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Cervelo takes on Kona with all new P5X triathlon superbike

cervelo p5x disc brake triathlon super bike
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The introduction of the radical Diamondback Andean could only mean one thing – Ironman Kona was right around the corner. Serving not only as the crown jewel of the world of triathlon competition, Kona is usually the point of the year that equipment manufacturers bring out the big guns for new product launches. Now more than ever, it seems that those same companies are starting to push the limits when it comes to bike design mostly because the world of tri bikes isn’t ruled over by the UCI with an iron fist. There are still rules governing the construction of tri bikes, but they are far more lenient than those found on the road racing side of things. Because of that, integrated storage options are being built in to frames that also improve the bike’s aerodynamics.

In the case of the new Cervelo P5X, the frame also pays homage to the days of the Zipp 2001, Trek Y-Foil, and other bikes which have omitted the seat tube or seat stays in search of a better ride and improved aerodynamics. More than just a rehash of previous ideas with a glove box though, the P5X looks to offer one of the most adjustable fully integrated frames on the market and even includes provisions to help you get it to your next race destination…

front-head-tube_final

p5x-handlebar-adjustment

cervelo-p5x-geometry

If you’re going to ride for 112 miles after swimming 2.4 miles and before running a marathon, you’d better be comfortable on your bike. In order to make fitters’ jobs easier, the P5X starts with just 4 frame sizes (S,M, L, XL) but offers a massive range of adjustment with 112mm of sliding stack and 91mm of reach adjustment along with a base bar that can be flipped 180º with 0 to 12º of tilt. Instead of a more traditional steerer tube and spacer arrangement, the P5X essentially uses a seat post for the aerobars that can be raised or lowered to the desired position. To get a full sense of the bike’s adjustability it’s probably best just to head to their micro-site and mouse through the animation.

Given that there really isn’t a seat tube, the seat post is cut to length and then allows a small amount of adjustability once cut. The adjustability of the seat post allows a 74-81º effective seat tube angle and Cervelo’s site has a bike size and set up calculator to help you obtain a baseline fit to get started. Chances are good that if you’re buying a P5X, you’re also going to travel with it to triathlons around the world. In order to make that as easy as possible, the P5X apparently has a two piece foldable bar that includes a padded holster that should go great with their co-developed Cervelo travel case.

dt_storage-box_final_edited tool-box-frame-opening_final_edited

In order to make sure you have enough storage on board for all of your tri-cessories, the P5X has three storage compartments – the Smartpak, Stealthbox, and Speedcase. Along with the built in storage in front of the bottom bracket, above the crank, and on the top tube, there are also provisions for standard bottle cages on the aerobars, behind the saddle, and on the “downtube.” All totaled, you should have plenty of flexibility to pack what you need where you want it.

front-fork_driveside_final

Then there’s the frame itself – which is made in Minnesota by HED Cycling. In addition to being designed with massive amounts of CFD and wind tunnel time to produce the fastest frame possible, the bike is equipped with disc brakes and thru axles to keep it stiff and stopping when you want it to. A PF30 bottom bracket runs a Rotor Flow BBRight aero or SRAM Red crankset depending on the build with SRAM RED eTap and Ultegra Di2 builds offered. Available December 1st, you’ll have to wait a bit until you start working towards your “personal best.”

p5x.cervelo.com

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48 Comments
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hmm
hmm
7 years ago

it bums me out that we have to rely on triathlon to see the evolution of bicycle technology…

Antipodean_eleven
7 years ago
Reply to  hmm

Not really. The Tri world, as best I know, does not rely on the scared old men of the UCI to tell them how to do bikes better.

hmm
hmm
7 years ago

that was my point, wish we could see this sort of forward-thinking in traditional road racing again

Greg
Greg
7 years ago

They should swim last

Ken
Ken
7 years ago
Reply to  Greg

That’s rough, what happens when they bonk

Yerma
Yerma
7 years ago

At least there’s no place to hide the motor and batteries 😉

Dinger
Dinger
7 years ago
Reply to  Yerma

Are you kidding? Look at that massive cavity by the cranks! Lol

blah blah blah
blah blah blah
7 years ago
Reply to  Dinger

really?

mikedeep
mikedeep
7 years ago

bummer that diamondback released the same bike 2 weeks ago…

VeloFreak
VeloFreak
7 years ago

another bike company that sends themselves to the trash bin after been purchased by a larger group. Santa cruz will come after, and then ENVE.

