gohmdoree

I've ridden my 2011 Cervelo RS Rival for a couple of months so far. I like the bike. Haven't tried much of anything else. Beginning to get in to triathlons. Would eventually like to invest in a TT bike, but most suggest I don't right away.

I went on a longer ride yesterday, and wished I was riding a little lower in the front. My friend said that his R3 came with a reverse stem that lowered him. Not sure about mine.

I have a friend looking to purchase a road bike, and the shop I got mine from suggested the same bike, and size. I figured I could drop the bike and upgrade to something better. Have my eyes on a R3, but that is just because my friend has one.

Would you recommend against it, wait and ride more? Or, go for the investment?

Elvo

Flip the stem. If you actually start getting close to being a FOPer in tri's, maybe a TT bike would help. Until then, ride more.

gohmdoree

Thanks **********. I think I will try that and just ride the crap out of the bike. Got a pretty good deal from the LBS, though I suspect they slipped me a floor model. Regardless, working on the engine in me, but am getting addicted to riding.

valygrl

At this time of year, all 2011 bikes are "a floor model."

Have you flipped the stem down and removed all the spacers? Purchased a stem with a steeper angle and flipped it down? Do that before considering a different frame.

Unless, of course, you just want an R3 instead of an RS, in which case, if your budget says "yes" go for it. But it sounds like an expensive piece of vanity, so examine your motives carefully and make sure you'll feel good about the decision.

roadiejorge 

There's a lot you can do to get in a more aggressive position, you don't have to sell your bike. The previous posts are some good ways of doing that, try those before you start considering selling a bike you just bought.

ColinL

Pics of your bike, ideally with you on it, would be helpful.

The RS comes with an inexpensive FSA stem (OS-190 6 deg). You can get another one for $23 from Universal Cycles except with 17 degrees and you might consider 10mm longer to keep the reach about the same as you have now.

Since you're potentially willing to spring for a new bike I would consider doing some upgrades such as a lighter, stiffer alloy stem and carbon handlebars. You would look more like your friend's bike if you installed a 3T Arx stem and Ergonova team bars. If you can do the work yourself this is under $400. Next big upgrade for your bike would be wheels. There are many, many threads here about good wheels based on your weight and budget.

Omega359

I have the exact same bike, over 4000 km on it this summer. I flipped the stem even before I took it home, and I'll be removing the rest of the spacers in the near future as my belly gets out of the way.

Keep the bike and upgrade parts. Wheels first - those shamino's are heavy though fairly strong.

Seattle Forrest

I had an RS for a year, and upgraded my frameset to an R3, which I got a few weeks ago. There are advantages to both frames. But, for your purpose, the RS is probably the right one to go ... more so because you already own one.

If you're wanting to do tri/TT stuff, and considering a bike specific to this, the climbing and descending chops in the R3 won't help you. One frame (RS/R3) isn't much more aero than the other. Both are good sprinters. You'd get more benefit from a set of aerodynamic wheels than a change in frame. Specifically, the 2011 RS and R3 put the bars within 1 cm of each other with the same stem and spacers, so you won't get a much more aggressive position for your money.

Your friend would have no warranty if you did that. So you'd have to make the price attractive enough to make up for that. And I don't think you'd benefit enough from the R3 for that to make sense.

gohmdoree

Thanks for the suggestions.

Getting the frame with the similar Groupo would have been about $400 more of what I paid.

I figured with my friend looking I could drop the bike and get something "racier."

I'm going to flip my stem, and maybe switch it out for something else for the time being.

gohmdoree

Thank you all. Thought I was limited, but looks like I can get the result without changing out the bike.

Seattle Forrest

The R3 is racier if you want to go up hills. ( Or, maybe, if you want to go down them; the steering is a little bit faster, but not much and they're both very good at handling sharp turns. ) Remember, Cervelo pays cyclists to compete in the Paris-Roubaix on the RS ( and the R3 ).



Compare the geometry: the R3 and RS are almost identical in the way that matters most to you. Full disclosure: I like my R3 a lot, even if I loved my RS, but I also ride in the mountains very often.

If it only cost $400 to upgrade the frame, think about whether that money would do you more good going into the wheels, or into other components. If you flip your stem, though, the next upgrade that will do you the most good is probably aero wheels.