Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Road Cycling
Reload this Page >

Cervelo C3 vs R3

Notices
Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

Cervelo C3 vs R3

Old 10-12-16, 11:47 AM
  #1  
Boehmer
Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 43
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 25 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Cervelo C3 vs R3

Has anyone ridden both a Cervelo C3 and R3 (disc) for any reasonable amount of time? Or at least one or the other?

I've ridden both several times for relatively short periods of time (30min - hour) on very basic loops around my LBS, but was curious to hear what others thought that had spent more time with them. I'm going to try to get out there and take longer rides myself, but haven't had the time yet.

I recognize that they are very different bikes with different geometries (though on the C3, I slammed the stem and tweaked the setup to be pretty similar to the R3), but debating between the two for a couple reasons - mainly, stability and versatility. My main points of interest are
(1) climbing - I've read that the R3 is an outstanding climber, but haven't seen much on how the C3 fares
(2) descending (is the R3 stable or somewhat "twitchy" like some race geometries...I found my old Madone to be a bit twitchy for my taste on fast descents, and as such, hampered my confidence). I'm a bit of a wimp and NEED a really stable descender to enjoy descents
(3) compliance (I live in SF with an abundance of beautiful rides but also many crappy roads that I still like to ride). I like that the C3 can probably handle some light dirt roads...assuming the R3 can't. Any experiences on how well the C3 actually handles dirt and gravel? Is it more of a...if there's gravel on your route you can handle or, or are you seeking out fireroads to ride specifically.
(4) tire clearance - I loved that the C3 can run 28's easily and probably some 32's...much smoother, more stable ride in my opinion. I have read that some have had success putting 28's on their R3, but wanted feedback on that.

I use my bike primarily for fitness/endurance/exploring rides, typically on relatively short (<2hour) type rides, but I probably want to extend that a bit to do some more exploring. Being in the Bay Area, there are a ton of hills and descents, so climbing and super stable descending are very important to me. I love that the C3 can probably do some of the fireroads in my area, whereas the R3 probably couldn't, and I've read that the C3 is an incredibly stable descender, but haven't experienced that first hand. That said, when I got on the R3, it felt so lively, responsive, and slightly more "fun" to me, but again...short ride with unvaried terrain and circumstances. FWIW, I don't ride in a super aggressive setup, so I'd probably end riding the R3 "normally", erring on the side of relaxed, where I'd almost certainly be riding the C3 a bit more aggressive than it's "stock" setup.

Not interested in feedback on specs except tire clearance, opinions on appearance, etc...interested in the ride of each in different situations (sprints, climbs, descents, rough terrain, dirt, rain, etc).

Thanks!
Boehmer is offline  
Old 10-12-16, 11:58 AM
  #2  
Seattle Forrest
Senior Member
 
Seattle Forrest's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 23,208
Mentioned: 89 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18883 Post(s)
Liked 10,645 Times in 6,054 Posts
I did Rainier, Baker, Washington Pass, etc, on an R3. It's a great climber and a fantastic descender. Didn't feel "twitchy" at all but that's a matter of taste.

Mine was an older frame and probably didn't have clearance even for 25s, I never tried anything wider than 23 mm GP4000s. I could ride on dirt but slowly and not comfortably at all. The newer frame is built for 25s and you could likely do some minimal riding on fire roads if they're smooth and hard packed and you slow way down for turns, etc. Far from ideal.

I haven't been on a C3, but I have a similar bike and have done lots and lots of dirt road riding on 28s. Even horrible, rocky roads are passable on 28 mm tires. A C3 would be great for fire roads and still very good on pavement.

With unlimited funds I'd like to have one of each bike. With limited cash, I'd put a lot of thought into whether I was going to leave the pavement much, and decide on that and on test rides.

