate need of a change, i might go home and throw on a old pair of DA pads as i am sure those will be better.

oh yeah...the bike weighs over 4 lbs more than my Fuji too....not a big deal in a crit but i feel it climbing even with the compact crank.

the bike just isn't nearly as crisp...i can't really explain it..maybe it's cause my other bike has full DA on it but everything just feels better on the fuji, other than the pedalling part.4 lbs (1.81 KG)? Wow, that's a lot.

i weighed it last night it was right at 20 pounds...my fuji is 16.2.

the cranks are plenty stiff but shift horrible as they are not well maintained probably, i typically use a DA crank and the shifting is crisp.

I would love to get one of the frames and build it up as a crit bike with sram or something.

You should have just borrowed my bianchi, its a solid lb lighter with 1900 gram wheels haha. I'll be down there watching tonight, are you still a 5?

You should have just borrowed my bianchi, its a solid lb lighter with 1900 gram wheels haha. I'll be down there watching tonight, are you still a 5?

with my wheelset and seat it comes in at about 19 ish i think...somewhere around there. I am racing as a 5 still...i can upgrade after tonights race but i am going to do the series as a 5, so i'll be sand baggin.;)

Good to do the series in the same cat. You are going off at 6 right? I should be there about 5:30 or so pending how much traffic is on del dios

yeah we head out at 6 pm!!

see ya there bro.

For some reason I thought you're much taller than me. My C'dale CAAD8 (with dented top tube) is a 52cm. Seems similar sizes to other 54cm by eyeballing. You may want to try it for a spin. Then you would have tried another bike that ppl say is good for crits.

For some reason I thought you're much taller than me. My C'dale CAAD8 (with dented top tube) is a 52cm. Seems similar sizes to other 54cm by eyeballing. You may want to try it for a spin. Then you would have tried another bike that ppl say is good for crits.

Sounds good Dave...i'll be the Crit bike testing S**t for BF!

yeah we head out at 6 pm!!

see ya there bro.

what time are you guys showing up? wanna do a quick road ride to warm up? say torrey pines and back.

what time are you guys showing up? wanna do a quick road ride to warm up? say torrey pines and back.

Jules and i are going to get there around 4pm....i don't know about ben as it's in SD and i am sure he won't drive up there with me. I am down with a quick road ride but remember...you start and hour after me now!!

we go right after you guys at 6:35.

we go right after you guys at 6:35.

i'll give you a call when we get there at about 4!!

Interesting thing is that Fabian Cancellara uses that FSA Gossamer crank (NOT compact) on his Team CSC Cervelo road bike because it is stiffer than the FSA carbon cranks.

I still can't understand why the P2C frameset can sell for $1800 but the Soloist Carbon frame costs $2800!

RIDE ONE! I can't begin to tell you how different (read better) it rides than 90% of the bikes I own.

and here is the story on the FSA Crank (http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2007/tour07/tech/probike.php?id=/tech/2007/probikes/tour_cancellara_csc_cervelo)

to temp replace the fuji till the warranty comes through on the new frame.

I rented it from Nytro, great guys there very helpful and they fit the bike to ya, highly recommend the rental department at least, and cause i forgot my socks they guy threw a pair in

...ok here goes the bashing!!! ..George here's your shot...CLEAN YOUR RENTAL BIKES...respect the cervelos!!! The drivetrain and bike itself were fithly...

Got it home and cleaned it for like 2 hours almost, I should get a free day of rental for that!!!



Come see me when you return the bike. I'll take care of you.

the 54's and 56's we can't keep in the store. They are rented sometimes twice in a day. Some people take them for weeks at a time. Makes it really hard for us to do any maintenance on them. Not to mention we only have one mechanic that does repairs and he is backed up with customer bikes 3-4 days turnaround time as of today. I apologize for the work you had to put into it. Just come and see me. 8-4pm Mon-Fri

For some reason I thought you're much taller than me. My C'dale CAAD8 (with dented top tube) is a 52cm. Seems similar sizes to other 54cm by eyeballing. You may want to try it for a spin. Then you would have tried another bike that ppl say is good for crits.

