Of those three, the Cervelo P2 is the best value and performer by a big margin. Cervelo is the most popular bike brand in triathlon by volume. In 2013, when they introduced the P2 and P3, they were the fastest things in that class you could buy.

Welcome to the forum and the sport

Of the bikes you've listed I would recommend the Cervelo P2.

As for the different versions of the P2 over the years...
In 2007 Cervelo introduced the P2C. The 'C' indicating it was a carbon frame (many of their frames prior to this were aluminum). They dropped the 'C' from the name in 2010 referring to it as just the P2 since they were only selling carbon frames by then. However there were no changes to the frame at all. In 2014 Cervelo released a new P2. There were some small geometry changes which you can read about here (https://www.slowtwitch.com/...and_new_P2_4131.html). Basically, they increased the stack height - simply put, the bike is a little taller so your handlebar is going to be a little higher if all other things are equal (spacers under the stem, etc). The bike is also a little faster, though I don't think it is a very big difference. The easiest way to tell if something is an old-P2 vs new-P2 is look at the seat tube and rear wheel. In the old-P2 there is going to be a small triangular space where the seat stays, downtube and rear tire all meet.

So the bike you are looking at is the old-P2. It is a very good bike with a lot of history. Chrissie Wellington won the Ironman World Championships in 2007 and 2008 on it and it was the most popular bike in triathlon for many years. Tom Demerly has a nice writeup he did on it that is worth reading through: http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/...cerveloP2C2008.shtml. From a personal experience, I rode a P2 from 2009 until 2018. It was a great bike, I had a lot of good results and sometimes I think I should've just kept it instead of selling it to get a "Superbike." As for pricing, look around a little bit. Since the frame was the same from 2007-2013, you might be able to find an older one for a little bit cheaper. I sold my 2009 last summer for $750 USD (and it had a couple upgrades like a better crank, better wheels, TriRig brakes and some storage parts).

In terms of the other bikes you are looking at, I don't know much of anything about the Kestrel Talon. The CAAD12 is a nice bike, but it isn't a triathlon bike. The plus side to that is if you decided you don't like triathlon and are not going to do more races, having a road bike is a bit nicer and more versatile. If you went this route, I would recommend getting a Redshift Dual-Position Seatpost as well as aerobars so you can easily switch from a road-based position to a triathlon-based position. But if you feel like you really want to get in triathlon and will probably stay with it beyond your first race, a tri-specific bike like the Cervelo P2 is going to fit better and be faster.

Happy to try and answer any other questions.

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Matt

As already stated the Cervelo P2 is going to be the best choice for a triathlon/time trial specific bike. I owned two of the original aluminum frame P3's in the early 2000's when they first came out... great bike... and the P2 is as well.

The one big piece of advice is to make sure that it is the right frame size for you...and if it is make sure you get a good bike fit after you get it. A great bike will not be so great if you don't fit on it properly!

To give you some insight to a seat post adapter...it will work in giving you a steeper seat tube angle, but it will also shorten the distance to the bars and you may need to get a longer stem to get the right fit for you. Depending on how much farther forward you go over the bike it may also change the handling characteristics. I had a Look road geometry bike many years ago that I put a forward seat post on and aerobars and it wasn't the best solution.

Cheers...and all the best doing your first tri!

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Member of the Litespeed Factory Team
www.litespeed.com

I have 2 Kestrel bikes, a road and a tri bike. I have never owned another brand so I cannot compare. I like both of my bikes. They ride well and shift smoothly. For the price I don't think you can beat it.