Can you drive your bike out of the Bay Area to ride sometimes?
Seattle Forrest is offline  
Old 10-12-16, 12:32 PM
  #3  
Maelochs
Senior Member
 
Maelochs's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 15,453

Bikes: 2015 Workswell 066, 2017 Workswell 093, 2014 Dawes Sheila, 1983 Cannondale 500, 1984 Raleigh Olympian, 2007 Cannondale Rize 4, 2017 Fuji Sportif 1 LE

Mentioned: 144 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7628 Post(s)
Liked 3,453 Times in 1,823 Posts
I have a Workswell 066 which is basically a copy of the R3-R5. if yo want to ride bad pavement and occasionally gravel, add wide rubber, and want all the other stuff you say you want, get the C3.

I love my bike but there is barley room for 25s, it transmits some road shock on even pretty good roads (nothing uncomfortable, but i wouldn't want to take it on gravel) and it has a pretty short wheelbase and short back end---climbs like a goat (even when ridden by an elephant) and changes direction really quickly---i wouldn't call it twitchy, but I occasionally surprise myself when I think about avoiding a pebble or something and the bike seems to move almost on its own.

EDIT:
Originally Posted by Boehmer
Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it. When you say it didn't feel twitchy...what about "planted"? For instance, on descents on my '08 Madone, I always felt like I was an erroneous weight shift or small bump away from losing the bike from under me; never felt super stable or stuck to the pavement.
Not that bad, but certainly it responds super-fast, which at 40 mph downhill, would not inspire confidence. more than "planted" i fell more as if it were floating ... super lightly touching the road, so that a thought could move it.

I like it ... but then i have never had it over 35 mph, and not on a steep or twisty descent.

Last edited by Maelochs; 10-12-16 at 12:37 PM.
Maelochs is offline  
Old 10-12-16, 12:40 PM
  #4  
Boehmer
Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 43
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 25 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Seattle Forrest
I did Rainier, Baker, Washington Pass, etc, on an R3. It's a great climber and a fantastic descender. Didn't feel "twitchy" at all but that's a matter of taste.

Mine was an older frame and probably didn't have clearance even for 25s, I never tried anything wider than 23 mm GP4000s. I could ride on dirt but slowly and not comfortably at all. The newer frame is built for 25s and you could likely do some minimal riding on fire roads if they're smooth and hard packed and you slow way down for turns, etc. Far from ideal.

I haven't been on a C3, but I have a similar bike and have done lots and lots of dirt road riding on 28s. Even horrible, rocky roads are passable on 28 mm tires. A C3 would be great for fire roads and still very good on pavement.

With unlimited funds I'd like to have one of each bike. With limited cash, I'd put a lot of thought into whether I was going to leave the pavement much, and decide on that and on test rides.

Can you drive your bike out of the Bay Area to ride sometimes?
Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it. When you say it didn't feel twitchy...what about "planted"? For instance, on descents on my '08 Madone, I always felt like I was an erroneous weight shift or small bump away from losing the bike from under me; never felt super stable or stuck to the pavement. Some of that was user error, I'm positive, but any feedback on that w/r/t R3?

Wish I had unlimited funds as well! I'm reaching a bit on my bike budget just to afford one of these. Someday...

I can drive out of the Bay Area sometimes, definitely, and would want to whenever I could (at least Napa, Sonoma, etc), though free time is an issue. The majority of my rides will be in SF, on the peninsula, and in Marin.
Boehmer is offline  
Old 10-12-16, 12:43 PM
  #5  
Boehmer
Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 43
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 25 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Maelochs
I have a Workswell 066 which is basically a copy of the R3-R5. if yo want to ride bad pavement and occasionally gravel, add wide rubber, and want all the other stuff you say you want, get the C3.

I love my bike but there is barley room for 25s, it transmits some road shock on even pretty good roads (nothing uncomfortable, but i wouldn't want to take it on gravel) and it has a pretty short wheelbase and short back end---climbs like a goat (even when ridden by an elephant) and changes direction really quickly---i wouldn't call it twitchy, but I occasionally surprise myself when I think about avoiding a pebble or something and the bike seems to move almost on its own.

EDIT: Not that bad, but certainly it responds super-fast, which at 40 mph downhill, would not inspire confidence. more than "planted" i fell more as if it were floating ... super lightly touching the road, so that a thought could move it.

