I know this is pretty subjective but I’m wondering if anyone out there is on a PX series and happy with it or found that the beam-bike novelty wore off after owning and racing one. I know of one for sale locally and it’s a bike I’ve always found interesting but I know they’re discontinued and I’ve only ever seen one in the wild. I’m thinking of checking it out and making an offer but thought some present day owner input might help a bit.
I know people who have one and still seem to love it. I still think it’s a fast frame, maybe a bit behind in nutrition storage option although now that big, high mounted BTS bottles are all the rage, probably not a big deal.
I have one, and like it.
You can ‘hack’ an integrated hydration system (see https://custombikexcessories.com/products/ols/products/cervelo-p3x-p5x-px-fuelselage-bento-box). It’s pretty heavy but very fast and stable. Don’t really care if it’s a beam bike or not. Lots of integrated parts so not necessarily easy to add reach or other things but I guess that’s similar to many modern bikes, it needs to fit you first. Very convenient to travel with.
I have one that I still ride regularly. I also have the last gen P5. I’d say this: it rides “heavier” than the P5, but I have always enjoyed it for longer hauls. I like how easy it is to adjust the cockpit on it (same with the P5, which is why I have stuck with Cervelos in the past few years). I have no issues with storage, etc. The only problem with the PX is the dumb as heck cap they designed to cover the blip box if you run SRAM on it. I’ve broken two of them and was super lucky I was able to get replacements (nowadays, I could probably 3D print it).
I’ve had plenty of different tri bikes over the years and the one thing I think has a big impact on ride feel is the wheelset and tires you run. My local bike shop has been awesome about letting me test different brands, etc. I’ve been lucky to race with a bunch of people over the years with plenty of disposable income and feedback is always the same: ride what you feel comfortable on and because of the adjustability of the PX, it has made that part of tinkering a lot easier.
Just FYI
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6413357
(I’m also on my second cover, haven’t tried this but would likely 3d print it if required given the long lead time last time around)
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Thank you @jcbesse!!! I guarantee I’ll end up needing this again.
Also, you mentioned something that I’ve forgotten because I’ve traveled with it so much… it is super nice to travel with if you got the travel case that came with it…
I still have my 2018 P5x; I’ve always liked the beam bike look, and test rode a few of the alternatives prior to buying. Never had much use for the Biknd V4 helium travel case it came with (apart from 1 round trip usage to and from the guy that did the whole-bike custom artwork). I put on the linked-to hydration system (with the discontinued Fuelselage bladder) and like it quite a bit, although I use it mostly for plain water or water+ electrolytes. I have a round very strong magnet at the end of the drink tube just below the drink nozzle and a corresponding round magnets on my aerobars, both positioned so that I just have to drop the nozzle and the magnets usually just reattach so the tube doesn’t flop around.
I had one for all of 2023 and loved the bike. There is more comfort on a beam bike than traditional double diamonds. This was my second beam after a dimond got totaled from being hit head on. I ride a lot of poor/cracked pavement in Tucson, AZ. The beam with newer wide tubeless wheels makes an almost unbeatable setup for road isolation.
It has all the storage you need, never trying to figure out where to put things. Set up with 3 bottles I have all hydration covered and nutrition as well with the bento, tools in the above bottom bracket + bail out kit. Under downtube had my flat kit. Never limited on space.
Biggest down side, it is heavy. No other way to put it. Rode it at Nice last year and it was a tank with all the climbing.
Only other knock I can think of is that the base bar is wide. I ride size small frames and it felt like the bars are wide gravel bars on the horns.
Super stable at speed and never gave me any doubts.
I wish they kept making it and continued to evolve it.
The only reason I got rid of it was the lack of parts support with production being discontinued. Seat post got cracked and it took 2 months to get a new one. That was the final straw as I knew it will be harder to find parts in the future.
There are tons of posts about the junction box/blip box cover. I traveled with the bike a lot internationally and had no issues or cracks. I believe the key came down to not over tightening the cover. The shop I purchased the bike from showed me to barely snug the two bolts that keep it in place and I feel that allows it to absorb a little flex vs being tightened down to the point that it can no longer allow any movement. It is not a structural piece just there to make things look tidy.
I saw 2 the first year they came out and haven’t seen any since.
I’ve got a P3X and will be racing it this weekend at Ironman Canada in Penticton. Will be my 9th Full and my 6th Full on the P3X.
