# Went Nuts! Pulled the trigger!



## fishboy316 (Feb 10, 2014)

A new bike deal came up on the radar today! Went in to lbs to test the synapse 1 more time today. (Only I would test ride in the snow!)LOL Told the owner that it just didn't say TAKE ME HOME!:cryin: SOOO, the owner said hey did you ever think about one of these? I looked over and BOOM a Cerve'lo S5! I said no way! Too expensive! He said" Not for you today!" Soo, I took it for a ride and it said TAKE ME HOME!!!! Finally!! 
Got the bike with Rival groupo and it hauls a$$!!! Love it. Got the bike for $2380 with a pro fitting on the 4th and a new jersey!!:thumbsup: 

Forum, This is my newest baby! Baby, This is the forum!!! Thanks for all the help folks!

Bill


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## Mckdaddy (Feb 8, 2014)

Congrats, Fish! Always fun to hear "new bike" stories.


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## WITHND (Feb 11, 2014)

Congrats & enjoy your new ride


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*Omg!*

So exciting! 20 exclamation points in one post!

But seriously, enjoy your new bike. I hope it turns out to be perfect for you.


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## obed (Jan 12, 2014)

congrats... nice looking ride...I love it when a bike follows me home...puppies used to do that....then it was women, then it was motorcycles, now it is bicycles.


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## PlatyPius (Feb 1, 2009)

fishboy316 said:


> Went Nuts! Pulled the trigger!


Why do people keep shooting perfectly good bikes? I just don't get it...


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## mikerp (Jul 24, 2011)

Very cool, that extra trip to the LBS paid off.


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## fishboy316 (Feb 10, 2014)

PlatyPius said:


> Why do people keep shooting perfectly good bikes? I just don't get it...


 That's funny!! 

JCavilia I am so Excited I could spit!=) This bike is so much more than I even thought about and I got it for a real good price and can't wait to get moving with it!
Want to feel real good after the treatments I took for a year. Have turned the corner and am fired up to do this. I have thoroughly enjoyed this hunt for a road bike and now time to enjoy the journey to fitness!


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

fishboy316 said:


> Want to feel real good after the treatments I took for a year. Have turned the corner and am fired up to do this. I have thoroughly enjoyed this hunt for a road bike and now time to enjoy the journey to fitness!


Hope you keep feeling good, and ride the hell out of that thing. The weather should be improving soon (I hope).


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## paredown (Oct 18, 2006)

You'll put more miles on a bike you love!

Congratulations


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## Donn12 (Apr 10, 2012)

Congrats - thats a pretty hardcore bike! I predict that eventually you will have some aero wheels on the bike so you might as well start looking at them now!


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## bahueh (May 11, 2004)

nice score. great price for a nice bike. 
will work great for now...will really be nice with a component/wheel upgrade when you're ready or that stuff wears out (you know you want it).


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## fishboy316 (Feb 10, 2014)

Took this thing out again for a few minutes and I am officially scared of this bike!!! Seems as if you are going in a straight line it is the ruler of the land! Hauls Butt! When you hit a corner it tries to cut out from under you! I DON'T LIKE THAT!!! As cool as this thing is Maybe I am not ready for this bike.=( Am going to go for a medium length ride tomorrow morning. Then go talk to the lbs where I bought it and go from there. Hope to like it again but if not got 10 days to return it. I feel like if I am afraid of the thing I won't use it. Big decision!


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## bikerector (Oct 31, 2012)

fishboy316 said:


> When you hit a corner it tries to cut out from under you!


What does that mean? Sounds like a handling thing from the user not the bike. Or, you need different tires or tire pressure. I do believe cervelos are well regarded for handling quite well. Relax in corners. Also, most bikes handle corners differently, you may just not have the "feel" of the bike figured out. As a more extreme case, I raced cyclocross with a cross bike and FS 29'er in the same day. The course feels oh so different between the two.

I say give it time. A fitting should help balance your position out some as well. I'm not sure how new you are to riding so I don't want to dig too much into the basics, but it sounds like you're trying to race it on normal streets before "becoming one with the bike."


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## fishboy316 (Feb 10, 2014)

Bikerector, This is my first road bike in 30 years. I ride a mtb and now have this bike. Feel like I may have bought over my head. What I meant by cut out was it actually slid out and I somehow managed to pull out of it and almost hit the neighbor's car. I don't know what I am going to do yet but am taking it for a 10 or 20 mile run in the morning to see how I feel. You are right that I am not one with the bike.It scared me real bad.


