Ok guys and gals of Slowtwitch looking for some strong ST advice.
It’s time to update my TT bike from a fully tricked out 2016 Cervelo P3, to something more up to date. Getting ready for a big 2023 TT season and given current supply issues I really need to start the upgrade process now!
Must be UCI legal. Must be disc brakes. Must be relatively easy to work on so I can home wrench and dismantle and transport easily in a bike box. Will go with frameset only, so I can choose cockpit, wheels etc myself.
Am looking at the two most obvious options of Shiv disc TT or the BMC. Probably leaning towards the Shiv. But Cervelo is probably out, just because I need a change from Cervelo and the Giant Trinity also out due to it being rim brake only (I think……is this this really correct??). What else am I missing?? Which is the better bike??
Any rumours that a new Shiv or BMC model is incoming in the next 6 months??
For reference I currently race a 56 Cervelo and am 185cm tall.
That’s a huge topic with no correct answer and one that I don’t want to reopen here TBH. But for me all my other bikes are now discs and I actually prefer them. Plus, I feel the resale value in 5-6 years time will be better on a bike with disc brakes.
That’s a huge topic with no correct answer and one that I don’t want to reopen here TBH. But for me all my other bikes are now discs and I actually prefer them. Plus, I feel the resale value in 5-6 years time will be better on a bike with disc brakes.
Unless you no longer have the rim-brake’d race wheels you were using with your Cervelo, I would suggest that 1) slap a TriRig Omega One brake on your P3 (assuming you don’t already have one mounted) 2) spec a high end bar/stem combo (again, assuming you haven’t already done so), and 3) just accept that your P3 is, for all intents and purposes, as fast as any new bike you can buy.
Keeping your P3 is, again, for all intents and purposes, hands down better than any new bike you can buy from the ‘can I work on it myself/can I break it down for travel’ perspective. IMO, of course.
Out of curiosity what aero gain do you expect with a new TT bike vs your P3? I too have 2016 Cervelo - a P2 in my case - with the original PD T4 aerobar, Svet R base bar, front TR brake, and Di2. I have too much still on the table refining my position and developing the “engine” to benefit from a new bike or integrated base/aero bar setup but wonder if real world aero advantage of the newest TT bikes is more than a handful of seconds.
Not actually doing this for aero gains as I don’t think there is much opportunity to refine the P3 any more than I have already.
My main issue is braking power on carbon rims, I have ridden too many TT’s in wet conditions over the last few years, many with significant descents - I am fed up with the lack of braking power in these conditions.
If you race your P2 in dry conditions on flat roads, stick with what you have, it is as aero as can be……just optimise it and enjoy it!
Having recently moved from rim to disc brakes on my roadie and realised damp/wet descents can be way better with discs vs rim brakes, I am now wanting that same level of braking control on my TT bike. Obviously such control is more important on a roadie, but there are key moments on some courses where a greater certainty of braking power will give me more confidence on the TT bike. I am aiming to qualify and race at the 2023 UCI TT worlds in Scotland and the probability of damp conditions in Scotland is very high….even in August!! ……so I’ve decided now is time for a change - if I can find a frame and all the needed parts in this age of industry supply issues!
Additionally my P3 is now 6 years old, IMO better to sell it now while it still retains some resale value than wait a few more years when it will likely have almost zero resale value.
