The old P2 and P3. The curved seat tube of the P3 was really cool to see.

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And just let me clarify on the original post this is assuming all things are equal meaning the bike could fit your numbers and would work for you.

The Shiv is holding up really well for a bike released in 2011.

I guess it depends on how you define "best"? The P4 is still every bit as fast (or faster) than many current production bikes, but you can't use the newer wider wheels in the back, and it doesn't have built-in hydration or bosses for bento boxes or ability to wire it up for Di2, or other "modern conveniences" that newer bikes have.

Which raises the question if the bike has such a cult following why doesn't Cervelo do a new production of it with some more modern conveniences.Bring back long and low.

Cervelo P2

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Eric Reid AeroFit | Instagram Portfolio
Aerodynamic Retul Bike Fitting

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Hands down the Specialized Shiv. They released the bike in 2011 and it is still fast enough to get their pros on top of the podium even at Kona. Also the Shiv is still a faster bike than alot of new bikes out there such as the Cannondale SuperSlice.

P3SL. duh.

Just my .02, I think it is a very select 'following' here on ST for the P4.

Out of the 200+ folks in my local tri club, I've never heard of anyone complaining about not being able to get long/low enough on any of their bikes...

Oh - I think the 'best' one produced in the past 5 or 6 years, Trek SC. It just works, everything on it works, super clean front end, huge dealer network, etc.

I think the most 'popular', probably the P2?

This.

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Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

P3C was the bike that changed the market.

The aluminum P3 was super cool, and P2C's that followed are big sellers.

But in my opinion the bike that changed everything into a mainstream bike was the P3C. Very adjustable (even if long and low, lots of them has some "spacers"), not too many proprietary parts, you pick the front end you want, you pick the wheels...they'll all work.

Now, since then bikes like the Trek SC's offered a better integration, the Specialized Shiv a very functional bike, QR very easy to work on, etc.

Back in the 90s it would have been a Kestrel KM40 or a Softride beam bike...

Does the Trek SC have a press-fit bottom bracket? Those are annoying to work on.

The P3 started the war, so has to be near the top of the list, but the Trek Speed Concept is the best Tri bike ever made:

Aero? Check...one of, if not the, best
Highly adjustable to fit a variety of athlete's? Check
Lots of storage options? Check
Build options? Check and then some
Handling? Check
Great warranty & customer service? Check

Maybe a few tenths off for "travelability" and LBS knowledge, but it's far enough ahead in all other areas to not effect the outcome.

Time and time again, the lowest CdA's we see are on this bike. After several years of testing and getting those results, there's no denying it's tough to beat.

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Jim Manton / ERO Sports

i agree. the speed concept revolutionized the way bikes were designed in the aero segment. it was no longer about companies making time trial bikes for pro tour cyclists that triathletes bought and stacked up real high, it was about making triathlon bikes for the mass of tri consumer that the pro tour riders used as second priority.

- No bento box bosses: not an issue for people racing sprint & olympic/standard (like me :-)
- No Di2: Solved by SRAM eTap
- No wide wheels: Oh well. We're going to have to make do with HED wheels then I guess.

I've been riding that sexy beast for 6 seasons now, since 2012. And the only, only problem I have with it is that damned rear brake. And my solution for that is to just not use it. And I have no plans to "upgrade".

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Citizen of the world, former drunkard. Resident Traumatic Brain Injury advocate.

I'm with you 100%. I love my P4. I merely brought up those points because as soon as you say the P4 is the best someone will chime in and say that it's crap since it doesn't have xxx.

BTW - I may be in the minority here, but I don't understand what all the hand-wringing is about wrt to the rear brake. It's a tri bike. The rear brake, in conjunction with a good front brake, is more than sufficient to get the job done. If my road bike had braking like that it would be terrifying on steep descents, but on a tri bike I just don't see the problem.

You telling me you never spent half an hour of your life you will never get back because you took out your rear wheel to do something innocuous - maybe clean your chain stays, or (gasp) replace your tube - only to have the rear brake, which was aligned perfectly before (after a similar half hour of frustration) rub? And you have never, after that half hour didn't solve anything, said "fuck it" and left the brake open? Then you're a better wrench than I am.

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Citizen of the world, former drunkard. Resident Traumatic Brain Injury advocate.

So what I'm saying is that the fussyness of the thing is a bigger problem for me than the lack of braking power, since I actually employ the same approach as you - don't use it.

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Citizen of the world, former drunkard. Resident Traumatic Brain Injury advocate.

Yeah, well... from an ease of adjustability standpoint it leaves something to be desired ;-) I was speaking mostly to braking performance, which I think is adequate.

I really want to get on board with this if only for the S/R numbers on that bike but when Jens took a P2k and a P3C into the tunnel it wasn't even funny the delta between them. I might love my aluminum soloist team and we sold soooooo many P3 (al) and P3SLs at ATC but those aero numbers have me taking the P3C. This thread was over at the 2nd post :)

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36 kona qualifiers 2006-'23 - 3 Kona Podiums - 4 OA IM AG wins - 5 IM AG wins - 18 70.3 AG wins
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Agree Richard...I don’t care about bosses for a bento box...it’s just not that important to a race set up for me...but I still think the rear hydration/storage options are better on the P2/3/4...especially if you prefer tubular wheels...which I still do...and the rear wheel issue to me is a non-issue as well...just use a zipp 900 in the rear...808 in the front...I’m guessing it will be plenty fast.

Today, I just finished building up a new ‘11 P4 frameset...with a sram 1x build...so ready to get it out on the road.

You said TT/Tri. I kinda think of them as potentially different bikes and the definition of "best" is really tricky. Does it have to iconic or practical, or both... Most aero? Most versital?

I would vote for P3C but only if I could consider the carbon P3 in both the original and NP3 variants and you consider the "iconic" factor important.

P4 is too limited to the "racer snake" crowd and it really needs a 1000$ set of bars to be at the top of the aero heap. I looked at buying one and it is hard to find one with reasonable brakes and something like the Ventus bars. Water bottles are a hassle and at Master's TT this year the judges gave Kevin Nickel endless grief about his P4. People on P5s slid through without a second glance.

Best ever probably has to go to the SC or P5. Fit options, better high-yaw performance and integrated storage on the SC make it best Tri bike. The P5 consistently wins any wind tunnel test at low yaw, so P5 for TT.

It is press fit bearings. No cups, the bottom bracket is essentially molded cups, and you press bearings in. They are easy to put in and remove with some basic tools, but one issue is that some frames, including mine, sort of wore out a bit in the BB and would no longer hold the bearing tight. Trek's solution was a slightly oversized bearing which fits tight again. I do wish the frame used a different BB standard, so that I could use one of the nice aftermarket BBs, like the Wheels mfg stuff. The BB is really the only thing I don't love about the SC.