Take one look at its tall head tube and then let's discuss exactly what the Cervelo RS is not. It's not a "comfort" bike. It's not a "century" bike. It's not a "sport touring" bike. It's a throw-down, haul-ass road racing bike -- one you'll see used not infrequently by Team CSC throughout 2008, especially by taller riders like Allan Johanson. It bears a strong resemblance to Cerv lo's stupendously popular R3 model.

If it looks so similar, you might ask, does it really serve a unique purpose? The answer is yes, and in learning how it differs from the R3 you'll soon understand the role of the RS in the Cerv lo line.

• Squoval downtube & chainstays - Optimized for the highest possible stiffness-to-weight ratio (STW), the downtube and chainstays have a Squoval shape.
• Multi-shape toptube - The toptube loading case is a lot more complex, hence it is Squoval near the headtube and seattube and oval in the center section.
• Oversized bottom bracket area - The increased volume of the bottom bracket area provides great STW. The smooth contours of the BB volume help both for this BB stiffness and also for its strength as the fibers have a much more continuous path to transfer the loads better.
• Lay-up optimization - The stiffening plies are added to the sides of the tubes where they have the greatest effect in bending. They are feathered to distribute the loads into the structure. We also add more plies on the bottom of the down tube, the headtube and the toptube to distribute the loads from a potential headtube impact. Finally, we add Kevlar to that same area and downtube to prevent catastrophic failure.
• RS Seatstays - Based on the revolutionary R3 seatstay design, the RS seatstays offer even more vertical compliance thanks to their built-in deflection mode.
• Longer headtube length - Same handling philosophy as our other road bikes, but with longer headtube for those who prefer a higher handlebar position.
• Special XS size - The new XS size completely eliminates toe-overlap.