Cervelo

[cawright1375]

This is going to be a rather loaded question, in that I know I'll get a range of opinions, but I'd ask that commenters stick to my question.

Again please try to stick to the question..

I'm trying to get information on Cervelo. I test rode one and loved it, but have heard their customer service isn't good and have been told this by a guy who worked in a shop that sold Cervelo and from another guy who owns a shop and who the local rep has tried to get to sell Cervelo.

Any Cervelo owners (past or present) ever have issues with Cervelo themselves?

Thanks

 

[Hairy Wheels]

I worked at a shop that dealt with Cervelo for a few years. The last year we dealt with them we ordered our bikes at the usual time...and got them in September, 5 to 6 months late. They were floored when we sent them back. They tried to fight it, but we were having none of it.

I was riding with a customer once, on her new carbon Cervelo, and as we rolled up to a stop light after an easy one hour ride, her head tube fell off....I mean just fell off! Lucky for her we were pretty much at a stop, but we had just come down a longish descent.

The last quality bike they made was the Prodigy...everything since then has been just about the dollar, not about the bike. I'm not saying you won't get a bike you'll love if you buy one....just beware if there are problems (and you'll have a higher chance of having a problem!).

They're more marketers than engineers these days. That's never good for the consumer.

 

[Hitchey]

A few yrs ago, I was in a position where I needed a new road and tt bike. A good deal was offered to me so I picked up an R3 and P3 carbon tt bike. I was very disappointed with the quality of the paint work, had an issue with some paint cracking at the top of the seat tube, and sent one back for possible warranty replacement/repair.

They sent the bike back to the local shop after taking even larger chunks of paint out of the existing crack. No repair, no replacement, simply "not covered". A few emails with the warranty rep, don't remember his name, but had a Swedish or Norwegian name, and I was left feeling like he was being paid to **** people off.

I promptly sold both cervelos I owned and vowed never to own one again. Just my experiences.

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

I do not have any first hand experience but I have heard bad things about Cervelo's quality from triathlete friends of mine. The funny thing is that these guys all love their bikes and rave about how aero they are and the quality issues seem to be treated as par for the course. Personally I do not think I should have to get a frame exchanged because the QC sucks, and I do not care how willing the company is to remedy a problem that should not have occurred in the first place.

 

[LugHugger]

There is tons of anecdotal evidence of Cervelo's poor QC on the web. The S3 bottom bracket seems to come in for more than its share of criticism.

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

There is tons of anecdotal evidence of Cervelo's poor QC on the web. The S3 bottom bracket seems to come in for more than its share of criticism.

Is that the one that was not compatible with Campy? And there were issues with certain wheels not fitting the frame.

 

[LugHugger]

Is that the one that was not compatible with Campy? And there were issues with certain wheels not fitting the frame.

I'm not aware of Campy compatability issues but can't imagine finding many BBright chainsets that will work with Campy. The S3 has suffered from material failures around the B/B over numerous incarnations.

 

[42x16ss]

To paraphrase Jeremy Clarkson:

Cervelo's are built to be as good as a bike can be - briefly....

The only Cervelo models I've heard of without BB issues are the S1/Soloist team and other Aluminium models.

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

I'm not aware of Campy compatability issues but can't imagine finding many BBright chainsets that will work with Campy. The S3 has suffered from material failures around the B/B over numerous incarnations.

I think the issue was that the huge chainstays could touch the inner chainring bolts but the frame quality varied by so much that some frames would work and others would not.

 

[cawright1375]

I did a Google search for Cervelo BB problems, issues, etc. And so far have not found anything negative. If someone knows of a link or review I'd appreciate you sharing it.

When googling Cervelo Bike Reviews, I found one article that mentioned they are difficult to set up.

It is too bad that the pros are never interviewed regarding what they really think about the bikes they ride. At least I've never seen anything. I would love to read what Dave Z or Christian VDV thinks of Cervelo now having ridden them during their CSC days and as part of Garmin-Cervelo.

Finding a bad review so far has been difficult. Then again I don't have the time to constantly surf the web looking for them. And as with most negative reviews, they have to be taken I think with a grain of salt, because for every 10 negatives there is one positive, which having worked in high end retail isn't an accurate representation of the facts. The problem is that I think this sort of thread could be done for any bike brand and it would generate a lot of responses along those I've gotten so far, which is what I honestly expected to get.

Please feel free to keep posting though as any nugget of information could be useful in my search for info.

 

[Wallace]

It is too bad that the pros are never interviewed regarding what they really think about the bikes they ride. At least I've never seen anything. I would love to read what Dave Z or Christian VDV thinks of Cervelo now having ridden them during their CSC days and as part of Garmin-Cervelo.

Have you ever, ever heard or read of a pro criticizing a bike or gruppo? They never know what bike they'll be riding next year, and if they switch teams they might end up on a brand they used to ride. Pros famously don't care and besides, it's totally unprofessional to criticized the people who paid or are paying you. For the pros it's simple: what ever bike and components they're riding now are absolutely the best they've ever ridden, although of course the bike they had before was also absolutely excellent. They've been very lucky in their career to have had nothing but the finest bicycles in the world. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need a massage.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

To paraphrase Jeremy Clarkson:

Cervelo's are built to be as good as a bike can be - briefly....

The only Cervelo models I've heard of without BB issues are the S1/Soloist team and other Aluminium models.

What does Jeremy Clarkson has to do with bikes ?

