# what's unique?



## steel515 (Sep 6, 2004)

what's unique about cervelos?/ why are people interetsed in them here?
There are other bikes more aero. Is it because they sponsor Tour riders? One (cat1) person here said they ride like cr**.


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## Getoutandride (Sep 1, 2008)

ONE person said they were crap enough said.

Look at how many victories cervelo have had by CSC, fair point you might argue that is down to CSC alone but id disagree

The appearance is awesome, riding behind a soloist for example, it looks amazing like a blade - the finish of the paint is amongst the best 

Quality control, cervelo may have the occasional hiccup but remember most guys riding these are racing them - and thrashing the pants off of them while there at it! In general the quality from cervelo is excellent - the warranty as a side note is also very impressive

Weight, while not the lightest frames in the world they are by no means heavy, especially when you consider the aero qualities they hold. having said all that the durability of what is a light frame is huge, much better than most

And just look at the range, every single bike has a professional purpose (exceptions to the RS i believe) every single bike isnt made to reach a price point but made to excel in that area of cycling. look at most other brands, they normally have two or three standout bikes across the entire range, the show stoppers - Pinarello prince, Colnago C50, the 928 T-Cube ect ect. now look at cervelo, whats their best frame? the soloist team? soloist carbon? R3? R3 SL? RS ect ect 

And all that said they are just different, ride a soloist for a day and just count how many heads turn, or how many people stop you to talk about it- go on i dare you


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## STARNUT (Jun 19, 2005)

This smells like a troll



I wouldn't say the paint quality is great. In fact the Cervelo boys tell you your lucky the damn things have paint.

They have more engineers/model than any other bike company. Their bike are the best engineered in the biz.

What road bike is more aero than a Soloist Carbon/SL? That frame is more aero than most companies TT bikes.


Starnut


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## Rubber Lizard (May 10, 2007)

Cervelo isn't any better or worse than its competing brands in terms of ride quality, stiffness and all that other hoobajoo. 

Marketing is why people want Cervelo. Cervelo has invested heavily into establishing itself as a premier brand that is always visible in the cycling world through various channels. Kinda like Bose with speakers, except Cervelo actually makes a good product and Bose make garbage. But the same idea.
Cervelo has riders convinced that aerodynamics matter to a weekend group rider and that their super stiff frames will make the hills easier. They tout their engineering and such, but in reality the frames aren't any different on the inside than their competitors which are made in the same facility and aided with in the design process by the same engineers. 
Its a marketing strategy that has worked very well for the company and is now often imitated.




*Prepare for the flood of pro Cervelo posts that tell me all about the amazing stiffness and aerodynamics of their bikes and how that makes them the best bikes ever.


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## kyler2001 (Sep 8, 2005)

Rubber Lizard said:


> Cervelo isn't any better or worse than its competing brands in terms of ride quality, stiffness and all that other hoobajoo.
> 
> Marketing is why people want Cervelo. Cervelo has invested heavily into establishing itself as a premier brand that is always visible in the cycling world through various channels.


No better when it comes to stiffness? I guess the independent tests (see German Tour Magazine as an example) placing the R3 and R3 SL up at the top (thereby beating many other "competing brands") when it comes to strength to weight ratio and all around "best frame" has no meaning whatsoever? 

However, marketing is not what made me want my Cervelo. What swayed me most was word of mouth from other Cervelo riders (I'm not talking weekend warriors either), that coupled with the amount of research and development that goes into the design of their frames. Each section of their frame's shapes are for a reason. Whether it's the downtube and seatpost of the Soloist or the "squoval" tubes of the R3. Nothing is for show but for function. A lifetime warranty doesn't hurt either...

To this day, I still don't consider Cervelo to be a "premier" bike supplier. I remember talking to Gerard Vroomen (one of the co-founders) about why they couldn't provide a painted fork to match their color painted frames when all of his competition was doing this. He told me they are a smaller company (growing very quickly) who were taking steps to get to that point but was rather thinking about the way the products function before spending time and resources on some aesthetic issues. Now it's 2008 and they finally have forks to match their frames. So, I wouldn't say they're a premier company as of yet when they're still working on paint and fork recall issues, but they are getting very very close in my opinion.

