Cervélo R5Ca Review - BikeRadar

I often get the feeling that the apparent 'ride quality' has more to do with the expectations created by the high price tag than any objective standards. Like expensive wine. It tastes good because if it didn't, you'd have been ripped off (blind wine tests prove this even on 'experts').

For this money - provided, that is, you're willing to forgo the marketing spiel that comes with Cervelo - you can build a bike that weighs less than 5kg and equally as stiff.

Dura Ace wheels on a £10k + bike are an embarrassment! What happened to Lightweights? Where are the Clavicula carbon cranks? The all-carbon rear derailleur? The Chris King headset? Nokon cables? Gold anodised rear cassette? One piece hand painted Cinelli bar/stem? Oh, and AX-Lightness or Zero Gravity carbon breaks? No?

Another mug's product for those that think they can buy the best off the shelf. Like a Hugo Boss suit. Yuck.

Even as a guy who rides a Cervelo, this price tag is out there considering the spec.

Dura Ace wheels aren't that embarrassing, they didn't seem to hold Cav back any in the Tour. Your list of expensive parts you think should be specced can be subject to exactly the same criticisms you level at the Cervelo frame.

Stradisa, totally agree with the first part of your comment, but agree with not_finbar on the rest.

An ultra-expensive branded product has 'perceived' quality and benefits that a non-branded, but identically-engineered, peer wouldn't have.

not_finbar - well said that man ! excellent ...

stradisa - i have tasted £40 wine that tasted awful

Either Dura Ace wheels are embarrassing, or you agree that a £7,500 frameset warrants a pair of wheels barely a quarter of its price.

As for Cav - it's worth remembering that pros have a minimum bike weight limit. And despite the stickers on their bikes, they often ride with components that are completely different (the 'Shimano', 'Hed' or 'Zipp' sticker over their favourite pair of Lightweights being commonplace).

And not_finbar, the reason I listed all those exotic components was to show just how ridiculous a decision it would be to buy an off the shelf bike for this price and not even have the freedom to choose your own components.

Like holidays, 'package' deals sacrifice choice for value. This bike delivers neither. It's expensive and the customer gets little choice in components. What is more, I can guarantee that for at least £1,000 less I could build a bike that weighs less - because once you get into this kind of price range an unhealthy obsession with shaving off every gramme can be the only justification.

Unless of course you really think the £7,500 frame represents the same level of value as the components on this bike? I doubted it...

Why have they made an £11,500 bike 'amateur friendly'? Surely only experienced riders are going to be able to see the advantage in such an expensive bike...

CANNONDALE SUPER SIX EVO ANYONE!?!?!? GFAWH GFAWH... what a waste of money this cervelo is... and for nigh on less than half this price you can get a frameset that's a whole snot ball lighter with all the trimmings of a full bike attached!!!???

I.e:

www.bikeradar.com/news/article/cannondale-supersix-evo-2012-introducing-the-695g-frame-30125/

www.westbrookcycles.co.uk/bikes-c5/road-bikes-c18/cannondale-super-six-evo-sram-red-compact-road-bike-2012-p115122

@ chris mcg: this bike is like a rolex watch. Those are not bough by people who need to know the time more accurately either..

I love super expensive bikes. Firstly, If lots of people buy them, it allows the companies to trickle down technology and compete better in lower price segments. And secondly, I secretly love passing people on bikes like this, saying 'nice bike, man' and then making them watch my 1/10th of their price bike disappear in the distance. It's pathetic, I know, but that sort of thing can make my day.

Go buy this bike everyone!

11k? Are you on drugs?

Sod Lightweight wheels, for 11.5K I'd expect it to come equipped with a Gruber Assist to get the potential buyers' rich fat arses up hills, gravity being the one thing in this world that money can't influence. And not just a standard one either, for that kind of money it would have to be powered by a "Mr Fusion" like in Back to the Future, so you could chuck banana peels and used beer cans down the seat tube, and it would allow you to freewheel up the Angliru. Or, until technology catchs up with that vision, Cervelo could abandon racing bicycles, and make bicycle richshaws, so the super rich can get all the thrill of cycling without even getting helmet-hair.

Is this bike bringing back external cable routing into vogue?!

For that money I could buy a Giant TCR Advanced SL AND a top notch trail bike. And a present for the wife to keep her busy while I ride :)

I think some people may be missing the point of what Cervelo are doing here, this is not a bike that will be in most peoples local bike shop, more a project to showcase what their engineers are capable of building, and in the future the technology will hopefully trickle down into full production models. The insanely high cost is presumably just to re-coup some of the r&d expenditure.

As for what the reviewed bike is fitted out with, it's largely irrelevant as it's only available to buy as a frame and fork package, as seen in this review is presumably what the distributor had in the warehouse to send out to future publishing.

Seeing as this bike is largely only going to be purchased by the likes of premiership footballers or bankers then if you do see one out on the road then it probably will be equipped with the top end of everything. Somehow i doubt many will ever see one being ridden though.

In the car industry it called a concept car its not new and they don't try and sell them to the public. Make a couple and show them off at the bike shows.