6 Weeks with the Cervelo S3
6 weeks and the best part of 1500 miles later I’m back with my verdict on the Cervelo S3.
As I said before, this bike has no excuse for anything less than a 10/10 and I’m glad to say is still lives up to the tall order.
Like I said before the most noticeable upgrade from my late SLC-SL is the ride quality. The thin, more compliant seat stays really start to become apparent after a couple of hours on the bike. I don’t feel the need to get up and ride out of the saddle to let the blood flow back in to my shorts; I just seem to feel less fatigued.
One of the things that I have noticed on this bike is the attention to detail. The build quality seems to hover well over the heads of your typical cookie-cutter Taiwanese carbon frame. There isn’t an aesthetic “carbon fiber” pattern laid below the clear coat there is just a beautiful matrix of iridescent carbon strands suspended in a smooth as glass surface. There are also additional carbon sheets reinforcing the water bottle mounts that really highlight the craftsmanship.
I somehow managed to “explode” my rear Zipp Team Issue wheel so for the past week I have been rolling my Zipp 404s. With the addition of the wheels the bike came alive. It went from a quick and comfortable bike for training and long days in the saddle… to a violent and brutally fast rocket ship.
The bike just begs to be ridden hard and but up wet, it seems to relish the hard and heavy intervals and short punchy hills that litter the Illinois River Valley. It accelerates at your first twitch and seems to have enough grip to drag your knee in the bends like a Moto GP rider.
Now…about the graphics. I’ll admit, I wasn’t crazy about how they looked with I got it but after riding it and having some face time with it the Grey and black has absolutely grown on me. It is such a simple paint scheme and even with the large CERVELO logo on the down tube it doesn’t seem to scream for attention.
One issue I have seen is the rear wheel clearance. The spokes on my train wheels come very close to the burly chain stays that act as the main source of power transfer for the bike. I still have some clearance but I am sure they’re are some wheels that wouldn’t make the grade.
So what is the quick and dirty? Great bike, best bike I have ever owned to be exact. Some people could argue that it lacks the passion that some of the high dollar Italian bikes on the market offer but for my money I have to say it is everything I ever wanted and more. Nearly flawless it is a no compromise, head down, teeth gritting, rockstar that you would still bring out to dinner with your mum and dad.