Cervélo R3 Hill Climb Special

[Legs]

Last October I bought a 2017 rim-braked Cervélo R3 on eBay. With a SRAM Red mechanical groupset, it was quite a light bike already, around 7kg for a 58cm frame with the Mavic Ksyriums it came with.

I rode it in a few hill climb races last autumn.

It also makes a rather nice fair-weather bike for summer riding:


But this autumn, I felt that I could make a really good HC bike out of it. I’m converting it to 1x and tricking it out with some Chinesium, hoping to be able to chisel the weight down towards 6kg.

A few weeks ago, I accidentally-on-purpose bought another Cervélo R3 on the ‘Bay to replace the day-to-day duties of this one, because clearly a thoroughbred HC bike is not ideal for everyday riding. In race trim, R3 Mk I will probably only see 50 miles of riding a year. (R3 Mk II, below, is my first properly modern bike.)

 

[Mr.B-Campag]

So you're going to use the rim brake bike as the daily and the disc brake for HCs? Wouldn't it be easier and/or cheaper to lighten the former (and also have better braking on your day to day stead)?

 

[Legs]

So you're going to use the rim brake bike as the daily and the disc brake for HCs? Wouldn't it be easier and/or cheaper to lighten the former (and also have better braking on your day to day stead)?

Nope, other way round. (I'm doing it the way you think I ought to!)

 

[Legs]

First thing to be swapped, a couple of weeks ago, was the wheelset: my brother has kindly 'long-term loaned' me his carbon-rimmed Planet X special wheels. They've got 23mm Vittoria Corsa tubs on - pretty lightweight but narrow by modern standards!

These are seriously light:

compared to the Ksyriums, which, like for like, were 960g front and 1387g rear (with Vredestein Fortezza clinchers and TPU tubes).

In this trim, I weighed the bike (on my bathroom scales - I need to get some accurate luggage scales), by taking the average of several readings with/without excess load in my pockets, and determined the weight to be approximately 6.75kg, (including front and rear lights, and Wahoo head unit).

Then I went shopping on AliExpress...

 

[ColinJ]

How about removing the bar tape, or at least shortening it?

 

[Legs]

Yep, that’s on my list. I’m going to replace it with TESA 51608 harness tape.

Bars and seatpost are due for a shortening, too.

 

[Mr.B-Campag]

Remove the bottle cage bolts as well? Every little helps!

 

[ianrauk]

I look forward to seeing the drilled out brake levers, brakes and crankset

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

A few weeks ago, I accidentally-on-purpose bought another Cervélo R3

The wife hates it when that happens, I am sent out for a loaf of bread and I come back with a new bike 😂

Is that 11 speed rim brake etap RD & FD combined with hydraulic shifters?

 

[Willd]

You don't need brakes if you're only going uphill

 

[fritz katzenjammer]

Time for some drillium alloy!

 

[cyberknight]

Cut the excess bar under the drops seems to be the way to go.

 

[Legs]

The wife hates it when that happens, I am sent out for a loaf of bread and I come back with a new bike 😂

Is that 11 speed rim brake etap RD & FD combined with hydraulic shifters?

The new (yellow) R3 has 11-speed Red eTap, hydraulic disc brakes.
The old (black/white) R3 has 11-speed Red DoubleTap mechanical RD and rim brakes.

 

[Legs]

Cut the excess bar under the drops seems to be the way to go.

Yep, I can definitely lose a few inches there. I do sometimes use the drops for climbing so I'll need to work out quite how much I can cut off.

 

[wafter]

Cut the excess bar under the drops seems to be the way to go.

Cracking anxiety fuel for those of us who sometimes like to jump to the drops with both hands at once