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TECH NEWS

Cervelo launch R2 costing £1,999

Owning a Cervélo just got a little less expensive with the launch of their new entry-level R2

Same frame as the legendary R3, but a new fork and Shimano 105 groupset sees Cervélo’s newly launched R2 becoming the Canadian company’s most affordable road bike at £1.999. It follows the launch S2 last year and shows the brand is pushing to lower the entry price of their bike range.

This new R2 uses the same frame as the R3 but pairs it with a new carbon fork, a Shimano 105 11-speed groupset, Shimano RS10 wheels and 23mm Vittoria Rubino Pro tyres. The R2 will cost £1999, replacing last year's R3 with 105 for the same price.

 

Price aside, the new R2 uses the exact same tried-and-tested geometry as the R3 with the same familiar Squoval tube profiles. Like the R3 that was updated a year ago, the new R2 has the same future-proofed cable routing setup. One significant change is the switch to a different fork from the one found on the R3, to one that is cheaper to manufacture to bring the price of the frameset down.

Cervélo claim a sub-1000g frame weight for a 56cm and touches such as carbon fibre dropouts contribute to the low weight. They claim a 980g weight for the R3, well that’s what they told us at Eurobike last year when Tony chatted to Damon Rinard, Cervélo's senior engineer on their Advanced Technology Team.

The R3 is an iconic frame in modern cycle sport, as it’s been used successfully to win Paris-Roubaix on a number of occasions and the Tour de France with Carlos Sastre in 2008, so it’s a pretty capable bike. Cervélo’s star may be waning under intense competition from rival brands, but the company will always be known as a technological innovator. They made super skinny seatstays popular and introduced the first aero road bike with the Soloist many years ago. And now owning one just got a bit cheaper.

Here’s the full spec of the new bike:

  • Fork: Cervélo All-Carbon, Tapered R2 Fork
  • Headset: FSA IS2 1-1/8 x 1-3/8
  • Seatpost: FSA SLK
  • Rear Derailleur: Shimano 105 5800 11spd
  • Front Derailleur: Shimano 105 5800 11spd
  • Shifters: Shimano 105 5800 11spd
  • Brake Calipers: FSA Gossamer Pro
  • Bottom Bracket: FSA PF-30
  • Chainset: FSA Gossamer BBright™ 50/34
  • Handlebar: 3T Ergonova
  • Stem: 3T ARX
  • Saddle: Selle Royal Seta
  • Cassette: Shimano 105 5800 11spd 11-28
  • Chain: Shimano HG600 11spd
  • Wheels: Shimano RS010
  • Tyres: Vittoria Rubino Pro 150 tpi 700x23c

More at www.cervelo.com

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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22 comments

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belgravedave | 9 years ago
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I totally get what the chap means when he says Cervelo have lost their image. Terrible case of brand management by the current owners even if they were saving the company from bankruptcy.
The David v Goliath image that The Cervelo Test Team had is long gone and the current marketing and promo is dire.
On a more positive note, which small bike co is going to see the opportunity and get inventive and step up to fill the gap?

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belgravedave | 9 years ago
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I totally get what the chap means when he says Cervelo have lost their image. Terrible case of brand management by the current owners even if they were saving the company from bankruptcy.
The David v Goliath image that The Cervelo Test Team had is long gone and the current marketing and promo is dire.
On a more positive note, which small bike co is going to see the opportunity and get inventive and step up to fill the gap?

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J90 | 9 years ago
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I only see them in the Tri crowd....no thanks.

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fukawitribe replied to J90 | 9 years ago
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J90 wrote:

I only see them in the Tri crowd....no thanks.

I have a feeling you should really try and hook up with Gary613 sometime - assuming you two can find somewhere that is niche enough with just right sort of clientele that is. No snotty commoners or skin-suit wearing oiks that's for sure darling (sweeps hair back with floppy-wristed hand).

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dannycarr2k replied to J90 | 9 years ago
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J90 wrote:

I only see them in the Tri crowd....no thanks.

They have been sponsor of the Garmin team this year and will sponsor MTN next year, with not a sleeveless top or calf compression sleeve in sight.

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C-Record | 9 years ago
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I ride both an R5 and and S5 and love them both for different reasons.

If the Cervelo brand becomes "more common" (successful) with the advent of S2 and R2 packages and more people get to experience the high ride quality, then that's fantastic! It doesn't diminish my bikes in any way at all. It certainly doesn't encourage me to move away from the best bikes I have ever ridden due to some misguided brand snobbery.

As long as they don't sacrifice design for price, then the brand will go from strength to strength.

As for exclusivity, I reckon an R5 will remain a rarer commodity than an R2 in the same way a Dogma does with respect to an FP3 etc.

Like BMW, you need to cater for a broad spectrum of consumers to remain successful and grow your brand. It doesn't make the i8 any less desirable as an automobile?

