What is to stop you getting a 53T or larger front ring in 110mm BCD and retain the 34T compact small ring to get the best of both worlds?

They only ship the chainsets in those combinations Paul, and I doubt anywhere stocks the chainrings separately yet.

Aftermarket chainrings from other manufacturers won’t fit…

alex222 – Member

Yes you are of course right

All hail Sibboleth and his might mind.

Alex, jog on mate, you’re being a pillock. Nobody has said what you think they said, you misread it. Just accept that you’re not very bright and go and think about what you’ve done. 🙄

Alex, you seem to be reading words that don’t actually appear onscreen. Maybe you should toddle off and find a technician to fix it… Go on, there’s a good boy…

TINAS, it’s nothing to do with pissing contests. My cadence on the flat is higher than I would be comfortable pedaling at high speeds on descents.

I don’t want to be spinning at 120rpm with all the associated wobbling at over 50mph!

OK, this is interesting. just run some figures through the calculator:

53/39 : 11/25 (current setup) = 41″ – 126.8″
50/34 : 11/25 (compact setup) = 35.8″ – 119.7″

52/38 : 11/28 (Dura Ace Sportive 1) = 35.8″ – 124.4″
52/36 : 11/28 (Dura Ace Sportive 2) = 33.9″ – 124.4″

So running the 52/38 will give me exactly the same length of lowest gear as my current compact setup, and presumably will be far better shifting on the front mech…

53:11 to 52:11 is under 2% reduction in gearing, resulting in less than 1mph difference where you spin out.

That’s exactly the sort of answer I was looking for! Cheers Paul 🙂

I presume the chainset ratios are dictated by the limitations of the front mech.

If I’m doing something like the Lakeland Loop, I’d stick the compact on for the day, so I’m not averse to using lower gears – it’s just the restrictiveness of a compact that I hate: no top end and constantly shifting between the rings.

I suspect the 52/36 is the way to go – I’m most efficient seated as I’m a high cadence rider, but my current setup sees me standing out of the saddle honking on the bars far more than I should.

The other factor is that if I decided to stick with 53/39, I could get that now… I’m having to wait for the other ratios!!

I’m happy with 53:11 – over 50mph I want to be tucked, so not looking for more top-end cranking. Just a bit worried that 52:11 might leave me with a gap between where I like to finish pedalling and start tucking!

I ride the Pennines, South Lakes, Trough of Bowland mostly…

Edit: Just found this very useful site…

Ratio Calculator

I spin out 53/11 most rides too, I like to pedal descents and anything over 48mph spins out. Which is why I’m worried about dropping to 52 up front.

I’d rather have 53/38 or something like that.

Nicko, I hear what you’re saying but the cassettes are limited to 23, 25 or 28 (lowest gear), so 28 shouldn’t be any more gappy than the 11/25 10-speed I’m currently using…

Makita. Can’t go wrong with them.

I got the kit with a drill/driver and an impact driver + 3 batteries, you can get just the drill for about £100. B&Q have them cheaper than most places but Anglian Tool Centre mail order is always excellent for Makita.

“LOL” at people stupid enough to think this is *just* a matter of *just* Lance Armstrong taking performance enhancing drugs. 🙄

Dude, pull my finger…

A comment on the twitter thread:

My sister and mother both are cancer survivors. My sister carried your book with her to every appointment. They both drew strength and courage from your words. Thank you for all you have done to bring awareness to cancer.

Nuff said.

Haven’t seen any of the ‘saying all other bikes are rubbish’ stuff he’s been accused of either TBH.

Thanks Grum! 🙂 I think a lot of people read what they want to read…

Njee, do it! I reckon you’ll do it far more justice than me!

I have very personal reasons for buying this bike right now. I wanted it to be something very special, but it wasn’t a case of money-no-object. I had a figure in my head of around £4.5-£5 grand for the complete build.

This frameset at the price I paid has allowed me to build a bike that’s far better than I would have been able to afford, AND allowed me to own the bike I would have wanted had money been no object.

This combined with those personal reasons means this will be a very special bike for me. I intend to ride it like I’ve no dependents, hopefully for many years to come!

I agree but some people irrationally hate cervelos.

I would probably have got less haterz if I’d posted a pic of a new Audi A6 estate in white with a carbon Santa Cruz with full XTR strapped to the roofbars. Just one of dem tings.

Interesting to note, my Park workstand and brand new Sandvik hacksaw blade seemed to provoke as much ire…

How do you come to ride the CA then? Would you care to share some thoughts on its performance? Very excited about finally getting the R5 built, just ordered 3T Ergonom Team carbon bars, 3T stem, Ultemo ZX tyres and a few other bits from Rosebikes…

Confession to make, whilst the Cervélo might get raced on bigger open road races, I’ll be keeping the Giant TCR C3 for crit racing.

There are too many carbon-splintering crashes in crits to risk a valuable bike – most of the lads I race with have a Planet X, Boardman, Ribble etc built up for short circuit races.

Now I have the dilemma. Do I race tomorrow on 1) the lace-doily etched Ti bling machine, or 2) steal my son’s Boardman Race?

If you have any aspirations of success, I’d leave the obsolete, twangy, noodley ti rubbish at home and ride a proper modern bike. 😉

Pebblebeach, the CA is a beautiful looking thing but I couldn’t justify an additional £6250 for a slightly different bottom bracket layup and a “Made in USA sticker!” 😉

I think in terms of bang-for-my-bucks, there’s nothing comes close to the R5 for £1750…

Very funny though, they blew £10 grand on a load of tat that is now virtually worthless!