And you might want to give Ridley a try... their official dealers give really good service... I have a friend with a S1 and he really likes it

 

[LugHugger]

I did a Google search for Cervelo BB problems, issues, etc. And so far have not found anything negative. If someone knows of a link or review I'd appreciate you sharing it.

When googling Cervelo Bike Reviews, I found one article that mentioned they are difficult to set up.

It is too bad that the pros are never interviewed regarding what they really think about the bikes they ride. At least I've never seen anything. I would love to read what Dave Z or Christian VDV thinks of Cervelo now having ridden them during their CSC days and as part of Garmin-Cervelo.

Finding a bad review so far has been difficult. Then again I don't have the time to constantly surf the web looking for them. And as with most negative reviews, they have to be taken I think with a grain of salt, because for every 10 negatives there is one positive, which having worked in high end retail isn't an accurate representation of the facts. The problem is that I think this sort of thread could be done for any bike brand and it would generate a lot of responses along those I've gotten so far, which is what I honestly expected to get.

Please feel free to keep posting though as any nugget of information could be useful in my search for info.

Goggle search 'Cervelo frame failures' and the second item is this.

 

[cawright1375]

LugHugger - thanks for the search term. I've tried many an iteration on cervelo negative reviews, etc, all to no avail. In fact even the link you sent me isn't that bad, sure the bottom bracket had issues, but Cervelo took care of it, which is more than I can say for a friend who has issues with his Trek BB.

Still, thanks again.

 

[42x16ss]

Have you ever, ever heard or read of a pro criticizing a bike or gruppo?

Yes, just not when there's any cycling media around .

eg: This summer a classics specialist was heard talking about his team bike after riding a popular training ride that I frequent. He said that he loved it, except that it was too brittle - to the point that the bigger guys on the squad were getting hairline cracks in the frame after big miles on the cobbles

 

[LugHugger]

LugHugger - thanks for the search term. I've tried many an iteration on cervelo negative reviews, etc, all to no avail. In fact even the link you sent me isn't that bad, sure the bottom bracket had issues, but Cervelo took care of it, which is more than I can say for a friend who has issues with his Trek BB.

Still, thanks again.

You clearly didn't browse the rest of the Cervelo forum then....If you're prepared to run the risk of spending your time getting to know the Cervelo warranty dept then be our guest. Don't say that you were not warned.

Caveat - I know 3 people who have bought S1's this year since Cervelo decided in their wisdom to discontinue the frameset. I have heard nothing but praise for this bike first hand. Indeed, one of the guys sold his S2 4 months after building up his S1.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

Yes, just not when there's any cycling media around .

eg: This summer a classics specialist was heard talking about his team bike after riding a popular training ride that I frequent. He said that he loved it, except that it was too brittle - to the point that the bigger guys on the squad were getting hairline cracks in the frame after big miles on the cobbles

Leukemans was hating on the Batavus as well last year. He said they were way to flexy..

 

[nightfend]

I have a P3 TT bike. It rides great, and everything seems to be fine on it so far and it is almost a year old. But, again, it's a time trial bike, so it is not exactly abused.

My P3 uses the older external threaded bottom bracket, not the newer press-fit. Maybe this has helped the durability. I also have the older 3T road fork, and not the newer for 2011 Cervelo branded front fork.

I use HED wheels with my P3 and have no issues with chainstay clearance, which was something I was worried about originally when I bought it. Also, my SRAM Red cranks fit fine and do not come close to touching the chainstays as someone else mentioned.

 

[oldborn]

Only issue so far with mine 2010 S1 is really, really poor paint job, and bad solution for under BB cable routing (which is quite easy to fix) . If you ask me Cervelo as any bike has flaws. I am not having any Cervelo dealer in country and i assemble S1 by myself, so warranty
Lot of stories on Cervelo Forum. And lot of broken carbon frames on ebay

 

[Captain Serious]

Caveat - I know 3 people who have bought S1's this year since Cervelo decided in their wisdom to discontinue the frameset. I have heard nothing but praise for this bike first hand. Indeed, one of the guys sold his S2 4 months after building up his S1.

Is this true? Crikey! I might have to buy another one. Total Cycling sell the framesets for about a grand

 

[LugHugger]

Is this true? Crikey! I might have to buy another one. Total Cycling sell the framesets for about a grand

I know! Difficult to believe isn't it? But yes, it's true. Check the Cervelo forum or RBR. I believe that the frame is discontinued already in N America and that European dealers are selling existing stock with no replenishment. If you find one in your size, and you like them, get one now before it's too late! The best UK price I could find is currently £833.33

Cervelo have really shot themselves in the foot with this one. Talk about cutting your nose off to spite your face. The S1 was a perfect entry to the brand. Not to mention a reliable crit racer. There will always be a market for good alloy frames - witness CAAD's enduring success.

 

[avanti]

................The only Cervelo models I've heard of without BB issues are the S1/Soloist team and other Aluminium models.

I bought one of these about four years ago and love it. Mine was made in Taiwan and is made from 6061-T6 - a great material for welded frames (toufgh and crack resistant). During the Amgen Tour of California a few years ago I noticed the CSC team used Soloists as spares.

I love the black anodized finish - still no chips or damage after four years.

However Cervelo has stopped making aluminum frames.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

Cervelo's best bike they ever offered; the Prodigy.

 

[mewmewmew13]

Cervelo's best bike they ever offered; the Prodigy.

That is sweet. What year was this model?

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

That is sweet. What year was this model?

03-04ish. Pretty sure it was the last steel frame that was raced in the Intl Pro ranks. I remember Bartoli rode one in the Spring during his retirement year with CSC.