I just got the new Cervelo P4 and the water bottle is built into the frame. I went for a ride and I have to reach very far to get it out. However, getting the bottle back in without looking down and crashing is really a problem for me. So basically I have stopped drinking while riding since I got the bike. Am I just a spaz, are my arms too short, or is anyone else having this problem? I am somewhat disappointed in the water bottle since I haven’t really been able to drink while riding without A LOT of trouble and there is nowhere on the frame to add a normal water bottle.
Maybe Cervelo didn’t put that much thought into the water bottle because they figured that you would finish the bike so fast and with such ease that hydration would not be necessary. Just kidding. I always thought that the bottle looked to be in an awkward spot, but it’s fast i guess.
Mount yourself a hydrotail or an aero drink and just leave the thing there as a fairing…not too big deal. Relax and enjoy the bike and dont freak about the bottle. Did you not ride the bike prior to buying it???
I have been riding with mine about 4 weeks now. From the first ride I knew the “bottle” was not practical. It IS too far down and too awkward. The space that the bottle occupies would be much better suited for extra tire/tube etc. If I could get a replacement bottle now I would experiment with the one it came with. My Tubi would fit perfect there.
HM
I heard that Cervelo is gonna release a bottle that is for storing stuff other than water…like tubes, tools, co2 etc. or a third party will do it…like xlab or something…either way maybe you can cut the top off the bottle and do it now with some duct tape (but that would look horrible on that beautiful frame)…but that’s just my two cents.
Doesn’t surprise anybody? I thought the same thing first time I saw the P4. Obviously Cervelo gave a lot more thought to aerodynamics than ergonomics.
Mount yourself a hydrotail or an aero drink and just leave the thing there as a fairing…not too big deal. Relax and enjoy the bike and dont freak about the bottle. Did you not ride the bike prior to buying it???
No they are only selling the frame at this point not full bikes. I have a P3 so I knew it would work for me.
I heard that Cervelo is gonna release a bottle that is for storing stuff other than water…like tubes, tools, co2 etc. or a third party will do it…like xlab or something…either way maybe you can cut the top off the bottle and do it now with some duct tape (but that would look horrible on that beautiful frame)…but that’s just my two cents.
Or perhaps in the future, if some sort of GPS or other electronic anti-drafting technology becomes common, Cervelo will offer an electronic countermeasures module for this space.
For training get yourself a behind the saddle mount to hold two bottles and mount a bottle on your aerobars. Should be more than enough for training. Put a high concentrate solution of your favorite drink in your P4 aerobottle and add it in to your other bottles when you stop during training.
For racing do the same thing and just change out the front bottle on your aerobars when needed. Sip the high concentrate when needed which will not be as much as the bottle on your aerobars and ditch the behind the saddle for race day. Over time and with practice you should get better using your P4 bottle but with a high concentrate you do not need to drink it as much during a race so you do not have to reach for it as often. You could also use a JETSTREAM bottle and just pour in a bit of the concentrate and add water at aid stations. This application has worked wonders for me for years.
Should cover both training and racing and life goes on.
There was a guy at NO 70.3 who had a P4. Leaving transition after the race he was talking to a couple of us. The race was his first time riding outdoors with it. During the race the bottle actually popped out of the cage…he had to stop, turn around and go back and get it so as not to ruin his bike’s aerodynamics. 
There was a guy at NO 70.3 who had a P4. Leaving transition after the race he was talking to a couple of us. The race was his first time riding outdoors with it. During the race the bottle actually popped out of the cage…he had to stop, turn around and go back and get it so as not to ruin his bike’s aerodynamics.
I hear replacement bottles are VERY expensive. And from my experience so far, VERY easy to lose.
I feel your pain. I have the new Look 596 in a size XL. Try reaching down to a bottle on an extra large frame. Even with my long arms, that bottle holder is a long way down.
