2015 New Tarmac S-Works or 2015 Cervelo R5?

[53x12]

I see this thread is several months old now, but if OP is still deciding I would go R5 and not even think twice about it. The Cervelo R5 is close to being as aero as a Scott Foil. And better than the likes of the Canyon Abroad CF, Neil Pryde Alize, Ridley Noah Fast, Rose Xeon CW-8800 and Storck Aernario.

This is take from the Tour Magazine test done at the GST Windtunnel.





At this stage, Cervelo just does everything better than Specialized does in terms of frame design and creation. Specialized is probably better at the PR and advertising aspect. Also, Specialized might be better at the frame color and graphics than Cervelo.

[kgt]

This is just a misguiding graph IMHO. Fastest bike on a "simulated ride" is a joke...

[53x12]

I guess all those computer simulations regarding the airplane you flew on to see Grandma is all a joke.

[Krull]

generally i would recommend the bike which you like most aesthetically and fits best.

tarmac and r5 look very different, and the geometry is different as well. if aesthetics and geometry are not so important, i, of course, would recommend cervelo, because the tarmac-frameset is unnecessarily-heavy, for a high-end climbing-bike (downer: at least here in germany, the prices for second-hand-cervelos are very low, because new framesets are often offered with distinct price-reduction)

[nd2rc]

I say Cervelo, partly cause I hate Special-ed and always have, and partly cause I own a Cervelo. I love Cervelo's understated R5 color scheme too. Pretty much a toss up though, both bike have great ride reviews. Get what looks fastest to you!

[luckypuncheur]

The R5 is probably one of the best bikes available from an overall weight/stiffness/comfort perspective. Never met anybody who owns one and is not impressed.

Nevertheless, the downsides for me are: BBRight, tall headtube/geometry, uninspiring paintjobs, pricing (especially combined with usual end-of-season discounts and therefore very limited resale value), frequent BB failures in the past due to necessary adapter usage (which is again related to BBRight).

That's why I went with the 2015 Tarmac and it absolutely delivers in the stiffness, stability and handling sections which are in fact more key to me than a few grams of additional weight.

[FactoryMatt]

Did anyone say BH ULTRALIGHT yet? If not, BH ULTRALIGHT.

[arizonahalfnhalf]

Another vote for the Cervelo R5, I had a 2012 and crashed it (but had like 20,000 miles on it) and just got a 2015 R5 a few months ago. Phenomenal bike. You don't have to buy extreme components to keep the weight down. I'm a little guy and it's a great climbing bike for me.

[stanseven]

The R5 is probably one of the best bikes available from an overall weight/stiffness/comfort perspective. Never met anybody who owns one and is not impressed.

Nevertheless, the downsides for me are: BBRight, tall headtube/geometry, uninspiring paintjobs, pricing (especially combined with usual end-of-season discounts and therefore very limited resale value), frequent BB failures in the past due to necessary adapter usage (which is again related to BBRight).

That's why I went with the 2015 Tarmac and it absolutely delivers in the stiffness, stability and handling sections which are in fact more key to me than a few grams of additional weight.

I'm a big Cervelo fan but this post is very objective and the points are valid.

[arizonahalfnhalf]

The R5 is probably one of the best bikes available from an overall weight/stiffness/comfort perspective. Never met anybody who owns one and is not impressed.

Nevertheless, the downsides for me are: BBRight, tall headtube/geometry, uninspiring paintjobs, pricing (especially combined with usual end-of-season discounts and therefore very limited resale value), frequent BB failures in the past due to necessary adapter usage (which is again related to BBRight).

That's why I went with the 2015 Tarmac and it absolutely delivers in the stiffness, stability and handling sections which are in fact more key to me than a few grams of additional weight.

Seriously, it's true. BBleft was the biggest source of headache with my previous r5 and as much as I wanted another, I didn't want to deal with it again. Started looking at other frames. But then BBinfinite came out with BBright shells (even a campy one!!!! ) ..... So I bought another r5.

[Timujin]

Throwing another into the mix, Canyon Ultimate CF SLX

Me and my mate the other day, He has the R5








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[josephtroppo]

All a matter of preference I'd say, both are very very good frames.

Take a good look at the geometry and take the one that fits you best.

On the BBright thing; I've got good experiences with it, very stiff. But as stated lots of people have had creaking issues, and as stated above the solutions are simple: either locktite or bbinfinite.

[Balti]

Tarmac is 200gr heavier.

[arizonahalfnhalf]

All a matter of preference I'd say, both are very very good frames.

Take a good look at the geometry and take the one that fits you best.

On the BBright thing; I've got good experiences with it, very stiff. But as stated lots of people have had creaking issues, and as stated above the solutions are simple: either locktite or bbinfinite.

Yeah I was just referring to the lack of options for the BBright system. I really wish Praxis would come out with one, I think their design is the best hands down. But very pleased with my BBinfinite. On my previous R5, no amount/type of loctite could stop that creak.

[DavidMLee]

I gotta admit I'm bit of a Cervelo fanboy in advance.

If I had those two options, I would definitely go for R5.

Never experienced S-works tarmac and R5, though.

from my experience, Cervelo S2, R3 have outperformed its counterparts,
allegedly Spesh Venge elite and Tarmac expert.

So, I would go for R5, and also consider R3 and spend more on better wheelset.