Newbie question: Cervélo P5 Six 2014 or Cervelo 2015

Triathlon Forum
1

I am new to cycling. A 36 year old, 171cm height and 68kg weight. 6 few months back I decided to participate Ironman UK(Bolton) in 2016(my first). So started practicing cycling(running+swim). My longest weekly ride is around 60-65 miles at an average speed of 15.5 miles per hour(Yes, I am a newbie). Elevation of around 700m during the entire ride. My knowledge of cycles is negligible. I made my first puncture only 2 months back. I ride a road bike, with a normal road helmet. At present I have a planet-x pro road bike with below specs which I purchased 6 years back, specs as below -

CBPXSLPR1SL Pro Carbon SRAM Red
HBPX6061SD-42-BLK-3181Planet X Road Bar Strada Shallow Drop / 42 cm / Black / 318 mm Clamp BIKE BUILD
BUILD-Y1Build Bike Yes Free BIKE BUILD
CASRRI-10-11251SRAM Rival 1070 Powerglide Cassette / 10 Speed / 1125 BIKE BUILD
CHSRPC10501SRAM PC1050 Power Chain 10 Speed BIKE BUILD
CSFSGC-172-BLK-5034-BS1FSA Gossamer Pro Compact Chainset Megaexo / 1725 mm / Black / 50/34 Compact / Includes BSA Thread Bottom Bracket BIKE BUILD
FSPXFCENT-1181Planet X Carbon Fork Bung Centre Pull System / 11/8 BIKE BUILD
FMSRRE-BR-DB1SRAM Red Front Mech / Braze On / Double BIKE BUILD
FMPXCLAMP-349-BLK1Front Mech Band on Clamp / 349 mm / Black BIKE BUILD
BTPXCO-BLK1Cork Bar Tape / Black BIKE BUILD
HSFSOCE-118-BLK-INT-151FSA Orbit CE Headset / 11/8 / Black / Integrated / 15 mm Stack BIKE BUILD
HSPXALSPACER-118-BLK1Superlight Headset Spacer Pack / 11/8 / Black BIKE BUILD
TUNUMTB-1823-700-PRE2Nutrak Inner tube / 1823mm / 700c / Presta BIKE BUILD
SAPXSL-CRO-BLK1Planet X Superlight Team Saddle / CromMo Rails / Black BIKE BUILD
SCPXSV-3491Planet X Svelte Seatclamp / 349 mm BIKE BUILD
SPFSSBSSL250-316-BLK1FSA SL 250 SBS Alloy Seatpost / 316 mm / Black BIKE BUILD
GLSRRE-DB1SRAM Red 10 Speed Double Tap Shfters Pair / Double BIKE BUILD
WPPXMODELB-700-SHI-20241Planet X Model B wheelset / 700 C / Shimano/SRAM / 20/24h BIKE BUILD

I want to buy a new bike for myself & zeroed in on P5 six. P5 comes in 2014 & 2015 flavour. Specs below -

1. P5 Six Di2 2014 Specs(£5500/-)
FrameP5 Sixhttp://www.cervelo-europe-dealer.com/uploads/tx_dcwproductdb/fork_05.pngForkCervélo Sixhttp://www.cervelo-europe-dealer.com/uploads/tx_dcwproductdb/brakes_05.pngBrakesMagura RT8http://www.cervelo-europe-dealer.com/uploads/tx_dcwproductdb/brakelever_05.pngBrake leverMagura RT8 CassetteShimano Ultegrahttp://www.cervelo-europe-dealer.com/uploads/tx_dcwproductdb/derailleur.pngRear derailleurShimano Dura-Ace DI2http://www.cervelo-europe-dealer.com/uploads/tx_dcwproductdb/shifter_05.pngShifterShimano Dura-Ace DI2http://www.cervelo-europe-dealer.com/uploads/tx_dcwproductdb/crankset_05.pngCranksetRotor 3D+ BBright™http://www.cervelo-europe-dealer.com/uploads/tx_dcwproductdb/gearratio_neu_05.pngGear ratiofront: 52/36, rear: 11-25http://www.cervelo-europe-dealer.com/uploads/tx_dcwproductdb/handlebar_05.pngHandlebar3T Adurohttp://www.cervelo-europe-dealer.com/uploads/tx_dcwproductdb/stem_05.pngStem3T Adurohttp://www.cervelo-europe-dealer.com/uploads/tx_dcwproductdb/saddle_05.pngSaddleISM Prologuehttp://www.cervelo-europe-dealer.com/uploads/tx_dcwproductdb/seatpost_05.pngSeatpostCervélo Aero Carbon SP14http://www.cervelo-europe-dealer.com/uploads/tx_dcwproductdb/wheelset_05.pngWheelsetMavic Cosmic WTShttp://www.cervelo-europe-dealer.com/uploads/tx_dcwproductdb/tires_05.pngTiresMavic Yksion Comp tires