Ride what you want but please don't try and paint Cervelo owners like we have no real reasons for our Cervelo purchases besides the fact that we've been mesmerized by the big Cervelo marketing monster.


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## Rubber Lizard (May 10, 2007)

kyler2001 said:


> Words.


Hehe. I knew someone was going to give me a similar response. 
Lots of cyclists have never heard of many companies far larger than Cervelo that produce fine carbon fiber and aluminum bicycles. But almost all cyclists know of Cervelo,despite the relatively small size of the company, and they all know Cervelo makes good bikes. If that's not good marketing my friend, I don't know what is.

The bikes are good bikes, well designed though a bit overpriced in my opinion. But that's not the point of this thread. Steel515 asked why is Cervelo so popular, and that's what we are discussing.


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## ewitz (Sep 11, 2002)

Not so popular with the dealers right now.

Making some outrageous demands regarding the 2009 orders.


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## Getoutandride (Sep 1, 2008)

whats unique? 

i tell you what stop bloody arguing about what makes people buy them and go frigging ride one THAT will tell you everything you need to know


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## ewitz (Sep 11, 2002)

Getoutandride said:


> whats unique?
> 
> i tell you what stop bloody arguing about what makes people buy them and go frigging ride one THAT will tell you everything you need to know



Looking at your recent threads, I am wondering what YOU base this opinion on. Your vast expedrience or the Cervelo that you anticipate to be ARRIVING soon. Perhaps the parking lot test at your LBS.

What is it that YOU know about them, besides what you've heard/read?


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## Bry03cobra (Oct 31, 2006)

Rubber Lizard said:


> The bikes are good bikes, well designed though a bit overpriced in my opinion.


-------------------
Name a carbon bike that's not overpriced? Most of the carbon bikes are made in asia. They should cost 1/3 of what they do.....that being said I own a 08 R3. I bought after riding, and compairing to other bikes. 0n the trainer I would see LOTS of flex during interval workouts (900+watts). This is MUCH less on the R3. Granted being "locked in" allows for the excessive flex, but the R3 is much stiffer. On my first real ride I noticed how much more compliant the R3 was. These are the reasons I bought the Cervelo. I could care less who rides them. It was just the best bike for me and my needs for a bike.


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## kyler2001 (Sep 8, 2005)

Rubber Lizard said:


> But almost all cyclists know of Cervelo,despite the relatively small size of the company, and they all know Cervelo makes good bikes. If that's not good marketing my friend, I don't know what is. Steel515 asked why is Cervelo so popular, and that's what we are discussing.


I would disagree. I don't think people know Cervelo makes great frames because Cervelo markets their frames as being great. Rather it's because the people who ride them say they're great. Like I said before..word of mouth (not from Cervelo). Their great reputation is not founded on or initiated by something Cervelo did (besides design and production) but from those who've actually tried the product and recommend to others. You could waste billions of dollars in marketing a product but if your product is garbage, all the marketing means nothing. Once the word spreads, that's it...Game over! Cervelo is unique because they've designed a great functional product and nothing more...


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## Gimme Shoulder (Feb 10, 2004)

ewitz said:


> Not so popular with the dealers right now.
> 
> Making some outrageous demands regarding the 2009 orders.


Can you elaborate? (Not arguing. Just interested in knowing).


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## Getoutandride (Sep 1, 2008)

ewitz said:


> Looking at your recent threads, I am wondering what YOU base this opinion on. Your vast expedrience or the Cervelo that you anticipate to be ARRIVING soon. Perhaps the parking lot test at your LBS.
> 
> What is it that YOU know about them, besides what you've heard/read?



Ok. My vast EXPERIENCE with cervelo may not be as great to that of my experience with trek, GT, Bianchi ect ect but - I AM EMPLOYED in my local bike store so you will find I've dealt with most Cervelo's, the posts in which you have read are yes me asking people about the SOLOIST CARBON a bike in which we haven't had in the shop - well in a size i could ride- - and yes im waiting for the comment "you work in a shop but are asking us? wtf" i simply asked about stiffness having ridden both the R3 and RS

so i base my experience on the number of sales ect ect ive performed with Cervelo's, the number of frames ive ridden - most not my exact size but close enough for a test and a rough idea of how they ride- and Im comparing to other bikes from other manufacturers in similar pricing brackets, - 5.9 madone, 928 carbon, high end cannondale and specialized and several others 

sorry if my posts came across as confusing


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## Bruce Rodgers (Apr 16, 2008)

