Cervelo was founded by two engineers, and they have systematically attacked the design problems evident in road and time trial bike applications. This page contains information about Cervelo's engineering detail, and which bikes the detail applies to.
Smartwall for Carbon
Upon hearing Smartwall, most people immediately think of Cervélo’s method to obtain excellent lateral stiffness in an TrueAero tube. But the Smartwall principle is universally applicable, not just on aero tubing. After the tube shapes are optimized, the lay-up allows us to further refine the character of the bike. In fact, Squoval tubes are very well suited for the Smartwall application as they have two sides that are very far removed from the central plane – i.e. adding even a small amount of extra material there increases the lateral stiffness significantly. To properly distribute the loads from the Smartwall section into the rest of the tubes, the additional plies are feathered.
Applies to: R3, R3SL, Soloist Carbon, SLC-SL, P2C, P3C, P3C Track
Squoval
The downtube and chainstays of a bicycle frame mostly see lateral bending, even if the frame as a whole is in torsion. Yet virtually all frames on the market sport round or oval downtubes and chainstays. Excellent shapes to counter torsion of those tubes, but not lateral bending. A box section is the best shape to counter lateral bending, which is why we use a box-inspired shape on the Soloist Carbon chainstays (of course the downtube on the Soloist Carbon is TrueAero-shaped for aerodynamic reasons). On the R3, we squared off the box shape even more, leaving only a small ovalization of the shape to boost its buckling strength. This squared-off oval, or Squoval, significantly increases the stiffness-to-weight ratio (STW) of the shape in lateral bending and is used in the chainstays and the downtube. The front and rear of the toptube also use the Squoval shape, but it transitions to oval in the center to counteract the torsional loading in that section.
Applies to R3, R3SL
TrueAero
When Cervélo first started using tube profiles as designed by the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA), it caused quite a stir in the bike industry. These tubeshapes are the result of years and years of research and do a very good job of reducing the aerodynamic drag created by the tubes. We manufactured extrusion dies specifically for these NACA profiles, as it was the only way to get the tube shapes accurate.
But while NACA profiles are good, they are not ideal for bicycles. NACA profiles are generally designed for higher speeds, even those designed for "low-speeds" were made with speeds in mind that go beyond most cyclists' abilities. Therefore we have turned our attention to designing our own airfoils at Cervélo in the past few years, improving wherever possible on the foundation laid by NACA. The result is the latest family of airfoils, from the shapes used on the Soloist, Dual and P series TT/Tri bikes to the Wolf shapes optimized for frame and fork shapes adjacent to spinning wheels.
Applies to: Soloist team, Soloist Carbon, SLC-SL, P2-SL, P2C, P3C, P3C Track
Smartwall 2
The advantages of Cervélo’s original proprietary Smartwall butting are well known. By putting the material where it matters, we increase strength and bottom bracket stiffness, reduce weight, and optimize comfort. In short, this is why our customers are so amazed at the "un-Aluminum" ride quality and exceptional handling of our bikes.
The new Smartwall 2™ builds on the original Smartwall downtube with a new bulge-butted seat tube and a tapered & ovalized top tube. The butting and shaping of the chainstays is also new. The new dropouts provide improved strength, reduced weight and easier wheel changes.
Applies to: Soloist Team, P2-SL
8 grams worth of engineering
Cervelo astounds with its ability to find small, seemingly innocuous pieces of frame material. In this presentation, they show you several seemingly small engineering details, many of which are incorporated in the Soloist Team. Despite their size, the effect of each of these details is quite amazing. One thing they all have in common is that they weigh 8 grams or less, and they are certainly worth their weight - and much more - in gold. You can view the presentation at the Cervelo website.
Applies to: Soloist Team, P2-SL
Warranty
Every Cervélo frame comes with a limited lifetime warranty for the original owner. For full details on this warranty, please see the Cervelo website. Please note that frames not purchased from an authorized dealer are not covered by any warranty.
Applies to: All Cervelos.