Cervelo Diet - Ultimate Mods for the Ultimate Bike, the Cervelo R3 - Part 6 - By Twain Mein
I replaced the headset with an FSA orbit (20 grams less) and Performance Lunar Light tubes (48 grams less), bringing it down to 6220 grams, or 13 pounds 11 ounces. Then came the tubulars…

Ritchey Superlogic Carbon-Boron 46 Tubulars

• Full Carbon and Boron rims made by Lew Racing
• 46mm tall for aerodynamics
• Ritchey hubs with premium bearings
• Cool quick releases
• Estimated total weight: 1200 grams; claimed 1171
• Front: 20 hole, 491 grams claimed. $1349.95 msrp
• Rear: 24 hole, 680 grams claimed. $1449.95 msrp
• Clinchers claimed weight of 1221 grams (516 front, 705 rear)
• Clinchers: $1495.95, $1539.95 MSRP, front and rear respectively

Steve Parke showed up with the a set of Ritchey Superlogic Carbon-Boron 46 Tubulars. They were pre-glued with Ritchey Slick WCS tubular tires that have a claimed weight of 250 grams each; I think they were closer to 280 grams each with glue, so this puts the real weight at 1200 grams for the wheelset (sans quick releases). The net actual loss was 182 grams, dropping the total bike weight to 6038 grams, or 13 lbs 5 ounces.

The full carbon rims are designed by Lew Racing (which is now merged with Reynolds). Lew also uses Boron, a material that is 4x stronger than Carbon and 10x the cost. By leveraging Boron, less material is needed to make the wheel, decreasing weight. There are also many other cool features.

The rear wheel has a crisscross, aka “Crowsfoot” pattern on the drive side; the cross bend has a straight pull for extra rigidity. The quick releases feature “smart” labeling; the rear skewer is meant to face forward. This is to prevent accidental opening if you make contact in a race. If the QR faces backward, it’s more prone to opening with someone coming up on you and brushing against it.

SAN CARLOS, Calif. – Ritchey Design recently launched “The Ritchey Diet,” a pair of specially priced SuperLogic and WCS Carbon retrofit kits, available for pre-order by authorized Ritchey dealers during the month of March. The promotion aims to drive more business to Ritchey dealers while saving end consumers between $280-$330 on lightweight bike components.

“While many cyclists may have less discretionary income to invest in the latest top-of-the-line road bikes, 2009 is undoubtedly the year for component upgrades,” said Steve Parke, general manager and vice president of marketing for Ritchey. “If it will result in a faster time or better climb, cyclists are still very interested in making game changing upgrades to their bikes.”

In addition to reducing overall bike weight, each of the cockpit components included in the Super Logic and WCS Carbon retrofit kits are available in Ritchey Fit Logic sizes. The range of Ritchey Fit Logic sizes help dealers custom fit each rider to their bike (using handlebars, stems and seatposts) for a more efficient and comfortable ride.

“‘The Ritchey Diet’ is a great opportunity for dealers to fill the needs of the high-end, project bike and upgrade buyers who are looking to reduce overall bike weight but want to ensure component strength and high-quality engineering,” Parke said.

The SuperLogic Parts Kit includes:

• SuperLogic UD Carbon Evolution Handlebar
• WCS UD Carbon 4Axis Stem
• SuperLogic UD Carbon WCS 1Bolt Seatpost
• WCS UD Carbon Road Fork

Suggested MSRP: $999.95

The WCS Carbon Parts Kit includes:

• WCS Carbon Evolution Handlebar
• WCS Caron 4Axis Stem
• WCS Carbon 1Bolt Seatpost
• WCS UD Carbon Road Fork

Suggested MSRP: $939.95

“The Ritchey Diet” pricing promotion for retailers runs through the end of March. Consumers should head into local Ritchey retailers for additional information.

About Ritchey Design, Inc.
Northern California-based Ritchey Design was founded by road racer, mountain bike pioneer and product innovator Tom Ritchey in 1974. The company is well-known for its technical merits through attention to detail during the product design phase, resulting in high-quality, reasonably priced road and mountain bike components. Under its Fit Logic philosophy, Ritchey Design offers a wide range of “cockpit” components (handlebars, stems and seatposts) that help riders custom fit their bikes for a more efficient and comfortable. Ritchey Design also offers a complete line of innovative products ranging from headsets to tires for professional racers and the serious weekend rider, as well as its line of “Break-Away” travel bicycles for traveling cyclists. For more information about Ritchey Design, please visit www.ritcheylogic.com.