Marketing... Personally that was one of the reasons why I bought Guru. Not many Guru bikes on the racks, I don't like following trends.

Cervelo seems to have a better price point for what you get. I don't really know much about guru as the isn't a dealer that close to me, but I havn't seen one for less than $2K. Cervelo gives you 2 choices around $1600, and the p2k around $2100.

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Striving to have sex more than 66 times per year

Yeah, mostly marketing. Guru's biggest claim to fame was Whitfield's Olympic win. Both Canadian and both great bike manufacturers, but very different. Cervelo is the marketing genious of the tri bike world - a la Trek for roadies. The Carbon P3 is a great example.

Guru hand makes ALL their bikes in house with no outsourcing at all AND they do so with all of the major materials: aluminum, titanium, carbon and steel. I can't think of any other manufacturer that does this. That is why custom frames and paint aren't much extra since they are building them basically that way to start with.

See Tom D's multiple write ups about Guru's quality (pain, welds, etc.) for more info ...

Yes, I ride a Guru as well :)

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Fatigue is biochemical, not biomechanical.
- Andrew Coggan, PhD

Well, I see the problem with Guru's right there - it's all about the pain...

I see a number of reasons:

Cervelo is out there with the athletes both pro and back of pack

Cervelo seems to have more presence and channels

Cervelo is priced way better than Guru

Cervelo sponsors a Div 1 UCI pro bike team

Aside from that, I own a Guru trilite and would like to get a Carbonio tri. Cervelo does not offer a steep bike in 700c size 51 in carbon. I think Guru has a better overall offering. Their website while slick, is high on glitz but a bit light on technical content, something that is very important to most high end bike buyers.

Dev

:) Yup, cycling is all about the pain ... and nice PAINT helps dull some of it :)

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Fatigue is biochemical, not biomechanical.
- Andrew Coggan, PhD

            Marketing. Man, Cervelo advertises everywhere. Some people seem to think they invented the aero bicycle, that they own the seat tube wheel cut out, for whatever it's worth. I think it's just the consequence of having an aero seat tube and short chainstays, but the marketing department makes it sound like you can't leave home without it.

Cervelo's are also pretty cheap. You buy a Guru with Dura-Ace, You get DA across the board. Same with Ultegra. That costs. But quality costs. With Cervelo, you get a mix of their parts, shimano, someone else's crank and BB. That's why Cervelo's run a little heavy. All that mix saves Cervelo money, but the customer pays for it in the long run when they start replacing and upgrading parts.

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

I was going to buy a p2k until I read Dan's review, and Tom D's review of Guru. I'm very happy with my Cron Alu, but wouldn't have considered one without the information from this site.

Your'e spot on about that Sweeney. Guru uses Ultegra and DA build ups (mostly) and they use the ENTIRE set (i.e. crank, brakes, bottom bracket, etc.). 'gotta love those Cervelo brakes. Hell, an entire DA10 component set costs about as much as an entire Soloist (which is a fine bike I might add).

I think consumers on this site are far more savy than avg and appreciate quality - there are probably more Guru owners here than anywhere else.

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Fatigue is biochemical, not biomechanical.
- Andrew Coggan, PhD

It's the Slow Twitch factor.

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I'll be what I am
A solitary man

I'm not sure of the actual size of the Guru VS Cervelo, that may be one reason, more dealers, more agressive marketing, etc.

I've worked with Guru this year for 5 of my key clients across Guru's range, from the new carbon Chrono all the way down to the flite,
all have excellent build quality, well designed and custom built based on fitting feedback and measurements they requested.

Tom Evans: Chrono (tri), Carbonio (road)
Simon Whitfield: Chrono (tri), Carbonio (road)
Jasper Blake: Aero Ti (tri), Carbonio (road)
Natasha Filliol: Trilite (tri), Racelite (road)
Colin Jenkins (U23 Nat Team) Flite (road)

Including the above athlete, I've done more than a dozen fits this year on various Guru bikes - now if I could get them to cut me a deal I'd be looking at a new chrono for myself ;-)

Joel

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JoelFilliol.com - check out the Real Coaching Podcast

Joel, just get your wife to sell you one of her Guru's at the end of the season :-).

Hope to see you and some of your studly crew at Muskoka Chase !

it was a tough call for me - guru or cervelo.

could have gone either way. I got the dual , but if money was no object I 'd buy a guru and tri that for a year just to compare.

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"the trouble with normal is - it always gets worse"

- Cockburn

That is a very good question, and one I frequently ask myself. Actually, it is rather frustrating. I sell Guru and Cervelo. Both great bikes, and that isn't just a political answer. The two companies are vastly different as are their products.

While this is true of both companies, Guru is a company that takes a degree of sophistication and real knowledge on the buyer's part to truly appreciate. It is rare to sell someone a Guru as their first bike. Usually a more experienced, discriminating buyer is a Guru customer.

Guru makes some interesting products. Nothing is low end, but there are entry level price point bikes. Everything is hand made using the best materials. The stuff is super good. I will argue that their least expensive tri frame (the Cron-Alu, which I own one of) is their nicest overall tri bike. The rest of the tri line fills some interesting gaps in the product offerings of other companies.

I'm kind of glad in a way Guru doesn't sponsor a ton of athletes and market their product ad nauseum. The proof for Guru is in the ownership and buying experience. I've owned three. I love these bikes.

To own a Guru and race and train on one is to understand why they are so good. If you are a dealer and don't sell them you are missing out on a great experience working with some fine people like Marc and Robert at Guru. These guys are tops.

Here are some interesting Guru facts:

• Our store has never had even a single Guru defect or mis-spec out of all the bikes we've sold.
• We have never seen a Guru frame break, even under crash conditions.
• Since Guru makes their own frames, lead times are usually manageable and reasonably forecastable.
• Guru can do custom geometry spec on every bike in their line, this is extremely useful for "tweeking" their existing geometry which is pretty darn good.
• Guru still sells frames only, leaving you and your dealer the option to spec it any way you like. You aren't tied to buying a complete bike.
• There are almost no decals on a Guru. The graphics are painted on.
• Guru sends a coffee table book to their customers upon registration of their bike at the gurubikes.com website with insights into the company and its people as well as glimpses inside the Guru factory where your bike was made. One page includes each employee recounting thoughts on the very first bicycle they ever owned as a child.
• The first men's Olympic Gold Medal in triathlon was won on a Guru by a Canadian athlete, Simon Whitfield, in Sidney.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com