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## mtrac (Sep 23, 2013)

I'm guessing you are braking in the corner and the surface is slippery. Brake before the corner.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Couple things -

Usually it's harder to manage traction off-road and road bikes can corner as hard as you have the testicular fortitude and pedal clearance to lay them over. But if you're on a sketchy surface or you have your tires pumped up to the label on the sidewall, the tires may not be engaging with the road surface that consistently.

Racing bikes don't have as much of a rear bias as mountain bikes or, say, a touring bike. If you sit your bike like a corpse and grab a bunch of front brake, you can lift the rear of the tire off the pavement, or at least reduce the weight on it enough to lose traction. Pretty much the same technique as on a mountain bike applies on a road bike - if you're not pedaling, put your pedals at 9 and 3, if the surface is rough, lift your butt just off the saddle, and move fore and aft to adjust where your weight is on the bike. If you're braking hard, you likely also need to get back of the saddle.

Finally, your brakes are probably (and should be) strong enough to lock up a wheel on dry pavement. Truth be told, I'm too chicken to try it with my front wheel, though it's happened on weird surfaces. But it's not too hard to lock up the rear wheel. You need to keep in mind that most of your braking force comes from the front, and when you start braking, even more of your traction shifts to the front. So losing rear traction is quite easy. I think I brake with the front a little more than the rear most of the time, and blame the shorter life of my rear rim on its greater ability to get road filth all over it.

Finally, if the fit's wrong enough, it'll throw off the bike's handling.

So some technique stuff and some setup stuff to look at.

Keep at it - you'll get it sorted out.


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## bikerector (Oct 31, 2012)

I don't think it's the bike's fault for sliding. By that I mean there are a lot of things that can cause slide when cornering.

Road bikes don't handle gravel in corners like mtbs though loose over hard is a problem for many bikes. Tires make a world of difference. 
Braking (especially hard braking) in corners = bad, but that's the same as with mtb.
Hammering out of corners can break the rear loose pretty easy.
What tires are you running? Many OEM tires aren't that great.
Get your weight off the saddle slightly when taking rough corners, let the bike move underneath you, just like with mtb.

Give it time, you just need to feel it out. When you start getting experience you'll learn to deal with slides really well but they'll come from things like racing in the rain, racing CX, riding gravel roads on slicks etc. If the bike excited you so much at first I think you are right about where you need to be for the bike you just need to adjust a little to riding a road bike. For the longest time I couldn't handle anything with a flat bar, I test road a comfort bike right into the wall at my LBS. But on a cross bike I could easily handle light single track as long as the tire wouldn't pinch flat on roots.

You still have a good bike. Just give it time to let your body adapt to the different ride characteristics.

GCN describes it well:


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## bikerector (Oct 31, 2012)

Empty parking lots make a good area to work on cornering. Figure 8 drill is a very basic drill that should help you feel out your bike.

Not cycling but same drill concept. It was easy for me to find.
Figure 8 Drill - Improve your corner speed!


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

Agree, it's not the bike's fault. You got a little carried away on a bike that's very stiff in back and light in front (look at your skinny fork blades). It also appears to be a very large bike, and large road bikes with tall people on them really don't like to be whipped around corners as much as smaller road bikes with smaller riders. Ease up a bit for now and you'll be fine. Just curious: How tall are you and what is the nominal size of the bike?


Footnote: be careful about rotating the handlebar when you carry or load the bike. The fork can hit the edge of the head- and down tube junction and scratch or even crack it.


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## Donn12 (Apr 10, 2012)

S5s have a reputation for a rough or hard ride. If you have a lot of rough surfaces to ride over that bike may punish you a little but it depends on how hardcore of a bike you want vs how comfy. A cervelo R3 is probably a better overall road bike for most uses but it will not be a fast in a straight line at higher speeds. As far as cornering you just need to give ourself time to get used to it.


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## fishboy316 (Feb 10, 2014)

Hey wim, I am 6'1" and have been riding a 58 w/120 stem on most bikes. This cervelo is a 58. I do appreciate you taking your time to help me with my dilemma!
Gettin ready to ride it now.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

fishboy316 said:


> Hey wim, I am 6'1"... This cervelo is a 58.