Robin
Robin
7 years ago
Reply to  VeloFreak

Doesn’t look like trash to me.

Tony Karklins
7 years ago

Beautiful bike. Great work Cervelo.

Steve @ G4G
7 years ago

I’d imagine those TRP HY/RD disc brakes create more drag than an aero caliper brake. I’m looking forward to when designers give up on the bikes and start putting fairings on the triathletes. That will be fun.

Ben
Ben
7 years ago
Reply to  Steve @ G4G

Regarding the brakes, the wind tunnel says nope. Regarding triathletes, it’s inevitable…

DominicBruysPorter (@BruysPorter)
Reply to  Ben

Definitely not the most aero caliper. In fact I would buy any other caliper by any company, including Tektro, before considering that monstrosity.

Chris
Chris
7 years ago
Reply to  Steve @ G4G

The amount of drag is pretty trivial and last I looked triathlons are rarely won by fractions of a second. Plus it’s probably a safe bet that most of these will end up in the hands of well heeled age groupers rather than pros for whom a few seconds might potentially mean something.

cerebis
cerebis
7 years ago
Reply to  Chris

Ok…

The drag on a rider is huge. Though triathlon is much less strict, pure fairings are banned. You would get much more than a few seconds advantage if you rocked up with a fairing.

Sponsored pros will ride the latest product, that’s sorta the point of the whole enterprise.

But yes, when it comes to the buying public, products in the highest price tier are purchased by enthusiasts that can afford them.

Matt
Matt
7 years ago
Reply to  Steve @ G4G

Selective breeding to produce the most areo human yet

Blake
Blake
7 years ago

Serious Question:

With this and the diamondback it looks like there is enough storage for a weekend out of town, what are tri folks carrying that takes up that much space?

Antipodean_eleven
7 years ago
Reply to  Blake

bananas… lots of bananas

Jack Moore
Jack Moore
7 years ago
Reply to  Blake

Some of it is because Tri’s are self supporting and you just can’t wave the team car up for a quick fix – but the real purpose is to create aerodynamic fairings. The huge box that sits over the bottom bracket for instance fills in the frame and cleans up a lot a very ‘dirty’ area for airflow. Similarly, the little nook behind the front wheel is there mainly for aero purposes. Trek started this ~5 years back with the Speed Concept that was aerodynamically faster with some of the bespoke storage options attached.

Necromancer
7 years ago
Reply to  Blake

Triathletes eat A LOT during the bike section of an ironman.

elvis
elvis
7 years ago
Reply to  Blake

Tri-bikepacking racing, duh

Antipodean_eleven
7 years ago

I don’t get all the haters, I really don’t. This is interesting stuff… for once.

I dunno about everyone else but I am well bored of the ‘next great’ steel, ti, carbon double triangle bike. Don’t get me wrong, they are some really nice frames going around these days, ones I lust after in the material choice of my mood at the time but it’s got to the point where for much of the stuff hitting the market, from big and small makers, the only difference ultimately (once you boil off all the marketing w!nk), is the paint and graphics.

In the past two weeks we’ve had some ‘out there’ stuff that’s not vapourware but something you can go buy with enough of the green stuff. That’s huge in the bike yet people are whinging…

Good thing people don’t think that way about cars eh? Otherwise we’d all still be getting around in Model T’s.

Fred
Fred
7 years ago

Roadies are a very conservative bunch if you haven’t noticed. The fact the the UCI severely restricts bike design as well doesn’t help. Good thing triathlon is free from all that to some extent.
I waiting on the geometron roadbike: longer wheelbase, longer chainstays, steeper seat tube, longer top tube and slacker head angle. Oh and dropper posts would help gain valuable time on descents not to mention make it safer to ride at break neck speeds.
There is no reason to keep riding terrible handling roadbikes because it is tradition…

Andy
Andy
7 years ago

It just needs lasers. More lasers. And a cluster of fans pointing forwards to cancel out the wind resistance. You read it here first folks.