I like it ... but then i have never had it over 35 mph, and not on a steep or twisty descent.
Thanks for the feedback. And agreed that if I want to ride dirt, gravel, etc, get the C3. The debate that I'm sort of having with myself is whether the C3 will be close to as good as the R3 on pavement while also providing versatility, or if the R3 will be so superior on pavement that the added versatility isn't worth it. While there are some cool fire roads in my area, I haven't ridden any of them, and I'd guess my riding will still end up 80% pavement / 20% non-paved even if I went C3.
Boehmer is offline  
Old 10-12-16, 12:55 PM
  #6  
Seattle Forrest
Senior Member
 
Seattle Forrest's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 23,208
Mentioned: 89 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18883 Post(s)
Liked 10,645 Times in 6,054 Posts
Originally Posted by Boehmer
Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it. When you say it didn't feel twitchy...what about "planted"? For instance, on descents on my '08 Madone, I always felt like I was an erroneous weight shift or small bump away from losing the bike from under me; never felt super stable or stuck to the pavement. Some of that was user error, I'm positive, but any feedback on that w/r/t R3?
Year after year, I felt like my R3 was light and lively as a gazelle but stable as a tank. Held its line beautifully whether I was on the flat or doing 40+ mph on a mountain descent. Could change directions quickly, but that required input from me. I always felt extremely confident descending on my R3.

Originally Posted by Boehmer
Wish I had unlimited funds as well! I'm reaching a bit on my bike budget just to afford one of these. Someday...

I can drive out of the Bay Area sometimes, definitely, and would want to whenever I could (at least Napa, Sonoma, etc), though free time is an issue. The majority of my rides will be in SF, on the peninsula, and in Marin.
Then let your test rides decide for you. You're going to drop a fortune on one of these bikes, the shop knows that, they should have no problem letting you take them both for longer test rides if you have the time to do it.

It's a lot of fun to be able to ride dirt roads, especially as part of a bigger loop. You tend to get better scenery and drastically less traffic. But it sounds like that's not a big deal for you, it will be occasional at most. So it shouldn't be a huge factor in your decision.
Seattle Forrest is offline  
Old 10-12-16, 03:53 PM
  #7  
roadweary
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Southern Utah
Posts: 70

Bikes: Cervelo C3, Felt Z2 Custom Hybrid, Orbea Occam Mt. Bike

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
recently purchased a C3 frame after having a two hour bike fitting. I’ve only got about 200 miles on it so far but I’ve loved this bike since the very first ride. I had the bike built because I wanted to choose the saddle I liked best, the crank arm length best suited for me, the cassette I wanted with Ultegra Di2 and the rims and tires. You know the C3 is endurance geometry and from the first I noticed how smooth it was on rough roads and stable on decents at high speed. I’m running Schwalbe 28’s and that helps with the smoothness. I also have a Felt Z2 but my Cervelo is faster and climbs better. All in all I’m very happy. Sorry I don’t have any R3 experience but I don’t think you could go wrong here.
roadweary is offline  
Old 10-12-16, 06:57 PM
  #8  
Boehmer
Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 43
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 25 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by roadweary
recently purchased a C3 frame after having a two hour bike fitting. I’ve only got about 200 miles on it so far but I’ve loved this bike since the very first ride. I had the bike built because I wanted to choose the saddle I liked best, the crank arm length best suited for me, the cassette I wanted with Ultegra Di2 and the rims and tires. You know the C3 is endurance geometry and from the first I noticed how smooth it was on rough roads and stable on decents at high speed. I’m running Schwalbe 28’s and that helps with the smoothness. I also have a Felt Z2 but my Cervelo is faster and climbs better. All in all I’m very happy. Sorry I don’t have any R3 experience but I don’t think you could go wrong here.
Great to hear you're enjoying it. Have you taken it on any dirt roads (fire roads, etc)? If so, how did it perform? Part of my allure to the C3, in addition to the stability that you mentioned, is the ability to ride on some of the same trails in my area that CX bikes can handle...mostly fire roads. If the C3 can't handle those, the R3 might make more sense for me. Any thoughts there?

