Today was test ride day for me at two different shops, looking for a road bike to replace my Marin Fairfax hybrid which I have used for the last year. First I rode a Felt Z5. This was very nice! A better ride than it's price would indicate in my opinion. Of course this was my first ever ride on a Carbon bike so I have to factor that in. All 105 (5700) including crankset and brakes.

I told them I also wanted to go ride a Cannondale Synapse at another shop. They had a Synapse Carbon 3 (marked down 2010 model). It might have been the stiff RS80 wheels, but I thought the ride on the Z5 was actually nicer. This is what the guy at the first shop had predicted and he was right. Just when I was thinking the Synapse might be too much bike for me right now, the sales guy says, "just for fun, go ride this" and pulls this Cervelo RS off the rack. Well, OK since I'm testing bikes today I might as well although it is way out of my budget I had in mind (you can see where this is going now and can probably just skip to the picture below). First ride, "wow, this is quite a bit better than either the Felt or the Synapse", it just is so smooth and fast and FUN to ride.

But I returned and told the salesman now I have a real reference point for how good a bike can be, thank you. After talking a while more and hanging around the shop he said, why don't you take it out again? OK, so I did. It was while returning on the way back from that ride that the bike spoke to me and said "you must have this bike!". None of the other bikes made me feel like that but this one really did. So to make a long story short we managed to reach a price we were both happy with, they proceeded to fit the bike to me, put the cleats on my new shoes (first time riding clipless) and I took it out a third time, now more comfortable and it just GOES when power is applied. I knew I had really found the right bike.

I hadn't even considered Cervelo, in fact didn't know much about them other than they are Canadian, but the bike really sold itself once I rode it a few times.

OK, here is the obligatory picture (flip it, I know, I know) Who can spot the missing part? I have already replaced it after taking the picture.