CervéloR3DUltegra

£3399

The R3 was always Cervélo’s classic race machine; its list of wins extends from ParisRoubaix to the Tour de France with many victories besides. The arrival of the brand’s R5 series has seen the R3 move slightly further away from racing, to what we have here. One of the major characteristics of the R3 is the shape of the frame tubes - the shape blends a square tube profile with ovalised corners and curved sides, top and bottom – square plus oval equals squoval, and designers have gone all-out to maximise the quality of the structure for weight, stiffness and aero considerations.

The ride position is at the race end of endurance, yet it doesn’t feel like a compromise. You can affect rapid direction changes with a simple weight shift at your hips, and when the road rises the R3D is adept and responsive. When you head back down again the blend of stability at speed and fast handling makes it a glorious companion for going downhill fast.

You feel immediately at home on the R3D. Cervélo has been clever providing a full Shimano Ultegra groupset, which means mechanically it’s superb, even if that means a few compromises elsewhere. They aren’t ones we’d get upset about, as when the chassis feels this good, in every important area and in any ride scenario, it’s a case of the whole being far better than the sum of its parts.