I am looking for a carbon frame that is light for climbing but also descend like on rails.
I kinda like the look of the R3 and am leaning towards that frame, but would like to know from those who has this bike how it handles on high speed descends. I've never ridden on a compact frame before, does it descend differently than a traditional geometry frame?

I currently have an Eddy Merckx MXL and it descends superbly. It gives me full confidence; however it's too heavy to climb with. On the other hand I have a Trek 5200, it climbs great, but on descends it feels rather nervous. I can't even tug my hands on the center on top of the handlebars and lean forward because the front wheel just doesn't feel planted.

kdub, check out the reviews. Most of the reviews talk about the quality of decents on this bike. I have had it for 3 months now and I'm incredibly impresed with handling and decending. I also have an orbea that feels pretty scary at over 35mph, on the R3 I can easily hit 40mph and feel really confident.
let us know what bike you get

I have had a Giant TCR, a Scott CR1 and a Cervelo R3.

The Giant never felt stable on a high speed decent. I did not get the infamous wabble, but it felt loose. The Scott was stable, and okay on taking turns. I found that the R3 was much different than the other two and different in terms of how I had set it up. I first used a 110 stem, and it was extremely stable when going down hill. I had to use more lean when turning than the other bikes, but it holds a line very hard. When I put on a 120 stem the handling became a bit different. Still quite stable, but slightly easier to turn. Considering how different the geometry can be on the same modle and different size, I think it comes down to the individual and how it works. I love my R3 whether it is going up or down.

hane you considered the soloist carbon?

Thanks for the replies. I read the reviews in RBR on the R3. It seems this frame really rides like a champ!

I'd like to pip in that the R3 is a riding dream ... if it wasn't for the fact that the soloist is just plain faster ( aero & stiff), I'd say that the R3 is perfect.

Our local Master's peloton is choc full of them as we pay for our rides and when push comes to shove, our gear has to be trust worthy as we all get decent pay to show up to work monday.

That said, I have absolute confidence in the R3 ( w/ the Reynolds ouzo pro fork) diving into corners, getting sketchy in the mix and sprinting for the line.

Like a previous comment, I went from a 110 stem to a 130 stem and have noticed a change in the overall stability ... too much weight on the front wheel ahead of the skewers will make the bike more twitchy ... I keep my hands back off the rubber of the hoods or on the flats of the drops when I've got the chin on the stem cap at full tilt downwards.

Remember to keep your chin up when going downhill cuz nothing will help you if you are looking down at your pretty white sidi's when a pothole/dog/car etc get into your trajectory at full flight

JH

What is the fork rake of the R3? 43? 44?