Making my first Tri/TT bike purchase and looking for any thoughts and input on pros/cons of the Parlee TTiR vs. Cervelo P3 vs. Trek Speed Concept 7. I’m working with a pro fitter who’s narrowed down 5-6 options for me based on my fit & geometry and these are the 3 I’ve narrowed to in making a final selection. In all cases, I’m looking at 2014 models, planning on outfitting with DuraAce (not Di2, though), adding a power meter (not sure of brand yet), and eventually adding race wheels, but starting out with just some nice wheels to train with.
This will be my 4th year in the sport, I mostly plan to race at 70.3 and Oly distances and I’ve previously been racing with an aero road bike (Felt AR4). If it matters, I’m 6’2" and plan to race at 180-185 lbs and my current FTP is around 250, though I’m hoping to make a concerted effort to work up to 275 throughout the season.
Any thoughts or experiences with any of the models would be great - I realize both the Parlee and the Cervelo models are somewhat significant 2014 upgrades, but would love to hear input on past models as well.
What does your preferred LBS sell? The bike that fits you best and is supported by a good shop that will fit you and make changes as needed (usually at no cost) is usually the best choice.
You might consider getting a crank based PM up front and have the LBS install it, and possibly getting a credit for the brand new crank.
You could also save some money and get Ultegra, since the primary benefit is the crank and rings on the Duraace set-up, which you’ll swap out.
I have a SC7.5 from 2011 and love it. No reason to upgrade. I could add a upgraded basebar/aerobar set-up and a tririg omega and have a bike that’s the same as the SC9. But I don’t see the point.
Ultegra works fine for me. I even have a 105 crankset now, because it only cost $145 to try out 165mm cranks and the 105 Stages PM was the cheapest I could get. I push the lever and it shifts, what else is it supposed to do?
After having done this process a few times I can honestly say it really comes down to very few things.
Get the bike that is most appealing to you. If you don’t like the look of your bike it is not as easy to be motivated to ride it.
Get the bike you can afford. You will not win or lose a race based of either of those frames.
but really #1 get the bike which fits you best. This certainly includes aerobar adjustment. It’s an expensive upgrade if you can get the lads where you need them. If one does not fit better then go back to points 1, and 2.
They’re few more things to consider, warrenty, where you buy it ( dealing with an lbs where you don’t get along well with the staff is not fun), and compatibility for upgraded.
I’m lucky enough to have an LBS option that I like no matter which one I choose. That said, the LBS option I like best is the one that sells the Parlee, which is not a brand I knew much about when starting this process, but the more I read about, the more I’m attracted to.
Thanks for the tips also, especially relative to DuraAce vs. Ultegra - hadn’t thought of it that way, but now I’m questioning my decision to move to DuraAce. I ride Ultegra on my road bike, and am totally happy.
Agree with what folks have said so far - buy what fits, what is visually and aesthetically pleasing to you, and is more easily wrenched/maintained than not (hopefully by a LBS but good to learn to do basic maintenance on your own as you may already do)
I tried all three of these bikes (albeit the parlee in it’s 2012 TT not TTi or TTiR version) and chose the Parlee.
For me, while I found the SC to feel very solid and stable it didn’t manuver with the same liveliness and road feel as the Parlee or Cervelo.
The cervelo, while very nice, was more expensive at the time and the (i believe) relatively higher bottom bracket did not seem give as much of a balanced or planted feeling as the Parlee.
Finally, the Parlee felt the most lively when I wanted it to be, sufficiently planted when I was in aerobars, and the lightest of the bunch.
Now, I realize weight < aero when it comes to flattish up to maybe 6-8% gradient all things being the same, but if you live in a hilly area and/or race hilly TTs the light weight and nimble and smooth feeling the Parlee gives - in my opinion - is awesome.
In the end, none of these bikes is going to get you to the podium. You do. But I picked the one that fit me, felt the best, and in my eye, looked the best.
Thanks for the note - the more I weight it back and forth, the more I’m leaning toward the Parlee. I honestly don’t know much about the brand, but the more I talk to people and poke around the internet, the more positive stories I hear. Undersung brand, but everyone seems to absolutely love them and talk about what a nice ride they are. That plus the aesthetics (you can get custom colors, a la the SC) and the fact it seems I can get everything I want on the bike is pushing me in that direction.
Last year I had to choose between a classic p3 and SC7. I ended up going with the p3, based on the lower stack height. If I was faced with the same decision this year and both bikes fit the same, I would do the SC7. The 2014 sc7 looks great, and I like the storage options you have with it. I also really like the integrated look that the cockpit has on the sc7, and from what I’ve heard, it’s easier to wrench on than the older SC9.
The storage options are a definite plus on the SC, and you’re right, it’s a really great-looking bike.
I especially like the option of having some Saltstick caps right at the fingertips (rather than my current method of awkwardly attempting to grab from my tri-top pocket and dropping at least 1 attempt), which is a necessity for me and my heavy sweating.
Well, there’s a drag comparison they highlight on their site from an MIT wind tunnel test that appears to show the 2013 TTiR gains efficiency as yaw angle increases and is more efficient than the P4 at 7.5-15 degrees of yaw angle. I’m not deeply-versed enough to poke holes in this, other than to note it’s one study and the comparison set is awfully limited, so I’d welcome any other thoughts.
Interesting. From the drag numbers it implies they tested with bikes only. Newer frames are designed with rider on in mind. The P4 frame only curve is not consistent with other tests I’ve seen (or any other similar bike), for instance: http://www.slowtwitch.com/Tech/Cervelo_P4_in_the_Tunnel_1929.html
Also, 100g less drag from 0 to 5 deg yaw? Hell yeah I’ll take that =)
I would lean speed concept or p3 for sure unless there are other compelling considerations for you than marginal gains.
This chart makes me wonder. Is it hand-drawn? Is it a compilation of different data sets? Something else?
Here are some visible aspects of the chart that raise questions in my mind:
Obviously imprecise x coordinates.
Data points are not plotted precisely on rationally chosen yaw angles (for example, no data at 0 yaw?)
The yaw angles are not the same for the different data series. For example, the 4th point for the P4 is at what yaw angle? And how does it compare to the other bikes at that angle?
And that’s just the x-axis. There are other visible aspects that call this chart into question. Precision data should be precisely plotted.
Another concern is the tunnel choice. We used to test at MIT and since then have found better results in larger tunnels, with less blockage.
But as you mention, Jack, testing without a rider is the most concerning.
Here is a link the Parlee put out showing drag numbers compared to a P4. Granted this is coming from Parlee’s website, but from what I remember about the test it was conducted at MIT.
