That’s the bike I want! The 2010 Cervélo S1 Ultera aero road bike.
A few days ago I paid a visit to my friends at Duke’s Cycle to drop my Specialized Stumpjumper mountain bike off for a tune up, as it’s been long overdue for maintenance and I didn’t quite trust my quickie tune up job. I’ve been riding this bike hard and love pushing a heavy gear. Actually, I’m always on the highest gear possible, and I’m usually left wanting to go faster but without a gear to shift to. Although this may be a mountain bike, I’ve made several adjustments to emulate the qualities of a road bike. Things like raising and moving the seat back, lowering and flipping the handle bar, and swapping in Armadillo slicks in place of the knobbies that came with the bike. It’s not the lightest of frames and has a front suspension fork, but I can easily manage speeds anywhere between 28 – 35km/h on it. It’s been at the back of my mind for a while and I’m thinking the next step would be to actually get a road bike and start wearing cycling shoes.
As I looked around the store, this Cervélo S1 road bike caught my eye. It’s a very streamline, sleek, light weight, full aero road bike. Absolutely stunning! Although a bit pricey, it’s actually a great price, and not to mention, value for a Cervélo. Instead of dishing out 3.5 grand or more for Cervélo’s higher end models (maybe I’d consider those if cost were no object, or if I was a serious competitor, but i’m not….yet?), this one retails for $2500, possibly $2000 if you get the 2009 model. The fact that the frame is constructed with aluminum as opposed to carbon, also helps brings the price down by at least $1000. As mentioned on the website:
Nowadays people are sometimes so blinded by “carbon” that they prefer a mediocre carbon frame over the best aluminum frame that is lighter, stronger, stiffer, more responsive and even more comfortable.
I knew I wanted to test ride this bike. To tempt me even more, I was told there was one left in my size that was yet to be built, so when I went to pick up my bike yesterday, I had the joy of taking the Cervélo S1 out for a test ride around the city. It was a slightly different feel from that of a mountain bike and would probably take some getting used to. The main difference I felt was in the lightness and braking. This bike was at least half the weight of my mountain bike and of course very aerodynamic! I started off slowish, just riding it in and around a few small side streets to get used to the feel of the bike, shifting gears, braking, and such. Afterwards, I was zipping down Richmond Street, flying by the shops on Queen Street, and riding alongside the heavy rush hour traffic on Bathurst Street. Before I knew it, it was time to take it back to the shop. Unfortunately, I did not get to put it through a true speed test, as city riding is a little less conducive to that with all the stop lights, people and obstacles. I guess that test will have to wait ’til next time. Nevertheless, this bike is very responsive, cuts through the wind like nobody’s business and is one sweet and fast ride! Now I just really want one!
Afterwards, I had a good, quick 11km ride back home on my newly tuned up Stumpjumer, which I still love very much. They did a great job on the tune up. Got my brakes changed and gears oiled. Everything was tightened up, working much more efficiently and I could’ve sworn I was going faster as I had shaved at least 5 minutes off my commute home. It was great!