Thanks!
Boehmer is offline  
Old 10-12-16, 08:24 PM
  #9  
black_box 
Fax Transport Specialist
 
black_box's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: chicago burbs
Posts: 1,000

Bikes: '17 giant propel, '07 fuji cross pro, '10 gary fisher x-caliber

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 568 Post(s)
Liked 385 Times in 243 Posts
Originally Posted by Boehmer
Great to hear you're enjoying it. Have you taken it on any dirt roads (fire roads, etc)? If so, how did it perform? Part of my allure to the C3, in addition to the stability that you mentioned, is the ability to ride on some of the same trails in my area that CX bikes can handle...mostly fire roads. If the C3 can't handle those, the R3 might make more sense for me. Any thoughts there?
Have you considered getting a cross bike and a second set of wheels/tires for pure pavement? I think a wider tire will give you the cushion to ride over rougher surfaces, but turning and stopping will benefit from some knobs.
black_box is offline  
Old 10-12-16, 08:41 PM
  #10  
roadweary
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Southern Utah
Posts: 70

Bikes: Cervelo C3, Felt Z2 Custom Hybrid, Orbea Occam Mt. Bike

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by black_box
Have you considered getting a cross bike and a second set of wheels/tires for pure pavement? I think a wider tire will give you the cushion to ride over rougher surfaces, but turning and stopping will benefit from some knobs.
I agree with this. I've ridden the C3 over some dirt road and it does fine if sand or gravel doesn't get deep. I could kick the tires up to 30's but I find the 28's to be excellent on pavement. The C3 comes with a bash guard for frame protection and I wouldn't hesitate to ride packed roads or single track. Not my cup of tea though. I'll save those adventures for the mountain bike.
roadweary is offline  
Old 10-12-16, 09:52 PM
  #11  
Boehmer
Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 43
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 25 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by black_box
Have you considered getting a cross bike and a second set of wheels/tires for pure pavement? I think a wider tire will give you the cushion to ride over rougher surfaces, but turning and stopping will benefit from some knobs.
I haven't really, but maybe I should. I really set out to get a road bike as my primary use will be road. The only reason I started considering the whole non-pavement stuff at all is because I went to try an R3 and my LBS had a C3...found it pretty intriguing as a more versatile bike, which I guess a cx bike could provide. I'm pretty uneducated there.
Boehmer is offline  
Old 10-13-16, 07:24 AM
  #12  
Garfield Cat
Senior Member
 
Garfield Cat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Huntington Beach, CA
Posts: 7,079

Bikes: Cervelo Prodigy

Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 475 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 87 Times in 67 Posts
You may want to consider the Open Cycle UP.

https://opencycle.com/dealers
Garfield Cat is offline  
Old 10-13-16, 09:14 AM
  #13  
Seattle Forrest
Senior Member
 
Seattle Forrest's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 23,208
Mentioned: 89 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18883 Post(s)
Liked 10,645 Times in 6,054 Posts
I'd love to see some pictures of the C3 out "in the wild." Don't love the paint job Cervelo went with, but I've only seen it online. Sounds like the ideal frame for me, at least on paper, and I've only ever heard positive things from people who've ridden one. I'm keeping it in the back of my head as an upgrade down the line.
Seattle Forrest is offline  
Old 10-13-16, 10:23 AM
  #14  
Boehmer
Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 43
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 25 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Garfield Cat
You may want to consider the Open Cycle UP.

https://opencycle.com/dealers
That looks pretty interesting...wasn't aware of it before. I'll give it a look. Thanks.
Boehmer is offline  
Old 10-13-16, 10:45 AM
  #15  
WhyFi
Senior Member
 
WhyFi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: TC, MN
Posts: 39,505

Bikes: R3 Disc, Haanjo

Mentioned: 353 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 20791 Post(s)
Liked 9,436 Times in 4,663 Posts
Originally Posted by Garfield Cat
You may want to consider the Open Cycle UP.

https://opencycle.com/dealers
Originally Posted by Boehmer
That looks pretty interesting...wasn't aware of it before. I'll give it a look. Thanks.
The U.P. is such a cool bike and I also like Vroomen's latest with 3T, the Exploro - Exlporo by 3T Cycling - Home page -

