I'm looking to move from my current P4 to one of these two bikes this offseason. Cost not being an issue, which would you choose? Here are a few factors:
- I'll be racing primarily 70.3's for the next 2-3 seasons but may look to do some full IM's after that.
- Nutrition/hydration: or 70.3's I'm a "live off the land" sort of guy nutrition-wise so my nutrition/hydration carrying needs are pretty simple and either bike could accomodate them easily. I carry one bottle of Gatorade Endurance BTA and one bottle of water behind the seat. Gu's and Clif Bloks go in the bento box. No idea if that will work for me for a full IM, so I may need more than that at some point.
- Storage: On my current P4 I've converted the aero bottle to a tire/tool box (didn't everyone?). The PX-series has a box there already. The P5d, for some reason, has a bottle there. I'd have to hack one of those up to make it a tool carrier, or find an aftermarket solution to carry tools and tubes.
- Aero: I "think" that with just one bottle BTA and one behind the seat, the P5d is slightly faster but I can't find any aero data comparing these two bikes. IIRC, the P5d was faster than the P5x, and I'm pretty sure the PX-series is slightly slower than the P5x. However, this is all lkely just splitting hairs and trivially small differences compared to getting my fit dialed in on either bike.
- Comfort: Has anyone ridden both of these that can offer a comparison? I'm not normally a big believer in frames accounting for much difference in ride comfort; I think tires make exponentially more difference. However, given that one is a traditional frame and one is a beam bike, I think this is a more pertinent question with these two bikes.
- Weight: I know the PX-series is lighter than the P5x. Has it closed the gap to the P5d enough that it's not a significant issue on hilly courses?
- Travel: I'm not planning any international races (and won't be KQ'ing any time soon), and I usually use a service like Tribike Transport for US races that I don't drive to, so flying with a bike isn't a major consideration.
- Trainer use: Is there anything about either of these bikes that would be a problem using them on a Tacx Neo trainer? I do a LOT of my training on the trainer in Zwift so being able to put the bike on the trainer without issues is a must.
Any other factors I haven't considered?
Given all of this, what would you choose, and why?
Thanks!
- I'll be racing primarily 70.3's for the next 2-3 seasons but may look to do some full IM's after that.
- Nutrition/hydration: or 70.3's I'm a "live off the land" sort of guy nutrition-wise so my nutrition/hydration carrying needs are pretty simple and either bike could accomodate them easily. I carry one bottle of Gatorade Endurance BTA and one bottle of water behind the seat. Gu's and Clif Bloks go in the bento box. No idea if that will work for me for a full IM, so I may need more than that at some point.
- Storage: On my current P4 I've converted the aero bottle to a tire/tool box (didn't everyone?). The PX-series has a box there already. The P5d, for some reason, has a bottle there. I'd have to hack one of those up to make it a tool carrier, or find an aftermarket solution to carry tools and tubes.
- Aero: I "think" that with just one bottle BTA and one behind the seat, the P5d is slightly faster but I can't find any aero data comparing these two bikes. IIRC, the P5d was faster than the P5x, and I'm pretty sure the PX-series is slightly slower than the P5x. However, this is all lkely just splitting hairs and trivially small differences compared to getting my fit dialed in on either bike.
- Comfort: Has anyone ridden both of these that can offer a comparison? I'm not normally a big believer in frames accounting for much difference in ride comfort; I think tires make exponentially more difference. However, given that one is a traditional frame and one is a beam bike, I think this is a more pertinent question with these two bikes.
- Weight: I know the PX-series is lighter than the P5x. Has it closed the gap to the P5d enough that it's not a significant issue on hilly courses?
- Travel: I'm not planning any international races (and won't be KQ'ing any time soon), and I usually use a service like Tribike Transport for US races that I don't drive to, so flying with a bike isn't a major consideration.
- Trainer use: Is there anything about either of these bikes that would be a problem using them on a Tacx Neo trainer? I do a LOT of my training on the trainer in Zwift so being able to put the bike on the trainer without issues is a must.
Any other factors I haven't considered?
Given all of this, what would you choose, and why?
Thanks!