Two Month Review on Cervelo Rouvida Rival Road: It's winter here in northern California, so limited riding, but still got in 500 miles. I live in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains at 2700 ft elevation, so most of my rides are 100'/mile of climbing. Most rides in winter are 25-40 miles, 2500-4,000 feet of climbing. All hard surfaces. Bottom line - I love the bike on every level, met all my requirements for specs. The geometry has a fairly short wheel base, so it is very responsive but not the least twitchy. It carves corners on the mountain downhills with a real sense of the road. Feels like a carbon analogue bike. Uphill is very comfortable and the motor is supreme... more on that later.
The light weight motor/battery and where it site in the frame is very balanced. I am 5'7" and the medium size fits me perfectly. I am usually a bit small for a medium, but I'm very happy with the fit. It's a relaxed fit with a great cockpit. The carbon aero bars are awesome, I love the flat top platform. The motor controls on the drops are easily reachable with the thumbs of my small hands when I'm on the hoods. All the specs on the components are a good match for the bike. I can't believe the Red version is $3k more just to add carbon wheels, high end saddle, and upgrade from Rival to Red. This is my first 1x bike - always rode 2x compacts, but the gearing is almost identical range with the 10-44 12 speed cassette. The key is the 46t chain ring, it makes the range work. Most 1x road bikes have 42t or 44t, so the 46t makes it all work for me. It's fast on the downhills and plenty of low gearing for the uphills. I routinely ride 8-12% grades and the occasional 20-24% with no problem. Very stable in all conditions. I am enjoying the 1x and don't miss the front derailleur, and the gearing gaps are not an issue at all. Maybe if I rode in a peleton the cadence might be an issue, but with an ebike, I enjoy the simplicity. The tires are 30mm, and this is only thing I would change - I have 32mm on my Synapse Neo 1, and it's a bit more forgiving. But - the 30's are fine and give more of a road feel.
On another note, if I compare this 28 lb Cervelo to my old 40 lb Cannondale Synapse Neo 1, it's like comparing a Porche (who actually owns Fazua motors) to my Dad's '63 Chevy Impala. They both get you there, but one is pure fun, the other is soft and cushy!! The only other change I made is the saddle - I put on my favorite Avatar 143, but that's just my old bones talking.
As far as the bike's detailing - it is first class. No exposed cables, elegant lines, everything in the carbon frame is beautiful and designed with total integration. I'm an architect - I think it's a work of art. Everyone I meet comments on the clean lines and look. Plasma Blue color is also a winner.
Now.... down to the motor. The Fazua Ride60 motor met my pre-purchase desire with 60Nm, 450 W max, 430 AHr battery. It does not disappoint. There is plenty of power at all levels and I really like the Fazua app for creating custom power profiles. I have used the standard default setup, which is a bit toward the more powerful side. I created lower power setups because I often ride with acoustic bikes, and don't want to just ride away from my friends. The higher power level setups I use when I'm riding with other ebikes and we just want to go fast... it does fast without problem. So much fun!! For mileage, I have gone 45 miles running in the River #2 power level, and pushing it pretty hard in the mountains for almost 3 hours, and used 85%. I feel if I run in the lower power level with modest support, I can probably get 60-70 miles no problem, and in the mountains. I came from a Bosch motor on my Synapse Neo, and the Fazua is superior in my opinion. It is much quieter, the bike feels like a real bike with me just being stronger! It is seamless when I pedal, stand, go over 28 mph, always. The motor noise is almost non-existent. Unlike the Bosch. The only thing more the Bosch has is 4 levels vs 3, but I don't miss it. The Bosch motor feels like a motor on your bike, the Fazua is almost transparent - just you pedaling a bike. I really like the Fazua app, and run it on my phone on my stem holder. It shows the usual speed, distance, time, cadence, battery % but also shows rider power and motor power output in an easy graphic. It also shows power level by the color of the power display (green, blue, red). Well thought out. Very nice app. Creating custom power set ups is easy.
Final note, I have not used the gravel bike drop outs and don't plan to, I'm a roadie.... So, hope you enjoyed my review and I'll update as things move forward, Keep on keepin' on!
The light weight motor/battery and where it site in the frame is very balanced. I am 5'7" and the medium size fits me perfectly. I am usually a bit small for a medium, but I'm very happy with the fit. It's a relaxed fit with a great cockpit. The carbon aero bars are awesome, I love the flat top platform. The motor controls on the drops are easily reachable with the thumbs of my small hands when I'm on the hoods. All the specs on the components are a good match for the bike. I can't believe the Red version is $3k more just to add carbon wheels, high end saddle, and upgrade from Rival to Red. This is my first 1x bike - always rode 2x compacts, but the gearing is almost identical range with the 10-44 12 speed cassette. The key is the 46t chain ring, it makes the range work. Most 1x road bikes have 42t or 44t, so the 46t makes it all work for me. It's fast on the downhills and plenty of low gearing for the uphills. I routinely ride 8-12% grades and the occasional 20-24% with no problem. Very stable in all conditions. I am enjoying the 1x and don't miss the front derailleur, and the gearing gaps are not an issue at all. Maybe if I rode in a peleton the cadence might be an issue, but with an ebike, I enjoy the simplicity. The tires are 30mm, and this is only thing I would change - I have 32mm on my Synapse Neo 1, and it's a bit more forgiving. But - the 30's are fine and give more of a road feel.
On another note, if I compare this 28 lb Cervelo to my old 40 lb Cannondale Synapse Neo 1, it's like comparing a Porche (who actually owns Fazua motors) to my Dad's '63 Chevy Impala. They both get you there, but one is pure fun, the other is soft and cushy!! The only other change I made is the saddle - I put on my favorite Avatar 143, but that's just my old bones talking.
As far as the bike's detailing - it is first class. No exposed cables, elegant lines, everything in the carbon frame is beautiful and designed with total integration. I'm an architect - I think it's a work of art. Everyone I meet comments on the clean lines and look. Plasma Blue color is also a winner.
Now.... down to the motor. The Fazua Ride60 motor met my pre-purchase desire with 60Nm, 450 W max, 430 AHr battery. It does not disappoint. There is plenty of power at all levels and I really like the Fazua app for creating custom power profiles. I have used the standard default setup, which is a bit toward the more powerful side. I created lower power setups because I often ride with acoustic bikes, and don't want to just ride away from my friends. The higher power level setups I use when I'm riding with other ebikes and we just want to go fast... it does fast without problem. So much fun!! For mileage, I have gone 45 miles running in the River #2 power level, and pushing it pretty hard in the mountains for almost 3 hours, and used 85%. I feel if I run in the lower power level with modest support, I can probably get 60-70 miles no problem, and in the mountains. I came from a Bosch motor on my Synapse Neo, and the Fazua is superior in my opinion. It is much quieter, the bike feels like a real bike with me just being stronger! It is seamless when I pedal, stand, go over 28 mph, always. The motor noise is almost non-existent. Unlike the Bosch. The only thing more the Bosch has is 4 levels vs 3, but I don't miss it. The Bosch motor feels like a motor on your bike, the Fazua is almost transparent - just you pedaling a bike. I really like the Fazua app, and run it on my phone on my stem holder. It shows the usual speed, distance, time, cadence, battery % but also shows rider power and motor power output in an easy graphic. It also shows power level by the color of the power display (green, blue, red). Well thought out. Very nice app. Creating custom power set ups is easy.
Final note, I have not used the gravel bike drop outs and don't plan to, I'm a roadie.... So, hope you enjoyed my review and I'll update as things move forward, Keep on keepin' on!
