# Cervelo S1 or Pinarello Paris (alu, hydroformed)



## RayWhitney (Mar 25, 2009)

All:

I have read with interest the threads about Cervelo S1s. I am nearing a decision, and I am debating whether to purchase a Cervelo S1, or a Pinarello Paris alu (hydroformed, 2006)? 

The bike will be used for racing. I am 5'11" and 170 lbs. I am specifically looking for aluminum or alu/carbon mix.

There is only a 50g weight difference between the Cervelo and the Pinarello. The Pinarello is $200 (US) more expensive, but I may be able to get that down.

I have ridden the S1, so I have a sense of its possibilities. I was happy with it after a 90-mile test ride. I have no ability to test ride the Pinarello; I will need to go on recommendations and gut.

Any constructive suggestions are appreciated! :thumbsup:


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## jaydub_u (Mar 16, 2009)

All I can tell you is that I have had my S1 since the first of may and I have put about 500 miles on it and I absolutely love it. I have recently upgraded to dura ace 7900 but that is only because I got a deal from shimano that I just couldn't pass on. The Ultegra is great. Bike is smooth and fast.


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## jpdigital (Dec 1, 2006)

While I do not have/ridden a Pinarello Paris, I do have a bike w/ Hydroformed Aluminium as well as a Cervélo S1.

The hydroformed CSK 7005 I've had for 3 years now, The S1 I've had for about 6 months.

My hydroformed aluminium CSK 7005 is a very good bike. They hydroforming IMO does indeed take _some_ of aluminium's characteristic harshness out, it has a bit of "battleship-ruggedness" to it too, which I like. It feels kind of big-&-burley, if you will. Comparing it to other aluminium bikes I've ridden in the past, it is slightly less fatiguing than the others, but is definately not a plush ride by any stretch of the imagination, and still feels like aluminium.

*HOWEVER*, the S1 is head-and-shoulders above _any_ aluminium bikes I've ever ridden. Period. The ride is absolutly _un_aluminium. It's certainly not carbon, but the road definately feels noticibly better. Also, the level of eplosivness in the frame's design is absolutly increadible!! There's nothing in the frame that feels like it's holding you back. 

The hydroformed CSK, while is stiff, feels like there's a slight amount of hesitation in comparison the Cervélo. And despite being so explosive, it does not at all feel like you're being jarred around as other alu bikes can do.

As I've stated about my S1 in other posts: There's no such thing as the perfect bike, but the Cervélo S1 is the perfect _aluminium_ bike.


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## kyrider (Apr 28, 2007)

*I would not buy a Pinarello again!* 
I had my Prince for about 6 months and few days ago I found a crack above the bottle cage bolt and they are saying it is my fault! Bike was purchased from dealer paid MSRP for frame and components and Pinarello is trying to tell me that somehow I broke the frame by pulling/pushing on the bottle cage !? or that I tightened the bolt too much andt I cracked the fame... I'm going to challenge them because the threads on the bolts can prove I used the proper torque and the bottle cage is also in perfect shape. I know I did nothing wrong so I'm disappointed with Pinarello and GITA, US distributor especially when you pay full retail price and think that manufacturer will cover defects in product.

Do yourself a service and buy something with better warranty backing!


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## Guest (Jul 25, 2009)

Kyrider sad to hear about your warranty trouble, I saw your other thread and had hoped it would workout for the best. Out of curiosity did you deal with both Gita and Pinarello or through Gita to Pinarello?


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## kyrider (Apr 28, 2007)

kytyree said:


> Kyrider sad to hear about your warranty trouble, I saw your other thread and had hoped it would workout for the best. Out of curiosity did you deal with both Gita and Pinarello or through Gita to Pinarello?


I called the dealer where I bought the bike from WrenchScience and they sent the pics with the issue to GITA. Then after few days I called GITA myself and they told me that all information was sent to Pinarello and they'll take a decision.
Dealing with Pinarello directly is impossible, I tried to e-mail and call them and they sent me back to GITA which is the US distributor for Pinarello bikes.

To be honest I'm not sure who's legally liable for covering the warranty Pinarello or GITA, I would like to find out just in case I need to call a lawyer


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## rich00 (Nov 8, 2002)

If you haven't bought the Cervelo S1 , I recommend doing so. Here is my website explaining my cracked Colnago Mix and why I went for a Cervelo S1 ( Soloist )

http://users.tpg.com.au/rich00/Colnagocrack.html


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## ktuck (Jul 3, 2008)

How about magnesium? You can get a Pinarello Dogma at backcountry (with Bing) for $1,860. I was looking hard at this one.

From Competitive Cyclist:

The New Steel: A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away steel was considered to be a high-tech frame material. Then it went out of fashion as aluminum, then titanium, then carbon fought for prominence. Somewhere along the way a sentimentalist craze for steel bikes arose, and that was a good thing. To a smaller extent, the same happened for titanium -- for reasons specific to ride quality and longevity, it re-gained relevance despite the widely recognized weight savings & cost savings of carbon. This, too, was a good thing. And in the footsteps of the re-discovery of steel and ti, we'd like to offer up a suggestion: Magnesium. Have you ever ridden a Pinarello Dogma? It's what Petacchi preferred when he rode for Fassa Bortolo. It's what Pererio still rides on Caisse d'Epargne. We rode one again recently, and we forgot what it's like to ride a metal bike. There's smoothness to the Dogma absent in anything carbon. There's a sense of "road feel" -- like what you get out of a really nice car. By comparison, carbon mutes the road altogether. It was a reawakening. This wouldn't be the first time we told someone it was the best riding frame we'd ever owned. We said it when we rode one for a year back in '04, and the ride hasn't changed one bit. Awesome, and totally ready for a comeback.


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## SROC3 (Jul 20, 2009)

If you still haven't gotten the S1.......BUY IT.


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