Triathlon - Bought my new Bike...

I do a lot of Solo riding, so I wanted a tri or time trial bike. I ended up with the Cervelo P1, it was a toss up between that and the p2 Carbon, but I was told I would be better off putting the extra into better wheels. Hope this is right! I cant wait for the snow to melt!:)

Any wheel recommendations?

ummm... I don't want to be the first to say it, but.... WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU THINKING????

just saying, a P2 with stock wheels would have been better than a p1 with Zipps anyway, and then you could get wheels later... The regret should be setting in about next year when you realize that.

Having said that, Zipp, HED, Reynolds, SRAM, are all good brands.

Congrats on the new bike! I'm sure it will perform well for you - the Cervelo alum frames are top notch. I really like the HED 3 for a front wheel (you can usually find them used) and I just use a $99 wheel cover on the rear stock wheel. I believe the P1 is a good aero frame and if you are working to get the most bike for the dollar with some aero wheels I think you made a reasonable choice. I can't throw any wind tunnel numbers at you, but I will just note that I ride a P2C while my wife rides a P2SL (the old name for the P1). Of the two of us, she is the only one to place at the top of her category, and my coach who consistently kills his category (<30) when he races also rides a P2SL. I'm sure there is a difference between the frames, but I'm not convinced it's a big one.

Enjoy your new ride, being a solo rider who only has TT / Tri bikes I just love-em. I have Hed3 for every bike and have used the tri spoke wheels since they first came out. I have a set with well over 20,000 miles, I do put the disk wheel on once and a while. I'm sure you'll enjoy every bit of your new machine, keep us posted on how it's going.

This should be a lot of fun, it is a third bike, I will still use my Cannodale on group rides. I just could not believe how comfortable the aero position felt on this thing. I wish I would have bought this bike many Saturday mornings ago! Perfect for my needs!

ummm... I don't want to be the first to say it, but.... WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU THINKING????

just saying, a P2 with stock wheels would have been better than a p1 with Zipps anyway, and then you could get wheels later... The regret should be setting in about next year when you realize that.

Having said that, Zipp, HED, Reynolds, SRAM, are all good brands.


wrong.

wrong.
please state your case, sir.

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/reviews/CerveloP1-2009.shtml

It´s a remarkable bike. Enjoy it.

I will, I really think this is the perfect bike for the money.....it is a great ride!

ummm... I don't want to be the first to say it, but.... WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU THINKING????

just saying, a P2 with stock wheels would have been better than a p1 with Zipps anyway, and then you could get wheels later... The regret should be setting in about next year when you realize that.

Having said that, Zipp, HED, Reynolds, SRAM, are all good brands.

I totally disagree with the statement that a p1 with Zipps is worse than a p2 without - I dont have the data to back it up - I just think that comment belongs on the shelf, where all the other jackasses (u know who you are) can enjoy them!

I recently decided to use half my bike budget on a pair of wheels, rather than upgraded components. And I could not be happier! The difference between a p1 and p2 is what!? But the pysho advantage, not to mention aero, that you get from a good wheelset is huge - not to be laughed at - Jackass!

Ok sorry, (reading my comment again it did come across a bit harsh) It was just my personal experience when I was making the exact same choice. In the end it did not matter because a friend sold me his tribike and it was not a P1 or a P2. What i thought about, is that that aluminum frame, you will want to upgrade, and that carbon frame, you will want to keep until it breaks. Eventually, you will have more funds to buy the wheels and buying new wheels later on is a lot cheaper than buying a new frame.

After a month of riding, I would say I have not one complaint! This bike rides likea dream, I did my usual 40 mile route at average speed around 26mph which is a way better than my "regular bike" I cannot wait to do it again this weekend! Hope the snow stays away for good! In my book the P1 is a great buy! I still may add some better wheels......

My biggest issue with P1 (and Soloist Team / S1) is the really harsh ride quality of a stiff Al frame. Every bump in the road is transfered to butt and wrists. That can really beat up a rider on distances over 40-50 miles.

Personally I would have bought a P2.