2. P5 Six Di2 2015 Specs(£7500/-) -
FrameCervélo All-CarbonForkP5 ForkHeadsetFSA IS2 1-1/8 x 1-1/8”StemNot SpecifiedHandlebars3T AduroGrips/Bar TapeNot SpecifiedSeatpostCervélo Carbon, Aero, Rail-AdjustSaddleISM ProloguePedalsNot IncludedFront BrakeMagura RT8 Hydraulic RimRear BrakeMagura RT8 Hydraulic RimBrake LeversMagura RT8Front DerailleurShimano Dura-Ace Di2 9070 11 spdRear DerailleurShimano Dura-Ace Di2 9070 11 spdShiftersShimano Ultegra Di2 R671CassetteShimano Dura Ace 9000 11spd 11-25ChainShimano HG900 11 spdChainrings52/36ChainsetRotor FLOW BBright™ AeroCranksNot SpecifiedFront HubHED Jet 6 Plus SCTRear HubHED Jet 6 Plus SCTRimsHED Jet 6 Plus SCTFront TyreContinental Force/Attack 330 tpi, 700x22/24c, Continental Grand Prix 180 tpi, 650x23cRear TyreContinental Force/Attack 330 tpi, 700x22/24c, Continental Grand Prix 180 tpi, 650x23cInner TubesNot SpecifiedBottom BracketRotor PF-30ExtrasNot Specified

I have budget of around £6000/-. So my options are -

  1. I buy 2014 model now or
  2. I wait until October and buy 2015 model

I need advice on below points -

  1. Which model is better value for money?
  2. Which model should I buy?
  3. Should I(Do I need to) upgrade the wheels to save money by swapping at the time of buying as the old wheels will degrade in price?
  4. Anything else I should consider?

Please pardon me if my questions sounds stupid considering me novice :slight_smile: .
Many Thanks in advance!

2

Be aware that if you buy that bike a lot of people will laugh at you for spending too much relative to your abilities.
If you care about that sort of thing, you might start with something more entry-level (like P2/P3) and upgrade later. It will not hold you back at all.
If you don’t care, buy the 2014. There is nothing about the 2015 to merit blowing your budget.

3

THe P5 is a complicated bike to make adjustments on. Not really a good idea to get one unless you have already refined your position and will not need to change much going forward.
Something easily adjustable like the P2/P3 is a much better idea as a first tri bike as you can easily change the position as you adapt to riding that style of bike

4

adult onset triathlete with 6 months in the sport and already has a road bike.

Budget - 6,000 GBP

spend nothing - ride the roadbike
spend <3,000 GBP , buy a P3 or similar - use the rest for holidays with the family, trips to the alps for training, coaching etc
spend 6,000 GBP on super bike

mate, I’d be looking at option 2, P3 ( with Di2 ) is Sweeeet, as in a Planet X or Boardman mid spec bike…

I have middle age tri friends with both a P5 as well as older P3’s… all of then wish they’d not got the P5 and now mostly use the P3s, especially if we’re travelling to races.
and in these cases, it’s the older P3 not the great current P3

when the most lovely Mrs AVAGO said, Kona bound, let’s get you a bike… no limits…
a high mid spec bike was my only real choice, even with no budget limits.

but that being said, if you want a super bike, then the P5, if it fits you is an awesome bike…

5

I went from a P2 to P5 (2014) bought on sale a few years ago. Awesome bike!! I added a HED Jet 6/9 wheel set.

The secret sauce is to buy the bike from a Cervelo dealer who knows the bike and can fit the bike to you.

6

Lmaoooooooooooooooooooo chill out on buying a p5
.

7

@rickthebrick - Thanks for your suggestions. I don’t care about people whom I don’t know & they can very well laugh. Does not bothers me. My objective here is to improve on my speed. For that I am doing -

  1. Training hard
  2. Getting the right equipment

Hard & fast can be relative term. I want to see better results.

Do you think P5 has no advantage over P2-P3?

8

@cyclenutz - Thanks, that’s a really good point. It is bothering me a lot. I will ensure unless I am really happy with position, I will go with P2/P3. If I feel comfortable with position on P5 then do I buy a P5 or you still think P2/P3 is a better option.

