Doesn't the Plasma 5 come with 404/808's and the P5-6w/ HED 6 Plus as opposed to the crappy throwaways on the BMC? That certainly makes a difference in price too...

If you want the latest in integration and technology then go Scott. If you're penny-pinching BMC is fine.

Definitely not worth paying for the dura ace.
Probably not worth paying for the marginal aero difference either.

Then again, along that line of reasoning, for ~3 or ~4k you could get a P2 with a top notch aero bar and that might be faster than the BMC with easier to work on brakes.

---

---

Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

lol

---

---

Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

Right. Hold back, don't splurge, and get an $8,000+ bicycle designed in Switzerland. Do the right thing. For the children.

---

----------------------------------------------------------
Zen and the Art of Triathlon. Strava Workout Log
Interviews with Chris McCormack, Helle Frederikson, Angela Naeth, and many more.
http://www.zentriathlon.com

That's a good point regarding the wheels. I should have mentioned that I already have a set of Zipp Firecrests (404 front and 808 back) from my old bike which I will put under it so the better wheels on the other bikes are of limited benefit to me.

Considered the P2/P3 but would it be faster that the BMC? Also it doesn't come with integrated brakes which although easier to work on would I am sure be more turbulent on airflow and as a result slower. Also as far as I know the P2/P3 doesn't come with the Di2 either.

Just seems that the BMC ticks a lot of the same boxes that the other bikes do but at a lot more attractive price point.

Why not get the Plasma 5 as a frameset and source your own Ultegra Di2?

Looked into that option and the frame on its own for either the Cervelo or the Scott was nearly the same cost as the full unit for the BMC.

fyi http://www.nytro.com/...ime-trial-bike-23060

TM01 DI2 at 6999.

1) If you picked your parts carefully, you could make a P2 faster than the BMC
2) Integrated brakes do not always mean faster, but see #1 above and think TriRig Omega or Magura RT6
3) The P3 does come with Di2 in one if its specs but I personally would get the mechanical and upgrade to di2 if I wanted. With the stock bar on it the mechanical version of the P3 is way, WAY cleaner aerodynamically than the Di2 version.

I was once choosing between a P5 and a TM01.
I didn't take the TM01 since (jackmot already drew attention to it in post #3) it seems that you have to unmount a crank if you want to exchange the brakepads. That doesn't seem to be a ferrytale.
The maguras on the p5 are magnificent.

what would be your top notch aero bar? i'm about to get 2014 P2 and upgrading RD/FD/cassette/chain to DA with a Quarq. Only missing the aero bar. Best option?

The most aero bars are also often limited in adjustability, so you need to find one that will work for you

some options:

Find an aduro bar that someone with a P5 didn't want
TriRig's Alpha bar + sigma stem
Zipps integrated bar
3T Ventus
Use R1

Only a hair slower than than those are some of the Felt Devox bars

Vision has an integrated bar that looks nice but can only d r-bend extensions

---

---

Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

the size bike you want may be affected by your aerobar choice. so it would be wise to decide on a bar you want to use before picking the size bike you want. for example, I could not use the zipp integrated bar on even a 48cm p series bike as the pad stack is just way too much to reach my old pad stack. conversely, with the aduro, I need to use spacers of one sort or another to reach my old pad stack on the same size frame(not sure if old stack = new stack as that is yet TBD)

All these discussions on what saves you 1 watt here or there is so silly for 99% of the people buying a tri bike.

Weigh your options:
Where are you training and racing? Hilly courses, flat courses? Does braking matter to you? Does weight matter to you?

Which one looks prettier to you?

Which one fits you better? (Hint - you can make just about any bike fit you, unless you are a freak, which most people on ST think they are)

What is your budget?

I have owned 2 out of the 3 you mentioned. I had a problem with BMC TM01 rear brakes. They were always mushy for me. I like to slow down on long descents. But I'm in the Northeast where the roads suck and the drivers suck even more and the DOT was lazy and paved over mtn's instead of leveling it out for fat asses like me. Other than the brake, the BMC was AWESOME!

The P5 is awesome so far. Brakes are nice. Wrenching is fairly easy except for bleeding the hydraulic brakes. That sucks. Bike seems a bit heavier than my BMC, but that could be the beer and wings I have been surviving on for the past 6 months.

The Scott Plasma looks awesome. An all in one package. I'm pretty sure you can get the frameset for $6000 and then ebay the di2 ultegra for about $1500. So close to your BMC budget.

Which one do you think will make you want to ride it more?

Jack wants everyone to be like him and ride a P3 or P2 and then spend another $20,000 in upgrades to get it close to a Scott Plasma or P5. But he can save you 5 watts so you can go ahead and have that Royale with cheese and onion rings with mayo.

mmmmrrrrrreeeooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww :)

ps bleeding the magura does not suck, it is relatively straight forward, at least with the mini bleed kit. if you do it poorly you might spill 2-3 drops. time for a hue-manity gif

Unless you are a complete dumb ass and can't figure out what angle to have the bike in while doing the rear brake under the BB and collecting the extra fluid on the brake lever. Also, stripping the plastic screw on the brake levers is a REALLY bad thing as I now have to do the bleed process all over as fluid is seeping out of the stripped screw.

They are all great bikes but if it was me personally I would get a plasma 5 frame and build it up with di2. I have the plasma 3 now and love it. It has the perfect balance of weight, stiffness, and adjustability that works well for me at least. With the integration of the new one it's even better. I also think the BMC is an amazing looking bike as well. It terms of aero it's close to the other two but then again what position you can get into on the three can make a bigger difference. The BMC probably has the broader fit range of the three since it has the long and short versions of the various sizes. I also would not rule out a trek SC either as I have seen some pretty good deals floating around out there for frames and full builds

---

Andy Mullen
Team Zoot

Finnaly a logical thought. I get a chuckle when the power meter clowns start talking about yaw angles or how bike X is "faster" than bike Y. Yeah right. At the end of the day, 98% percent of riding fast comes down to the athlete. For me, the deciding factor on a new bike is the looks so I'm not going to ride a bike that looks like dog poop. A secondary consideration for me when purchasing a bike is try and keep the weight down.

you know, I forgot about the under bb aspect of the p5 as I bled mine on the p3 :)

screws in brake levers..........yeah, don't use an allen wrench and don't tighten down too much either. also be careful installing the olive/hose into caliper, it seems fairly easy that one could cross thread that as well.