2009 Cervelo S1 Review
In the winter of 2009, I was in Afghanistan. As part of my tour, I got a two week long leave period, which I elected to spend on Tenerife, Canary Islands. While I was there, I rented a road bike and spent a couple of hours each morning riding up and down the Tenerife hills. I had never ridden a decent road bike before, and this seemed to be as good a time as any to try it.
By the end of the leave period, I was hooked; I needed a road bike of my own. But which?
I had Internet access in Kandahar, so I started doing some research. And in so doing, I discovered a bicycle manufacturer named Cervelo. This company was the acknowledged leader in building highly aerodynamic road bikes, had provided the bikes to the team that won the most recent Tour de France, and was Canadian! How had I never heard of them?
Further research turned up that their bikes were considered "cycling Porsches", in so far that they were very well made, exceptionally fast, and largely driven by dentists and lawyers. And they were very, very expensive.
There was, however, a sleeper in the stable - the S1. Built to the same geometry and tube profiles as their high-end bikes, this aluminum-framed bike was about half the price of the carbon machines. It was equipped with decent components (a mix of Ultegra, FSA, and 3T) and was close enough in performance to the higher end bikes that some of the pro riders had elected to ride the S1 frame in the actual Tour. This was a bike that was the real deal, a pro competition-worthy bike, for about the price of a set of Zipp 404s.
The magazine and online reviews I found were uniformly positive. Everybody raved about how fast the bike was and about how great a bargain it was.
So I decided to pick one up, and I wanted it ready to go the day I returned home from Afghanistan.
Using the Competitive Cyclist online fit calculator I determined that a 56cm frame would be the way to go, and I emailed Reynolds Cycle in London, Ontario to put down my deposit. Shortly thereafter, I got a picture of my new baby on the shop display stand.
Two days after getting home, I swung by Reynolds to get the bike fitted and pick it up. The fitting process was quick and straightforward, and resulted in a slightly shorter stem (90mm) being installed. We also started out with a full set of stem spacers and the stem pointed skyward, but I was told that as my fitness improved, the stem could be flipped and spacers removed to lower the bars and create a more aero position.
My initial impressions were that the bike was ungodly fast. I am not a light guy (I was 235 lbs when I first picked up the bike, 215 now) but I could detect no flex in the frame at all. Effort was instantly translated into forward motion. With the short wheelbase and steep head angle, it would change directions in a heartbeat, but it wasn't at all twitchy or unstable. It was like riding a razor.
Sadly, so was the stock Selle San Marco Ponza saddle. Simply too narrow for my sit bones, and too raised in the perianal area, that saddle was like riding an axe. So it was swapped out for a Selle Italia SLR Gel Flow Team saddle and my comfort level improved drastically.
With that accomplished, the bike was perfect for me. Comfortable enough to ride all day, but stupid, stupid fast. I was a little concerned that the aluminum frame would make the bike harsh or buzzy, but it is not - the carbon fork and seat post appear to tame whatever buzz might be making its way through the tires. The bike is unquestionably firm - "plush" it is not - but it is firm in the manner of a well-tuned sports car. There is a sense of no wasted motion or energy; it just goes.
By the end of the year my core strength had improved to the point where I could start lowering the bars, and a fast bike got even faster.
As of October 2010, I have put 5,700 km on the bike. It wore out a set of tires, and I re-did the bar tape and hoods to match the color scheme a little better than the previous black tape and hoods. Other than that, I have felt no need to upgrade anything on the bike. The compact gearing has proven to be a godsend for when I go to hilly locations like Meaford, the Ultegra shifters shift perfectly and have needed very little maintenance, and the Shinamo R600 wheels have remained straight and true. With the toolbag but no bottles, the bike weighs 20lbs, which is perhaps a tick heavy for a race bike, but it would be easy enough to knock a couple of pounds off with wheels and cranks if I really felt the need - which I don't. Nothing on this bike holds me back.
It came with FSA Gossemar compact cranks (50/34) and a 12-27 rear cassette, and I'm happy that it did so. I don't give up anything in top speed on the flats, and it is nice to have the lower gearing for the hills in Meaford Area.
I have had this bike up to 81 km/h coming down the hill on the Meaford escarpment, and it was perfectly stable. Group rides, solo rides, sun or rain, this bike has never let me down.
This is perhaps the single most satisfying purchase I have ever made. It has quite literally changed my life, and for the better. I am completely, deliriously happy with this bike. Very highly recommended.