9

@Avago - What is the reason your friends prefer P3 over P5? Why did you not yourself go for P5 even when you going to Kona?

10

Thanks @wills29! What advantage you get from a dealer? I was thinking of getting the bike from the shop offering me cheapest quote.

11

@cyclenutz - Thanks, that’s a really good point. It is bothering me a lot. I will ensure unless I am really happy with position, I will go with P2/P3. If I feel comfortable with position on P5 then do I buy a P5 or you still think P2/P3 is a better option.

I have a P5 and race at 24-26mph in 70.3s (though not this season, racing/training has taken a back seat). I got that bike in from the first production run (glossy paint), since then the P2 & P3 have been upgraded to share many features and if I were buying now I’d not bother with the P5 - right choice of parts on the P2/3 will get within fractions of the performance with a simpler bike.

If you do this properly you will start with a conservative tri position. Then in a couple of months you should have adapted enough to lower the bars a bit. Then again after a bit more time. Maybe shoulders narrower. Or able to handle a bit more reach to the bars. Choosing a bike that is going to take a 4hr job every time you need to make simple adjustments is going to limit your ability to adapt the position as you improve.

12

The main speed difference between the P5 and P2 is that the P5 has a fancy aerobar (see windtunnel testing for tririg alpha-x).
Depending on what position is best for you, you may not even be able to use that fancy aerobar that comes on the P5 (for me, it is better to have forearms tilted up 12ish degrees. I can’t do that on the P5.).
So the best approach is to buy the P2, let your position evolve with experience to where it is totally dialed in, then upgrade the aerobar (or sell it at that point and buy a superbike since then you will actually know what you need).

Really you should be spending much more time worrying about what fitter you are going to hire than what bike you are going to buy.

On the other hand if you get the P5 it will be easier to fantasize that you are Dave Scott and Mark Allen’s love-child while training (and make sure to do said training with disc wheel, aero-helmet, and skin-suit for full effect).

13

THe P5 is a complicated bike to make adjustments on. Not really a good idea to get one unless you have already refined your position and will not need to change much going forward.
Something easily adjustable like the P2/P3 is a much better idea as a first tri bike as you can easily change the position as you adapt to riding that style of bike

x about a million

14

Thanks @ cyclenutz . I would like to explore this option as well & would appreciate your help.

I had a quick look at P3. It comes in following flavours -

  1. Cervelo P3 Ultegra DI2(#4499/-) -

Fork
Cervélo All-Carbon, P3 Fork

Headset
FSA IS2 1-1/8 x 1-1/8”

Seatpost
Cervélo Carbon, Aero, Rail-Adjust

Rear Derailleur
Shimano Ultegra Di2 6870 11 spd

Front Derailleur
Shimano Ultegra Di2 6870 11 spd

Shifters
Shimano Ultegra Di2 R671

Brake Calipers
Shimano Ultegra 6800

Brake Levers
Shimano Ultegra ST-6871

Bottom Bracket
Rotor PF-30

Crankset
Rotor 3D30 BBright™ 52/36

Aero Bar
3T Aura Pro

Stem
3T ARX Pro

Saddle
ISM Prologue

Cassette
Shimano Ultegra 6800 11 spd 11-25

Chain
Shimano HG700 11 spd

Wheels
Mavic Cosmic Elite S (700c), Vision Team 30 (650c)

Tires
Mavic Yksion Comp 120 tpi, 700x23c, Continental Grand Prix 180 tpi, 650x23c

  1. P3 Ultegra £3299

Fork
Cervélo All-Carbon, P3 Fork

Headset
FSA IS2 1-1/8 x 1-1/8”

Seatpost
Cervélo Carbon, Aero, Rail-Adjust

Rear Derailleur
Shimano Ultegra 6800 11 spd

Front Derailleur
Shimano Ultegra 6800 11 spd

Shifters
Shimano BSR1, 11 spd

Brake Calipers
Magura RT6 Hydraulic Rim

Brake Levers
Magura RT6

Bottom Bracket
Rotor PF-30

Crankset
FSA Gossamer BBright™ 52/36

Aero Bar
3T Aura Pro

Stem
3T ARX Pro

Saddle
ISM Prologue

Cassette
Shimano Ultegra 6800 11 spd 11-25

Chain
Shimano HG700 11 spd

Wheels
Mavic Cosmic Elite S (700c), Vision Team 30 (650c)

