Cervelo 51cm S5 VWD 12.96 lbs

Who are you (no off-topic talk please)

Moderators: MrCurrieinahurry, maxim809, Moderator Team

sedluk
Posts: 412
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 3:10 am

by sedluk

I am very happy with my Cervelo road bikes but I was intrigued by the idea of a light all around aero bike. I would not really have any use for a TT or a Tri bike. I had the idea of building up a S5 VWD pretty much the same as my road bikes. I had an Ax Lightness stem and handlebar sent to Calfee to be integrated. I think they did a nice job. It is actually a little heavier but they put some effort into minimizing the weight gain. We will never how much if any the handlebar adds to the aero but it looks aero. I was excited to see Carbonsport come out with a new general purpose aero wheel so the whole project just came together. Getting hold of a 51cm S5 VWD was not as easy as you would think. There have been some bigger sizes built but this is the first S5 VWD in size 51cm that I have seen on weight weenies.

I would not call the bike finished at this point, but it is close enough to take a few pictures and ride around the block. I had several issues in building this bike. The seatpost hardware does not allow a tall carbon rail saddle to be mounted. They should really have an alternate carbon rail hardware kit. I had to do some careful work with a file to get my favorite saddle to work. The water bottle cage bolts are too low for my Ax Lightness bottle holders. I only have one installed currently. I will look at some aero bottle cages. The rear brake install is much more time consuming and I am sure there were a few other things. The seatpost length is too short. They supply the size small seatpost with the 51cm. I am not sure what Cervelo was thinking on this one. I am not really that tall for a 51cm and I am already just outside the limit. I may have to buy the medium seatpost. I suspect that most S5 51cm users will need the medium seatpost. They should have made all of the seatposts a little longer.

I will probably take the stickers off the wheels. I like the graphics on the older lightweight wheels and leave them on. I am not sure what they were thinking when they came up with new graphics. If you have something good stick with it. I will be happy with no graphic so not a problem for me.

I really like the THM BBright bottom bracket. I install it with some Loctite primer 7471 and Loctite 609 and I find them to be rock solid. The two sides of the bottom bracket thread together unlike the SRAM BB that some people use. I now have THM cranks on all of my bikes.

I run a liner for both derailleur cables from lever to derailleur. It is convenient that the liner fits inside both Powercordz Prime and i-Link. That way you can mix and match. I used the Prime housing up front where I find the i-Links rub and I ran a segment of i-Links in the back because it is more flexible and does not rub on anything. I used the Prime housing for the brakes. On my road bikes I use a segment of i-Link into the rear brake because of the sharp bend and they are more flexible.

Image

Image

Cervelo 51cm S5 VWD 930 grams w/hanger no seatpost collar
Cut Fork 344 grams
Seatpost 200 grams
Seatpost collar 18 grams
Lightweight Fernweg wheels Front 580 grams, Rear 730 grams
Campy 2011 Levers, FR, RD, Chain
THM Clavicula crank with THM BBright BB
Speedplay X pedals with Ward Ti spindles
Ax Lightness 100mm Zeus stem and Ax4100 handlebar
Ax Lightness Ax 3000 brakes
Powercordz Prime and i-Link cables
Campy super record 11-25 cassette
Fizik Antares 00
Tune Carbon Top Cap
Dada Tape
Tune U20 Skewers
Conti Sprinter Gatorskin tires
Last edited by sedluk on Fri Apr 27, 2012 4:10 pm, edited 3 times in total.

bonedpwinkle
Posts: 61
Joined: Thu Mar 20, 2008 8:39 pm

by bonedpwinkle

I was having a hard time falling in love with these frames, but now........I'm in love. Great job!

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



User avatar
btompkins0112
Posts: 2635
Joined: Fri Feb 11, 2011 3:04 am
Location: Mississippi

by btompkins0112

Very nice ride!! A lot of work and $$ put into this baby.....all to be shod with Sprinter Gatorskins???

I guess you ride on some bad tarmac :noidea:

Very nice either way!! :beerchug:

dchesrown
Posts: 26
Joined: Fri Dec 03, 2010 6:32 pm

by dchesrown

Bring it to the ride tonight :P

Epic-o
Posts: 621
Joined: Tue Nov 20, 2007 7:18 pm

by Epic-o

Impressive

User avatar
shoopdawoop
Posts: 434
Joined: Thu Dec 22, 2011 12:37 am

by shoopdawoop

Love it! I'm working on getting an S-5 and yours is an inspiration!

User avatar
Berk
Carbon Cowboy
Posts: 1100
Joined: Sat Sep 04, 2010 7:20 pm
Location: Slovenia

by Berk

Nice :thumbup:
Really interested how those Lightweight wheels perform?

cezinho
Posts: 142
Joined: Sun Sep 19, 2010 3:13 pm

by cezinho

Wow amazing


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

anquetil
Posts: 307
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 5:53 am
Location: Slovenia

by anquetil

:thumbup:

Maybee, just maybee DA Di2 would match perfect.

bikericer
Posts: 73
Joined: Thu Sep 17, 2009 5:22 pm

by bikericer

I wasn't a fan of these frames either but this one is nice. Too bad for the Gatorskins and bad tape job. Minor details that would have made the bike perfect, still 8.5/10 for me.

jdp211
Posts: 526
Joined: Fri Feb 12, 2010 4:26 am

by jdp211

Sweet ride, maybe I missed it, but what brakes are you using? Don't look like Campy

User avatar
timintense
Posts: 363
Joined: Tue Dec 08, 2009 11:01 pm
Location: UK

by timintense

absolutely stunning, would love to own that
My bikes:-
- 2014 Lapierre Zesty AM 727-11.9kg
- 2012 Storck Fenomalist Di2 - 7.1kg

Carbon - Lightens your bike and your wallet
OCBD - Obsessive Compulsive Biking Disorder

Wingnut
Posts: 2196
Joined: Sat Jun 23, 2007 12:41 am

by Wingnut

I can only imagine what it would be like riding this bike...on the drops, listening to those wheels rolling...

Looks fast, enjoy! :thumbup:

sedluk
Posts: 412
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 3:10 am

by sedluk

Minor details that would have made the bike perfect, still 8.5/10 for me.

bikericer,

We can always count on the weight weenies to be a tough bunch.

I am going to fix that sub-par tape job and hopefully get some extra bonus points. The tape job does not really stand out in person but looks pretty bad under magnification in the picture.

NGMN
Posts: 1497
Joined: Mon May 30, 2005 7:13 am

by NGMN

This bike is for friggin ridiculous. The Gatorskins are a weird choice on such a speed machine; but I mean hot damn this bike is amazing in every way.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



Post Reply