Sounds like a good match.

Take it easy on your ride. Keep in mind that it takes some time to get used to competitive sports equipment. Anyone can row a 10-foot, 80-pound aluminum flat-bottom fishing boat. Put them on a 20-foot long and 12 inches wide single rowing scull and they'll probably capsize a few times before they get the hang of it and reap the rewards of going really fast on the water.


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## Mckdaddy (Feb 8, 2014)

wim said:


> Sounds like a good match.
> 
> Take it easy on your ride. Keep in mind that it takes some time to get used to competitive sports equipment. Anyone can row a 10-foot, 80-pound aluminum flat-bottom fishing boat. Put them on a 20-foot long and 12 inches wide single rowing scull and they'll probably capsize a few times before they get the hang of it and reap the rewards of going really fast on the water.


Good analogy.


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## rcharrette (Mar 27, 2007)

Give it some more time. It's like jumping behind the wheel of a Ferrari. These higher end racing bikes require a lot less rider input to get them to do what you want. That results in a "twitchy" feel while your settling into it. I picked up my first carbon race bike and was switching from a steel Eddy Merckx. My first fast down hill with a bit of wind scared the hell out of me  After a few weeks I got more comfortable and now it feels as stable as any bike I've ridden.


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## fishboy316 (Feb 10, 2014)

Ok fellas, Was off today and took it to the lbs cause it was raining and I was not about to ride this thing in the rain! So talked to the owner of the Bike Doctor in Arnold and he was genuinely concerned. They started their annual tent sale and are VERY busy. He dropped what he was doing and he and his best fitter took me to their speed shop for a pro fit. 2.5 hours later I was on a new bike. was leaving the shop and it was nuts but it stopped raining and the sun came out and man you all were correct!!! Took a 35 mile run and the thing is now SWEET!:yesnod: they adjusted the shifters and fit me to the bike. Seat was about 2.5-3" to far back. Inverted the stem for a different posture. Got some real good instruction on riding. I swear it is like a different bike. (OR rider!)I am surely keeping it. I was amazed how fast it went and how well it handled after the fit! What a nice machine and should keep me learning for a LONG time! Another thing the shop did was told me he would take it back without a problem and sell me another one! He really wanted me to get this one right because it is so sweet! :thumbsup: Great shop!

I really do appreciate you guys talking me down from the ledge!:mad2: I was truely heart broken over this! 

Thanks again!
Bill


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## Srode (Aug 19, 2012)

2.5 to 3 inches too far back for a saddle could sure screw up the weight distribution.


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## Mckdaddy (Feb 8, 2014)

Good to hear, Fish


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Now that it's actually your bike, how about another pic? I'm curious to see where the cockpit ended up...


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## fishboy316 (Feb 10, 2014)

How about several new pics Andrew!


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## kps88 (Dec 3, 2013)

What kind of bike is that? Its a beauty, but is it a endurance frame or race?


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

What are those honking big black bags doing on that bike? Someone at Cervélo worked long days and nights to reduce wind resistance on that bike and those bags wiped all that effort out. Too old to comment on the style aspect of this other than to voice my suspicion that there might be a serious problem.


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## fishboy316 (Feb 10, 2014)

yea wim the back one acually zips in the middle and I had it unzipped to put my jacket in. it cuts it in half. When it warms up will probably not even have to use the front one. The ones on the front are pretty narrow. hold my phone and cash and truck key. Kinda convenient with the leggings and jacket. Does look a little funny.=)

Kps: it is a race bike but doubles as a endurance bike the way it is set up. Does well each way.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Looks like the fitter made your bike taller, front and back?


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

fishboy316 said:


> Kinda convenient with the leggings and jacket. Does look a little funny.=).


Yea, but don't worry about it. I don't even ride race bikes any longer, so I'm just thinking out loud. Back (way back) in the day when I actually raced, you wanted your bike to look as racy as possible even if you just noodled down to see your Grandma. It was sort of a peer pressure thing. Then again, we put fenders on our race bike in the winter, imagine that!


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## fishboy316 (Feb 10, 2014)

Yea andrew they moved the seat forward about 3 or so inches. They raised it a smidge and inverted the stem. Works rather nicely! It handles great now and I enjoy being on it. That's what it's about.


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## TrekGeek (Nov 8, 2013)

Beautiful bike. The fit makes all the difference. Enjoy.


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