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Found: Cervelo R3 Mud – Extremely Limited Edition Cobble Racer

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Limited edition Cervelo R3 Mud Paris-Roubaix replica race road bike

According to UCI rules, pro teams must race a production bike in sanctioned events. Or, at least, the same bike has to be available to consumers. In what feels like forever ago, Cervelo provided a few racers with what seemed to be custom R3 bikes for Paris Roubaix.

Dubbed the R3 Mud, it had wider stays and fork to fit 30+C tires. To comply with the rules, word is they made a few of the frames available for sale, but no one had seen them. Until now.

Our friends at Freshbikes in Arlington, VA, are pretty tight with Cervelo and have been informed only ten were made for worldwide sales. They ordered five of them, and the first two just arrived…

Limited edition Cervelo R3 Mud Paris-Roubaix replica race road bike

Retail is $2,900 for the frameset (frame, fork & headset). Compared to $2,000 for a standard 2013 R3, it’s a bit more expensive, but has an upgraded fork that’s more like the team fork with a higher modulus carbon and lighter weight.

Limited edition Cervelo R3 Mud Paris-Roubaix replica race road bike

Clearance for standard brakes is pretty tight with 33C tires like the Specialized Trigger Pro’s they used. This is an admittedly high end build, but you could use a long-reach brake caliper to add clearance.

Limited edition Cervelo R3 Mud Paris-Roubaix replica race road bike

Limited edition Cervelo R3 Mud Paris-Roubaix replica race road bike

Actual weight for the size 54 is 940g and the fork is 380g.

They’ve got this complete bike and four framesets in or arriving soon. Sizes 51, two 54’s, 56 and 58.

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GP
GP
11 years ago

Pardon my ignorance, but how will adding a longer reach brake add clearance since the brake pivot is in the same spot?

mack
mack
11 years ago

^the brake bolts onto the fork/frame higher so the seatstays and fork crown and clear the larger tires. longer brakes are needed to reach the rim since the brake is further away from the rim. if you put regular road brakes on that bike, the brake pad would grab the tire instead of the rim.

Brandon
Brandon
11 years ago

GP: You aren’t ignorant, it won’t help. While there may be some calipers that don’t hang quite so “low” in relation to the bolt position as the new Red ones, this is once again a case of poor reporting.

Adam
Adam
11 years ago

@GP, the brake caliper itself hangs down lower than the fork crown. Some brake designs have inherently more room than others.

Patrick Ypperciel
Patrick Ypperciel
11 years ago

@ Gp Spot on brother ! it’s not a matter of Long reach or not but mostly design, a single centered Pivot design like in the (good old Days) is more likely to have better clearance in the center part of it . Just sayin’ ….

Sevo
Sevo
11 years ago

Yep. Want.

Yeahaaa!!!_
Yeahaaa!!!_
11 years ago

Just 10!?

Matt M
Matt M
11 years ago

Isn’t producing only 10 bikes bending the rules? Oh well, no one likes the UCI anyway…

Omar
Omar
11 years ago

Yes, please!

Mindless
Mindless
11 years ago

‘Mud’ and no disk brakes? It’s 2012, not 1912.

Brandon
Brandon
11 years ago

@Mack: That IS a regular short-reach road caliper on that bike.

Jon
Jon
11 years ago

Red is a short reach brake, 39-50mm range. The pads are at the bottom of the adjustment range.

All that installing a mid-reach brake (47-57mm) would do is cause you to have to move the pads near the top of the slots.

The limiting factor here is the A-C height of the fork, and brake bridge placement/CS length of the frame. The brakes have nothing to do with it.

DBordewisch
DBordewisch
11 years ago

Right on “Brandon” is bike rumor a blog or a legit news source? Poor reporting. Bike Rumor is quick and seems to post everything without question. They can go back and at the least edit there content. This would show the ability to learn.

Steve
Steve
11 years ago

@DBordewisch

*edit THEIR content*

dale
dale
11 years ago

I hate all the sneak dissers on these comments. Bike Rumor has the goods!

shawn
shawn
11 years ago

PLEASE stop adding the letter “c” after tire widths! They are not 33c tires (or 23c or 25c or etc…) They are 700C x 33mm. Tires are measured in millimeters. The “c” is nothing other than a designation regarding wheel size.
Yes there used to be (a long time ago) 700a 700b and 700c. Just like we now have 650b (MTB) to go along with 650c (small triathlon/road wheels)

alex
alex
11 years ago

mud? with no clearance, I don’t think so. Hopefully in another couple years all “road bike” will use standard reach brakes and have some actual clearance.

nick
nick
11 years ago

everyone who whinging about clearance… that’s a freakin’ UCI max-legal CX tire in a road bike… that’s reptty amazing.

there would be a whole lotta room whatever the brake with a 27mm odd tire

nick
nick
11 years ago

*pretty

D. Bordewisch
D. Bordewisch
11 years ago

Good catch on the “there/their” Steve. Just remember I do not host a site that generates ad revenue for me. Nor do I accept products or take trips for free to test ride then report on my experiences. If you are going to act like a journalist then be willing to conduct yourself as one, Bike Rumor. Proof your reports, check your facts, make revisions. This is not “hating” it is and should be striving for excellence.

RED
RED
11 years ago

Shame about the hideous looking Cervelo paint job… again

theendinfrench
theendinfrench
11 years ago

The bike is interesting but the hidden slat wall guides in the brick work is AMAZING!

I’ll get my coat…

mtb
mtb
11 years ago

A mud bike w/ very little tire clearance and regular road caliper brakes?

Anyone buying this bike thinking it’s applicable for muddy cross trails, well I have a bridge in brooklyn to sell to you.

And, to tack on another $900 to basically their road frame, well that’s pretty shady.

Ben
Ben
11 years ago

@theendinfrench
thats just a brick print on regular press board slatwall. you can buy it from slatwall suppliers.
but I do admit. it looks awesome

DC Cycle Chick
DC Cycle Chick
11 years ago

A response to the comment on the brick slatwall. It’s not a brick print; it’s a 3D surface that’s actually MDF covered with a polymer face in a Red Brick design. You can find it on this website: http://www.mfried.com/slatwall. I hope that helps!

bum
bum
11 years ago

Shawn – The entire industry uses ’23c’ when describing tires and tubes, your complaining will not change anything

SYJ
SYJ
11 years ago

mtb – you realize that this is not a cross bike, but rather a special purpose road bike sold in limited numbers to satisfy homologation rules so that Garmin can use this frame for Paris-Roubaix and Flanders, right?

Mike
Mike
10 years ago

Do you know if a normal cx tire (clement mxp or challenge griffo) would fit, ESP if something like the textro r730 long reach caliper is used?

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