First Look: Cervelo S3 Disc

By Wires September 27, 2016

0 Comments

Despite the UCI ruling, most major bike manufacturers are still making revisions and upgrades to equip most of their fleets with a disc -equipped design. And Cervelo definitely is continuing that path. Following the release of their C5 and C3 road endurance bike with disc brakes, their newest update touched on the S series line. The S3 will be the first aero roadbike to be updated with disc brakes, and as Cervelo puts it, “Free from the design constraints of rim brakes, the S3 Disc has been re-engineered to be stiffer, lighter and more aerodynamic. In a word, to be faster.”

From the Cervelo site:

AERODYNAMICS: The all-new S3 Disc fork features a re-engineered leg airfoil that’s 19g (~2 watts) faster than an equivalent S3 fork. The disc braking system also allowed our engineers to raise the fork crotch to reduce the low pressure zone behind the crown, while widening the stance of the legs to better blend with the caliper-mounting area and fine-tune interactions with the front wheel

STIFFNESS: Re-engineered seatstays and chainstays, inspired by the Cervélo R3 Disc, have been optimized to work in tandem with the disc brakes to provide the best possible control and handling. New rear drop-outs, meanwhile, use 12mm thru-axle technology to improve performance still further, while creating a stable and stiff wheel-to-frame junction and yielding better brake alignment. As with our other disc platforms, this increases stiffness in the back end, leading to better handling in corners. We’ve also boosted bottom-bracket stiffness on the S3 Disc for better handling and power transfer to the pedals.

USABILITY: A redesigned cable routing system takes the signature side-entry cable routing system of the S3 and incorporates a new style of left-side entry to accommodate the hydraulic hose while providing a tidy access point for wired electronic shifting systems. Just one more detail to which Cervélo has paid careful attention. We also imported the internal battery mounting feature from the Cervélo S5 in order to better conceal the Shimano Di2 battery inside the downtube, with access through the bottom-bracket cable guide mounting hole.