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The 2011 Cervelo R3 & R5 have improved bottom bracket

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The 2011 Cervelo R3 & R5 have improved bottom bracket

Old 09-26-10, 07:33 PM
  #1  
v70cat
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The 2011 Cervelo R3 & R5 have improved bottom bracket

So is it truly better?

https://www.cervelo.com/en_us/bikes/2011-model-year/
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Old 09-26-10, 07:39 PM
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kwakster928
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who knows. Anything to sell a bike. I doubt an average ride will notice any difference. Plus propriety BB design will make swapping parts a bit difficult. (although the latest news tells me that many manufacturers signed up for the BBright cranks.)
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Old 09-26-10, 07:40 PM
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Originally Posted by kwakster928
Anything to sell a bike.
Correct.

Of course it's better. Time to trade up you idiots.

Report back to Pcad with pics asap.
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Old 09-26-10, 07:59 PM
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BBright = GGimmick

Growing very tired of the "you have to use our tool or hire an LBS monkey to work on your own bike" bottom brackets. Zero benefit. Big unnecessary expense. And, at least for BB30, a serious loss in crankset reliability. Somebody, MAKE IT STOPPP!!!
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Old 09-26-10, 08:07 PM
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It is amazing to see how many people will forgo massive discounts offered by Cervelo on current frame for the "magically" better "BBright" version.
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Old 09-26-10, 08:09 PM
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All I know is that i love my R3 SL and plan to keep it for 10 years (9 to go) before replacing it. I also hope that it will have 30,000 miles on it when its 10 years old.
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Old 09-26-10, 08:15 PM
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Originally Posted by v70cat
All I know is that i love my R3 SL and plan to keep it for 10 years (9 to go) before replacing it. I also hope that it will have 30,000 miles on it when its 10 years old.
Same here. When I bought my R3, I made a promise to myself. No more new bikes unless this bike breaks in half. For a above average rider like myself, my current bike more than exceeds my abilities. It just amazes me how much stuff is so hyped beyond belief (Thank you marketing).
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Old 09-26-10, 08:28 PM
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Im keeping my 2010 S2, plenty good stiffness and comfort, so now that I have my dream bike, less interest in whats new zzzz
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Old 09-26-10, 09:13 PM
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We'll see how the new Garmin Cervelo team likes it.
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Old 09-26-10, 09:16 PM
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The new taller head tubes don't work for me. Glad I got my 2010.
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Old 09-26-10, 10:10 PM
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Cervelo is known for innovative engineering. BBright. I'm not crazy about it. You need to get an adapter to run any other manufacturer's equipment and if you have a warranty problem you're at Cervelo's mercy on backlogged parts. I'm still waiting for them to update their website with pics and specs on the 2011s rather than that 12-minute video they have up there now. I like their philosophy and like their bikes.

Let's see what happens.
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Old 09-26-10, 11:54 PM
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Does anyone know if the geometry is changing on the R3? I was under the impression that other than the RS, all the '10 Cervelos had the same geometry.

If I recall correctly I thought I saw an interbike review that stated the '11 R3 had a slightly more relaxed geometry than the rest since it's assuming the bottom of the lineup behind the R5. If that's the case, I might have to pick up the '10 R3....
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Old 09-27-10, 12:16 AM
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they need to keep their engineers busy. if they keep making the same thing they'll have to lower their prices because volume goes up
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Old 09-27-10, 02:15 AM
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it's great that someone is taking a lead, but like all most tech driven hobby: early adopter pays the premium to get the cool stuff.

only time could tell, there was people saying the same thing when STI was first introduced...oh it's too heavy, too complex and i can't field repair this and that...blah blah blah
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Old 09-27-10, 05:25 AM
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Originally Posted by Garfield Cat
We'll see how the new Garmin Cervelo team likes it.
Do you really need to wait? I don't think so. I think it's going to go like this . . .

"We love the new bike. The BBright really gives us a combination of stiffness and vertical compliance we've never felt in any other bike. We put (fill in the number) more watts to the pavement using this innovation. It made the difference in allowing Thor to win (fill in the race) this year. The frame is rock-solid stable, yet turns instantly within its own length. All bikes before this one were trash. If you don't buy it, you're not a real cyclist."

I think that covers it.
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Old 09-27-10, 06:45 AM
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/\/\ Lol!


Damn happy with my '07 Soloist Team.
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Old 09-27-10, 07:47 AM
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Originally Posted by kwakster928
It is amazing to see how many people will forgo massive discounts offered by Cervelo on current frame for the "magically" better "BBright" version.

