Cervelo R3 build

Hi there,

New bike enthusiast here. Have been engrossed in sport of road cycling for some time now and have been on my old Allez which is a bit big. Looking to upgrade now to a better bike. I have a really good friend who has lots of experience building bikes. I have 11 speed ultegra groupset as well as a speedy American classic wheelset. I have been offered a Cervelo r3 in good condition from a private sale for £300. Can you guys convince me it will be a good purchase. It has a little bit of a paint bubble by the bottom bracket but will ask about it when I see it next. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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300 bones for an r3 is a good price. Has it been broken and repaired on the chainstay there? Maybe a dropped chain has mashed it up?
I'd get it checked by a reputable bike shop. If it looks safe I'd go for it

As above, as long as all sound then £300 for frame and the extras is a very keen price

Going to try out as many bike sizes as possible. I am only 170cm so 56 might be a little big. Do Cervelos size small? Will take it to a bike shop before I buy it to check out the paint.

I’m 175cm on a 54cm R5. Could have gone for a size smaller, but this fits fine.

cervelos size big, in my opinion a 56cm r would be someone 176-8cm upwards.
the r series size less big than the s series (aeros) so you might be fine, but will most likely need a short stem which will modify the handling.

thew bb area looks okay to me, like the paint was damaged from chain drops and touched-up / painted over.

Looks good. I bought a great condition R3 for £400 last month, but got lost in Hermes' processing centre somewhere. £300 is a good price, as long as that BB area is just cosmetic.
For reference, I'm 180cm and went for a 56cm, but was planning on a longer negative stem due to the HT length.

Some Hermes operative sporting a nice new R3 frame?

Probably! They've had it since 8th March. I've since had a refund. Poor seller has been fucked over though.

Then the Supersix frame they delivered while I was on holiday was left on my doorstep in the pouring rain in full view of a busy street. Top work.

Thanks for all the help guys, decided to go for an identical frame but a size smaller.

Will pay for insured delivery after your story Pifko, nightmare.

.

I’m 5.7 and my 54 is coming next week. Will post pictures when arrives

Bike just arrived today, very excited for the build. Components as follows
San Marco seat with carbon seat post - keep
Sora rim brakes - keep
Rolf vector comp, wheelset. - keep for trainings set
Boardman flat handlebars and stem - sell
SRAM x5 impulse shifters - sell
Avid brakes - sell
Sora front and rear cassette - keep
SRAM x5 rear derailleur - sell
Sora front mech - keep

Looking to keep all sora parts as that is what I use on my commuter bike. Just got a good bargain on an ultegra 11 speed groupset and will swap that in. Will use jag wire pro cable set for gears and brakes. Looking for good set of light stiff handlebars (carbon looks cool).

Have American classic wheelset set up for tubeless. No idea what I am going to do if I get a hole on a ride that the sealant can’t fix as they are incredibly tight. I have some awesome chisel tyre levers for removing them well and some big fat tyre levers for popping them back in. Does anyone have any tips for putting a tube in a really tight wheelset? I keep pinching the tube.

Will put some photos on the classifieds page of the components I do not use . So just give me a message and we’ll find a fair price.

Final question I purchased the groupset on lfgss here for a pretty good price but got sent a 105 rear cassette and not ultegra. The seller replied to my message and said he would swap an ultegra one. He hasn’t replied to any of my messages. What should I do? Not really too fussed as it isn’t much price difference used.

All the best,

Brunedaprune

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Good work on the purchase, what a strange setup for that frame though, takes all sorts!

For fitting a tight tube, I would:
Fit one side of the tyre bead inside the rim
Apply loads of talc/chalk to the tube to stop it sticking inside the tyre/rim
Carefully fit the tube within the tyre, no twists
Inflate the tube a small amount, just so it takes shape
Wet the rim and bead that isn't seated and squeeze on with thumbs, no levers! 2x people here can help too. Squirt some more water if needed to help the bead slide over the rim.

Thanks for the tip Jose worked on another set of wheels.

Does anyone have any information on mechanical cables for internal routing. I am looking to use
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jagwire-pck209-Liners-Unisex-Cables-Stealth/dp/B01N4K42I8/ref=asc_df_B01N4K42I8/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=205173967808&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5579155063441289427&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006886&hvtargid=pla-568391770307&psc=1

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jagwire-PCK500-Kit-Cables-Shields-Unisex/dp/B077F9ZMKF/ref=asc_df_B077F9ZMKF/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=394229352453&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1835665935679416618&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006886&hvtargid=pla-569718357759&psc=1&th=1&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=87474904971&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=394229352453&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1835665935679416618&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006886&hvtargid=pla-569718357759

There is nothing that says they work for internal routing. Any help is greatly appreciated

I've just joined the club with an R5.

I'm 5'8/174cm on a 54 and would say a size down would be too wee. It's the ideal size for me, but then again it's about proportions as well as height.

BTW its a great bike.

It's all the same stuff. There arent specific 'internal' or 'external' wires.

Just make sure you've got the cable stops, and the plastic gromits which are specific to the Cervelo frame.

Ah cool, thanks. Plan to start building soon. Have spent ages cleaning it up as the fork had some really nasty grease built up on it.

Is there anything I can do about the seller not sending the correct rear cassette?