For the second year of it's existence, the Cervelo R3 was the frame of choice for the winner of the most grueling one day race in the world, Paris-Roubaix.
Cervelo sponsors Team CSC and we have all seen the success of the Soloist carbon, a frame designed to cheat the wind like a time trial machine, yet still offer stiffness and light weight.
The R3 is a different animal. Built with a hybrid construction, monocoque design with additional layers of carbon added (or lay-up) to particular areas of the bike for added strength and stiffness. The R3 weighs in at 880 grams for a 56cm model, yet in all recent tests for torsional stiffness with other sub-900g frames, the R3 was number one. The super light weight allows Stuey and the boys to ride on heavier high-spoke wheels and still keep their steeds just above the UCI weight limit.
The downtube and chainstays of the R3 are "Squoval" by design or box shaped. The top tube is multishaped oval, but the most unique design feature of the R3 are the pencil-thin seatstays. Cervelo engineers realize the seatstays do not bear much of the load of the rider, and with the square chainstays the seat stays on the R3 bear even less. Instead they offer vertical flex, perhaps soaking up the pave brutal unlike any other frames.
The R3's ridden by CSC come equipped with Shimano Dura Ace drivetrains, FSA cockpit and crankset and Zipp wheels (although O'Grady was on a tradition box rim design as was Cancellara last year). Cervelo co-founders Phil White and Gérard Vroomen (what a cool name for a bike builder) continue to enjoy enormous success thanks to Bjarne and the boys. Give the R3 a look if your in the market for a new frame.
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