Just to follow-up on the posts regarding marketing, I purchased the RS a few months ago. I hadn't ridden in 20 years and really knew nothing about bikes at the time I started looking. I made my decision based on postings on this and other forums based on comments and reviews from real people. The overwhelming impression I was left with was that the majority of people who owned a Cervelo loved their Cervelo. Now that I own one, I must agree. This is the best form of marketing a company could ever hope for. Best of all, it has nothing to do with the "marketing" efforts of the company. A great product will always market itself.


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## California L33 (Jan 20, 2006)

ewitz said:


> Looking at your recent threads, I am wondering what YOU base this opinion on. Your vast expedrience or the Cervelo that you anticipate to be ARRIVING soon. Perhaps the parking lot test at your LBS.
> 
> What is it that YOU know about them, besides what you've heard/read?


Maybe you should ride one. Geton's experience, or lack thereof, won't be yours. I've got a couple of thousand miles on my Soloist Team and I love it. For the first time in a long time I'm not even considering a 'better bike.' But again, my experience isn't your experience. You may test every Cervelo in the line and hate them all. If that's the case it isn't the brand for you. That's why there are others.


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## Getoutandride (Sep 1, 2008)

^^^ excellent response, and to the person who posted this thread feel free to visit my thread entitled "shes finally here" for a ride report on the soloist carbon


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## ewitz (Sep 11, 2002)

I've ridden them, and being from Toronto where Cervelo has it's head office, ride with many of the people who design them, who by the way almost all ride the R3 SL exclusively. When Phil and Gerard are in town they ride on our local training ride, so I had the opportunity to see and speak to them about the prototypes of the Soloist carbon before it was seen in magazines or on the internet. That being said I can say that they lack the refinement and fit and finish of the Look 585 or Time VXRS that I am currently riding. The Cervelo are mass produced budget frames that have garnered an exclusive cachet through a brilliant marketing campaign.


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## kyler2001 (Sep 8, 2005)

*I don't think so...*



ewitz said:


> I've ridden them, and being from Toronto where Cervelo has it's head office, ride with many of the people who design them, who by the way almost all ride the R3 SL exclusively. When Phil and Gerard are in town they ride on our local training ride, so I had the opportunity to see and speak to them about the prototypes of the Soloist carbon before it was seen in magazines or on the internet. That being said I can say that they lack the refinement and fit and finish of the Look 585 or Time VXRS that I am currently riding. The Cervelo are mass produced budget frames that have garnered an exclusive cachet through a brilliant marketing campaign.


What do you mean by "mass produced budget"? LOOK produces more frames per year than Cervelo. In fact, they had so much production that they had to open a second facility in Tunisia, Africa some years ago. They also had to change the way they were producing their top of the line 595 models because many had been cracking in the seat tube. I am curious as to what makes a LOOK or TIME a higher quality bike in your eyes (non mass produced budget)? Are you talking about LOOK's coming in a brighter shade of white paint or something like that? 

Seriously though, I'm not sure how many people actually ride/buy a frame for aesthetics anyway, as opposed to function that is...I know it could play a small part but I can't think of one racer that I know of that has selected one frame over another because one had a shinier coat of varnish. I say racer because we're talking about bikes that have actually been designed and made for some type of racing and not so much for the weekend warrior searching for his/her new shiny toy. Most selections come down to fit, function and price (price matters for some anyhow) and I don't find Cervelo lacking in either, nor the finish quality for that matter. Well...except the price of the new S3 is a bit out there but so are some other makers (Pinarello Prince, etc).


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## Borti (Aug 1, 2008)

How the heck are the S3's and R3-SL's budget frames, or the R3 and S2 for that matter?

Cervelo's cheapest aluminum road bike costs over $2000, and it has Ultegra with Shimano's cheapest and crappiest wheels.

The S1 and RS frameset's MAY be considered budget frames but all of the others do not fit into that category.


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## ewitz (Sep 11, 2002)

Bike production numbers by manufacturer are not published, so what are you basing this on?