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dannycarr2k | 9 years ago
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Great price. Stick a 105 chainset on there and a SRAM chain and that's a fantastic bike.

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David Arthur @d... | 9 years ago
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Just had the UK price confirmed, it'll cost £1,999, so it replaces last year's 105-equipped R3

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Timsen | 9 years ago
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I own 3 Cervelos & they are certainly not common here in the Midlands. I love the ride of each & believe they carry credibility and respect for their frame designs despite being mass produced like virtually every other bike frame in the far east.
If you're worried about image .... pay over the odds to get a Pinarello like every other wannabee Sky team member !

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Timsen | 9 years ago
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This is a mirror image of what they've done with the S3 & S2. The S2 is the same frame as the S3 but has different forks and is only available as a complete bike with cheaper finishing kit to keep the price down. The idea is that you get a package to get you started & upgrade as you go.
I would guess the price at £2,400/500 based on the S2.

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dannycarr2k | 9 years ago
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Surprised this hasn't generated more interest. The Cervélo R series has always been a well respected bike and this filtering down the price points can only be good for consumers.

The R3, S3, and P3 are still the best choices in my mind as they have the finishing kit that most would aim for around those price points i.e. Adamo saddles on the P3. Wheels are generally workman like training wheels rather than having some heavy, aero pseudo-race wheel.

With the R2, and Cannondale's offerings in the 5800 105 range, next year's model line up looks amazing in the hard working privateer race bike category...

To the guy worried about 'exclusivity': some people want a mid range bike that's economical to replace parts on and even replace the frame, for racing. I know a guy who had a beautiful high end DuraAce Di2 equipped Colnago that got taken out on the second lap of his first race on it. Don't underestimate the healthy market of riders who race, and want a tool for the job rather than an irreplaceable work of art to ride on.

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notfastenough replied to dannycarr2k | 9 years ago
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dannycarr2k wrote:

To the guy worried about 'exclusivity': some people want a mid range bike that's economical to replace parts on and even replace the frame, for racing. I know a guy who had a beautiful high end DuraAce Di2 equipped Colnago that got taken out on the second lap of his first race on it. Don't underestimate the healthy market of riders who race, and want a tool for the job rather than an irreplaceable work of art to ride on.

Mental. Long-term I'd like a Ti or steel 'best bike', and if I can gain enough fitness to race, something like a CAAD or an Aithein. The best bike will never see a race, that's for sure.

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Bugg | 9 years ago
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Seeing as the R3 framset alone comes in at a price of around £1600 I can't see this selling for much less than £2000.

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giobox | 9 years ago
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Interestingly the R2 has a fork from the same mould as the limited production R3 'mud' Cervelo built for their pro riders to use on the cobbles. There is an insane amount of tyre clearance on the R2's fork, way more than on the R3 and R5.

I suspect this change may filter up the range, especially with the current trend for wider rims.

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Gossa | 9 years ago
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Wouldn't have thought so, they all come out the same factory anyway don't they?

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realdeal | 9 years ago
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Not Canadian any more. They're owned by a Dutch company called Pon.

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redmeat | 9 years ago
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^ wow

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Gary613 | 9 years ago
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oh dear, time to move to another brand as Cervelo pursue its move downmarket after the V & W buyout to position the brand into mass market affordability by its new owners.

Sounds rather snobbish but Cervelo had always in the past projected an air of success with an exclusive upmarket position, which appealed to a niche area of the marketplace.

Oh well a Feather or an F8 beckons in 2015.

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step-hent replied to Gary613 | 9 years ago
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Gary613 wrote:

oh dear, time to move to another brand as Cervelo pursue its move downmarket after the V & W buyout to position the brand into mass market affordability by its new owners.

Sounds rather snobbish but Cervelo had always in the past projected an air of success with an exclusive upmarket position, which appealed to a niche area of the marketplace.

Oh well a Feather or an F8 beckons in 2015.

Haha! Cervelo have always been mass produced and not especially niche. I'm an R3SL and ex-S3 owner. Their selling point wasn't that they were too expensive for people to afford (and they clearly weren't because you see loads of them around) but that they were frames that had been really thought through in the design and engineering department and they rode brilliantly in all conditions. I don't see that changing - look at the redesigned fork on this with more clearance in line with the move to wider tyres and rims. It's just that they are bringing the designs to more price points.

An F8 and a Feather couldn't be more different beasts. Would be worth comparing more than their exclusivity value before deciding which one suits you.  3

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PaulBox replied to Gary613 | 9 years ago
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OMG...  13

That was at the pretentious chap earlier on.

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pmr | 9 years ago
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Looks nice, gotta wonda if its actually any better than my all carbon Ribble tho

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notfastenough | 9 years ago
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Last year there was some confusion where the frame for the R3 105 was different to the R3 frame supplied with higher end components. Given the similarity in frame and groupset between this and an R3 equivalent, I think they'll phase out the R3 105 in favour of this. So I would expect the price to remain around £2k.

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