Cannondale wants me to ride their bikes in Crits. So I am trying to work a deal for 2 Cadd 9's. Yes the other is for Brandy.

Cannondale wants me to ride their bikes in Crits. So I am trying to work a deal for 2 Cadd 9's. Yes the other is for Brandy.

How about three and lose one off the back of the truck?

There are racks for 4 bikes... they aren't very secure in holding the last 2 though. :D

You guys are C'dale dealers now? If so great. I can come to you guys instead.

There are racks for 4 bikes... they aren't very secure in holding the last 2 though. :D

You guys are C'dale dealers now? If so great. I can come to you guys instead.

We are once again C'dale dealers. We had them for years, they went away and they have come back.

Come see me when you return the bike. I'll take care of you.

the 54's and 56's we can't keep in the store. They are rented sometimes twice in a day. Some people take them for weeks at a time. Makes it really hard for us to do any maintenance on them. Not to mention we only have one mechanic that does repairs and he is backed up with customer bikes 3-4 days turnaround time as of today. I apologize for the work you had to put into it. Just come and see me. 8-4pm Mon-Fri

Thanks for the offer bro...but we're good....i am sure those bikes get rode hard and put away wet...plus it's not like they haven't paid for themselves 10 times over by now huh?

No biggie man..i am just a bit of a clean freak about bikes.

I will come by and see ya though to harrass ya about not racing last night!!

RIDE ONE! I can't begin to tell you how different (read better) it rides than 90% of the bikes I own.

and here is the story on the FSA Crank (http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2007/tour07/tech/probike.php?id=/tech/2007/probikes/tour_cancellara_csc_cervelo)

Believe me I'd LOVE to ride one. But then I'd probably buy it. Then I would feel obligated to outfit it with SRAM Red and probably some Zipp's. Then my wife would probably divorce me...

But it's really the ONLY bike that I would be interested in upgrading to....

While on the subject of "So I rented Cervelo" I will share with my "So I tried Cervelo and few more bikes":
I went to SantaMonica Helen`s Cycles and test ride everything 'expensive' they have.
I thought I will fall in love with something but I am sad to say that nothing amazed me to the point that I am like dreaming about it and have to have it...

I tried the Cervelo R3 SL 56cm - I felt that my hand are too close to my legs and over all ok ride

Cervelo SLC-SL 58cm - position felt good but the ride was way to harsh and the DA when changing gears sound like I am riding an empty can of coke/bear; kind of scary.

Pinarello Prince 56cm - Liked it. I think I liked the Comp.Record which is the first time I tried it. Something anoying was the rear brake wire as it leave the upper frame tube; it made contact with my leg many time . I assume it can be fixed.. overall I like this one better than the Cervelo

Colnago C50 56cm - Liked it too. Again with the Comp.Record.

Trek Madone 6.9 DA 56cm - felt like my $1400 Giant TCR. Not sure why it was just another bike for me, nothing to fall in love with.

I tired a TIME and it felt ok but I cut the trip short because I wanted something else (not sure why?)

I tired and the Orbea with Sram and I like the Sram alot! - I will get the Sram red for sure.

I don't remember if I tired anything else... Was in the store from 4:00 to 7:00 (they closed at 7:00)
I tried again the R3 SL and liked it a bit more on the 2nd run.

I think I need to try even more bicycles. So far I like best the Prince, C-50 and R3-SL
One problem is that I only rode each bike for about 15minutes on flat road arround the store.

How about three and lose one off the back of the truck?

got the first of the CADD 9's now I need to build it with whatever spare parts I have. I'm working them for ya! I said three and they said one. But I won't give up.

I like the Sram alot! - I will get the Sram red for sure.

I can't say enough good thing's about SRAM Red! :beer:

I tried the Cervelo R3 SL 56cm - I felt that my hand are too close to my legs and over all ok ride

Cervelo SLC-SL 58cm - position felt good but the ride was way to harsh and the DA when changing gears sound like I am riding an empty can of coke/bear; kind of scary.