Look didn't have to open a 'second facility in Tunisia' they moved production of all their frames to a Look owned and operated plant in Tunisia. Where is the Cervelo plant?

As far as cracking on the ISP of the 595 it was a cosmetic issue and corrected. What was the issue with the 2.5? Was it cosmetic or were they falling apart?


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## veloci1 (Nov 29, 2005)

i usually do not repsond to this discussions because picking a frame over another is like picking saddles. it is all about the fit and fullfilling a need. but, Cervelo does make quality frames and they have had problems like any other manufacturer. i know of 4 people right now that are waiting for their Look 595 replacament frames. 2 had cracked headtubes and the other 2 were cracked ISP. nothing cosmetic about that. like i said, all manufacturers will have issue sooner or later.


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## ewitz (Sep 11, 2002)

veloci1 said:


> i usually do not repsond to this discussions because picking a frame over another is like picking saddles. it is all about the fit and fullfilling a need. but, Cervelo does make quality frames and they have had problems like any other manufacturer. i know of 4 people right now that are waiting for their Look 595 replacament frames. 2 had cracked headtubes and the other 2 were cracked ISP. nothing cosmetic about that. like i said, all manufacturers will have issue sooner or later.


I'll call BS on this one.


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## Getoutandride (Sep 1, 2008)

ok end this *****ing, look make excellent quality frames as do cervelo, for me i prefer cervelo but hey i ride one, looks arent my thing but to some they are. were all passionate about quality top of the line frames so behave children!

i must say as a generalization, and i expect around 30 posts telling me im an idiot but ANY FRAME that retails for that AU$4000-$6000 are going to be good, rely on CONSUMER/OWN OPINON of the frame to pick which one you want. 

as for quality standards, EVERY FRAME WILL CRACK for me lifetime warranty makes me less worried, after all no reputable company will sell a unsafe product


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## veloci1 (Nov 29, 2005)

i agree with what was said above. read my reply. it is a matter of fit and opinion. YOu can call it BS, but, it is not. i did not check where you are located, but, drop me a Private message and i will give you as much info as i can. i have no reason to lie to anyone or for all it matters, i would not come on here and try to B.S someone. i have nothing to gain or lose. again, if you are close to Arcadia or the Pasadena area in southern california, i will be more than happy to show you.


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## chase196126 (Jan 4, 2008)

ewitz said:


> I'll call BS on this one.


I think Look may be having more quality control issues than they would like to admit:

http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=39002&highlight=595

Didnt they recall a whole bunch of pedals as well?


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## Getoutandride (Sep 1, 2008)

chase196126 said:


> I think Look may be having more quality control issues than they would like to admit:
> 
> http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=39002&highlight=595
> 
> Didnt they recall a whole bunch of pedals as well?


I wasnt going to draw attention to it but yes, alot of the composite pedals were recalled due to problems with cracking (basically the composite section housed the metal/titanium axle) around the axle joint. 

as for the frames, that article is very negative towards LOOK, so yes it does appear they do have problems with their frames, BUT let me tell you every frame manufacturer has these problems, no matter how many times you test them there will always be a handful that manage to be abused until breaking point. 

Every frame is much of a muchness, similar for example to mercedes and BMW, the 3 series and the C class hold very similar competing models, and so on ect ect. So now i hear people saying well what frame has that pull to make me buy?

What in my opinion makes cervelo stand out above the rest is the actual shapes the frames hold, the soloist is completely aero, infact better than some TT bikes, the R3/RS have one of the most interesting designs i believe to be out there, chunky downtubes mixed with almost inexistent seat-stays makes one very nice looking bike while also being an excellent ride. - Ultimately Cervelo use engineers, not people whose sole aim is to make something pretty so they can sell thousands of them and make a quick buck, every line/detail/paint scheme ect ect is there for a reason, has been thought out by a team of engineers dedicated to providing the best product possible 

that is why i bought the cervelo, im not saying LOOK arent good, by all means they provide an excellent ride quality but for me they didnt say "buy me"


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## California L33 (Jan 20, 2006)

Getoutandride said:


