R5 - Ultimate SL - Tarmac

[hannawald]

You have so many purely emotional conditions that i think nobody can give you an advice:)
You may have Canyon SLX Ultegra DI2 bike for the price of S Works frameset, i think it is easy to justify the purchase looking for price/what you get.
You will have 780g frame and below 300g fork (size M = cca 56)
In terms of quality/parametres Canyon plays same league as S Works/R5.

If you don´t like the brand or paint and you want to follow your heart, buy whatever you want. You will not have better bike than Canyon but you will have what you enjoy. I paid super extra for my Bianchi. I know i overpaid, but i love it and i am happy just looking at it.

[Stueys]

Rode all three but owned the Tarmac cause I like the appearance the most. However i tried the Ultimate SLX not the SL

Overall they all ride quite similar. If you like sharp and snappy feeling (this is not about weight just the feel) the R5 stands out from the other two. Not necessarily more stiff just the sensation.

The Ultimate is very comfortable compared to the R5. A bit more than the Tarmac but not distinctly different.

I like the Tarmac because it comes with direct mount brakes. (My preference). It handles very well in descent and in the corner feeling super planted.

All three are excellent choice and can be built into a very light machine. You wont regret choosing one.


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Interesting, I always thought the tarmac was the slightly racier, snappier one and the r5 was the more stable version.

[thedanplasse]

I was looking at an Cervelo R3, and a Specialized Tarmac. I went with Tarmac because it was more bike for the money. The cervelo was around the same price but with ultegra, and discs. I would rather spend the money on a better groupset, than brakes (personal preference). I also did not purchase a S-Works. I picked up a Tarmac expert SL5 with Dura Ace, but had rim brakes. I felt that price for price you get more bike with the Specialized IMHO.

What hannawald said, I don't think I "Needed" the Dura Ace groupset, but again....Price for Price I feel the Specialized is a better bargain.

Sorry I can't speak for the Canyon.

[g32ecs]

Here's an unpopular tip that some would agree:

BUY THE MOST EXPENSIVE CHOICE YOU CAN

Because you'll most likely resell this first bike and the expensive bike will yield the best return.

This is assuming you'll get the top of the line versions. No idea why you're fixated on Di2. Saying you're new to the sport but won't buy DA (mech?) but will but Di2 is kinda backwards. I say get a mech groupset bike and appreciate it. Learn how to shift. Di2 is like pushing buttons on your old Nokia cellphone, while you still have to swing levers on mech.

[robeambro]

You have so many purely emotional conditions that i think nobody can give you an advice:)
You may have Canyon SLX Ultegra DI2 bike for the price of S Works frameset, i think it is easy to justify the purchase looking for price/what you get.
You will have 780g frame and below 300g fork (size M = cca 56)
In terms of quality/parametres Canyon plays same league as S Works/R5.

If you don´t like the brand or paint and you want to follow your heart, buy whatever you want. You will not have better bike than Canyon but you will have what you enjoy. I paid super extra for my Bianchi. I know i overpaid, but i love it and i am happy just looking at it.

Well if I had to listen to emotions only, I would be getting a Venge and throw a bunch of spacers on it.
But I think it would be more rational, when having a single bike, to be more sensible. Also cause it’s not that I’ll be racing or anything.

[robeambro]

Here's an unpopular tip that some would agree:

BUY THE MOST EXPENSIVE CHOICE YOU CAN

Because you'll most likely resell this first bike and the expensive bike will yield the best return.

This is assuming you'll get the top of the line versions. No idea why you're fixated on Di2. Saying you're new to the sport but won't buy DA (mech?) but will but Di2 is kinda backwards. I say get a mech groupset bike and appreciate it. Learn how to shift. Di2 is like pushing buttons on your old Nokia cellphone, while you still have to swing levers on mech.

I mean I’m not THAT new. I’ve been cycling for more than 1 year..

I meant DA Di2, I think I may have specified it. I am not really looking at mechanical groupsets for now, but if I were to pick one it’d be 105.

Anyway, I’m off topic; just wanted to answer.

[robeambro]

Do something crazy, get the Venge!

It’s the one I would love to get but would make little sense to buy, other than to please my eyes..

[g32ecs]

Do something crazy, get the Venge!

It’s the one I would love to get but would make little sense to buy, other than to please my eyes..

Just buy it.

We've all been there done that. Buy what keeps you up at night. A little over a year doesnt equate to knowing what you want in a bike.

Listen, never settle. You buy this bike you didn't really want in the first place gets costly with upgrades and reselling. S works Venge, get it. It has everything including a power meter. Who cares if you cant figure out what your tempo range is, or if you can do over/unders between 320-340w, it's there. You'll want it by next yr so might as well buy it now.

[robeambro]

I knew I shouldn’t have mentioned that, the discussion is now derailing fast haha

[extremejetfighter]

Full disclosure: I owned a current generation R5 and returned it in favor of the SL6 Tarmac (SW).

