I am in the market for a new TT bike.
I have used Giant TCR SL road bike in the past but am thinking of switching to a TT/Tri bike.
Here is the question for everyone if you do not mind assisting me.
I am debating amongst
Cervelo P3 2013 (looks like available in a few weeks)
Cervelo P3 2012 - appears to be on sale in anticipation for 2013 model.
Cervelo P5 -obviously most expensive of the 3.
I do have enough budget for P5 but would love to save as much as I can.
I would love to be competitive, and would love to someday race in ironman. But I am not obviously going for professional level.
I originally wanted to go for P3 2012 but it seems like most of 2012 models are gone in my area (Los angeles, CA).
When I compare new P3 2013 priced a little over 4,000, it looks like it’s not a bad idea to make another 2,000 jump to get the Dura Ace model of P5.
Please let me know what your opinions are. Any advice will be appreciated.
I’d get a 2012 P3 and put the money that you will save into the rest of the toys: helmet, deep front, disc covered rear, power meter, TrainerRoad subscription, et cetera.
I’d get a 2012 P3 and put the money that you will save into the rest of the toys: helmet, deep front, disc covered rear, power meter, TrainerRoad subscription, et cetera.
Agreed, but get an actual disc wheel, NOT disc cover.
2012 P3 is a sweet looking bike, 2013 P3 is hideous…save your money for the additional toys!
I’d get a 2012 P3 and put the money that you will save into the rest of the toys: helmet, deep front, disc covered rear, power meter, TrainerRoad subscription, et cetera.
+2. Get the P3, get fitted on it by a good fitter, put TriRig Omega brakes on it, get fast wheels and helmet, etc. The P5 is sweet and if somebody gave me one I’d be thrilled, but the cost per second of time saved is way too high for me. If you’re in love with Cervelo then you can stick with the P3, but there are other great, fast, more recently designed bikes out there to consider in its price range (You could make the same mods to the Specialized Shiv, Trek Speed Concept 7 series, BMC TM02, Felt B2 or B12 (or the DA4 for a bit more), etc., and have a very fast bike that competes with the super(expensive)bikes.
Disc rear, if you have the money, or a disc cover if you don’t - they’re almost equally fast
Well-designed deep front wheel: in no particular order, Zipp Firecrest, HED Jet, HED H3, ENVE Smart, FLO 60, et cetera are all good options
Fast tires and latex tubes for both wheels. Conti GP4000S is a decent starting point assuming you’re into clinchers.
Agreed, that’s much of the low-hanging fruit.
The P3, unfortunately, still has cable routing that isn’t as aerodynamic as the other bikes I mentioned, so if you get a P3 there’s some time to be saved by paying attention to cable routing (search the forum for P3 cable routing. there have been threads about it). If the bike you get comes with a round base bar, updgrade to something more aero. Vision Tech alloy base bar is pretty aero can be gotten cheaply or if you want super aero you can get something more expensive. If you get a P3, both brakes are standard brakes with cables hanging out in the wind and could be improved by the TriRig Omega. If you get one of the other bikes mentioned then you would only have to replace the front brake. I have no connection to TriRig, but I’m happy that somebody’s making a decent aero brake.
Here are some pics of it on a P3. See how smooth it is with the frame and how the cables stay hidden from the wind instead of hanging out to the side like with a standard brake.
To the OP…If value for the $ is your goal, I would suggest a P2 decked out with nice set of latest generation aerobars and aero wheels, along with aero helmet, powermeter and a coach to help you progress. The money you save on the frameset will help to offset the costs of the others items that I have mentioned…and something like a P2 is not going to be liability in terms of speed.
If $ is not a concern, get a P5 or latest generation “super bike” because if you get anything less, chances are that you are going to want to trade up in a short period of timing knowing that you could have afforded it. Just keep in mind that you might be spending more $ on a bike that is not necessarily going to make you any faster than if you go the route of a P2 or the like.
I have a P3 but I would tend to agree that you might get a bit bigger bang for your buck with a p2 and some toys. Those brakes look really nice. I need to stop reading slowtwitch it is way to expensive.
There are used P5’s out there if you look hard enough. Not many but I already know 2 people who are 2nd owners of P5’s.
IMO you need to do a cost/aero benefit analysis of a P3 vs a P5 if you are going to drop more coin after the purchase on new bars, wheels etc. In the end a used P5 or another super bike may be a less expensive option after all is said and done.
I am in the market for a new TT bike.
