Shrouded in secrecy, the new Cervelo P5 launch has been full of speculation for almost a year now.  Well the speculation is finally over and the results are really good.  The 2012 Cervelo P5 is now an official model and we are taking orders for first shipment delivery now.  If you want to be on a P5 this coming season, get your name on one now as they are just about guaranteed to sell beyond the initial production.

Some highlights:

• TT and TRI frameset models.  The TT model is UCI legal, the TRI model maximizes aerodynamics, but is not.  The UCI compliant TT model is only available as a frameset at $4500, which includes the rear brake.    The top of the line TRI model is available as a $6500 frameset that includes an impressively adjustable and aero new bar from 3T called the Aduro.
• There are two pre-built bike options currently – mechanical Dura Ace ($6000) and Di2 ($10,000).  The mechanical Dura Ace model uses the UCI compatible “P5-3″ fork while the Di2 version includes Magura RT-8 carbon brakes, removable fairing, 3T Aduro bar and the deeper “P5-6″ fork.
• “Magura RT-8 brakes” = carbon hydraulic road brakes and the P5 is the first production aero bike to offer hydraulic brakes.  This could be a game changer and a sign for all TT bikes in the future as we expect these to work extremely well.  The prebuilt mechanical Dura Ace bike comes with the RT-6 hydraulic brake, the alloy version of the RT-8.
• A third party company will offer a variety of add-on integrated storage solutions for the P5.
• BBRight.   Cervelo’s smart asymmetric bottom bracket/chainstay design is now on the P5 and that means even better drivetrain response.
• Aerodynamics.  In a few words – “better than ever”.   The P5 takes the already impressive aero numbers of the P4 and improves upon them in every way.  Thankfully, the P5 does this without a lot of the limiting complexity found in most of the integrated aero bikes on the market right now.
• Simplicity.  Unlike a number of competitors, the P5 is compatible with any standard aerobar/stem and doesn’t use much of anything that requires special componentry.   Another benefit is that there are no mechanically proprietary parts, meaning that you can get parts for the P5 anywhere in the world that carries standard bike parts.  This is something many of the P5′s competitors cannot claim.  From what we’ve heard, it is awful having your “super bike” out of commission because you can’t get a proprietary bolt or the like when doing in Ironman in Spain…
• Storage.  A range of integrated aero storage solutions for nutrition, hydration and tools will be available.
• Geometry.   A wider range of athletes will fit on the P5 well compared to the P4.
• A tri bike first and foremost.  While previous Cervelo aero bikes were designed with TT use as the primary focus and with tri as the secondary, the P5 shows that Cervelo is focusing 100% on making the best tri bike they can.   From fit to features, this bike is a triathletes ride first and foremost.  Luckily, the TT abilities of the P5 were not harmed in doing so – the P5 is still going to make an excellent TT specific bike.
• AeroZone Engineering takes into account that all aspects of the bike and rider interface are unique and require small detailed solutions to maximize the aerodynamics.  From small sweeps at the end of the top tube to the unique shape of the seatpost, these details were created based on the fact that a dynamic rider is the major aerodynamic impediment and you have to minimize the rider’s negative effects to maximize aero time savings.

With the P5, Cervelo managed to progress while going back to basics and simplifying many things from the P4 – a notable accomplishment.  We look forward to getting our first one in March and finding out more!

Call or email us for more info and/or to get your name on the list!

We’ve heard about it for awhile and seen it on pro bikes as far back as ’05 – now it is just about a full reality.  Campagnolo has journalists riding production Record and Super Record EPS Electronic shifting systems and it sounds like while it does many things Shimano’s landmark Di2 group offers, it also does some unique things all its own.   Initial reviews from Cycling News sound promising and it is some rumors slate it to start shipping as early as December…

We are proud to represent one of the finer custom bike companies in Seven Cycles.  Check out the model line-up as well as learn a little about the history and philosophy of a bike line most any rider should consider and that is made right in our backyard in Watertown, MA.

http://www.fitwerx.com/product-reviews/bike-frame-manufacturer-profiles/seven-cycles-review-and-overview

Check out this Di2 equipped Bedford Custom we just put together…   It features a Tig welded butted rider matched chromoly frame, Dura Ace Di2 with a cool concealed battery pack in the Easton EC-90 post courtesy of Calfee Design, Mavic R-SYS wheels with white hubs, Zipp bar, Zipp stem, Zipp carbon cages, King headset, Speedplay Zero Ti pedals, Serotta S3 full carbon fork and a Fizik Aliante Carbon saddle.  Weight is 16 lbs with pedals, cages, etc. (ready to ride).

Kelly Bedford was Serotta Bicycle’s first employee and Kelly designed and welded more Serotta bikes that probably anyone else over the years.  He went out on his own a few years ago and is making some great handcrafted bikes.  You can learn more about Kelly Bedford’s sweet titanium and steel custom frames (including lugged steel!) at http://kbedfordcustoms.com/ or contact us!

Reynolds RZR Wheels – Review and Impressions
By Jim Weaver
Service Manager, Fit Werx VT

We have had a set of Reynolds’ top-of-the-line wheels, the Reynolds RZR, in the shop all season for demo, many of you have seen and admired them.  After wrestling them away from Ian, I had the fortunate opportunity to ride these wheels for a weekend recently.  Ian has ridden these wheels on his bike all season and he can give a more detailed analysis.  However, here are my impressions of these wheels.