It is heavy, but does climb surprisingly well. As comfortable as I’ve ever been (not saying much) on a TT bike. Really have no reason to get rid of it or even consider another TT bike. Will likely ride this one till I possibly legacy into Kona one day, then consider hanging it up…
I have a p3x and have done 5 IM on it. I love it, it’s super comfortable, very adjustable, no lack of storage. The only worry is that, as noted above, some of the bespoke plastic bits are now totally unavailable. I’m lucky to have 2 storage boxes and 2 di2 covers, but if the storage box on the downtube ever dies, I’m hosed. It is on the heavier side, and I found that in a side wind at IM StG a few years ago it was pretty sketchy on a fast descent with 80mm wheels. It does not like the strong side winds (think 30+mph). Given what bikes cost these days, I can’t see getting a new one with less storage just because it’s new. I can carry 3 bottles on it, 1 BTA and 2 BTS. if I really wanted, I could carry a fourth on the triangular storage box too, but have never felt the need. You can cram about 8 SIS gels into the bento box on the top tube.
Really good replies guys thanks so much - my biggest concern is the climbing since I tend to do hilly courses but it sounds like it’s at least ok at that. I think I’ll at least check it out. The lack of available parts scares me but if the price is right I could be tempted.
P3X owner and maybe slightly different from most in that I predominantly only do sprint tris these days so hardly ever use the storage. I chose the p3x over a p5d as the geometry on the large was a better fit for me, falling between a 54 and 56cm (talking front centre here not pad x/y). Best handling Tri bike I’ve owned. Feels really planted on descents, accelerates well out of corners and plenty stiff for steady state triathlon climbing. I personally think they climb really well despite the extra couple of pounds, especially with a solid disc in the back.
Really good replies guys thanks so much - my biggest concern is the climbing since I tend to do hilly courses but it sounds like it’s at least ok at that. I think I’ll at least check it out. The lack of available parts scares me but if the price is right I could be tempted.
The aero matters more than the weight of the bike for probably 90% of the minutes you will be on the bike racing given how 95% of the courses in triathlon are set up. Your specific area may be a bit different but I suspect you spent much more time in aero than climbing if you looked at how your bike course minutes break down over the season.
I’ve seen people turn in top 3 pro bike splits on 22-23 pound bikes outriding bikes 3-5 pounds lighter just due to better aerodynamics.
My wife and I love ours. We recently rode them in a grand tour of all Switzerland. Every day included at least one HC climb. I wouldn’t recommend it as a dedicated climbing bike but it did great. Sadly, TSA broke the front brake off the fork and I’m riding a traditional frame while it gets fixed. One thing I found interesting, I never thought about the comfort when I first rode the P3X, but as soon as I switched back to my old bike I thought “Wow this is a harsh ride!”.
That being said, the lack of parts is disturbing.
I know this is pretty subjective but I’m wondering if anyone out there is on a PX series and happy with it or found that the beam-bike novelty wore off after owning and racing one. I know of one for sale locally and it’s a bike I’ve always found interesting but I know they’re discontinued and I’ve only ever seen one in the wild. I’m thinking of checking it out and making an offer but thought some present day owner input might help a bit.
I still ride a P3X - in 2019 Cervelo offered me one at a very good price. It was a huge upgrade from my Shiv, the biggest difference was climbing and descending performance. I have upgraded it over the years and have a custome cockpit, in-frame hydration system (mentioned in another post), SwissSide wheels, 54/39 chainset.
As others have mentioned, it is a bit heavy, however, I qualified for Kona at Lanzarote (probably the hilliest IM course), and got a podium in Wales, another really hilly event - basically I am good at hills, the bike may cost me a tiny bit of time, but think that we are talking seconds. Neither is it the most aero bike, the latest generation are a bit more aero and a bit lighter.
The P3X is super comfortable, this is an important consideration for an AG triathlete - having the fastest bike in the world is a waste of time if you cant maintain an aero position.
If I was in the market today for a brand new TT bike, I would probably look elsewhere, however, I have no plans to change. The P3X will accompany me to IM Portugal where my aim is to get onto the podium and qualify for the WC in Nice. If you see a good one, at a good price I would go for it, it is a solid bike, which makes a sensible set of trade offs, ideal for an AG triathlete
I never had any issue riding it in windy conditions, so a little surprised to see some of the comments here - I think that some of this is due to the SwissSide wheels, which are really good in windy conditions - maybe the P3X is more sensitive to wheel choice than other bikes. In IM Lanzarote, I actually had the 3rd fastest time on the Strava KOM segment on the descent towards Playa Blanca - I was really pissed off after a bad swim and went down at full speed, with a tail wind - I vaguely recall think that it was a little marginal, but fortunately did not crash - the reason this is significant is that Lanzarote has so many great riders training there, that getting anywhere near a KOM is incredibly hard.
I have a PX for 2 years now and really like the bike, just enough storage for nutrition on race day IMO, too much storage for tools. With some carefull choosen components you can have a decently light triathlon bike.
Im drooling over a colnago TT bike but i might hold the PX at leat one more year. Hopefully something worthwhile will pop into the market until then.