Tri-bike fit, Cervelo

Triathlon Forum
1

I was just professionally fitted for a Cervelo P2C. My question is, the stand-over height of the top tube is fine - no problem there. But if I’m riding and need to unclip to put a foot down, I need to move off the saddle to do it. Also to get it started, I clip one foot in, get the bike moving, then I can get on the seat to clip in the other foot. Is this typical of these bikes? When I contacted the fitter, he indicated that it was, but I thought I’d get some other opinions. Do I need to lower the seat? The fitter told me that lowering the seat might result in non-optimal body angles.

Also to mount and dismount, it seems that due to my flexibility or lack thereof, it is easier for me to swing my leg over the handbars with the bike tipped at an angle versus going over the seat and the seat attachment that holds extra bottles.

Finally the bike seems to use a compact crank set up as standard (50/34) is this also typical? I’m more use to 52/42/30 on my road bike with most of the time in 52/42. Since I posted the above thread in RoadBike Review, I did get a reply from Cervelo about the compact crank: …Thank you for your interest in Cervélo. The Gossamer compact crank is the stock item on this model. There is no factory option for any other crank. If you wish to change the crankset to a standard 53/39 configuration please discuss this possibility with your dealer.
We have had many requests for the addition of a compact drivetrain on a higher level TT/Tri bike. Events like IM Lake Placid have no doubt influenced this trend. We have obliged by incorporating this feature into the P2C Ultegra build for this year.
Once again, thank you for your support.

Sincerely

Tim
Cervélo Customer Support

Thanks in advance for any comments,
Paul

2

Your fitter gave you the straight story. When your saddle height is correctly adjusted on a road or traithlon bike, your feet will not reach the ground. You simply slide forward off the saddle as you’ve indicated to come to a stop.

As for mounting and dismounting, you will want to master the basic technique of swinging your leg over the rear wheel. Even with relatively limited flexibility thie should be facilitated by simply leaning the bike over a little bit sso you don’t have to lift your leg as high.

Practice these techniques- starting and stopping, putting one foot down for a start/stop and using your clipless pedals in an area with no traffic such as a large, open parking lot. You’ll get the hang of it before you know it!

3

Thanks, Tom. At least this gives me a better understanding. This is my first tri-bike and quite a new experience. I will definitely try to do more rides in the beginning when traffic is light. As for the dismount, going over the front end seems to be fairly easy. Will try some other techniques as well.

Paul

4

Tom nailed it. You won’t regret the inclusion of a compact crank in your spec either. It is the appropriate piece of gear for the overwhelming majority of triathletes and cyclists. Unless you are regularly exceeding 30 mph/50 kph you won’t miss the 53.