11lb Cervelo R3 SL Build - Part One

Submitted by devans on Sat, 2009-11-21 17:28

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After much deliberation I decided to go ahead and build what I will term as my 'dream bicycle'. Lame idea to some but a delight to others, myself included!

I already knew going into this that I would base the build around the simply amazing Cervelo R3 SL frameset, and as luck would have it I came across a gently used 2008 model for less than half of the full retail.

The components that I had chosen for my fantasy build put the intended bike, on paper, somewhere in the region of the 12 to 13lb mark. With a few changes based on new/revised components and all of a sudden, again on paper, we are at the magical 11lb mark as indicated in the title of this post.

To those unfamiliar with the world of cycling this is probably not a big deal, after all 11lbs is not that light a weight, as far as weight goes but lets put that number into perspective. The bikes that ride in the Tour de France (I feel sure you have all heard of this!) all have a minimum weight limit as set by UCI(Union Cycliste Internationale). That magic number is 14.998lbs which when you think about it means that the bike I am building is at least on paper, 27% lighter than what Lance Armstrong, Carlos Sastre and Co. are currently riding.

One of the bigger decisions I had to make going into this was to stick with some of the already light'ish components that I had lying around or to spend the extra $$ to get the lower, but not necessarily the lowest weight components. You may ask if you are going to spend the money why not get the lowest weight items in true 'weight weenie' style? Simple answer, is I don't like some of them and as an example and personal choice I prefer clincher wheels over tubular which again adds to the weight debate.

Anyway, today I started the build with the components that I have and will continue next Sunday afternoon, having run the Space Coast Half-Marathon early that morning. Wish me luck!

Here are some pictures and all important weights for the build so far. More to come next week!