You average 26 mph over 40 miles? That's a podium position in any local TT I've ever seen. Anyone with that kind of AVERAGE speed (not 'I think I can', or 'saw 26 mph flash by once') should be racing on a P3 and seriously considering hiring a swim and run coach so you could get an elite license.

I can count on one hand the number of times I've been dropped over the past couple of years and I average only 22-23 mph.

Ha! 26 does not put me near the top of the pack!!!!! There are so many guys faster than that, in my age group (I am 32) that is nothing, harsh ride, it is a bike! I love this thing, I will get new wheels soon though...

Being dropped at 22-23........................no comment

Are you sure you have that right? because Michael Raelert (70.3 World Champion) averaged about 28mph over the 56 mile Clearwater course, now 26km/h is not a world championship time, but 26 mi/h is pretty close. Yeah sure DZ averaged 34 mi/h for his TdF record, but 26 in a Tri is pretty ridiculous... unless the course is all downhill.

:thumb:Keep in mind it is always our duty on the site to add mph give or take, and the distance, it always gets stretched! My Bike stories and fish stories usually are pumped up a little to make them more exciting! Keep having fun.....that is the point!

No Corman. That sort of fluff is reserved for the 41. Here we try and offer constructive feedback (well most do) hence you will see far less posts but a lot less noise to filter through.

Now as to your initial question...

Congratulations on the purchase. Many of the design features have carried through from other earlier Cervelo TT rigs. Much is identical in fact to the alloy P3 other than the curved seat tube.

In regards to how aero, the old alloy P3 is said to be similar in aero characteristics to the P2C which is slightly less aero than the P3C and so on... But as long as you can find an optimum position on any bike reducing CdA without reducing power output too greatly it will be fast. Many wind tunnel tests attribute anywhere from 60-80% of the total drag of the cyclist to the rider, so position is key vs aeroness of the frame.

As for the material - many tests have shown the alloy frame transfers more road buzz than a well designed carbon frame. This then can fatigue the leg muscles and hamper the run... having said that, athletes have pumped out impressive results in the past on alloy frames. Though I would have to think they would produce those fast time regardless of what they ride.

Wheels - so many options and do make a bit difference! Firstly you will need to decide whether to go with clinchers or tubulars. Then depends on regular conditions / your weight / riding confidence as to how deep you want to go in the front. For the rear - a wheel cover is extremely close in performance to a disc so a good place to start for minimal $.

Personally I ride a Hed Stinger 90 on the front 95% of the time (Zipp 404 the other 5% when super windy) and always a disc on the rear. I weigh around 165 lb's and can usually handle these wheels. It's less strong wind more strong gusts that can get you into trouble. These are on an alloy P3 - some of the road buzz can be negated with a carbon fork and carbon seat post and is a compromise I was willing to take at the time for the dollars saved over the better carbon bikes.

Would I prefer a good carbon frame? Definitely. Can I justify it? No as my position is very good on this bike, ended up lowering my CdA down to 0.21 measured in the wind tunnel.

Get your position dialed, then some good wheels and get out and enjoy!

Nice bike. I've also got an alloy P3 SL with carbon forks & post. Its a couple of years old and now well behind the designs that the fast guys are using but its still an amazing bike that will out-perform its rider most days. I use Zipp 404's for racing and a set of basic Shimanos for training. Bought them second hand without any stickers so I don't even know what models but they're a couple of years old and brushed metal finish on the hubs for anyone who really knows their Shimano.

WRT the aero characteristics : although its very tempting to look at these in isolation ( ie wind tunnel etc), I think that there are so many other factors which override the aero ability of the frame. The rider for one. Plus all the add-ons like water bottles, computer, food ( usually taped to the frame in a long race). I'm more focussed on how well the geometry, build quality and materials of the frame can translate the riders effort into speed. Any high-end bike like a Cervelo should do this well if its been set up properly. As Dalai says above - getting your aero position nailed will bring much more efficiency than the extra spend on carbon etc.

I watched the Australian Iron Man last weekend and there were LOTS of Cervelos. Probably the # 1 bike. Also saw some of the quick guys on PLANET-X bikes which I've never seen before. Patrick Vernay won by a long way and he rode a very nice looking P4. Check the gallery at firstoffthebike.com for pictures.