My C3 is my only bike, and it's cured me of my want for any other road (ish) bike. I'm as fast on it with 33mm of rubber and good wheels as I've ever been on any bike, including an R3 and Soloist. But now I don't have to turn around when the pavement ends.

When I test rode it, I knew I was going to buy it before I could even get out of the parking lot. The handling is superb. Cervelos are easy to fit.

Want to see some C3 porn? :)

I feel the same way about only bike. I originally bought a C3 for occasionally dirt riding. But I like it so much for all around riding and missed Di2, I sold it and got a C5, which isn’t sold anymore. I quit riding all my other bikes.

@StanSeven I remember that. I was kind of interested in a C3 at the time, not really thrilled about the paint, you told me it looked better in person, and just how much you loved it. Hell of an endorsement!

https://live.staticflickr.com/4425/3...0f61cf_o_d.jpg

Jack Mountain above the saddle, I bet you can guess which one is Snowfield Peak.

https://live.staticflickr.com/4294/3...c38f6e_o_d.jpg

This ride turned out to be so much harder than I expected. I got back to my car an hour after dark, in midsummer.

https://live.staticflickr.com/4291/3...2a62a7_o_d.jpg

We have some maples and aspens too, but larches are where it's at. Every fall I travel hundreds of miles to hike and ride with them.

https://live.staticflickr.com/4498/3...eaac2a_o_d.jpg

Washington Pass. Bit of a climb from the Mazama Store. Nothing like Haleakala though.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...39edaa_o_d.jpg

I don't want to give the impression it's only good for gravel, that's just where a lot of our best scenery is. I used to ride purely for fun and fitness, and then I realized I can drive my bike out of the city and ride with pretty backdrops, and often less traffic. Or at least less obnoxious traffic.

Those are amazing photos - thanks so much for sharing them.

So, like, I should just stop worrying and get a C3?

I've never once regretted buying mine. Much happier with it than the one it replaced. Have you test ridden one? I wouldn't buy any bike without a test ride, but if you like the way it rides you should absolutely get one and then ride it like you stole it. :)

I rode an RS 10 years ago and it blew my mind. When I was riding it, I thought "This is the most comfortable road seat I've ever been on - I'm getting one no matter what." When I got off and checked, it was exactly the same seat as on my bike. :) My longstanding interest in Cervelo blossomed into full-on lust that day.

This is random, but came to mind because you said you're also wanting a power meter. When I bought the C3, I told the guy I was headed to REI to use my 20 % off coupon on a pair of Vector 2 pedals - that's what was current at the time. The sales guy immediately offered to match their price and install them for me right then before I took the bike home. If you're buying them together, ask for a discount on the PM. I wouldn't have, I wouldn't have thought they could do it. :)

I always figure that if one store can do, they all can. Nobody is giving them away so there is always some profit even with a discount.

I was just on the phone with the cable company, all set to cut the cord. When they asked how much I expected to pay for the complete package a la carte, they matched the price with even more features. So I still have cable, not that I needed any of the extra features.

Would it be stupid to set up a C3 with a 1x12 drivetrain so I can throw a really small chainring on there for the big day? Yes. But getting a 105 bike and swapping the crankset so I can run a smaller 1x chainring seems a bit less egregious. I think that's what I'll do. Then if I can do the climb, I'll reward myself with sessy wheels and groupset. If I can't do the climb, I'll burn the bike. :lol:

Just put a 50/34 on it and you'll be fine.

OK, this was a big week for me with 2 important developments.

The first is that I finally had my DEXA scan and found that my fat-free mass is almost 10 lbs higher than I thought. This means that at 180 lbs I'd be at ~17% bodyfat - I thought I'd have to cut to below 175 to get into that territory. So my target weight is anywhere between 175-180. I was a bit surprised to learn that I had not lost any lean mass from ~11 years ago when I was lifting pretty seriously 4 mornings per week and was in my mid 30's as opposed to my late 40's. I can't recommend lugging 90+ lbs of blubber around with you everywhere you go, but if you're active at an obese bodyweight it does mean decent musculature and great bone density (I'm in the 91st percentile for bone density, which explains my crashworthiness). I had originally hoped to have my "before" scan done in my first week of cutting, but I don't mind saying that I'm glad I never had to look at what those numbers would have been 3 weeks ago. Right now I'm at 91 lbs of chub and ~39% bf. I guess my months of therapy have helped because I just see those numbers as facts to deal with in my plan rather than as a personal existential crisis.

The second is that I learned that it's maybe not so crazy to set up a C3 with a 1x drivetrain. They sold them with SRAM Force 1x11 which would have options for some ridiculously steep gearing if I decided I needed it. I also got a line on a barely used model so equipped for a ridiculous price. It was a 56 and I normally ride a 54 or 56, and had heard that Cervelos run a bit big - so I found a local 56 cm C3 (with mechanical Ultegra) and took it for a spin to asses fit. I was 100% certain that the only question mark for me would be the fit, as my prior experience on an RS all of those years ago had left me dedicated to one day getting a nice Cervelo. But what happened is that I liked it. I mean I only liked it. It's nice, and has no problems, and it would be a super capable bike. But I got on that bike fully expecting to love it, and I didn't love it.

