First Road Bike: 2014 Cervelo S3 OR 2013 Giant Propel Adv.

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GT56
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by GT56

Marloon wrote:
justkeepedaling wrote:Considering how the old S3 has been ridden to victory on many many races both stage and one day, I don't think there's any merit to it being a poor "climber". But to ease your doubt, the new S3 is over 20% stiffer in the bottom bracket and 30% stiffer in the headtube. I'd take the S3 any day because 1, I think it actually is more aero than the Propel, and 2, its cable stops are ready for any future system including hydraulic.

The new S3 rides more like a R series, too, even though it's way more aero than its predecessors. It just feels (and is) very very fast.


Thank you for this. I'm really bent on buying the S3 but i really have to step back and consider what is presented in front of my as I have a lot of choices to make and I want to make the right choices considering that I will be dropping some serious coin on this bike.

First of all, I was reading cervelo's aero vs weight blog/article as I see myself doing 5% climbs and the biggest climb that I want to do this year will be an avg of 7%. - http://www.cervelo.com/en/engineering/t ... -aero.html

And they said on this article, "How steep does a climb have to be before the weight savings trump the aero gains? As we saw before, the answer depends on the rider weight and speed, as a faster rider would encounter higher aerodynamic forces while the gravitational forces stay the same. For an average, 250 Watt rider, the tipping point is around a 5% slope, for a good pro who puts out 400 Watt, it’s at 8%."

I'm thinking that based on this, even though the s3 is a heavier bike to climb on vs an R3 or a TCR advanced 2, I will be okay on it knowing that when i do my own personal rides, i will only be riding on flat ground and some small climbs.

second, reading bikeradar's "how aero is aero" article (http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/arti ... ero-19273/), I noticed that clip on bars and aero helmets are a wiser investment than bike frames and aero wheel sets in terms of $/watt saved.

I can't believe how huge of a difference aero bars make in terms of watt savings as I intend to grab syntace c3s for the cervelo s3 when i grab it.

Thoughts?

elSid wrote:Does anyone have a 2014 S3 in stock?


Do you live in the GVRD area as well? Labicycletta has them in stock apparently.


as long as you are not riding time trials at top top level, all these considerations aero vs weight are meaningless

fit and ride quality have far greater impact on how fast you are able to release power and how long you are able to do over a lenght of time

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prebsy
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by prebsy

prebsy wrote:TCR all damn day


Why the TCR?


It sounds like you want a good all around bike. The TCR is the best all arounder on that list, followed closely by the R3.

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wickedwheels
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by wickedwheels

I'd go Giant, just for the consistency in quality, if nothing else.

asdf123
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by asdf123

I feel some misconception in your post as you write you do mostly flat rides and you want a climbing bike.
Anyway, as for me I'd go with the cheapes option of those 3 if money is a factor and spend the difference on some other gear like better wheels ect.

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luckypuncheur
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by luckypuncheur

I heard that most Belkin riders preferred the TCR over the Propel due to better riding and handling characteristics throughout the last WT season. And from personal experience I'd pick a Cervélo R over an S any day for the same reason.

Frame aerodynamics are furthermore way overrated imho. A proper position, tight fitting clothes, a narrower handlebar and an aero helmet will bring you more aero gains than any frame on the market.
Get a bicycle. You will certainly not regret it, if you live.

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LeviR
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by LeviR

Did you look at the new Cervelo R5 or R3? I think they are great all around race bikes!

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prebsy
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by prebsy

LeviR wrote:Did you look at the new Cervelo R5 or R3? I think they are great all around race bikes!

+1

I cast my vote for the TCR, of those on the list. But the 2014 r3, that is a hell of an all arounder and with the new tube shape...definitely future proof as well.

counterkulture
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by counterkulture

I have an S2 (which is geometrically identical to the S3), and is basically the same bike short of a little extra weight (which you can obviously get back other ways) and with marginally less flexibility.

But I can vouch for it being able to climb the shit out of hills. I'd be highly suspicious of someone who would say an aero bike (especially the S2/S3) is some huge liability on climbs. Because it's not, I promise you.

Of course, Cervelo's marketing team doesn't wanna say this, for obvious reasons... and if you're a pro, of course you're gonna go for any marginal gain you can find, but in the meantime, it ain't that big of a deal.

wickedwheels
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by wickedwheels

None of these differences are that big of a deal if you're not a pro. If that's the attitude, and it is for me, just ride steel or ti. Compared to the mass-produced bikes at the high end you the artisan-level bikes seem like a bargain.

Tamu8104
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by Tamu8104

A bike is only as fast as the fit allows. Make sure whatever you choose is the best fit and that will give you best chance to actually be fast. A better fit will cause less fatigue and allow you to be faster as the ride gets longer and harder.
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davidalone
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by davidalone

I'd agree that fr someone buying his first road bike (especially since it's a large money puchase) I'd base a large part of the purchase decision on fit. not to sound rude or anything but all things being equal you won't feel much difference in 'stiffness' or 'aero' being a new rder.. that kind of fine nuance comes from years and years of riding. you WILL feel a big difference if one of them is not fitted properly to you or you don't like the geometry ( handling) . lots of those bikes don't fit the same (S5 and S3 for example.). ll of those bikes will serve you well for your riding purposes.

go for a fit with a good fitter to narrow down your choices, then choose the one you like the mpst.

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