danielson

I am ready to take the plunge and purchase a triathlon bike. I have been doing a lot of research to figure out which bikes to consider. It has come down to 2 bikes, the Cervelo P2K and the Quintana Roo Caliente. There are some basic differences in the 2 bikes (Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels on the Quintana Roo, Velomax Vista wheelset on the Cervelo, Shimano Ultegra crankset on the Cervelo, Truvativ crankset on the QR). I am wondering which bike people would recommend and why. I am leaning towards the QR, but I am not totally convinced.

You can view the components using the following links:

https://www.cervelo.com/bikes/P2K.html

https://www.rooworld.com/bikes/caliente.aspx

Thanks.

TriBob

I think it comes down to fit between these two. If you get the QR, upgrade to an Ultegra chain.

txSooner96

I've had my Caliente (with Dura-Ace package) since December and love it. Only changes so far is a San Marco tri saddle and riser kit for the Syntace aerobars. I bought the riser kit to ease in my transition to the tri-bike position.

I would highly recommend the bike. I know it makes me faster....(or less slow!)

mageline

I have the 2004 Caliente and I love its smooth ride. I did have to replace the crankset with Ultegra only because I needed a shorter crank (160) than what it came with (170?). Other than that, the saddle replacement was a given. I have to have Butterfly.

I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to bikes, or tribikes for that matter, but the person I spoke to at bikefarmer.com told me the Caliente is basically the aluminum frame version of the legendary Tiphoon model on its configuration. The bike in my opinion is loaded. The seat post is carbon, the fork, and seatstays are carbon, too. The Ksyrium Elite wheels are definitely cool.

I also had a quandary in choosing between the P2k and the Caliente. What convinced me to choose the QR was its top tube length. I'm a shortie (5'2"), and shorter top tube length would be better for me. Otherwise, it is quite a toss-up between the two because they are quite comparable. Though Cervelo would brag they are the originals and that QR was the copy-cat having done the rear wheel drop-out thingy that Cervelo pioneered among other things. I think Slowtwitch.com has a piece on these two rival bikes of earlier models.

dsteak

i know this is an old post, but seeing the category made me want to put my 2cents in. i've just purchased the P2K (2004). i've never ridden the caliente. but the cervelo P2K is simply an unbelievable bike. although i'm still a dog on hills, on the flats/rolling terrain i'm at least 2-3 mph faster. it's comfortable (except for the stock saddle), adjustable (currently set in 75 degrees until i get more flexibility and experience), light, and just beautiful visually.

Forgiven1

I know you've been looking at bikes, and have gotten all heartset on a particular bike, but let me just throw something out there from experience. Sorry for the threadjack, no offense intended.

I spent the better part of two months shopping around, looking at bikes, and finding a group of bikes that I really liked. I started w/ the Cervelo Duel, than went to the P2K, than P3. I bought a P3 that was new in the box, but was the wrong size,and got my money back because it was the wrong size. We looked at the P2K, and I was a day away from ordering the bike. Somebody turned my attention to Felt, and I started looking at the S22. It's what I decided to purchase because it's bottom line, best bang for the buck. When I got the bike, I couldn't beleive how much better it looked in person. The other thing I noticed between the Cervelo and "everything else' is this... Cervelo is all about being a Cervelo. Just know that I was TOTALLY sold on the Cervelo, also, but after seeing the Felt, and the compnentry that comes with the bike, it just is a make sense deal. Hope this doesn't throw salt in your water, but I beleive there are better bikes for the money you're spending.