I have used Giant TCR SL road bike in the past but am thinking of switching to a TT/Tri bike.
Here is the question for everyone if you do not mind assisting me.
I am debating amongst
Cervelo P3 2013 (looks like available in a few weeks)
Cervelo P3 2012 - appears to be on sale in anticipation for 2013 model.
Cervelo P5 -obviously most expensive of the 3.
I do have enough budget for P5 but would love to save as much as I can.
I would love to be competitive, and would love to someday race in ironman. But I am not obviously going for professional level.
I originally wanted to go for P3 2012 but it seems like most of 2012 models are gone in my area (Los angeles, CA).
When I compare new P3 2013 priced a little over 4,000, it looks like it’s not a bad idea to make another 2,000 jump to get the Dura Ace model of P5.
Please let me know what your opinions are. Any advice will be appreciated.
What size are you? I will have a P5-3 56cm with all new Red and Brezza IIs up for sale within a few weeks. Very little use. Only used as a back up to my P5-6. Message me if interested.
Hi…thanks for all the advices!
I am actually getting fitted for tri-bike tomorrow so I don’t know what my size is but as soon as I find out, I will PM you regarding P5!
Excellent! Looks like your fitter is using SolidWorks. That means they can find dimensions in any direction, between any two points. Ask him or her to have a look at Cervelo geometries and tell you what sizes are the best matches for those coordinates.
I’m just reading this post and I’m just about the same quandary. P5 or P3 - except for me I’m trying to figure out the actual speed difference between the two. Assume the same rider on the same 100 mile course is on a p3 and a p5 what is the time difference? If it’s seconds, I’m going with the p3. If it’s 15 minutes, I’m going with the p5.
Also assume aero helmet, zipp disc, firecrest 808 front on both bikes. I really want the p5, but I’m thinking its not worth the price difference - thoughts?
I’m just reading this post and I’m just about the same quandary. P5 or P3 - except for me I’m trying to figure out the actual speed difference between the two. Assume the same rider on the same 100 mile course is on a p3 and a p5 what is the time difference? If it’s seconds, I’m going with the p3. If it’s 15 minutes, I’m going with the p5.
Also assume aero helmet, zipp disc, firecrest 808 front on both bikes. I really want the p5, but I’m thinking its not worth the price difference - thoughts?
I’ll likely be in the market next year, same quandary. And like you, “I really want the p5”. So while even a P3 is more bike than I need or can take advantage of, I’d likely jump to the P5. There is a lot of value, at least to me, with having that silly grin on my face because I really like the bike I’m on. Now, in reality, I plan to go to a particular LBS that I’ve selected after visiting all the local ones and get them to do a fit and I’ll do my final brand and model selection based upon what currently fits and rides the best for me with an eye towards where I’m hoping I’ll be a year later as well.
I like the way you think! At Cervelo our mission is to help our athletes go faster, so knowing the expected performance boost is a valid way to choose a bike. I can help you with the time savings, but that’s only one side of the equation - whether the P5 is “worth it” compared to the P3 is entirely up to you.
For comparison, the P3 is firmly in the Superbikes category, still beating most tri bikes available. Which only makes the upgrade from the P3 to the P5 a more difficult decision for you! But that also means the numbers for the P3 are in the White Paper in figure 8 on page 8, so I can look up the time savings. From that page:
How much time can the P5 save?
In a 40 km race, this drag reduction saves roughly 24 to 44 seconds compared to the “superbikes.” The savings is even greater compared to typical tri bikes.
Your 100 miles is about 4 times that 40km distance so the time savings is about four times as well, or about 100 to 180 seconds. That’s about two or three minutes if I’ve done the math right in my head.
So now it’s your turn to balance the other side of the equation - is it worth it? Only you can answer for you.
That silly grin certainly counts for a lot. Thomas Campana, the Cervelo TestTeam manager in 2009, used to say there are two parts to having the best equipment: having the best equipment, and knowing you have the best equipment.
The mental side is huge! Of course the best possible scenario is the combination: having the best and knowing it. Powerful!
During your fit session, just make sure to get arm pad stack and reach as outputs. Then choosing a P5 is easy: just look up your arm pad stack & reach on the P5 arm pad stack & reach table. See pages 2 & 3 of the P5’s geometry PDF. You can also find the geometry on the P5’s web page (http://www.cervelo.com/...kes/p-series/p5.html) linked where it says “Download bike measurements”. Maybe print and take a copy to your fitter so they know ahead of time what measurements you’ll need. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions about it.
