New to the forum (been reading a ton but not posting) and need some assistance choosing the correct tri bike. Some quick history (I know someone will tell me they need more info). Did my first tri on mountain bike last year (sprint) and got hooked. I rented a P2C from a LBS for my second race and fell in love. LBS sold me a P2C (I wish I would have known slowtwitch existed before I bought my bike). Raced one more sprint and then broke my hip and pelvis. Starting training again this Feb and was having a hard time getting comfortable on the P2C. LBS fitted me and did the best they could but I just never felt comfortable. Went to another fitter felt better but not good. Then I found Slowtwitch and after a ton of searches and reading I find that the P2C is low and long and I most likely (considering that I have about 7CM of spacers under my bars) need a short and tall bike. In addition the bike is a 51 and I’m 5’4" so it’s in the range but a little long for me I was told.
I was an old school bodybuilder/power lifter for many years. Started lifting weights in the Marine Corps back in the mid 80’s so I’m not super flexible and very stocky build (not lifting anymore working on endurance now - I’m 45 and my joints are shot). I’m 5’4" and down to about 164lbs. Love the triathlon training and I’m racing my first Olympic on June 6.
So here is the story: My 2009 P2C is going to be warrantied and I will be getting a brand new 2010 frame (that’s another story). Since this is happening my thoughts are to pick-up a proper fitting frame (sell the Cervelo and buy another frame). From what I can tell by using Slowman’s “Small Bike Sizing Comparison” and my measurements the Scott Plasma or the C’Dale Slice are my two best choices. Both are sold by LBS in my area.
My issue is that I have only seen two or three slices and plasmas and have not had a chance to talk to the riders and get feedback. So what I’m looking for is some feedback and assistance on which one of the bikes would be the better choice. And in anyone can give me a comparison to the P2C it would be appreciated.
One last thing: Love my Cervelo, just trying to get into a bike that fits me better.
Thanks!
Not sure on your measurements, but I am 5’8", 152 lbs, 31" inseam and ride a XS 2009 Plasma and it freaking ROCKS! I was on a small QR Lucero for 5 years before this bike and it felt good as well. Fit is basically the same for me, but I am able to get a tad lower on the plasma than I was on the QR. I currently have only 1 spacer on my Plasma. I think the bike is a freaking rocket and am very pleased with my purchase. I can’t say much about the slice b/c I have never seen or ridden it. I can say that Scott bikes is a good company to me so far. I had an issue with the front derailleur after 500 miles and had an IM only a few weeks away. They shipped me a new frame, I had the components swapped over and rode the new bike in my IM race. It has worked awesome every since. I love mine!
Slimfast, this may only be the case on the smaller sizes I’m not totally sure (maybe someone else can chime in w/ more info). But if you look at the comparison chart for smaller bikes the reach and stack numbers for the Cervelo compared to the Plasma and Slice you will find that the Plasma and Slice have taller stacks and are shorter in reach. Not trying to be conflicting, just from what I have read.
for the sake of clarity, and reducing confusion, this is regarded as narrow and tall (or tall and narrow). It may seem like nit-picking, but using ‘short and tall’ may cause some unnecessary confusion.
based on what you’ve said, it seems that a narrow and tall bike may be in order. I know the slice fits in this category (and it’s a bad-ass ride), but i’m not sure about the plasma. I know there are a few articles where slowman breaks bieks down by these categories.
in short, figure out what you want/need (saddle/aerobars/pedals/etc), then figure out what you frame/components (stem/spacers) you need to achieve that position.
the benefit - you don’t have a cannondale dealer trying to sell you a slice, you just have a guy telling you what numbers to look for in your new bike.
for the sake of clarity, and reducing confusion, this is regarded as narrow and tall (or tall and narrow). It may seem like nit-picking, but using ‘short and tall’ may cause some unnecessary confusion.
Thanks for correcting me. I’m still learning all the terminology and specifics. Great write - up.
With all do respect to the LBS in my area but it seems that we have a ton of triathletes down here but very few LBS that actually know how to fit them. I’m a little scared of going and getting sold/fitted incorrectly and end up with another bike that won’t fit me correctly.
I guess my first plan needs to be - Find a good fitter.
Ridden both, love both. Similar fit, similar stiffness, similar ride quality. The Slice is likely a better buy dollar-wise and the BB30 bottom bracket shell is phenominal.
i don’t have any experience with any of these folks, but check out the ST fitter database for florida (i also don’t know how far you might be willing to travel, or where some of these places are).
cant give you any advice regarding the fit, however, 2009 was my first year riding a plasma, and i did 5 races last year ranging from oly to IM, and i had bike split pr’s at evry race. i love my plasma super light and stiff. there is a reason scott is no. 2, awesome bike
They only one who I have met is Dave Harris and I would definitely recommend him. We went through the FIST certification program together.
