The aero bottle is “modified”. I cut off the top for my spare kit and I gave it a “pee” hat cover. It may or may not be “slightly” larger than the original aero bottle.
The back saddle bottle is held in place by a Tacx saddle bracket from Trisports that I modified by taking the saddle bracket off at the bolt, then carved out a channel to fit the Cervelo P seat tube fin with a dremel.
I still want to make a Specialized Shiv like nose cone for the front but I think it will be really hard to meet the same shape as the P4 head tube and may actually create more drag than reducing it.
I have a 2011 P4 and would recommend the bike to anyone without hesitation especially with the price variance you should see between P4 and P-whatever.
The only personal issue I have had with using only torpedo and handups was at IMTX when 2 or 3 stations pulled all the caps of the water bottles and half sloshed out. I very recently bought the Speedfil A2 and have it in the torpedo mount so that issue is moot.
As someone else mentioned the bike is better than I am. I am way faster on it that my prior sled (YMMV) and I have a lot of work to do on me way before thinking about the bike being a limiter.
Had an '09 P4 and, while I loved riding the bike, it had some quirks that made keeping her running a challenge. The frame developed a crack and Cervelo sent me a warranty replacement (with minimal hassle). I received a 2011 frameset. Building it up (which I chose to do myself) was a breeze compared to the '09 version and the changes they made to the downtube to accept a variety of bottle configurations has been quite an improvement. It’s easier now to carry hydration and easier to work on the bike. One thing that hasn’t changed … the bike rides like a dream! It’s very stable and I’ve had some very nice results on it. I purchased a Speed Concept Di2 early in '11 and I’ve ridden and raced it a bunch. If I had to choose between the two and keep only one it would be a no-brainer to keep the P4. Nearly ever race I did on the SC I ended up thinking, “if only I’d been on the p4.” In contrast, I can’t think of a race I did on the P4 where I felt I’d have had a better result if I were on the SC.
Well, I personally think the P4 is worth it…my LBS finally found a 2011 for me today…you can not beat the price…I will get the frame for the same price as a P3…Can’t wait to get it built up…
Id buy a P3 still for the price the frame sets are going for…i still kinda like the whole close to a road bike look…especially when it come to dialing in a fit…but then again, i have never ridden a super bike…“but aren’t all the pros riding super bikes now?”
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Relative to a P2, the P4 gets you half the benefit of a P5 at half the cost. The time saved per $ is roughly consistent.
If I had the money for a P5 I’d get that. But if my budget allowed for a P4 only and I found one of the deals that seem to be available… it would be my choice.
Id buy a P3 still for the price the frame sets are going for…i still kinda like the whole close to a road bike look…especially when it come to dialing in a fit…but then again, i have never ridden a super bike…“but aren’t all the pros riding super bikes now?”
/agree
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Darn you guys in TO…got us westerners beat…tell me at least you had to pay tax on top of that - then I will be able to sleep at night knowing we were a bit closer in terms of pricing…I almost paid that for my frameset…
Crap!
But - to answer the OP - DEFINITELY…I think the P4 is way nicer lookin’ than the current P5 setup…and at the price - really…no brainer in my opinion…it is like the P3SL…everyone will want one once they stop making it…I’m still searching for that frame too!!!
Yes, the aero differences here are very minor, and with proper attention to detail in the build you can have a very aero machine. Here in dallas the P4’s are at some very good prices, roughly 1000-1500 less than a year ago. Also, i have noticed that many smaller frames are selling at a discounted rate due to higher inventory. One LBS said if i did my build through them i could buy the frame set for 2k.
