Feathery Light but Rock Solid
At some point all the superlatives for what Cervelo's engineers accomplish become almost meaningless. No other bike frame manufacturer on the planet invests as much time, energy, research, and dollars into the constant refinement of their products as Cervelo and all the accolades from the industry, dealers, and proud owners get a bit tedious.
But the proof is in the pudding. Cervelo, along with the famous talent of CSC's riders, has virtually dominated road and triathlon cycling events. From the major events like road racing, track racing, time trialing, and triathlon, to the numerous sub-categories like the Spring Classics, the mountain top finishes, the final 200 meter sprints, the national and world championships time trial courses, and the sprint, Olympic, and IronMan distance triathlons, Cervelo continues to reign.
On top of all this, Cervelo has accomplished these feats on the fabled roads of cycling's and triathlon's great circuits under athletes as large in stature as Fabian Cancellara and Jens Voigt, to those as dimunitive as Ivan Basso and Stuart O'Grady. To provide such a spectrum of products, for such a spectrum of disciplines, and for such a wide spectrum of rider types is, well, perhaps unparalleled in the history of cycling sports.
The culmination of all of Cervelo's experiences, including the broken frames, broken bones, and broken spirits, seems to be summed up in two new and remarkable frames for 2007: the R3 SL and the Soloist Carbon SL (SLC SL). These frames come in nearly one-half of a pound lighter than their standard production siblings, the R3 and the SLC, but do so without sacrificing any ride qualities or stiffness. In fact, both frames still top the EFBe's list for being both the stiffest and lightest race frames available.
Perhaps the only downside of Cervelo's phenomenal road racing line-up is that the consumer gets a little confused by the options. Should a rider look at the fantastically light R3 SL which comes in at about 800 grams, or should a rider look instead at a slight--and we mean ever so slight--weight cost in favor of the undeniable aerodynamic advantages of the SLC SL? The solution is to test ride both and make up your mind. Fortunately, as Cervelo's only brick and mortar demo facility, you can do this at Cadence!