John Royal
John Royal
7 years ago
Reply to  Andy

^^^Like

anonymous
anonymous
7 years ago

Quill stems are the future.

Alfus
Alfus
7 years ago

52-36 Chaingrings??? for this bike??bah….

Antoine
Antoine
7 years ago

Alfus that’s not that crazy. When you’re out for 8hours for the best of sport and about 4h30+ on the bike you’re not goind to override chris froome or tony martin. The 52 is fine. As you have a not so large big chainring you can put a 36 without a crazy gap which will allow you to spin the eventual climb and not burn yourself for the run. I’d say signel 50 or 52 for flat triathlon and 52-36 for hilly ones is a good choice.

Cool bike cervélo, guest i like the minimalism of the omni more as the storage look already enough for a full IM to me.

Lumpa Lumpa
Lumpa Lumpa
7 years ago

Available April 1st….?

Robo
Robo
7 years ago

Not the bike for me, but I do like seeing the bigger companies push the envelope.

Alex
Alex
7 years ago

Personally it’s ugly as hell, they could have done a lot better, I think it will be great when we start getting a load of straight from the factory designs along these lines, some will be more radical, and hopefully some a lot simpler.

All this integration of storage, and they still provide for the horrid saddle mounted water bottles.

Thank God zipp made a nice beam bike back in the day

Tom
Tom
7 years ago

looks like a moto Gp bike

Mike
Mike
7 years ago

I’m not a triathlete, so I have no dog in this fight, but it’s nice to see the crazytown designs coming out of the triathlon world. I think it’s great. That said, in the road world, I think the emphasis is rightly on the racing, not so much the bikes themselves, and it should stay that way. I’m cool with conservative double triangle designs staying that way.

Roborbob
Roborbob
7 years ago

The 90s were great, but it’s hard to get excited about the rehash of old designs. Looks very Lemond V2 Boomerang with added storage to me. And the Diamondback reminds me of the Cannondale rollerblade bike less the front blade. I can appreciate the UCI’s conservatism.

strange
strange
7 years ago

Diamondback does it = hated by all. Cervelo does it = groundbreaking. Personal opinion = The extra drag you get from riding much better looking bikes on the market is worth taking over looking like a Bruce Wayne wannabe while I train on the bike path.

Alvis
Alvis
7 years ago
Reply to  strange

Kevin Quan who developed the Diamond Back worked for Cervelo. His idea left behind or their idea taken with him?

Spangley
Spangley
7 years ago

Were triathletes really asking for disc brakes and thru axles? And if so, why would you listen?

atlbikeshop
7 years ago

Why the enormous disc brake calipers??

Ripnshread
Ripnshread
7 years ago
Reply to  atlbikeshop

Because they are TRP Hydros with the master cylinder and reservoir on the caliper.

Bikemike
Bikemike
7 years ago

If i was a tri bike i wouldn’t want a human riding me and dragging my numbers down.

mutron3k
mutron3k
7 years ago

Let’s see these triathletes change a flat tire on these disc brake/thru axle wheels after 100 miles – they had just kinda figured out QRs and calipers

jason ticknor
jason ticknor
7 years ago

Finally my old softride road bike is cool again!

John
John
7 years ago
Reply to  jason ticknor

I guess what goes around comes around. I always wanted a Softride when they first came out.

Robert Bowers
Robert Bowers
7 years ago

I see they have left room for improvement. Next model will have rim brakes hence a lower spoke count and be even more aero.

Bazz
Bazz
7 years ago

So all those aero advances just to get the bike back to being as aero as the previous non disc P5? Hint Cervelo – bin the disc brakes and it will actually be faster, lighter and cheaper.

Or just buy the Diamond: https://bikerumor.com/2016/02/03/worlds-fastest-bike-dimond-bikes-new-superfork-makes-a-fast-tri-bike-even-faster/

Just saying.

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