Pinarello Prince 56cm - Liked it. I think I liked the Comp.Record which is the first time I tried it. Something anoying was the rear brake wire as it leave the upper frame tube; it made contact with my leg many time . I assume it can be fixed.. overall I like this one better than the Cervelo
http://www.bikeforums.net/newreply.php?do=postreply&t=396713
Bike Forums - Reply to Topic
Colnago C50 56cm - Liked it too. Again with the Comp.Record.

Trek Madone 6.9 DA 56cm - felt like my $1400 Giant TCR. Not sure why it was just another bike for me, nothing to fall in love with.

I tired a TIME and it felt ok but I cut the trip short because I wanted something else (not sure why?)

I tired and the Orbea with Sram and I like the Sram alot! - I will get the Sram red for sure.

I don't remember if I tired anything else... Was in the store from 4:00 to 7:00 (they closed at 7:00)
I tried again the R3 SL and liked it a bit more on the 2nd run.

I think I need to try even more bicycles. So far I like best the Prince, C-50 and R3-SL
One problem is that I only rode each bike for about 15minutes on flat road arround the store.

Come down to Nytro and take a longer test ride and not around the parking lot. And what size do you ride? You rode 56cm and 58cm. The right size bike can make all the difference on how you perceive the bike to ride.

Now the bikes:


To honest with you I wasn't impressed with the Cervelo SLC the first time I rode it. I rode a 56cm and it just didn't feel right. I ride 54cm. So I put it back on the rack and ignored it for a year. I though it felt like my steel bikes of which I own three.

Then the opportunity for Cervelo sponsorship came up and I thought I better give it another chance. This time I took out a 54cm demo and instead of a couple of hours I took for a couple of weeks. I put my wheels on it and took it up in the mountains and on my typical training rides. On some of those rides I would come home and immediately take out my THEN favorite bike my Colnago C40 (after switching my wheels out). And other bikes as well.

Here is what I discovered. The SLC reminded me of my steel bikes because it was very stable, very comfortable and overall had a great ride. So the SLC had all those qualities that I love about steel but was more stable, more comfortable, it was way stiffer even though it had a better ride. Furthermore, I tell customers, after they have gone on their test ride, that the bike is deceptively stiff. The SLC provides all day comfort but when you stand on it...it goes and you are amazed how stiff the bike is yet you didn't realize that the rest of the ride. It tracks incredibly well almost intuitively down Palomar at over 45Mph. GMR is easily a no brakes descent- until the very bottom corkscrew.The bottom line is the more you ride the SLC bike the more you will appreciate it.

So for 2007 I called Cervelo and said an SLC and a P3C please.

Now for 2008 still with Cervelo I got a SLC-SL and an R3-SL. I love the SLC-SL but I STILL LOVE the SLC. I ride it more than the SLC-SL because of the "harsh" ride you mentioned. That "harsh" ride is the 5-10% stiffer (that's what Cervelo advertises but I think it is much stiffer than that) than the SLC and 200gram weight reduction.

The R3-SL is built for a specific purpose. You don't like the ride, then take it climbing. It is not the all purpose bike that people buy it for. Sorry folks this is a climbing bike.

The Trek... sorry to offend Trek owners but really what's the big deal?

Time no comment

Orbea no comment

Pinarello--Fantastic bike but I still would rather have the SLC. Incidently Pinarello offered me a Prince for 2008 RAAM.

Thanks for all the info. Nice reply!
I am 5'10" to 5'11", and the sales man (named Monti Smith, a nice guy) spend some time measuring me so I assume I need a 56cm.
The SLC-SL was way harsh ride; I am not sure if they have SLC for me to try, but I can visit 'Nytro' (Where is it?)
Now that you said that the R3-SL is only for climbing and this year goal (for me) is the KOM, maybe the R3-SL is something I need...
I thought to visit a LBS that have Felt, Scott, and maybe other top bikes but with a reply like yours and thousand of miles under your belt, I may save the trip to the store.

They're in the northern part of San Diego (http://www.nytro.com/Road_Bikes_s/222.htm). They sell Felt and Scott too. I don't work for them, but George/Vireo does.

