TESTED: Cervélo C3

Cervélo, a bike brand built on a reputation of building the fastest and lightest bikes for racing road, triathlon and track have truly broadened their horizon with their latest venture into the endurance road scene. The new C series consisting of the top of the line C5 and the ‘more value-conscious’ C3 (the one tested) is pitched for serious cyclists that are looking to get off the road from time to time and delivers a more comfortable day in the saddle without sacrificing performance.

Whilst a tad late to the “gravel grinder” table, Cervélo have clearly done their research and added all the features you would expect in this area – increased tyre clearance, lower bottom bracket, down tube bash guard and a longer wheelbase. Whilst Cervélo cut their teeth creating fast race machines, the expectation was of an amazing ride from this leading manufacturer.

Initial Impressions

As one would predict, Cervélo have crafted a beautiful bike with tidy cable entry and exit points throughout the construction. Where other manufacturers have opted to run the front brake cable externally to the fork with cable ties, Cervélo have exquisitely guided the cable through the fork allowing the sleek lines of the bike to truly shine. Additionally, the high gloss paintwork should make it a breeze to keep this bike clean in years to come. Matte might be in right now, but gloss is easier to keep looking smart.

As we have been accustomed to, Cervélo have maintained their penchant for a Squoval front end tubing whilst preserving their signature pencil thin seat stays we have seen on their R5 road weapon. Thru-axles and flat-mounted discs keep the construction clean at both the front and rear of the machine which helps to maximise the stiffness. Whilst not touted by Cervélo as a “gravel grinder” they clearly expect their riders to consider taking the road less travelled with the addition of a down tube bash guard. It’s removable, so it is your call if you want to run it or not. But the cost of carbon repair and repainting is high, compard to the minor weight addition of the guard. The C3 also comes with a heavy duty rubber chain stay protector to protect the frame from chain slap on even the roughest of roads.

With a largely Shimano Ultegra Di2 drive train the bike is easy to setup – however with the larger hood design on the BR-805 shifters the fit feels a tad long. One could not complain though about the adoption of thru-axles both front and rear allowing precision rotor alignment keeping the rotors noise free – even when working the bike hard out of the saddle.

The biggest concern before hitting the roads for a bike like this was always going to be how does a bike manufacturer in Cervélo, who have been making pure speed machines for more than 20 years, transition to endurance road? Will it be too stiff or will they have overcompensated leaving the ride feeling sloppy? Additionally at this price point one might expect carbon wheels to be standard, but the all black HED Ardennes Plus look very much at home in this build and are still relatively light at a claimed weight of 1,560g. The large bag Continental Grand Sport 28c tyres also urge you to take the C3 onto a path that is less travelled.

On the road with the C3

As expected the fit feels a little long and whilst I’m not a fan of the bulbous hoods of the BR-R805 shifters I couldn’t help but feel immediately at home aboard the C3. With a 73-degree seat angle but a slackened head tube angle of 71-degrees, an increased stack height and a lower bottom bracket height the impression was a feeling of almost sitting inside the bike, leaving you feeling secure and inspiring confidence with each pedal stroke and turn.

It almost seems contradictory to expect a light and responsive frame in the endurance space but each pedal stroke placed through the Rotor 3D30 felt like every watt put down was transferred through efficiently. This feeling was apparent both out of the saddle as much as in the saddle. The relaxed angle of the front end of the C3 however does leave it feeling a tad lethargic when attacking up the climbs but all is forgotten once you have the bike up to speed and realise how light and stiff the bike feels under you.

Upon cresting each climb the C3 really does come into its own. With the hard work done on the climb, as you head downwards the bike eats up large sweeping corners with ease. All that stiffness and efficiency felt flying up the hills somehow turns into a shock absorbing masterpiece, soaking up all that the rough ‘blue metal’ roads of Queensland could throw at it. The ability to lower your centre of gravity thanks to a lower bottom bracket and the no-nonsense Shimano brakes mean even greater confidence when diving into tight hairpin turns. Of course one might suggest the 28mm rubber under you plays its own role in helping give you greater confidence with a larger footprint on the road.

In fact when descending on the C3 the biggest issue was that the 50/34 felt too small when screaming down the hills but it would be a bold decision to have anything else but a compact crankset on a bike not destined for the racing scene.

While the Cervélo C3 performs both up and down the hills, it truly is in a league of its own on the rough stuff. From gravel to rutted out country back roads the C3 absorbs it all and feels settled and stable even when through the roughest of terrain you’d dare to tread on such a beautiful bike. One can only imagine what it would be like to launch this beast through the Trouée d’Arenberg and feel yourself gliding over the harshest of cobbles. Given that we tested 28mm rubber but the C3 can comfortable slot in 32mm, the ride could be even more plush on the most corrugated roads.

The only real fault on the C3 was the VS version of the Fizik Antares as a saddle choice. No amount of moving back and forth along the pressure relief ridges resulted in a comfortable perch. It felt an unusual choice for Cervélo given how few VS saddles reside upon consumer bikes in the market. Such a component is an easy change and chances are if you’re looking at a bike like the C3, you’ll have an idea of what saddle you prefer to use.

Our take

All in all Cervélo have pulled together a fantastic machine that would see significant use in almost everyone’s stable of bikes. Its strength climbing, descending and just cruising on almost any surface makes this a thoroughly enjoyable bike to ride as far as your legs can take you. I would only suggest that C3 will require a saddle change to suit the new owner as the Fizik Antares VS is definitely an acquired taste. Additionally, for riders who do plan to spend a bit more time off road, some tyres that are more puncture proof would be a good choice with the Continental Grand Sports even at 28C can tend to find themselves prone to flats.

A swag of quality components, especially the Shimano Ultegra Di2, will see the C3 running smoothly for years to come. The biggest concern would be keeping the beautiful paint job of the bike free from stone chips, however with a large rubber bash guard and chain stay protectors Cervélo have done their best to help out new owners the best that they can.

Whilst the C3 clearly has race pedigree this bike is suited best to those who love big adventure rides or Gran Fondos – as the disc brakes mean you won’t be starting in your local criterium any time soon. The plush yet responsive ride will allow riders to push their rides, yet the frame remains forgiving through long days on the bike no matter the terrain. This could also serve as a great off-season training bike for racers although finding their usual riding position would be tough due to the more relaxed nature of the bikes geometry.

Cervélo’s sadly are not cheap and the C3 is no exception. There is a lot of bike here for the money but given it cannot be used in races due to the current ban on racing disc brake road bikes, then for a lot of people this would be a secondary road bike. In my opinion, for a bike nearing $8000, I would also like to see carbon wheels to add to the bling factor that the rest of the C3 offers.

In the end, Cervélo promised that the C3 would be the perfect fit for serious cyclists looking to get off the asphalt and inspire a confident ride on mixed surfaces. A bike that is capable of delivering longer, more comfortable days in the saddle without sacrificing performance. Despite what seems like a plethora of contradictions, the C3 delivers on each of those promises in spades and will leave all riders satisfied for years.