Use the bottle for tire/tube/micropump, etc. Either cut the bottle open (reseal with packing tape), or wait for the official version Cervelo gear box that will fit there. That bottle was never intended to be useful, it allows Cervelo to fill a spot on the frame that they can’t do with the tubing due to UCI restrictions. Consider a hydrotail or similar in back for your H20 needs.
Thanks for all of the suggestions. Looks like i need to buy a Hydrotaii or similar setup. I was just wondering if in time I would get the hang of this aero bottle, but it looks like it will never get easy enough to use often enough. I think using it to store tires and tools makes more sense.
Yikes, an unusable water bottle placement on a bike, say it ain’t so… ;o). It was long suspected that this would be the case, it is really to bad considring the amount of time and effort that went into the design of this bike. Great engineeering at work I suppose.
are you a good bike handler? I would suggest practicing on the trainer until you get the hang of it. if it doesn’t happen then use it for tubes, co2, etc.
I just got the new Cervelo P4 and the water bottle is built into the frame. I went for a ride and I have to reach very far to get it out. However, getting the bottle back in without looking down and crashing is really a problem for me. So basically I have stopped drinking while riding since I got the bike. Am I just a spaz, are my arms too short, or is anyone else having this problem? I am somewhat disappointed in the water bottle since I haven’t really been able to drink while riding without A LOT of trouble and there is nowhere on the frame to add a normal water bottle.
Every time I see a post like this, I think to myself: what does someone like you do when they need to, e.g., adjust their cycling shoes…stop and get off the bike?!?
Every time I see a post like this, I think to myself: what does someone like you do when they need to, e.g., adjust their cycling shoes
How many times do you adjust your cycling shoes during a ride compared to the number of times you reach for a water bottle? I can easily adjust my shoes while riding, but admit it isn’t particularly convenient and wouldn’t want to be doing it frequently.
Plus, your shoes are a bit “outside” of the frame and you can pull the foot you are adjusting to the top of the pedal stroke. Not between your legs at the bottom bracket.
I thought the water bottle was put there to get around the rules and make the bike more aero. I never thought it was designed for use. I could be wrong—
I have ridden my P4 a number of times now. I honestly never thought the water bottle location was going to work and knew that it was as much for aerodynamic integration with the frame as anything else. So my plan was to put an Aerodrink on the front, and a rear mounted cage (like an Xlab product) to use for longer than Olympic distance events or training. I will leave the P4 bottle empty and just let it serve for aerodynamics.
I have played with using it while training, and while I think it is something you can get used to, it’s not great. Since I don’t like reaching down for water bottles mounted on the downtube (which is why I went to the Aerodrink), I’m not surprised that I won’t like reaching further down to get at the P4 bottle.
However, I noted the other reference here to the account of a racer whose water bottle popped out during a recent race. When I was out two days ago and had filled the bottle to test whether or not I would want to use it as such, I hit a rough patch of road and it jettisoned. That seems to be a function of the four indentation points that it slips into to hold it in place. They do not feel that “tight” which is probably a function of the fact that if they were tight, it would make it harder to get the thing out. This has only happened once but once is too many if you are in a race.
I also think that the weakness of the “hold” on the water bottle is a function of having it filled vs. empty. With a lighter grip through the four indentation points that hold it, it stays more secure in the frame. When there is the added weight of the water, it seems like a good hit on a bump creates more inertia and can cause it to eject. The fitting into which the bottle sits looks to be plastic perhaps, and so you can’t crimp it to squeeze the bottle more tightly.
Honestly, my initial reaction is that the water bottle and fitting design is less than perfect for this reason alone and Cervelo will need to address this either with a tighter (perhaps adjustable tension?) fitting, or make it out of a material that can allow it to be manually crimped to create more squeeze.
This all being said, I prefer accessing during-the-race hydration and similar needs without having to reach down (even on a bike with a downtube-mounted cage), and so I go with an Aerodrink and rear system, and would do so even on other bikes, so but for the ejecting issue, the water bottle doesn’t bother me. I will make sure it doesn’t eject in my next race by putting a strip of black electrical tape on either side (but that shoudn’t be necessary on such an expensive frame!).