I purchased a P3 this past spring and I love it. I am very comfortable on it and it definitely is faster than my other bike, as it should be (old C-dale, RSX components, w/ forward seat post). While I still only have "regular" (Cane Creek Volos) wheels - no disk or deep disk wheels (yet) - I have buried my previous PR's on my P3. I must admit that the bike is probably only 1/3 of the reason - with another third being the confidence factor when I look down at the rear wheel cutout and think "that's cool, I must be going faster than my other bike, let me pedal even harder and see how much more I can cheat the wind" and the last third being the maximal effort that comes from the fear that I will not do the bike justice. On my old $800 bike, I used to revel in passing people with $5000 bikes. Now the shoe is on the other foot - and frankly, I am a better cyclist for it!

I would get the Rocket...wait...I did get the Rocket!

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What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?

Going with those choices, I'd say a new bike will be a pretty big improvement. The problems with the windshear were that it wasn't that aero, it wasn't that stiff, you couldn't go that low on the front, and it was heavy. All of these problems have been taken care of by your three bikes of choice.

My first pick would be, If you like the softride, stick with softride.

Second, If you aren't quite happy with the way it feels or responds, maybe it's time to look for a new company. Both Cervelo and Guru are solid picks. Both should be pretty comfy (Cervelo's aluminum technology, and Guru's carbon rear-ends.) The Cervelo will be a little more aero, but some how you just can't get the Guru paint jobs out of your head.

As far as fit goes, try them both. Cervelo uses pretty sensible geometry and offers a wide ranges of fit. Guru has traditionally had long top tubes, which made the bikes hard for some people, but great for others.

My final thought would be go check out all of them, ride them, and go with which everone you fall in love with.


-I love Girls, and I love bikes, now if only I could get one to love me back

What size bike are you looking for? I will probably sell my rocket tt7 (large) after IMFL...

Having spent all last winter and spring going through this same process, I would still go with the P3. I did a series of sprint, half and then Ironman Wisconsin on it...along with all of my training rides...and I only have one complaint - that I didn't get to ride it even more this summer.

I think it's a light bike overall - but certainly not going to be outlawed by the UCI for being too light...and even though it is aluminum, I thought the ride quality was as good or better than my Trek Postal bike.

Hydration on the P3 or the Softride is going to be tricky...so that is a wash...you'll need an aero bottle or an x-lab to get it to work for long distances...

I also like how Gerard is always available for technical advice....don't know that I see many other company heads hanging out in the forum.

Have a great time shopping - but give the P3 a very serious look...reasonably priced and very, very fast.

I would buy a Dual or P2K and put the extra money into a nice set of race wheels or a couple of ironmans or something.

Both of these bikes are the equal of the Chrono.

The Rocket is a different animal altogether - while it may test well in the windtunnel, the long head tube makes it difficult to streamline the 150 pount nut on top. Plus it's suspended which means it will ride more cushy than the others but possibly/likely be a PITA for maintenance.

And the P3 rocks, but it is only a tad bit better than the P2K at twice the cost.

Good luck on the spouse thing. We keep separate accounts for our toys so I don't have to answer for my bike spending. You and your wife may want to consider setting up such a system where you each get an "allowance" every month.

Three super nice bikes but I can tell you I lust after every Guru that goes out of here. They are incredible. Guru has achieved a level of sophistication and workmanship I'm not seeing in any other triathlon bike. Both the Crono and the Trilite are killer. If the Trilite fits you (since they do custom there is almost no way it can't) it is an incredible Ironman bike. Super comfortable, super stiff, super good workmanship and the only Deda Black-Box carbon rear end on a tri bike in the industry.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Another option -- buy the P3 frame/fork, and swap the groupo from the other bike.

This is what I did for my '00 P3; kept the whole thing under two grand (count on $2099 now). Haven't regretted it for a moment -- it's faster for sure, though this has as much to do with improved positioning and biomechanics as the intimidating/beautiful frame design itself.

My sense is, all in all, it's worth ~70-90 seconds on a 40km TT at 26-27mph over my (also beloved) Spectrum custom Extralight Ti, which is a much pricier bike.

Life is short, fast is good.

The best way to make this decision is to ride all of the bikes. Test riding a bike that is the right fit and set to the correct position would wish to ride will make the decision easy. If you wish to ride a Softride sign up at www.softride.com and I'll set you up with a test ride in your area.

I'm not trying to make your decision more difficult, but you might want to check out the Elite Razor. It's in the same price range as the other bikes, with one distinct advantage: custom sizing. The bike is made to fit you exactly. I got one at the beginning of the season and cut over 30 minutes off my half-IM time (18 from the bike, 12 from the run).

My previous bike: a Softride Windshear with HED Deep rear, Jet front

Website: http://www.elitebicycles.com

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Lou Savastani
Drinker (with a triathlon problem)

my $.02

I've been riding and racing a Guru Crono for two years now and I absolutely love it. It fits like a glove (custom sizing makes a huge difference) and the pure sex appeal of the bike makes me want to ride it all the time. Having a new bike will always make you faster because there is just that extra bit of motivation to get our and ride, to "earn" the right to ride that flashy new steed. In two years I went from a MOP'er to placing in my age group in most of the tri's I enter. All this after having been on a Cannondale MS800 as my first tri bike (I rode that one for two years as well). The decision for me came down to the fact that Guru offers custom sizing and Cervelo doesn't (I have short legs and a relatively long torso so this was important for me). Also, the Guru paint jobs are just amazing, and you can't discount that - cervelo make great bikes, but their paint jobs are rather pedestrian.

My guess is that it's not the aero advantages that make a new bike faster (although they are a factor), it's the extra motivation one has after investing $3,000 US (or $5,000 CAN) in a new bike.

Good luck convincing your wife!

MP

John,

I'm really thinking about going w/ the Crono. Is it comfortable on long rides? Thanks.

As a rocket owner who used to ride a softride solo--I wish I had looked at the titanflex bikes. Price is much more reasonable and the ride is just as nice--maybe nicer

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Jon Bergmann
http://jonbergmann.com

I know a guy who has a Chrono and he says it's great on smooth roads but a bit harsh on chip-seal types of roads. Of course the same can be said for most any bike...

Gerard of Cervelo has said it before and I would have to agree - position is more important to comfort than suspension of frame material. I've been training the last month on a new aluminum "hardtail" that is very similar to a P2K or Chrono. I was expecting to have some discomfort or lower back fatigue since all my IM distance training in the past has been on a classic-beamed Softride. To my surprise, I have felt as good or better on my long rides (up to 112 miles so far) on the hardtail.

You know how they say the most important thing in real estate is location, location, location? I think the most important thing in biking is position, position, position. I would not discount the Guru based on "ride quality".