New Cervelo RS will suit sportives

R3 heritage readily apparent	Curved seatstays should aid ride comfort
Longer headtube will raise bar height	Fork made by new 3T to Cervelo design

Billed as the lightest and stiffest frame on the market on its debut, Cervelo's R3 has gained legendary status thanks to consecutive victories in Paris-Roubaix through CSC riders Fabian Cancellara and Stuart O'Grady. Its basic design of massively stiff chainstays and 'Squoval' downtube allied to slender seat stays is carried through to Cervelo's latest road offering, the RS.

The rationale behind the new model is the requirement of several CSC riders including Danish national champion Allan Johansen for a higher handlebar position than that readily achieved with the R3. The solution - a 20mm longer head tube for each frame size - will, of course suit amateur cyclosportive riders looking for a less extreme riding position suitable for all-day riding.

The further provision of 10mm longer chainstays, which should enhance stability, and curved seat stays, which should soften the back end to some extent, will only add to the model's appeal. The smallest 'XS' size differs from the R3's 48cm in the fitment of 650c wheels to obviate the problems of toe overlap.

The RS fork is the fruit of a new collaboration between Cervelo and the new 3T company, which already supplies the cockpit kit for Team CSC and replaces the 'Wolf' fork originally specified.