One thing that is interesting about the current cycling marketplace is that there are some real opportunities showing up to be able to buy products that used to only be available at much higher price points for a lot less – there are some great values.   You can get the Ferrari for the price of the Corvette or the Corvette for the price of the Camaro.   Here are a few examples in both the road and the triathlon category:

Road

Felt Z5 & Z6: It was not that long ago where “entry level” carbon fiber bikes were running over $2500.   Today, you can get a Felt Z6 for $1699.   Also, for $2299 you can get a Felt Z5 with the next level up carbon fiber and a full Shimano 105 group (Shimano’s first group offering their full range of features and designed to be ridden regularly).  The bottom line is that the amount of bike that you get for your money has never been better.

Cervelo S5 Rival - It used to take years for technology to trickle down through the price points, now you can get very similar technology to the very top of the line for a lot less.  The Cervelo S5 Rival uses the same frame as the Team, but with a little heavier fork.   While not a cheap bike, considering it offers Pro Tour technology at $3800, it is a bargain.

Seven Axiom S – Titanium is a great material to build bikes, it lasts forever, doesn’t corrode, doesn’t require paint, can be rider tuned, is light…   There isn’t much that it doesn’t do well when in the hands of a good frame builder.   For around $5000 (frame $2800) you can get a well equipped Seven Axiom S and have a bike you can keep forever.   Over 15 years, a Seven Axiom S is under $350 a year, less than half of what most people pay for cable TV and a whole lot healthier.

Di2 Ultegra – Last year, to get Di2 electronic shifting, you had to spend around $10,000, now bikes like Felt’s Z3 at $4999 do so at half that.   Another option is Cervelo’s S5 Di2 Ultegra which, at $6000, offers a Pro Tour level frameset and Di2.

Triathlon/TT

Parlee Stock TT: The Parlee Stock TT is unquestionably one of the very nicest riding and best fitting production tri/TT frames on the market.  Parlee is a specialty builder and their experience in carbon manufacturing is evident throughout the fabrication and design of the Stock TT.    A Parlee Stock TT frameset is regularly $3700 and the complete bikes normally start around $5000, but we’ve made a special buy and have a limited supply of Force and Ultegra equipped Stock TT models available for well under $4000 -  $3899 on either, to be exact.   This means for just $199 more than what the frameset normally costs, you get a complete bike, and a complete bike with a great level of componentry.   That is some big savings.

Guru CR.501: Full custom frame geometry that guarantees it fits you ideally and gives you the widest possible adjustment range, your choice of colors and finish, rider matched handling characteristics that eliminate compromises in stability, discipline specific (TT or Tri) geometry, made in North America…    The CR.501 might be Guru’s first level of frame, but it is far from entry-level and it should not be compared to the entry level models form mass produced manufacturers for this reason.  So, while you can get Spec

ialized Transition for less, that is like saying a Specialized Transition is equal to a Cervelo P3 and it simply is not.   The Guru CR.501 is much more comparable to the higher end offerings from most companies when it comes to material quality and fabrication approach.    So, you don’t need to pay more to get all those features listed above that do not come on production bikes.   We took the component group off a Cervelo and put it on a CR.501 and the price came out within $100 of the P3 at $3700.   Unlike mass produced bikes, we can all but guarantee that the CR.501 comes in a size that fits you as the $3700 includes full custom geometry and there are some great looking finish options that give it some personal flare as well.

If you have been fit at Fit Werx we have your fit information and can help you find the right matches for your riding position and budget, just contact us with questions!

Going into Stage 8, Thor Hushovd finds himself leading the overall General Category standings of the 2011 Tour de France.   While Thor is a strong rider in his own right, it is hard to think that his new Cervelo S5 has not played a notable supporting role in how yellow found its way onto his shoulders this year (and an even bigger role in helping him keep it for so long).  The early stages of the Tour reward energy conservation and powerful sprinting on some long and fast days.  The new Cervelo S5 is not only likely the most aero road bike one can buy, but it is no slouch in the stiffness/responsiveness category; it is a very potent race platform.

Let’s briefly explore some of the main improvements built into the S5:

Fit/Geometry: This one is not getting a ton of press yet, but it should as it is one of the improvements that actually makes the S5 a viable option for more riders.   The previous generation Cervelo S3 was arguably the best production aero road frame on the market when it came to ride quality and performance, but the reality is that the geometry did not work well for a number of riders.   The new S5 uses the same geometry improvements we saw in the ’11 R3 (less reach and more stack on most sizes) and the reality is that it will fit a wider range of riders well.  The new geometry opens the Cervelo S5 up to a whole new group of riders while eliminating few to none that fit well on a S series Cervelo in the past.   As a bonus, the new seatpost design includes the versatility to run a setback seat position or a zero setback option with the stock seatpost.   A lot of people need a zero setback post, so the new design is welcome.

Aerodynamics: While the S3 was one of the prettier bikes to lay eyes on, the Cervelo S5 has a more angular and sharper feel to it – it is all business.   Cervelo claims up to a 30 watt decrease in drag with the S5 over a traditional road frame.    While this sounds like an almost ludicrous savings, our own Dean Phillips has demonstrated with his own testing (and the associated results in competition) that equipment details (primarily aerodynamic) can gain 30 watts, even on a rider who already has solid aerodynamic fundamentals ironed out.   Comparing least aero to most aero frames, 30 watts out of a frame is possible and the S5 does offer additional aero improvement over the already very established S3.   These gains are made primarily through trickle over technology from the P4 in the shape of a deeper fairing based seatstay seat tube juncture and revised headtube and fork design.

Laterally Stiffer Drivetrain: The S5 has greater torsional stiffness than the S3 in the bottom bracket due to the over-sized asymmetric BBRight system that has proven itself in the R3 and R5 this year.   We haven’t had one to test, but Cervelo says the S5 is 12% stiffer than the S3 and that makes sense.    The S5 will not be quite as forgiving as the S3 was, but it is not harsh riding and still is one of the smoother riding aero road frames on the market.

Lighter: The S3 was pretty darn light for an aero tubed road frame, but the new S5 is a claimed 80 grams lighter.

Di2 Ready: The frame has the mounts needed to mount Shimano’s Di2 electronic groups as cleanly as possible.

Price: Standard S5 framesets start at $3000 and complete bikes start at $3800.   There will also be lighter and laterally stiffer Team version and a top of the line VWD (Vroomen-White Design) version of the Cervelo S5 available.

Shipping of Cervelo S5 units will be starting in just a few weeks and we are taking pre-orders/reservations now, so call or email if you want to talk about getting one of the first of this landmark bike.