keenancook

For the last few years my cycling experience has all been fairly long distance touring. I've got a Cannondale T1, mostly Ultegra set-up (all stock). I'm looking at getting into road cycling, and would like something much lighter and all around better handling, and there's a great deal on a Cervelo Soloist Team (2007 I believe) near me, all Ultegra and DuraAce rear derailleur. I'm hoping to still do some shorter rides, 30 - 80 km, as well as hopefully some longer rides, maybe 120 - 150 km. I haven't done any racing, but it is something that I might be interested in, in the future... From what I've read that Cervelo frame might be a bit rough of a ride. I am used to the aluminum on my Cannondale - does anybody have any experience with the Cervelo? Do you think it would be uncomfortable for longer rides? Is it worth going for something like that, or should I be looking at something more like a Roubaix?

Inertianinja

i had one briefly. It was stiff, yes.... I didn't have a chance to ride it more than about 24 mi at a time. i really liked it.
BUT.
the real reason i'm posting is that if you're looking at the aluminum ones, you have to be very careful about the seat tube cracking.
those bikes are notorious for cracking just under the seatpost collar if you put a bit too much torque on the bolt. they actually came with a little bronze shim that you'd put in there. mine developed cracks even with the shim. you can google about Soloist Team seat post cracks - you'll see.

my guess is that it was a design flaw - the seat post was just a hair too narrow for the seat tube, so they tried to fix it with the shim.
just be careful.
the bright side is that Cervelo has a great warranty, and i got a brand new 2011 S2 out of it.

I <3 Robots

If its a good deal and the bike fits you...I say get it. The whole "get carbon" thing is more forum talk than anything else.

Inertianinja

the frame material has nothing to do with fit.

FWIW, the S2 is a better ride than the Soloist was.
The soloist, to me, was all stiffness.
The S2 is more tuned. stiff where it needs to be, but not harsh. also much lighter.
so yes, get carbon if you can.

jsutkeepspining

i had a 2010 s1 that i raced/crashed/beat the **** out of (most likely over torqued everything at least once), and never had an issue.

Inertianinja

and?

I <3 Robots

Did I somehow imply that?

caloso

I own a Soloist and I think it's an outstanding race bike. It is light, stiff, and very quick handling. I feel like I'm a little beat up on rides longer than 75 miles, but that's probably a bigger function of the craptastic country roads around here than the bike itself.

I have a little experience with the Roubaix, having rented one for a week while in Maui. For a comparable top tube, the Roubaix has a longer head tube and longer wheelbase. I bet you could also get bigger tires in it too. So it's a much plusher ride than a Soloist. And it's not like you couldn't race it, but for long rides on bad pavement, I'd definitely pick the Roubaix.

Seattle Forrest

I've got a 2005 Soloist. It's a great bike. It isn't the most comfortable and plush ride you can get, but it's not as bad as people make it out to be ... I'd rather be on the Soloist than the bike it replaced any day of the week.

I got mine used. The previous owner had had the frame replaced (under warranty) because of the seat-tube cracking issue Inertianinja mentioned; mine has the brass shim.

keenancook

Thanks a lot! Good stuff to mull over - the guy who has it lives about 4 hours away from here, on an island, so it's a bit of a journey to go check it out so thought I'd get some feedback before venturing that far. I'll make sure to check the seat tube for any kind of cracking, and see about the brass insert. Hopefully there are some snowless roads so I can go for a bit of a test run and see how it feels - I'm sure I'll be doing my share of riding on craptastic country roads around here as well, so that's something I'll keep under consideration... But I think from the sounds of it, it's worth going to check out. Hopefully it's love at first sight, and a perfect fit too...

simonaway427

I'm near Fredericton (Oromocto). I have a 2010 S1 - love the bike. Not much to compare it to other than my cross bike. Is the S1 stiffer? Yes. Can I ride it 70-80kms comfortably? Absolutely.

What size is the frame you're looking at? How tall are you?

keenancook

Oromocto! Nice. I'm about 5'10 and a half - 5'11"... looking at a 56 cm frame. Think that would work? There's a 54 cm Specialized that I looked at, but was just too small and couldn't convince myself it fit. Hopefully the 56 will work?

caloso

Try the 56. The 54 feels smaller on a Cervelo than it does on other 54s.

Seattle Forrest

^ Agree. I "sized up" my Soloist frame, and it's a perfect fit.

fly:yes/land:no

weird... i am the opposite. i got a 58cm soloist team because i rode 58cm everything else (~6'2"). after fighting it for a year or so, i came to the sad conclusion that it was just too big for me, mostly due to the headtube. now the frame sits unused in my garage. a 56cm would have been perfect for me, though.

Seattle Forrest

Hear that, OP? One of our members has a 58 cm frame for you to test ride.

I'm 6'1" and ride a 61 cm Soloist, but a 58 cm in all the other bikes I've had as an adult. I test rode an S2 in 58 several times, and in 61, and preferred the larger frame ... then I found a used Soloist in 61, and jumped on it.

keenancook

Haha, I'd give a 58 a chance, especially if it's rescuing it from somebody's garage... I'm pretty altruistic like that...

simonaway427

I'm 6'0 and ride a 56. fits me like a glove.