I am about to get a new frame but cannot decide between a Cervelo R5 or a custom HSG Serotta, has anyone got any advice about the Serotta???

Serotta has been making great bicycles for years and years - What is it that you desire to know?

I'd suggest checking out the serotta forum - you'd quickly tap into many Serotta owners and therefore I'm sure a few may have some miles on a Cervelo too and thus could give good feedback.

I upgraded my 2008 R3 to an R5 about 4 weeks ago and I'm astounded as to how awesome this bike is. I've ridden plenty of top end bikes and in terms of stiffness nothing compares, not to mention the weight of the thing.

A bog standard build with Fulcrum Racing Zero, Dura-Ace and my Garmin 800 comes in around 6.5kg.

Serotta makes excellent frames, but there is an association between them and the perception of their owners being dentists, lawyers, or retired persons.
Cervelo also has some associations of owners, but not as thoroughly held to as Serotta's.

The Serotta forums will have plenty of fans of their frames, they can offer some biased recommendations.

_________________
Exp001

I have ridden both frames extensively and they are both great in their own right. Which one is better depends on what you want out of the bike...what you are using it for. However, if you can afford the custom route with the Serotta (meaning frame built to your proportions) then not sure why you are even considering a stock frame.
EM3

I also own a R5 since 350 km.

What can i say...great bike.

Read more here....

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=84259&start=45

_________________
BACK IN BLACK

My thoughts exactly - why anyone would buy a stock frame when custom options are on the cards is a mystery.

If you can afford Serotta then why not look at Seven and Parlee (amongst many many others) too though?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What type of riding do you do and what do you like to get out of the sport ? If you're racing, get the R5 for its weight, stiffness, etc. It's a great bike, but definitely a tool to go fast. There are better bikes for distance riding, etc. If you're more into enthusiast/recreational riding and enjoy aesthetics/nuance in things, go for the Serotta. Ditto if you have unusual body proportions and standard geometry doesn't work for you. They're almost apples and oranges - racer's bikes and enthusiast bikes. Granted you can get a race-geometry Serotta, but it will be heavier and lack many of the technical innovations (for whatever they're worth in real-world speed) of the R5 and other contemporary carbon race bikes

Editorializing a bit here, but I think Serottas are way overpriced - their cost is disproportionate to most other custom builders out there, including some of the one-man show icons. Before the faithful get the flamethrowers out, I do think that their custom steel and ti frames are some of the best out there. Custom carbon, to me, however, is almost an oxymoron. The differences between a custom and mass market glued tube carbon frame are nil and they make no sense unless it's a geometry issue for you. I ride for a shop team sponsored by one of the USA high-end custom carbon builders. The workmanship on the stock geometry Asian-produced frames is nicer than that on the holy grail custom domestic models at half the price. Neither strikes me as special - just glued tubes - I went with custom 6/4 ti for a mix of the raceable and aesthetic. I'm giving up about 300 grams to the typical carbon race frame, but I'm just 50+ Masters pack filler.

A long winded response to a simple question. Tell the forum a little more about yourself and your riding and the choice between these two should be easy to make.

Serotta

_________________
Wilier Cento Uno
Colnago Master X-light
Wilier 18carati

Hmm, is there any company other than Parlee which is a USA high-end custom carbon builder also selling stock geometry Asian-produced frames at half the price of their holy grail custom domestic models?

^Trek

Thanks for your advice the riding I will be doing will be for recreational enjoyment. No racing... Just wanted a nice bike. I liked the Serotta HDG but they look so dated!

I believe the difference between stock carbon builds pulled out of a mold and serotta or other custom carbon goes beyond fit.
Tubing selection, carbon layup are comparable to ovalizing/butting or varying diameter in tubes--they can produce different ride qualities, and the geometry can be tuned for desired handling characteristics.

The pez review of the Meivici ( http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=7853 ) offers some insight into the carbon build process at Serotta.

Non custom frames are built to accommodate a variety of individuals of a particular height/inseam. (with a weight range between 120lb flyweights, Clydesdale and beyond) So depending on the rider weight/power output, they may feel drastically different. Moreover, depending on the manufacturer's quality control, the same model have a range stiffness/weight.

Having said all of that, the custom process sort of depends on the knowledge of the customer. If you have a vision of your perfect bike, and an excellent builder, they can help to realize it for you. But for those of us who are unsure if they want to lean or drop into corners, you can either A.) Trust the experience of the builder to produce a nice neutral handling and well fitting frame or B.) find a stock frame that you like and ride it until you discover and can articulate what you like and don't like about it.

This is an excellent point and THE one that I think would tip me in favor of a custom frame builder over the one size fits all approach. The advantage of the later is that they can typically design a lighter frame for a given stiffness because of the "tube" shapes used in a monocoque frame over a tube based frame. But even those lines are getting blurry...

If you do decide to go with a custom frame, I'd spend some time looking around at what your options are and not just blindly go with Serotta. I'm not saying that Serotta isn't the right answer, I'd just look at a few, Serotta, Parlee, Calfee, Cumpton, Strong, etc and see which builder's approach, price, etc best fits your needs.

Jason

_________________
1984 Ciocc Designer (63) '84 Super Record = 21.9 lbs
2000 Serotta Atlanta (60) '01 Records = 20.9 lbs
2009 Cannondale Caad9 (60) '06 Record/Chorus = 17.4 lbs
2009 Trek Madone 5.5 (60) '07 Record = 14.8 lbs
2011 Strong Extralite [steel] (59) '08 Record = TBD