Nine years ago Cervelo jumped head first into the international racing scene at the highest level, sponsoring Team CSC. At the time, the small Canadian company was relatively unknown in the upper echelon of the sport—that has changed dramatically. Since joining the ProTour circuit, Cervelo bikes have notched some major wins.
These include a Tour de France title, a road race world championship and a recent win at the race that is as much a test of equipment as rider: Paris-Roubaix. As co-title and bike sponsor of the Garmin-Cervelo team, Cervelo will once again be providing their S-series, which has an aerodynamic frame, and R-series line of bikes to some of the world’s best cyclists.
THE FRAME
The R5’s frame design is shared with two other models, the R5ca and the R3. The company’s flagship model, R5ca, is handmade in California and sells for a staggering $9500 for the frameset alone. While the R5’s frameset seems like a downright bargain at $4900 compared to the R5ca, it’s still on the pricey side for an Asian-made production frame. The R3 frameset has many of the same features as the R5, just with a little added weight, but comes in at a much easier to swallow $2800. Team Garmin-Cervelo rode the R3 at Paris-Roubaix. The frame features proprietary Squoval tubes, Cervelo’s idea of a perfect tube. The square profile gives lateral stiffness, while its rounded corners keep it torsionally stiff. Keeping in line with their interesting tube shapes and diameters, the ultra-thin, 10mm-wide, vibration-damping seat stays stand out next to the oversized tubes.
Cervelo’s new BBright system uses a 79mm bottom bracket shell compared to the standard 68mm shell. The additional width allows for larger frame tubes to be used.
The R5 takes advantage of the new BBright (bottom bracket right) system, which extends the bottom bracket shell and bearing. A further 11mm out on the left side, creating a 79mm shell. Without affecting Q-factor (width between the pedals), the system’s wider bottom bracket shell increases the surface area where the seat tube, downtube and chainstays all meet. This larger contact platform dramatically stiffens the bottom bracket junction, one of the most stressed areas of the bike.
The minimalist seat stays are designed to add shock-absorbing qualities to the frame. They may have helped dampen vibrations, but it was still a stiff ride.
Rather than jumping on the 1 1/2- inch tapered head tube bandwagon, Cervelo opted for a 1 3/8-inch taper (same as Specialized) since they felt it was the optimum balance between front-end stiffness and ride quality for the FK30 SL fork. Other high-end delicacies the R5 enjoys are full carbon dropouts as well as bonded carbon cable stops and a front derailleur tab.
THE PARTS
The $6600 complete R5 is very close to the same bike the Garmin-Cervelo riders throw their legs over, except for one detail: the wheels. While it’s common for bike companies to under-spec the wheels to meet a price point, the Fulcrum 7 wheels are what you would find on a bike one-third of the R5’s price. Sure, they’re good wheels for their price range, but they are not what you would expect on a bike of this level. SRAM Red shifters, derailleurs and brake calipers are all team spec, including the CNC-machined aluminum Rotor 3-D cranks with 53/39 rings (later models will come with FSA SL-K cranks). Cervelo opted to go with round Rotor rings rather than the oval Q-rings. 3T handles the cockpit with their Ergonova carbon handlebars and ARX-Team alloy stem. A carbon 3T Doric LTD seatpost holds a Fizik Arione carbon-railed saddle.
THE RIDE
The R5 was an immediate hit with the testers. While there was some pre-ride doubts about the benefits of the BBright system, they were silenced long before the first ride was over. The tapered head tube and immense bottom bracket junction created a chassis that, when torqued under sprinting, delivered an exhilarating feel of performance. Even with the Fulcrum 7 wheels, the R5 felt like a true race bike: light, stiff and agile. Standard 53/39 chainrings with an 11-26 cassette make the R5 a bike for the fit cyclist when it comes to hills.
At 15.2 pounds, it’s just barely over the 15-pound UCI-mandated minimum weight limit for the pros to race. While plenty light, we had to see what it would be like with a set of wheels that equally represented the level of the rest of the bike. So, we threw on a set of Reynolds 46mm carbon clinchers with Kenda Kriterium tires, dropping nearly a pound of rotating weight while adding an aerodynamic benefit. The wheels alone gave the R5 much better snap under explosive efforts, and once up to speed, they held their momentum with less effort.
The R5’s 99cm wheelbase and 6.8cm bottom bracket drop made for an incredibly stable bike at speed. When cornering, it could hold a line without any problems due to its front-end rigidity. Yet even with the frame’s dramatically slender seat stays, it wasn’t an exceptionally smooth ride over the rough stuff. While the vibration damping wasn’t terrible, it’s apparent there were sacrifices made in comfort in order to attain the best possible power transfer.
PUNCH LINES
• Fulcrum 7 wheels? Really?
• BBright and tapered head tube tie together the chassis, creating a pure race machine
• One of the best race bikes we’ve ridden
THE VERDICT
After a few weeks of pushing the R5 as hard as we could, we came to one conclusion: the R5 is one of the best production race bikes on the market. That said, make sure your bank account can handle the additional cost of a wheelset worthy of rolling under it. With such minimal differences between the R3 and the R5, it would be worth considering the less expensive alternative, especially if you want a compact crank. A SRAM Rival-equipped R3 with a compact crank will set you back $3200. If you end up going with an R5, be forewarned: when it comes to bad performances, the blame will rest squarely on you.
STATS
Price: $6600 ($4900 frame, fork, crank)
Weight: 15.2 pounds
Sizes: 48, 51, 54, 56 (tested), 58, 61
centimeters
Cervelo Bicycles |