My next-door-but-one neighbour was proudly showing me his Jaguar XJS convertible with “OBE” registration plate, and the scrapbook showing how Jimmy Savile had bought it new when he was awarded the OBE, loads of photos with the car etc etc etc. He claimed the Savile connection added £8-£10 grand to its value…

Not now, unless it’s as evidence!!!

Nowt wrong with that rusty. Just got back from a thoroughly enjoyable ride on a £150 Dolan…

I wouldn’t dream of riding it in daylight though! 😉

Oops, double post…

flange – Member
I don’t think anyone is slating Shibboleth for his choice in bike, more his ‘my bike is the best, everything else is rubbish’ attitude.

I think you’ve misread my posts. I’ve said that in my opinion, the R5 is the bike I find most aesthetically attractive; that the Cervélo brand’s ethos, values and image appeal to me more than any other; and that it’s the bike ridden by pros that I admire. I’ve not said anything is rubbish, just that other brands don’t capture my attention in the same way that Cervélo does.

To be honest, the haters are just grist to my mill. I know they’re motivated by envy which makes me even more proud of my R5. Can’t wait to post pics of the full build! 🙂

BTW, that DeVinci is a very lovely looking frameset!

Spot on Crikey!

Why? I’d rather have a bike ridden by the cycling stars that I’ve supported for years rather than some nichey, low volume cottage industry bike that carries little brand caché other than amongst elitist, esoteric bike bores. 😉

Because I prefer Cervélo.

pointing out half price goods to purchase is being more than benevolent

Yeah yeah yeah, whatevurrrrrrr… You were hoping I’d spent £3.5k on it so you could laugh at me 😉

Aren’t they knocking those cervelos out at half price on the Madison site?

Yes, hence why I chose the R5 over the SL4… We covered this earlier in the thread… You’d know this if you’d read it instead of just trying to make unkind comments about someones new bike. 🙄

Always loved Colnagos, they were my absolute dream bike as a teenager in the late 80s/early 90s.

Was looking at the whole range at NEC Bike Show and those lugs put me off – can’t help thinking it’s a bit of a retro detail for detail’s sake. The version in Italia colours is beautiful…

How has it been destickered? Mine is painted/lacquered – is it just a raw carbon frame?

There you go Rik, a typical unbranded carbon frame…

And a Cervélo R5…

(if you’re still having trouble deciding which one is more beautiful, perhaps refer to my earlier post to see what I look for in bicycle design and see if that helps…) 😉

I’m going with the Dura Ace. I like it as a piece of engineering and the option to have 52/36 chain rings appeals as I hate true compacts and I want this to be a “do it all” bike.

Think I’m gonna go for the rotundo team bars and matching stem.

My other bike is a TCR C3, so I can agree that it’s a lovely bike. Weighs about twice as much as the Cervélo though, and it’s nowhere near as stiff laterally…

That won’t load on my iPad, what does it say rorschach?

Can I ask why it is a beautiful frame or the most well finished frame I’ve seen?

The paint finish is flawless and the proportions – tube diameters, profiles etc – are, in my opinion, beautiful. It has that undefinable simplicity and brevity of detail that you only seem to find on perfectly designed and engineered objects. Nothing superfluace, no frills, fuss or excess styling.

It’s as stiff as any frame I’ve ridden and yet is implausibly light. I just think it screams class, it doesn’t have the cobra head or swooping tubes of an SL4, or the massively oversized downtube of an Evo, or the angles and edges of a Madone. Just clean lines, pencil-thin seat stays, and a perfect silhouette. I love it!

Those Reynolds wheels need more logos!!! 😀

They’re lovely, but I think a deep section would be hard work on the Pennine fells where I ride. Probably a bit harsh over my local roads too – you don’t get many roads with grass growing down the middle in London do you! 😀

That’s stunning MM! Is it the 7900 groupset? Love the stealth-look SLRs…

I think he should pay for a replacement! And the club should support you. If nothing else comes of this, at least they can get rid of a dangerous rider.

I know, the R-Sys would look FIT on this, but can I justify an extra 800 quid over the price of DA C24s? That would be better spent on a new bike box and a week at a training camp!

really? then why go for some run of the mill taiwanese off the shelf non-custom number?

How ignorant! I think you’ll find they’re made in China. 😉

I’d not touch a Zipp wheel with yours seeing how many wheels the Halfords/Endura teams got through in 2 years, very poor.

Funnily enough, I tend to look at what the teams that buy their own kit use as a good indicator of reliability. And Shimano C24/C35 seems to be one of the most popular choices.

I was looking at Kristian House’s Tour of Britain Condor at the NEC last month and the C35s on it were so battered, they looked like they’d been used for years. But they were obviously confident enough in them to put their KOM rider out in a premier race.

Without wishing to offend owners of those bikes, it’s a bit like the Honda NSX – you *know* it’s an awesome machine… But I think it’s the fact that Cervélo, Pinarello, Colnago etc *only* make special bikes.

I tend to look at Treks and there’s a little part of me thinks “Lance Wannabe”. And look what that stands for now!

All amazing bikes though, and far more capable than I’ll ever be!