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New Cervélo S2 launched +video

Cervélo’s entry-level aero road bike gets stiffer and more aero + video

Cervélo has updated the S2, its entry-level aero road bike, with an all-new frame and fork that the company claims is not only more aerodynamic, but also stiffer. This follows the recently updated R3 and S3 bikes, shown at Eurobike a few months ago. 

The S2 originally started life as the Soloist many years ago, and really set the ball rolling for aero road bikes. Key to aero performance is reducing the frontal surface area, so the S2 used to have a straight 1 1/8in non-tapered steerer tube. Now though it has a tapered head tube which Cervélo claim increases stiffness by a whopping 32%.

Extra stiffness has also been achieved by the use of the company’s own BBRight bottom bracket. BBRight uses a 30mm diameter spindle and press-fit 30 bearings, but the key difference is that on the non-driveside the bearing is pushed outwards by 11mm. This wider shell means that the down tube, seat tube and chainstays can be oversized. The increased stiffness claim from this change is 20% over the old S2.

Aero changes have been made, but Cervélo don’t give any figures as to how much more aero the new frame is. We’re guessing it’s some. The seat tube now has a cutaway section so it curves around the rear wheel, and is said to improve airflow over the wheel. The down tube has been designed with a water bottle in mind - there’s a squared off tail section at the bottle mount which the company says acts as a “continuation of the airfoil to smooth airflow and minimise aero drag”. This has already been used on the new S3, and is something we’ve also seen on other aero bikes like Giant’s Propel.

Other changes include an internal seat clamp replacing the previous external item, and the skinny seatstays borrowed from the RCA. There’s also clearance for 25mm tyres which is handy if you are into the benefits of wider tyres.

The cable routing is still internal, but they’ve moved the entry port from the top tube to the down tube, which looks far neater. Cervélo calls the cable routing ‘future proof’ so we can assume that means it’s fully compatible with all mechanical and electronic groupsets. And any future groupset tech, such as a hydraulic gear system, as they let slip to us at Eurobike.

Cervélo will only be offering the S2 as a full bike with Shimano 105 costing £2,399. 

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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12 comments

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NeilXDavis | 10 years ago
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Wish they'd stick some more aero / beefy forks on it..looks odd at the front end due to that...apart from that it looks good..

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Raleigh | 10 years ago
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S1 and 3 both phased out 2010/11

Though everyone knew that?

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snook replied to Raleigh | 10 years ago
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futurefunk | 10 years ago
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Cervelo website doesn't show the new S3. Just the S5 and this S2. Guess the S3 turned to the S2.

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jarredscycling | 10 years ago
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The S2 might be Cervelo's entry level but Cervelo isn't really entry level at all

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Joeinpoole | 10 years ago
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'Entry-level' bikes cost £2K nowadays do they?

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dave atkinson replied to Joeinpoole | 10 years ago
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Joeinpoole wrote:

'Entry-level' bikes cost £2K nowadays do they?

they do if you're buying a Cervelo, yes. although their entry level *is* quite high...

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Timsen | 10 years ago
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I'd be interested to see a comparison of weight v cost for the frame & forks for the S2/3/5 in all variants. This S2 looks a bit like the old S5.

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nod | 10 years ago
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What's the main difference to the S3? Are the tube shapes the same? Regardless, it looks lovely and more than capable.

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Guyz2010 | 10 years ago
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How about a Cervelo S2 disc, perfect bike for me then.
Don't really have a problem with chain stay mounted brakes. I suspect they don't get any dirty than above and may get splashed cleaner in reality.

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Raleigh replied to Guyz2010 | 10 years ago
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How about a Cervelo S2 disc, perfect bike for me then.
quote]

Can we ban this guy?

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rockfield | 10 years ago
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Dodgy line choice in that bottom photograph - straight into a big patch of gravel! Hope that's not a reflection on the handling of this bike  1
More seriously this does look like a lovely bit of kit and I'm glad they havent gone for the brakes mounted on the chainstays as some competitors have - that just looks like a maintenance nightmare if you ride in anything less than perfect weather.

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