This got me reflecting a bit on how I already own two bikes that I love. I've been through so much with both of them. But I don't need both, and the Gios is a bit too punishing, and needs more work to be serviceable again. And the Jamis is my first real love. So, the IGH + Schlumpf drivetrain are going on the Sputnik along with some EC90 drop bars and some power meter pedals. That's the bike I'll train on, and that's the bike I'll ride up Haleakala. If it hurts, it won't be the first time that bike has told me in no uncertain terms that I must HTFU. :D

That doesn't sound like it is going to work. Are you sure the spacing matches? A 26" frameset is likely 135 spacing at the rear but a 700c single/fixed wheel is likely 130. Maybe a shop will be able to do it by removing spacers since the hub probably is only one size and uses spacers to fit either size. It also probably doesn't have cable stays.

Here is something to think about. On my way up I was in my 3rd lowest gear when I started, used the lowest on the climb out of Makawao, if flattened out a while and even a little downhill (very little) where I used my gears, but then once it started climbing again it was relentless uphill and you just want to use your lowest gear. Those are really the only gears that matter, the three lowest. If I had lower gearing than I did I would have used it too.

And I reread your original post, the ride up is NOT like a difficult century ride. A difficult century ride has up AND down. This is only up.

As for bike fit, maybe you should revisit looking at new bikes after you've lost all the weight. Train on what you have maybe, but get something that can take a really low gear to use for the actual ride. Train on it some before too of course so you are comfortable on it. That was one of my mistakes with rental, it was a nice bike and all, but it wasn't MY bike. I'd have set up my bike with smaller gears. And it was Ultegra equipped and I ride Campy at home.

And I really, really recommend trying the ride on a smart trainer using Rouvy. It'll be an eye opener. I didn't make it past about 3500' because of how relentless the uphill was. Without the motivation of making it to the top of a real mountain, just a virtual one, I couldn't go on. I'm going to give Rouvy another try if the weather cooperates by getting cold and wet. These warm sunny days keep me outside.

I have multiple IGH bikes. The Schlumpf + XRF-5 that are going on the Sputnik are currently in a 1988 Gios Compact frame. It will take a bit of work to fit them to the track frame, but it's doable. The setup is being done by Dan Burkhart, who frequents bikeforums and has a ton of experience converting and servicing IGH drivetrains.

I'll use that setup for training and will decide late next year how to set the bike up for the climb.

Another quick note about the DEXA scan results. First, my scoliosis is clearly visible in the scan, but it's not gotten worse so I'm not worried about it. Second, my right leg has 0.8 lbs more lean mass than my left (27.7 vs 26.9 - so about a 3% difference), which is consistent with my stated experience and concerns about the imbalance between my legs. I'm not going to try to get them to exactly 1:1, but I do hope that with a dual-sided power meter and some concentration on a smooth and balanced pedal stroke I can at least keep it from getting worse. We'll see.

I wish you luck. Haleakala is an intimidating climb, even if you are very fit. I have the opportunity to go to Oahu for business next August, and I'm thinking about trying to get to Maui to do Haleakala. It scares me a little and that's coming from somebody who is already very bike-fit (I'm 5'10" and at the moment, 158 #; I have 7500 outdoor miles so far this calendar year, including 14 centuries.) As I live in the midwest, I don't have extended climbs to train on. I figure I can probably do it, but I know it will hurt.

I admit that I have not ready every post in this thread, but I think the OP is spending comparatively too much effort worrying about gear and maybe not enough focusing on getting miles in his legs. That's what it takes.

My focus right now is on cutting weight and riding when I can (which right now is not enough). I do not expect to make this work via gear, but I'm sharing my ramblings on gear selection because it'll inform my more formal training regimen when I'm able to really focus on putting the miles in.

Good luck to you if you do manage to line up an attempt. It's a beautiful place and I hope that your experience there is rewarding.

Visit Colorado. Go for a ride or trail run at finishing altitude and see how it affects you.

I'm not inexperienced at altitude, though I don't live it day to day here in Minnesota. I was in Ecuador last January. Even sleeping the first few nights in Quito (9400'), I noticed it. And then there was hiking on Cotopaxi and Chimborazo, where I got to 16,000 and 17,000' respectively (very slowly, and starting from roads that were already quite high). So yeah, I respect the challenges of altitude, but apart from going to Haleakala via Colorado, there isn't much way to prepare for it.

This is actually a great idea.

Gear - being able to spin at your preferred climbing cadence is all-important IME. If I can't spin a long climb at 80, my result will be sub-optimal, just like my cadence. It's very easy to figure optimal gearing using online calculators. One should also figure that your power and therefore cadence will be reduced with altitude. My guess is that power will fall off in proportion to the reduced air pressure: 69% at .10,000. So gear for 69% power in your bottom gear.

I was born in Denver and spent my first couple years there. I remember going to back visit; Berthoud Pass took my breath away at 12,000 feet. I don't mean it was stunning, I mean there was no air, it was hard to breathe, I was getting light headed sitting in my car.

Now I've been living at sea level for years, and I feel the altitude a bit peak bagging at 8k. Nothing very serious, but exertion is harder, recovery is slower, and I start looking for the wilderness taco truck.

A little while before you fly to Hawaii. And take a pulse oximeter (they're cheap) with you. You want to get your oxygen saturation down below 93% and keep it there for a few minutes, several times/day. Free and legal EPO. Erythropoiesis takes about 7 days and the new RBCs last 100 days or so, but as soon as you don't need them anymore, your very efficient body starts getting rid of the excess.

Go visit Floyd Landis' place in Leadville, Colorado. It's at 10500' I think. It is the true Rocky Mountain High. I coincidentally have a bottle from Floyd's that I got in New Jersey the other day. I was in Leadville just a few weeks ago and had no idea what I was getting into. It is legal in CO, but not for sale over a website.

Floyd's of Leadville

I'm 100% with you on this. This is exactly my thinking.

That makes sense, thanks.