As one of the toughest tests for racing bicycles, Paris-Roubaix is extreme. Very few of us however are going to ride on cobbles like those found in the race so it’s kind of a moot point, but could that proven toughness translate well onto average UK roads? I headed down into some of the country roads around Surrey and Kent and, in an unusual step, sought out the roughest, most potholed roads, something I would normally avoid, to put the R3 to the challenge.

How did it cope? Admirably, in a word. On my first few rides on the R3 it felt muted, but I’ve since realised that is purely because the frame does such an impressive job of damping that it could be accused of being a bit soft. But it isn’t soft, not at all. On these rough roads there’s a level of smoothness not matched by many other frames of this calibre.

You still feel them, the bumps, but they’re sort of smothered. Where some frames will send a searing shock through the frame and into your hands, arms and butt, the R3 softens the hard edges noticeably. On roads where the Tarmac is broken up or there’s a scattering of gravel, a lot of which I rode through in the Tour of Wessex recently, the R3 instills a great deal of confidence. And towards the end of six hour rides, where I would normally expect some degree of fatigue and discomfort from being shaken around all day, there was noticeably less.

Thankfully, this quest for ride comfort hasn’t taken away the frame’s very core credential: its stiffness. It’s immediate, instantaneous and lightning quick, qualities which have been useful to me in the road races, crit races and sportives I’ve been using the R3 for in the past weeks. Lateral flex is noticeable by its absence, and that huge bottom bracket area means you can really stand on the pedals and move it from side to side and it responds to even the minutest of body position changes. Handling is pin point too, with tight cornering made a cinch and sudden line changes just a minor flick of the body.

I chose the R3 for the Tour of Wessex recently, a three-day 320 mile sportive that I thought would be an ideal test scenario for the bike. And I wasn’t wrong. There was a ton of climbing and the feathery weight made climbing almost laughably easy [especially when you attacked me up Cheddar Gorge – ed.], but aside from the weight was just how well the frame responsive when pushed hard. You never felt like any pedal stroke was wasted. The comfort, as I’ve already touched on, was impeccable, and there were some particularly un-smooth sections of roads and plenty of gravel. In fact, the only gripe was the very limited tyre clearance in the rear triangle – several times a small stone would get temporary caught between tyre and frame, resulting in a nasty sound. But luckily no punctures. It’s assumed the RS, Cervelo’s sportive specific version of the R3, should resolve this problem with increased tyre clearance.

Have I made any changes to the R3? Well, a switch from the Shimano Dura-Ace 7850 wheels to Mavic’s R-SYS wheels gave the bike an increased agility and their extra lateral stiffness gave the Cervelo a more precise and pointy feel, especially handy around Crystal Palace’s tight and twisty circuit. The saddle was also changed for a Prologo Scratch for more comfort.

There’s a lot to like about the R3. Its lightness, its stiffness, its ride quality, even its looks. Niggles? Well, the white paint job is a pain to keep clean, with dust, dirt and brake dust showing up straight away. But that’s just being fussy.

Is there such a thing as a perfect bike? Perhaps not, at least not one that everybody could agree on. One thing is for sure though, the Cervelo is on the short list. The best bike I’ve ridden this year…

More at www.cervelo.com and www.madison.co.uk.