> ok end this *****ing, look make excellent quality frames as do cervelo, for me i prefer cervelo but hey i ride one, looks arent my thing but to some they are. were all passionate about quality top of the line frames so behave children!
> 
> i must say as a generalization, and i expect around 30 posts telling me im an idiot but ANY FRAME that retails for that AU$4000-$6000 are going to be good, rely on CONSUMER/OWN OPINON of the frame to pick which one you want.
> 
> as for quality standards, EVERY FRAME WILL CRACK for me lifetime warranty makes me less worried, after all no reputable company will sell a unsafe product


I'll sell you a lousy $6000 frame if you really want one- and I'll take US or AU dollars. I'm not picky  

Read the Cervelo warranty carefully. It's lifetime against defects in material and workmanship (at least for U.S. bikes). It specifically says that all frames eventually wear out, and that it doesn't cover natural end of life issues- in other words when you end up with metal fatigue or the carbon equivalent, it's your problem, not theirs. I went with Cervelo anyway.


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## Getoutandride (Sep 1, 2008)

yes that i get, the warranty due to general wear and tear dosent bother me, and i didnt think we were talking about general wear and tear, i was talking about frames cracking! 

i mean really at max i only expect to use a carbon roadie for a max of 5 years


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## kyler2001 (Sep 8, 2005)

ewitz said:


> Bike production numbers by manufacturer are not published, so what are you basing this on?
> 
> Look didn't have to open a 'second facility in Tunisia' they moved production of all their frames to a Look owned and operated plant in Tunisia. Where is the Cervelo plant?
> 
> As far as cracking on the ISP of the 595 it was a cosmetic issue and corrected. What was the issue with the 2.5? Was it cosmetic or were they falling apart?


I will only answer your first question out of kindness since you did not answer any of mine....

When I spoke to Gerard Vroomen some time ago about why they couldn't match the fork paint color with the new white R3 or the red Soloist like LOOK and Pinarello does with their frames, he stated that Cervelo is a smaller production company, that is growing fast however, but does not have the same budget or the resources as some of the bigger companies such as LOOK. He said that Cervelo was focusing on developing some new frame designs (S3, P4, etc.) and will eventually make the time to match fork colors after the frames were sorted out. If he could make the statement that Cervelo is smaller, than I'm sure he has the inside scoop on what comanies are producing more frames per year. Most manufacturing companies employ people whos job is to find out what percentage of the market they have locked down. Do a search on the Cervelo forum (Cervelo website) and see for yourself what he said. Scratch that...talk with him about it in person the next time your out with him on your group training ride:thumbsup:


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## choppedsled (Sep 18, 2008)

I've been away from riding road bikes for 25+ years, but involved in cycling for the better part of my 48 years. I decided to return to the road due to injuries sustained from my other two wheel endevor. It was exciting to return to a sport with a fresh mindset, and no preconceived ideas of what the best equipment is now days. I started with a fresh slate and read a TON of reviews, and feedback on forums like these. I don't have any current roadie buddies bending my ear nor local shops. I feel I've had about as unbiased approach to deciding on a great bike as is possible. There are a lot of 1st class bikes available, but Cervelos kept popping up to the top of the list everywhere I spent time researching. It was only after I decided seriously to pursue purchasing one that I actually spoke with some Cervelo owners. That made my mind up. I purchased a soloist team and haven't looked back. I get a huge smile every time I pull out of the driveway and accelerate down the street. Did cleaver marketing have anything to do with my purchase? Not in the least bit. I have seen very little in the way of Cervelo marketing tactics. And actually thats a shame as I'd like to be able to buy some Cervelo swag to wear when I'm not on my bike, hoodies anyone??? Just take one for a ride, thats all you need to do. There's room for lots of high end bikes, thats what makes it interesting. Cervelo just happens to be one of them at the top of the list...


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## Getoutandride (Sep 1, 2008)

Reading that actually made me think of a pretty important point..... I live in australia, and to my knowledge we get no cervelo advertising TV wise, we do get regular cervelo appearances in ride magazines but that is it


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## kyler2001 (Sep 8, 2005)

Getoutandride said:


> Reading that actually made me think of a pretty important point..... I live in australia, and to my knowledge we get no cervelo advertising TV wise, we do get regular cervelo appearances in ride magazines but that is it


It's the same in Italy...Pretty much just word of mouth. You'll see pictures of Saxo Bank riders in the magazines, but not really any advertisments paid for by Cervelo. So much for the whole "popular because of mega marketing" theory.


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