Going slightly further south (10mins), you'll be at B&L Bikes - Solana Beach (blbikes.com) that sells Bianchi (including their high end Ducati line), Specialized/S-Works, and Look.

Going even further south (20mins), you'll be at Hi-Tech Bikes (hi-techbikes.com) for more selections of Look, as well as Orbea, Litespeed, Moots, Serotta, + a few brands that Nytro sells as well.

Have fun!

Thanks for all the info. Nice reply!
I am 5'10" to 5'11", and the sales man (named Monti Smith, a nice guy) spend some time measuring me so I assume I need a 56cm.
The SLC-SL was way harsh ride; I am not sure if they have SLC for me to try, but I can visit 'Nytro' (Where is it?)
Now that you said that the R3-SL is only for climbing and this year goal (for me) is the KOM, maybe the R3-SL is something I need...
I thought to visit a LBS that have Felt, Scott, and maybe other top bikes but with a reply like yours and thousand of miles under your belt, I may save the trip to the store.

IS ANYONE ELSE FRUSTRATED WITH THE TIMEOUT FEATURE ON BF?!?!?!?!?!

I am 5'9" with an 85cm Inseam. I should ride 55cms but most manufactures these days are only making even number incremental sizes. Without measuring you my first guess would be to put you on a 56cm. But I reserve the right to make a recommendation until I measure you and compare those measurements to the geometry charts. My saddle height from pedal spindle to top of saddle is 92cm. Because I have varying cranklengths based on the bike's purpose I don't measure from center of BB to saddle top. My cockpit is 56cm (Saddle tip to center of stem clamp) and my reach is 72cm (saddle tip to STI brake hood) my saddle drop is 15cms. I ride my stems at the top of the head tubes-- no stack. You can compare your bike measurements (assuming you have been properly fitted or YOU ARE JUST PLAIN VERY COMFORTABLE ON YOUR BIKE) to those.

I also own a Scott CR1 Team Issue SD (their top of the line bike in 2006). This bike is incredibly light and stiff but not "rider friendly" unless you are willing to compromise ride comfort for performance. I like the R3 better in this category. The Addict, newer version of the CR1 for 2007, extended the top tube by .5cm and shortened the headtube by 1cm to make a more race friendly geometry. BUT more importantly it has improved ride quality even though it got lighter and stiffer. Incidentally, a little known fact there are only two bikes made at the same factory that Cervelo bikes are made....Scott and Cervelo. I have had many conversations with Phil White(Cervelo) and Scott Montgomery (Scott) and they are both very proud and respectful of that fact.

We sell Scott and Felt (http://www.nytro.com/Road_Bikes_s/222.htm). I have not ridden the Felt F1. Although consider the value-- A full D/A kit, Mavic R-Sys wheels sub 15lbs for a 54cm for $5799. I have 11 bikes (not counting the tandem) I just can't fall in "love" with another bike. Plus I think Cervelo might have something to say about that.:o

Oh last year I put 3,500 miles on my SLC the only bike that had more miles was my Milwaukee Fixed Gear, 4,500 miles, since I was training for 508 I did doubles, brevets, and commuted to Encinitas from HB on it.

IS ANYONE ELSE FRUSTRATED WITH THE TIMEOUT FEATURE ON BF?!?!?!?!?!


I think its cause you don't have the Red Star!!!
Brandy...How could let George on here without a Red Star!!:eek:
We havent seen that list in a while!!

Vireo, you are like a Dr.
Your replies on a public forum is like a private assistant with so much knowladge (well, just the 508, and RAAM make you an instant super star! something I can't find in my LBS)
While I would love to visit you in the store, it is a bit too far of a Drive for me. (I think it about double century from Encino...)
I will try to measure and reply with some numbers.


BTW, I visit a LBS today and the sales man told me to look at the 2009 Oreba Orca (http://www.orbea-usa.com/neworca/neworca_eng.htm); the dealers should start getting it in. Stiffer and Lighter (875g frame) yet less than $3k for the frame.