Think you might find that these people play a significant role in P3 production:
http://www.sapagroup.com/templates/start.aspx?id=594&Runtime=2
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This is interesting too:
http://www.sapagroup.com/templates/Page.aspx?id=1541
Excellent intelligence gathering.
From their website:
While most of America was riveted on watching Armstrong and his team destroy the rest of the field, the employees of Sapa, Inc. were busy watching a bicycle they helped to manufacture, be ridden through the Paris countryside.
Sure, they don’t go so far as to say that it was Armstrong’s bike they were watching, but it is certainly implied. I wonder what Trek “Lance rides stock carbon bikes” thinks of this.
Just curious, why the P3, lots of versus any others?
Styrrell
I read it differently…
Actually, I’m surprised anyone buys the whole bit about Lance riding stock bikes, anyways. For most of the last TdF he has ridden prototypes of next years models. Occasionally the models he is riding aren’t produced or they are modified slightly.
Styrrell
Just curious, why the P3, lots of versus any others?
Because Cervelo seem especially coy when it comes to discussing where their bikes are made, and because people have asked before now. Also because Tom D devotes a paragraph to speculating the place of manufacture in his P3SL review, so I thought I might help out.
Actually thats not what I was asking.
Do you know that P3s are the bikes manufactured by this company or are you assuming that they are the bikes from the info on the website?
Styrrell
Excellent intelligence gathering.
Thanks. The story is that Sapa Inc. developed a metal matrix composite many years ago and then wondered what to do with it. They got in touch with Specialized, and the M2 was created. Although they subsequently stopped making the metal matrix composite tubing, they continued with frame building - getting to the point where they make many of the high-end aluminum frames in the states. My mole has visited their plant and saw Specializeds, Yetis* and Cervelos being produced, and was told that they were the people who figured out how to make the curved seat tube on the P3. Apparently the plant was a very tightly run ship.
*Complete with “made in Colorado” stickers
They definitely are not talking about Lance’s bike…and nowhere do they imply this. They are most likely talking about CSC’s P3s as aarvark has suggested.
Oh, they definately implied it. If anyone read that who was a casual bike fan and didn’t know that the Lance bikes are carbon, they would think SAPA made them. It might not be intentional, but its still implied.
Styrrell
I hope I have now answered your question…
Yep, Thanks.
Styrrell