How well does this bike climb with say Mavic Kyserium SL wheelset.
Heard it's quite stiff, but slightly on the heavy side??

i have a 07 Soloist Team with ksy. SL's. the bike is plenty stiff. the weight all depends on what you are doing i guess as well as the rest of the build. I find it fine for 1500-2000 ele. plus climbing days.

Since when are you not able to climb up hills on a heavy bike? I believe 10+ years ago the TDF rode on bikes heavier then a OEM spec'd cervelo soloist team.

CSC raced that bike before the cervelo carbons were designed. You don't need a 15 lb bike to climb a hill.

As a point of reference my size 56 (with paint not anodized) comes in at 18.1 with Ksy SL's 220 g tires, normal tubes, two cages, and my computer and HRM. Its not near 6.8 kg, but It doesnt seem to slow me down any.

Since when are you not able to climb up hills on a heavy bike? I believe 10+ years ago the TDF rode on bikes heavier then a OEM spec'd cervelo soloist team.

CSC raced that bike before the cervelo carbons were designed. You don't need a 15 lb bike to climb a hill.

Yes sure..I hear what you say, but then everyone had heavy bikes by todays standards back then. The lighter and stiffer the better, that's why I am asking, how well does the Soloist team climb, or would I be better of with something like a cannondale CAAD8

There has been a pretty extensive debate on this... basically it boils down to the whole aero vs light argument. essentially there is a tipping point depending on how many watts you can put out and how much you weigh... where on a climb aero trumps a given weight savings. use analyticcycling.com to to play with the numbers..

There is also the whole faster elsewhere theory... if you were building a bike for hill climbs only.. well i would think the setup would be much different that if you were building an everyday training bike.

What are you planning on doing with it?

Basically training rides and most of the local races. Basically 1-day race focused.

My 54 cm soloist when it was all OEM parts was 17.9 lbs.

I bet you 5 bucks I could beat you up a HC climb in the alps with my cervelo soloist team than you on the lightest cannondale supersix that is under 13 lbs.

I ride a Soloist Team with Kysrium SL3's. Right now it's modified from stock in that I have Ultegra brake calipers (instead of the crappy Cervelo brand calipers), FSA K-Force crankset, and either a 12-25 or 12-27 Ultegra cassette, depending on the terrain. The bike is great on the flats and even hills. I thought the 12-25 was too small for me. So I switched to a 12-27 and am really happy b/c I can do pretty steep grades and long gradual climbs while seated at a reasonable cadence (b/t 70-90rpm). I thought about the Cannondale CAAD8 for a while before buying the Cervelo. Ultimately it came down to personal taste, and the fact that a 51cm Cervelo has a taller headtube than a 50cm Cannondale. Fit is also important, since the fit will determine how comfortable you can be on the bike, especially on long rides. Bad fit will sap your energy at some point. The Cervelo fits me great after I'm dialed in. In the end, buy what fits you best. A CAAD8 is lighter than a similiarly equipped Soloist because the CAAD8 is lighter. I don't know which is stiffer, but the alum Soloist is plenty stiff for a light guy like me. But for some reason I like the aero quality of the Soloist, which seems to give me a bit of an edge while riding on anything but hilly terrain. The Soloist Team with Kysrium SL3's and a cassette suitable for your climbing ability should be great for you. Right now I'm in the process of upgrading all the components and wheels to Dura Ace and Zipp 404's tubs so the bike will be as "pro" spec. Hope this helps, and good luck.

Hey,

I have a Soloist with Campy Carbon and Mavic sl's. I comes in around 17.5 or so and I weight about 178lbs. Personally I think it climbs amazingly well. Every pedal stroke pushes the bike forwar-nothing wasted. No it's not 15 lbs, but it's a darn good climber!