2009 Cervélo S2 - Competitive Cyclist

CERVÉLO S2

We remember the first time we ever rode a set of Zipp wheels. They were 404 tubulars, and after a 10-second big chainring acceleration our lives changed forever: We unequivocally knew that we could never ever do another serious ride again without wheels like those. Part of our amazement was weight-related -- going from aluminum Open Pro rims to full carbon shed a pound from our bike. The other part of it was aerodynamics. Every wheel we'd ridden up 'til then was built on aerodynamically deaf-and-dumb box section rims. Zipp's 58mm deep lenticular design gave us the punch of an F1 car. The advantage was as subtle as a face full of pepper spray and it seemed insane to us that anyone seriously dedicated to training wouldn't mortgage their house if necessary to get their hands on a set for race day.

Our 404 revelation took place 4 or 5 years ago. We experiment with new equipment constantly and in the time since we've never had a similarly powerful experience. That is, until we had our first ride on the Cervélo S2. Simply put, it's the bicycle equivalent of Zipp's divine wheels, and in many ways serves as Cervélo's ultimate aero road racing frame. Why? Because it offers weight advantages no less amazing than its aerodynamics. Despite the sizeable surface area of its sculpted tubes, the S2 weighs little more than the Cervélo R3 -- the wonderbike preferred by Fabian Cancellara and Stuart O'Grady for the cobbled northern classics like Paris-Roubaix, but chosen by Carlos Sastre for the mountain stages of the Grand Tours.

Through 2008 this frameset was known as the Soloist Carbon, but in an effort to unify the naming conventions of their bikes (think of the R3 and the P3) Cervélo re-named this model the S2. Outside of the name change there's only one change of note: Unlike the traditional cable routing of the Soloist Carbon, the S2 has routing identical to the S3's. The derailleur cables route through the top of the top tube, right behind the headset. The housing feeds into cable stops on the top tube, then naked wires run down the headtube, through the down tube, into the BB shell. This is an aerodynamic improvement, yes. But we appreciate it just as much for practical reasons: You'll no longer have to cope with the dreaded cable housing rub on the sides of your head tube. And since there's no more housing slap against your frame, your bike is certain to be quieter.

S2 Detail Beyond the cable routing upgrade, the S2 is structurally identical to the Soloist Carbon. Every tube in the frame has been designed to optimize its aerodynamics. Its headtube is only 1mm wider than what you'll find on the Cervélo P3 time trial bike, with a downtube virtually identical to the supremely aero design you find on the P3. The sloping top tube has an airfoil cross section in the direction of the airflow. The asymmetric design of the seatstays promote an optimal airflow over the thin stay and across a rotating rear wheel.

And beyond weight and aerodynamics is the ever-critical requirement of stiffness. The ideal S2 rider is cut from the same cloth as living legend Jens Voigt -- a breakaway specialist, whether it's solo or in a small group. You don't spend a whole day outpacing the peloton by spinning moderate gears. Rather, you've gotta push the big meat and nothing torques your frame more than sustained huge gear efforts. The S2 is built with a visibly overbuilt BB area to provide you with a frame that won't waste a single watt of your power. Its substantial volume and smooth contours don't just eliminate frame flex, it adds strength to the frame as well. One other important detail is the design of the chainstays: They're specifically engineered to complement the stiffness of the BB area.

The breakaway pedigree of the S2 was first made known to the world during stage 9 of the 2005 Tour de France. Jens Voigt broke away 4km into the stage, and by the time the day was done he found himself in the maillot jaune. It wasn't just a matter of contorting himself into an tuck for 4 hours and taking advantage of the fact that he was riding the most aero bike in the peloton. Stage 9 took in six mountain passes. It showcased the versatility of the S2 -- invisible to the wind on the flat valley basins, and invisible to gravity on the mammoth climbs.

The S2's balance of aerodynamics and lightness was showcased even further in 2006 as Frank Schleck's solo victory in the savage hills of the Amstel Gold Race symbolized the climb-worthiness of the S2. And in 2008 we saw example after example of just how dynamic the S2 is. Fabian Cancellara rode it as he toyed with Levi Leipheimer throughout the Tour of California. He rode it as he earned overall victory at the Tirreno-Adriatico. And he rode it yet again as he soloed to his supremely manly victory at the most important 1-day Italian classic, Milan-San Remo.

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We've often wondered why Cancellara didn't ride an SLC-SL those days, especially at the all-important Milan-San Remo. Is it because of the ease with which you can build an S2 to the UCI complete bike weight limit of 6.8kg? Is it because -- as some people describe -- the S2 feels stiffer than the 200g-lighter SLC-SL? We're not sure. But what we do know is that Cancellara put his money where his mouth is -- with the S2. Can you buy a more versatile race frameset for less than $3,000? The answer, at least to us, is no.

The S2 comes with a one-position aero carbon seatpost that gives you an effective seat angle of 73 degrees. Cervélo's two-position reversible seatpost (standard on the S1) will fit in the S2, in case you'd like the option to give it an effective seat angle of 76 degrees for time trial applications. The S2 also comes standard with a 3T Funda Pro Carbon Fiber Fork and a Cane Creek S2 integrated headset. It requires a braze-on front derailleur and an English bottom bracket. It's available in 6 sizes between 48cm-61cm, and comes in a gloss Black/Red with White trim.

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