# Cervelo RS Ultegra - First Road Bike



## Whip Appeal Neil (Jun 22, 2011)

Hey guys after weeks of reading, test riding bikes, burning fuel in my SUV and trying to decide what bike I wanted to get as my first road bike/investment, I ended up picking up the 2010 Cervelo RS Ultegra in San Diego, CA. I'm from La Mirada (LA County) and it was worth the drive.

My first test ride was the Specialized Roubaix Elite SL2 with Apex and I was pretty satisfied with that ride.

I then rode a Cannondale Synapse Alloy 105, as I wanted to save money, while on the parking lot ride it felt fine, I definitely could feel the road a lot more, I wasn't ready to spend $ and regret not investing in a carbon frame. No C'dale Synapse Carbons were available to test ride, but was an option. 

I test rode the Giant Defy 1 at the same shop as the C'dale. I don't know what it was, but it was more of a personal preference that didn't attract me to the bike. As far as the ride, again, hard to defferentiate. My choice was the Specialized after trying the 3 bikes.

I then test rode the Trek Madone 4.5 but didn't have much of a test ride as the parking lot was small and the area was heavy with traffic. The geometry was similar to the Cannondale, again hard to tell of a few spins. I was leaning towards this. The owner mentioned it was a bit more aggressive, less roubaix-esque than the Specialized, I could feel it in the geomtery, but probably nothing a good FIT could adjust.

I found a shop that had a 2011 Cervelo RS that had much more real estate for me to test ride and a few uphill streets to really get a feel for the bike. Perhaps it was due to this experience that made me lean towards this. It was definitely plush and responded well when you wanted to pedal out of the saddle (scary with my weight). 

At this point, the Cervelo won me over, it was a few bucks more than any of the other Carbon bikes with exception of the SL2 which was almost $500-600 more. But then again I considered that I was getting a Rival group.

It was just a matter of me saying do I want Trek with Shimano, Cervelo with SRAM, save $ and get the SL2 with Apex or really save money just get an alloy.

Part of my decision was the bike being an investment and not just a bike that I could replace in a year, nor would I want to throw that kind of money around. Another decision was which looked better. I know they say it shouldnt matter, but you gotta love the bike your riding in order to enjoy the ride. I felt that right away when I hopped on the Giant. Lastly my decision was based on which bike I could buy that isnt usually seen around here or something some what of a head-turner (not in a cocky type way, but in a being different type way)

The Cervelo RS was the one, I was ready to spend the $2,600 for the Rival when one of the guys at the local bike club linked me to the 2010 with ultegra everything (The rival has FSA stuff, which probably was able to cut down on the cost of the bike for 2011)
I tracked down the bike and was hoping it was the same color (pearl white with red) and sure enough it was the same color with different components at a price I couldnt resist.

The shop threw in a comprehensive fit and gave a nice deal on some Shimano R133 carbon fiber shoes. I have 105 pedals and they feel fine and look great (they are the silver, not black ones)

All I have to do is break the dork disc off and remove the reflectors and it will look beautiful.



I'm a Clydesdale at 289lbs (as of today) and will be using this as my training bike to get cycling fit. I gained alot of weight (50+lbs) from school and now that I have graduated I am ready to get back into fitness...I have no excuses now! 

I will post pics as soon as I take some. I only have a few iPhone shots which are far from clear.

Just wanted to say thanks for everyone who posted articles, reviews, opinions on this forum as well as the Cervelo section because it made my life much easier on decided where to spend my money. 

Hope to get some insight from you all thru my training journey and give positive feedback about this bike as well.

Sincerely,
Neil:thumbsup:


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## diddy2003 (Jul 21, 2011)

Nice looking bike man and congrats on the purchase. Have fun putting miles on it!

http://www.racycles.com/product.aspx?catid=10,30,523&pid=3647


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## redranger (Jan 23, 2011)

very nice


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## Whip Appeal Neil (Jun 22, 2011)

I will add the link to the FLICKR album once they are done uploading. 
Dork disc and reflectors are off now, i just got excited!


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## smankow (Jul 24, 2011)

what were the changes in this model from 2010 to 2011? A LBS has a leftover 2010 that costs more than the 2011.


steve


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## AML225 (Jul 12, 2011)

2010 has Ultegra which is generally considered better than SRAM Rival.


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## burgrat (Nov 18, 2005)

Sweet reflectors! 
That is a really nice bike, I think you'll love the RS and Ultegra is excellent. I have a Cervelo Soloist Team (06 - Stealth Black with Ultegra) and it's great. Now get out and ride!


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## Whip Appeal Neil (Jun 22, 2011)

The bike is listed at $3,600. The Shop told me that Cervelo wanted to make the RS affordable so instead of downgrading the quality of the frame they changed the components. Like AML mentioned, the 2010 has FULL ULTEGRA components. The 2011 has FSA Gossamer crank, TEktro brakes (i think) and a few 'non SRAM' parts - 

Since I am a new rider I didnt have any bias towards any group, I was completely fine purchasing the SRAM Rival, but me being me, I searched and searched for a better deal and a guy from one of the local bike clubs linked me to the 2010. The price was fair and I couldn't say no to an Ultegra bike. Deep down inside I wanted Shimano.

@burgat - lol the reflectors are also Shimano Di2, lol - I rode it today from my area to Seal Beach, Ca and I was trying to compare it to my brothers CAAD8 which I rode out here in our neighborhood just to get my fix. Its definitely a better ride and the carbon fiber was a great investment. For a big guy like me, my back didnt hurt although I could probably use some gloves or maybe I just need to get used to cycling in general.


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## Whip Appeal Neil (Jun 22, 2011)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neilpuzon/sets/72157627282636096/ Link to the rest of the pics. Thanks for looking guys!


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