This is not relevant if you're looking at the disc models, but for me direct mount brakes on the tarmac were a factor in favor of the tarmac. The other major factor was comfort. As mentioned, this may be largely subjective, but the tarmac is more comfortable. I also heard said that the dimension data riders last year preferred the S5 over the R5 for compliance/comfort which says a lot. Aesthetics/paint/shape also led me towards the SL6 (although the classics version of the R5 is very nice, it wasn't an option when I was deciding and may not be avaiable anymore anyway). Additional small OCD thing, cable routing with Di2 is better on the tarmac... it is designed to enter directly adjacent to the rear brake port...on the R5 you're supposed to route the Di2 cable in through the top of the top tube behind the stem. Those were my reasons for choosing the SL6 over the R5. However, at least where I live, the R5 is probably the rarer bike to encounter which you might prefer.

I do think ultegra Di2 is a very good choice for groupset.

And finally, you could certainly make the argument the new venge would also be a good one bike solution/all around bike, but I won't further derail.

[Jbass]

What type of rider are you? I ask because, to me, the Canyon and Tarmac are in a different class (aero-ish) than the Cervelo (pure climber).

Since the design of the Tarmac has been updated last year, and that it has received very good reviews so far, this would be my choice.

Interesting, would you have the link by any chance? I always thought the R5 was a pure climber’s bike.

The R5 and the S-Work Tarmac has been measured about the same on the the aero side (Tour Magazine), but weight a tiny little bit more.

[hannawald]

If you like Venge, you should really buy Venge. You should follow your heart or you may be selling what you buy now and go Venge in a year or so..it will be costly. Many of us have this experience:) Only condition you can fit the geometry of the bike. Other than that it will be ok, it is not like riding Tarmac vs Venge will be night and day... Aero and classic bike are coming close, classic bikes are more aero and aero bikes are more comfortable, stiffer, lower weight. It´s not like buying TT bike..Venge is still pretty universal bike.

And there is a bonus for you - Venge Pro Disc with Ultegra Di2 should have the same frame as S Works Venge, which is not the case with Tarmac.

[zappafile123]

First off, there's some weird advice here. All three bikes are in the same category - true allrounder i.e. lightweight with some aero touches. Disregard old mate telling you to buy the most expensive bike. That’s really... really stupid. Resale is contingent upon the market resale value in the area you live in. For example, in Australia, Tarmacs depreciate quite a lot. A tarmac might be the most expensive, but you'd lose the most money. Based on the Australian market, I'd say the Cervelo will hold the highest resale value.

I think ichobi is pretty close, though for me the most responsive bike I've ridden hands down is the CF SLX Evo. I really didnt like the split seat post - you bob around too much. The integrated handlebar is also too limiting with respect to fit adjustment (though you could use a regular bar stem). For me the CF SLX had a slightly one-dimensional ride quality - it wowed you with acceleration but its stealthy the rest of the time. Comfort is merely ok. Nevertheless, as an allrounder its really impressive. In fact, all three bikes are fantastic allrounders.

I think the Tarmac and the Cervelo trump the Canyon because they’re both newer models and to me just a little bit more interesting to ride. No one wants to drop $$$ only to have their bike superseded within 12 months. I would go for the Tarmac for the following reasons. Cervelos have an established history of QC problems. A lot of Cervelos creak. I know this is a charge particularly relevant to older Cervelos, but they're still using BBwright which seems to be a platform prone to problems. The proprietary bar stem they use are ugly (though again you could just change it). As others have said above, direct mount brakes are a bit better than centre mount. I haven’t ridden the two bikes side by side, but both are excellent race rigs – very responsive, and feel very fast. I can’t comment on comfort or handling with the Cervelo because I only rode it for a few kms – it seemed ok to me. Honestly, I haven’t ridden anything that’s better than the Tarmac. It’s a rider’s bike - stiff and fast. Not amazingly comfortable, but its fine for a 3 hour ride.

[ichobi]

I use latex tube and cotton tires on my tarmac and ride at 70psi. The tires are 26mm. Feels like sitting on a sofa!

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[robeambro]

Full disclosure: I owned a current generation R5 and returned it in favor of the SL6 Tarmac (SW).

This is not relevant if you're looking at the disc models, but for me direct mount brakes on the tarmac were a factor in favor of the tarmac. The other major factor was comfort. As mentioned, this may be largely subjective, but the tarmac is more comfortable. I also heard said that the dimension data riders last year preferred the S5 over the R5 for compliance/comfort which says a lot. Aesthetics/paint/shape also led me towards the SL6 (although the classics version of the R5 is very nice, it wasn't an option when I was deciding and may not be avaiable anymore anyway). Additional small OCD thing, cable routing with Di2 is better on the tarmac... it is designed to enter directly adjacent to the rear brake port...on the R5 you're supposed to route the Di2 cable in through the top of the top tube behind the stem. Those were my reasons for choosing the SL6 over the R5. However, at least where I live, the R5 is probably the rarer bike to encounter which you might prefer.

I do think ultegra Di2 is a very good choice for groupset.

And finally, you could certainly make the argument the new venge would also be a good one bike solution/all around bike, but I won't further derail.

Thanks! Yes I agree that cable routing on the Cervelo is definitely off putting, but If the bike had been better than the Tarmac, I could have looked past it. Turns out though, everybody seems to like the Tarmac just a little bit more.