Good luck getting a "massive discount" on a Cervelo. I got a modest discount on both of mine in a similiar situation.
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Old 09-27-10, 07:51 AM
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I'm sure the new bikes will be really great, but the green and baby blue colour schemes are extremely unappealing. I guess now you have to buy the $10,000 frameset to get a bike that looks good.
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Old 09-27-10, 07:52 AM
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Its interesting that Cervelo didn't adopt BB30, and instead decided to make a few small modifications and call it something else. I'm waiting to see some comparison tests, but I can't help but think that Cervelo avoided BB30 because they would look late to the party.
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Old 09-27-10, 08:39 AM
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Originally Posted by asv
Its interesting that Cervelo didn't adopt BB30, and instead decided to make a few small modifications and call it something else. I'm waiting to see some comparison tests, but I can't help but think that Cervelo avoided BB30 because they would look late to the party.
Plus, I don't know about other areas, but in this area, BB30 has gained a fairly negative reputation. Reliability of the cranks/BBs has proven to be a problem among cyclists who ride a couple of thousand miles per year or more.
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Old 09-27-10, 09:58 AM
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Originally Posted by asv
Its interesting that Cervelo didn't adopt BB30, and instead decided to make a few small modifications and call it something else. I'm waiting to see some comparison tests, but I can't help but think that Cervelo avoided BB30 because they would look late to the party.
Competitive Cyclist web site has a good piece on the R5ca. I don't think they're "late to the party", when you consider the bike as a whole. Here's some of what that article says:

Design and production details, that's like getting obsessed over engine internals, only the obsessive dig on it. Regardless of who you are, you should pay attention to the results of this work. For example, the seat and down tubes look off-center and the water bottle bolts look like they're mis-aligned. They're not. What you're seeing is a result of Cervélo optimizing the seat and down tubes to better resist bending forces. Likewise, the left side of the bottom bracket shell and the start of the left chain stay look larger and thicker than the right. It is. Since the right side of the bottom bracket and the right chainstay is limited by the drivetrain, Cervélo explored making the frame stiffer by making the left side of the frame larger. It worked. They also found that by placing very thin walls inside the frame tubes by the bottom bracket shell, walls called bulkheads, they could further stiffen the bottom bracket without adding weight. These design improvements wouldn't be possible without even more design work, particularly the new bottom bracket they've debuted with the R5ca, BBright. Basically, it's very similar to the Pressfit 30 standard and uses the Pressfit 30 oversize bearings on either side of the bottom bracket shell, but they found that if they extended the shell on the left by 11mm and changed the dimensions of the left crankarm a bit, the result is a stiffer, stronger, smoother-running bottom bracket with no increase in q-factor. They've also gotten their team component suppliers, SRAM and Rotor, behind this, as well as FSA and Zipp, all with dedicated cranks. Campagnolo supports it with an adapter for their Ultra-Torque cranks and the system also works with Shimano.

Rather than having to worry about finding cranks to meet this new standard, Cervélo supplies a set of BBright Rotor 3D 30 cranks and BBright bottom bracket with the R5ca frame and fork. They're very similar to the standard 3D cranks. The Trinity drilling is done from the spindle end of the crankarms and removes material to save weight, yet the design leaves the cranks plenty stiff. The 30mm hollow alloy spindle is permanently affixed to the left crankarm. The right crankarm has a splined interface and is affixed and removed by a self-extracting 8mm bolt. Sitting between the left arm and the BBright shell is a locking adjustment ring, very similar to what you find on Shimano XTR cranks, which you use to adjust the bearing preload once the cranks are properly torqued into place. Overall, the Rotor 3D 30 system saves you 30g over the "standard" 3D road crankset and bottom bracket. The crank is supplied with 53/39 round Rotor rings. However, if your preference is for 50/34 and/or Rotor's elliptical Q-rings, we're happy to make that change at no cost.
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Old 09-27-10, 10:06 AM
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Originally Posted by alpha_bravo
Does anyone know if the geometry is changing on the R3? I was under the impression that other than the RS, all the '10 Cervelos had the same geometry.

If I recall correctly I thought I saw an interbike review that stated the '11 R3 had a slightly more relaxed geometry than the rest since it's assuming the bottom of the lineup behind the R5. If that's the case, I might have to pick up the '10 R3....
Both the R3 and R5 have relaxed geometry. At least in the 58, they added 2cm to the head tube (18 to 20, IIRC). A bummer because I was otherwise planning on getting an '11 R3. The 2010 geometry was perfect for me.

I'd buy a 2010 but I'm not going to be in the market until Spring. Just bought a cross bike and I still need a set of road race wheels.
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Old 09-27-10, 11:24 AM
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Originally Posted by kwakster928
It is amazing to see how many people will forgo massive discounts offered by Cervelo on current frame for the "magically" better "BBright" version.
'11 frame is only $300 more than the discounted '10 frame.
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Old 09-27-10, 11:41 AM
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Does anyone remember BetaMax?
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Old 09-27-10, 11:52 AM
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Originally Posted by FlashBazbo
Does anyone remember BetaMax?
Yep. A superior technology.
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