Besides, that the only other piece of advice I’ll share is the Slice offer greater range of effective STA that you can ride with its two position saddle clamp. You can ride the Slice at ~81-82* STA if you wanted…whereas the Plasma has one saddle position (76*) and if you slid the saddle fwd you be maxed out around 79-80*.
Only way to know if this is even an issue for you would be to get a fit. Otherwise, the safer purchase, with regards to fit, would be the Slice.
Disclaimer: I am short-torso’d and ride a Slice. I have nothing against the Plasma. The price and availability were the biggest drivers in my choice of the Slice over the Plasma.
what happened to your front derailleur?
And did it happen again after Scott replaced your bike?
A good friend of mine bought a new Plasama early this year.
The front derailleur broke off after a couple of miles on the trainer.
Scott replaced the frame but it happened to him again on the weekend during the Chattanooga Waterfront tri.
One more thing u need to take note is that the Plasma has an integrated seatpost and Slice doesnt. If you do fly/travel to races, u better make sure u have a bike bag that would fit the plasma in. Plasma wont fit in a Trico or similar bike case. U will need a bag that is “tall” enough to accomodate the Plasma. That is one of the reasons i got rid of my plasma and went with a bike that has a regular seatpost that i can remove for ease of packing. Just a heads up…
I bought a plasma 2 since i needed a tall and narrow bike (6’1" with 36" inseam and short torso). I love my bike - light and stiff. I don’t think you could go wrong with either the plasma or the slice. Both get great reviews and both have similar geo. The only reason why I bought the plasma 2 was that is what my fitter sold and I wanted to support him. If he had sold c’dale, I would have bought the slice.
I have 800 miles on my plasma 2. It has been rock solid. The only nit I can find from a design perspective is that the cables enter the frame exactly where you would put a bento box. If you rely on a bento a lot, then you might want to look at the slice. I don’t so it is fine for me.
Note - I would buy a plasma 2 over a plasma 1. Something about the plasma 1 being the most un-aero bike in a wind tunnel. The plasma 2 supposedly got the aero-ness right.
How tall are you? If the OP is riding a S or XS, this may/may not be an issue. Either way, pretty simple math to figure it out. Inside dimensions of bike bag/box vs. seat height minus saddle and seat cap.
I have no idea what happened to my FD. They basically gave me a new frame and i have done probably 1k or more miles since that, including IM St. George without issues. I had an issue about 3 weeks ago at IM BSLT 70.3 but it was no fault of Scott. Some guy in transition hit my bike so hard he bent my RD into my rear spokes. The good thing I was able to order a new RD hanger replacement from Scott bikes and it was all back to new. The bad news it ended my race day before it ever started.
I feel VERY confident in this bike. I have been racing on a road bike and 1 other tri bike since i started back in 2002. I raced a sprint for the first time in 2.5 years (Focused on long distance) and posted my second fastest bike split ever last Sunday on what I considered a fairly difficult sprint course. There were several rolling hills so it was not super flat.
I know this bike is fast and I would buy it again in a second!
I picked up a Slice 5 over the winter (and glad I did, given that they’re basically sold out for 2010 now). Very happy with it so far, done numerous training rides including 130 miles in one day (Horribly Hilly Hundreds 200K in Wisconsin)…very comfortable and aside from sore feet from a LONG day in the saddle, it was perfect. So far I’ve raced it in 3 tri’s and one TT and it fits well, feels stiff when accelerating, climbs well and certainly feels fast/aero. No complaints and definitely happy with the purchase, especially after a few upgrades the past few months.
Good afternoon. I’m also 5’4’’ tall/short and about 155 lbs. While I don’t own a Slice I do have a Scott Plasma 2 ltd. This is my first tri bike ever so I don’t have any reference at all to compare one bike to another. However, about my Scott. I initially thought there was going to be some kind of a learning curve, but no, not really. First time I got into the aero bars it felt very natural and extremely comfortable. You could almost describe it as a “natural extension of you as a whole”. The bike feels nimble, quick, agile and intuitive around the corners. This bike is very responsive, but forgiving, comfortable but stiff. Just a great bike all around. I would definitely recommend it over and over again. Is there something better out there? Probably is, but I have no desire to find out. I planned on maybe looking into the Speed Concept when it came out and I still intend to, but I’m not in that big of a hurry anymore. I appreciate my bike from front to end, top to bottom. On a scale of one through 10. Bike is a 12. For me personally, I made the right decision purchasing the Scott. Here’s a picture.