I've done some test rides ( even with a Garmin and HRM ) and sought advice offline and in the road forum on this site. Being on the small end of Clydesville, I thought I'd ask what the C&A forum has to say? There are two frames I'm looking at, with exactly the same price: a Cervelo R3 and S2. One is light-weight yet stiff, and the other is very aerodynamic.

The S2 feels twitchy in my size ( 58 ), maybe because of the much lower headset; a 61 cm frame is a lot more stable for me, and what I'd go with if I got this bike. I can sprint a couple mph faster in this bike, which is fun, and seems like magic, because the ceiling I always hit (in terms of speed) has been lifted. That was very impressive. It climbs well, but the big frame puts more of my weight over the front wheel than I'm used to, and I'm not sure that's great. Most of my rides are solo, and there are some flat areas I could benefit from the reduced drag. Surprisingly, the position didn't bother me, but it might be responsible for the handling that I wasn't crazy about.

The R3 should be more twitchy, with faster steering and a shorter wheel base. I felt like I could take corners blindfolded. My normal frame size works perfectly, and the geometry is almost the same as the bike it would replace. I'm more confident on this bike, because of the handling. My favorite thing to do on any ride is to take hair pin curves at speed - I seek them out, and they're the reason I started to enjoy hill climbing. I ride in the mountains whenever I have the chance.

Here's what I'm wondering. The 2/3 pound I'd save with the R3 won't amount to very much because I could stand to lose ~15 lbs. And my girlfriend likes to cook. Do Clydes ( I'm 6'1" ) have a very different aero profile than smaller riders? Does an aero frame have the same kind of diminishing returns for us? Would you assume you'll get used to the handling on any bike, or might something never feel right?

I'm leaning toward the R3 because the handling feels so right, but I'm a little worried that I'm making a mistake. Thoughts or advice?