WhyFi is offline  
Old 10-13-16, 11:35 AM
  #16  
Maelochs
Senior Member
 
Maelochs's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 15,453

Bikes: 2015 Workswell 066, 2017 Workswell 093, 2014 Dawes Sheila, 1983 Cannondale 500, 1984 Raleigh Olympian, 2007 Cannondale Rize 4, 2017 Fuji Sportif 1 LE

Mentioned: 144 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7628 Post(s)
Liked 3,453 Times in 1,823 Posts
Originally Posted by WhyFi
The U.P. is such a cool bike and I also like Vroomen's latest with 3T, the Exploro - Exlporo by 3T Cycling - Home page -
Thanks to you guysm, I now have to fight N+1 fever again .... I particularly like the U.P. All three seem to be extraordinary bikes. I am glad I cannot afford another bike ... divorce would be expensive and time-consuming.
Maelochs is offline  
Old 10-13-16, 11:56 AM
  #17  
Boehmer
Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 43
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 25 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by roadweary
recently purchased a C3 frame after having a two hour bike fitting.
If you don't mind, what are your dimensions and what frame size did you end up with? I'm 6'3, ~35in inside leg, etc, and my LBS fit me to a 58cm (my sense on many bikes is that I end up sort of between a 58 and 60) given that I'd go with a bit longer, slammed stem, but always good to hear about other's experiences and opinions on fit. Thanks.
Boehmer is offline  
Old 10-13-16, 01:02 PM
  #18  
roadweary
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Southern Utah
Posts: 70

Bikes: Cervelo C3, Felt Z2 Custom Hybrid, Orbea Occam Mt. Bike

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Boehmer
If you don't mind, what are your dimensions and what frame size did you end up with? I'm 6'3, ~35in inside leg, etc, and my LBS fit me to a 58cm (my sense on many bikes is that I end up sort of between a 58 and 60) given that I'd go with a bit longer, slammed stem, but always good to hear about other's experiences and opinions on fit. Thanks.
You're a big guy so I'm not surprised at the 58-60". I'm only 5'9" and fit perfectly on a 54". A pro bike fit would give you some direction on this, including reach, stack, and stem adjustments. Hopefully, your LBS will will be able to tweek some of those to get you absolutely comfortable.
roadweary is offline  
Old 10-13-16, 02:17 PM
  #19  
roadweary
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Southern Utah
Posts: 70

Bikes: Cervelo C3, Felt Z2 Custom Hybrid, Orbea Occam Mt. Bike

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Seattle Forrest
I'd love to see some pictures of the C3 out "in the wild." Don't love the paint job Cervelo went with, but I've only seen it online. Sounds like the ideal frame for me, at least on paper, and I've only ever heard positive things from people who've ridden one. I'm keeping it in the back of my head as an upgrade down the line.
I know what you mean about Cervelo's paint. When my LBS recommended the C3 based on my bike fit, I looked at it on line and wasn't at all impressed. Then he brought in a C5 with full Dura Ace Di2 and beautiful Enve wheels. I was blown away at how beautiful it was. I took a gamble that the C3 would also be better looking and it really is. I've talked to other's who have felt the same way. Maybe Cervelo needs to work on their photography....
roadweary is offline  
Old 10-15-16, 06:47 AM
  #20  
kmet
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 6
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
here's my r3 disc on reynolds 46. upgrade to durance with a stages crank. i rode a 2012 r3 for 4 yrs prior. love this bike

https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycli...l#post19035249
kmet is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
sk1er18
Cyclocross and Gravelbiking (Recreational)
20
04-16-21 04:04 PM
Junkbeast
Cyclocross and Gravelbiking (Recreational)
24
08-18-20 05:04 PM
bjn74
Cyclocross and Gravelbiking (Recreational)
70
08-26-19 07:09 PM
ridethetown
Cyclocross and Gravelbiking (Recreational)
4
05-07-19 06:45 PM
MikeDVB
Road Cycling
27
05-26-14 01:18 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.