Tires
Mavic Yksion Comp 120 tpi, 700x23c, Continental Grand Prix 180 tpi, 650x23

  1. Cervelo P3 Dura Ace 2014 £2999
    FRAMECervelo P3 CarbonFORKCervelo FK37HEADSETFSA IS2STEM3T Arx ProAEROBAR3T Aura ProFRONT BRAKEMagura RT6 Hydraulic RimREAR BRAKEMagura RT6 Hydraulic RimFRONT DERAILLEURShimano Dura Ace 9000 11spdREAR DERAILLEURShimano Dura Ace 9000 11spdSHIFT LEVERSShimano Dura Ace 9000 11spdCASSETTEShimano Ultegra 6800 11spd 11-25CHAINShimano Dura Ace 9000 11 spdCRANKSETRotor 3DF BBright™CHAINRINGSRotor NoQ 52/36BOTTOM BRACKETBBright™ PF-30BRAKE LEVERSMagura RT6FRONT WHEELMavic Cosmic EliteREAR WHEELMavic Cosmic EliteFRONT TYREVittoria Diamante Pro Light 220 tpi 700x23cREAR TYREVittoria Diamante Pro Light 220 tpi 700x23cSADDLEISM PrologueSEATPOSTCervélo Aero Carbon SP14

You mention right choice of parts. Which bike will you pick from above and what parts would you replace/add/remove?

Thanks again!

15

Just buy the Di2 version and upgrade the other parts as you go forward. It doesn’t sound like price is an issue for you, so upgrading a bunch of parts on the aftermarket should not be an issue. Enjoy the bike!

16

Just buy the Di2 version and upgrade the other parts as you go forward. It doesn’t sound like price is an issue for you, so upgrading a bunch of parts on the aftermarket should not be an issue. Enjoy the bike!

I’d disagree and go with mechanical P3. It comes with Magura brakes and loses iffy routing of the e-tubes. Di2 version does not have clean routing THROUGH the basebar from any shop. They will tape the e-tubes to the bar and not drill the bar as would be necessary for “clean” e-tube routine (as it would void any warranty from 3T).

17

FWIW, I started on a very basic road bike and ended up upgrading to a P2 (2013). I have been doing Triathlon for about 5 years now, and while I wanted to go out and get as much as I could for a triathlon bike, I opted for a smarter decision and went with the more affordable option. Moving to a tri-bike, was a sweet transition and it made such a world of difference. Like someone else mentioned, save the extra money and use that for any future upgrades such as hydration, saddle, wheelset, etc.

18

You mention right choice of parts. Which bike will you pick from above and what parts would you replace/add/remove?

P3 has a lot of parts I’m not that fond of, so I prefer to build from frameset.

But before then we need to take a step back - you don’t know yet that the P3 offers the right sizing for you.
The thing that will make the biggest difference to your IM performance and enjoyment is the advice you get.
Coach/Nutritionist/Swim coach on the physical side
Bike Fitter/mechanic/Shoe store on the equipment side

Best time to talk to a bike fitter is pre purchase. There are plenty of articles on the main page of this site detailing how this should work so I’d suggest you read those. Essentially - a good fitter will determine a good position for you and define the bikes that best suit. When I do this for clients I also define possible future positions and make sure the chosen bike can accommodate those potential future changes easily.

If you have a list of bikes that will fit properly you can then make a choice with confidence.

After fit we talk about other elements of the bike - like having a powermeter to enhance your training. Whether you want one set of wheels or training + racing. Maybe factor in purchasing a smart wind trainer. Spending on tools to enhance training will make more of a difference than flasher bike bits.

At the end of the discussion is the groupset on the bike - it’s relatively unimportant - any mid/high level kit will do the job.

Having said all of that - P3/P2 is pretty versatile for fit, so there is reasonable likelihood that one will work for you. I’d look at Profile or Zipp bars, Quarq powermeter, Shimano Ultegra parts (mechanical is fine).

Then work on building power, preferably with a coach, but maybe just using trainerroad to start.

You’re at a crucial decision making time right now. Just picking a nice bike is a small part of the picture. You have plenty of room to improve and the choices you make during this early phase will influence how big that improvement can be.

19

THe P5 is a complicated bike to make adjustments on. Not really a good idea to get one unless you have already refined your position and will not need to change much going forward.
Something easily adjustable like the P2/P3 is a much better idea as a first tri bike as you can easily change the position as you adapt to riding that style of bike

x about a million

x another million or so.

P5-6 is VERY finicky to adjust and work on. Even the P5-3 is dramatically easier to deal with in that regard.

But honestly, a P3 gives you likely 99%+ of the aeroness of a P5, for a fraction of the cost.
I’d go w/ P3 Ultegra (mechanical), and use the $ saved for a fitting, good wheels, aero helmet, powermeter, etc.