Let’s get this out of the way first – I want these wheels!  But I am getting ahead of myself.   First some, general information about these wheels.  The Reynolds RZR offers a tubular rim, hub and spokes that are constructed of a blend of carbon fiber and boron fiber.  The carbon spokes are of an N.A.C.A. symmetrical airfoil shape, not simply flat bladed spokes.  The rim section is 46.5 mm deep, and 21.25 mm wide; the rim profile is nicely aerodynamic, incorporating  Reynolds’ patented “Swirl Lip Generator”, a small raised edge which helps air flow reattach to the rim as it travels over the trailing edge, thus reducing turbulence.  The rear hub has 3 flanges, so that one set of rear spokes transfers power directly from the rim to the hub, rather than laterally from the outside to the rim, creating a stronger connection between hub and rim.  Bearings are ceramic.  The skewers are titanium.  The Reynolds RZR wheelset weighs 968 grams.  Yes, you read that right.  968 grams is not the rear wheel weight, but rather the weight of the entire wheelset!  These wheels rival the Lightweight Obermayers as the lightest aerodynamic wheels on the market.

I have ridden other wheels in the same category as the RZR as part of test rides of client bikes, Lightweights for one.  But this has primarily been on shorter rides, this was the first time I really got to ride a pair of such wheels for an extended time.  I had some, baseless, preconceived notions about what to expect from the Reynolds RZR.  I figured that these wheels would be fast in a straight line.  Given that these wheels are so light, I expected that they would be either very stiff and a bit harsh, or much too wimpy and soft.  I expected them to be twitchy or a bit unstable, particularly on descents.  My first notion was correct – the Reynolds RZR is fast.  Very fast.  This became apparent immediately upon exiting my driveway, standing up to accelerate up to speed.  My thoughts went something like this, “Who’s pushing me?”, “Ah, nobody.”, “Very cool.”  With so little rotating weight, the bike simply shot forward, accelerating very quickly.  On a climb, the lightweight of the Reynolds RZR makes a very noticeable difference, allowing me to hold a higher gear for a longer time.   In that I climb like a stone, this was much appreciated.  This performance confirmed that light wheels are more important to climbing than a light frame.

Given the aerodynamic shape of the rim and spokes, and minimal effort needed to keep them rotating, I expected the wheels to be fast in a straight line and they were.  These observations may seem obvious.  How could an aerodynamic, extremely light, aerodynamically shaped wheelset not accelerate quickly, be fast in a straight line, and climb like the wind?  However, what is not so obvious are the other handling characteristics of these wheels.  My first foray down a hill was tentative.  My confidence in these wheels increased with each descent, until I was descending with the same verve as my Mavic Ksyriums. Contrary to my expectations, the Reynolds RZR were a rock solid and stable wheel, which was particularly noticeable when descending.    The Reynolds RZR are also a quick-handling wheel, responding to my inputs without hesitation.  Some of this has to do with the fact that the RZR is quite laterally stiff.  I am not particularly light, pushing the limits of the recommended maximum rider weight for these wheels, but even with that I could not detect any flex under stress, such as when climbing out of the saddle.  By the way, their recommended weight limit is 180 pounds.  This lateral stiffness did not translate into a harsh ride, however.  They rode very smoothly – at least on par with wheels like the Mavic R-Sys in terms of vibration damping.  In summary, the Reynolds RZR does everything very, very well.  And that is an understatement – these are arguably the best wheels available for a bicycle today.

Needless to say, these are not budget wheels.  As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.  Greatness is not inexpensive, although cost does not automatically mean something is great.   Are these wheels worth the $6,000 price of admission?  Is a Porsche 911 worth that much more than a Miata?  They are both sports cars, right?  Are Wilson MAXX 3 stereo speakers worth that much more than a pair of Pioneer bookshelf speakers?  They both play music.  Is organic produce worth paying a premium over mass farm?  Only you as a prospective buyer can make that personal cost/benefit analysis.  I can state, without reservation, that there are substantial (pick-your-own-superlative adjective) benefits to these wheels.   Benefits that are unavailable from all but a very, very select few wheels on the market today.  It all depends on your perspective and passion – but rest assured that these wheels can change the way you think about riding and the way your bike performs.  So, anyway, as I was saying, I WANT THEM and I do think they are worth eating Raman noodles for a year in order to get!

PARLEE STOCK TT IMPRESSIONS
By Jim Weaver, Service Manager
Fit Werx, VT

This is the story behind my acquisition of a tri bike frameset, and why I chose a Parlee Stock TT.  For those who do not know me, I am a very occasional triathlete, not trying to be competitive, just trying to stave off Father Time.  However, I have wanted a tri bike for some time, and have toyed with doing some of the Stowe and/or GMBC time trials locally.  I was using my 2003 De Rosa King road bike, cobbled together with a set-forward seatpost, and aero base bar and extensions.  It is a nice road bike frame, although now 8 years old and therefore a bit dated.  As a classically designed Italian frame, the geometry of this bike is not at all appropriate for a time trial position.  With all that weight shifted forward on a frame designed for a road position, handling was at best a bit twitchy, and on descents, sometimes scary.    Besides, I’m always talking about the benefits of tri bikes, so I should probably own one myself…   So, for the past year or two I have been considering the many options available for a tri bike.

As service manager here at Fit Werx in Waitsfield, I have had the privilege to build, and ride, many tri bikes, from the  entry level Felt S22, through the entire Cervelo line, the Guru tri bikes, and culminating with the most refined and exceptional riding tri frames in the world – bikes like the custom Parlee TT and  Serotta MeiVici AE.   From Scott to QR and Kestrel, I have also worked on many tri bikes from other manufacturers and thus have had the opportunity to test ride a wide selection of tri bikes from most of the major manufacturers.  While the custom Parlee and Serotta are extraordinary and highly desirable machines, truly the epitome of the art, and the Guru CR.901 is a wonderful frame, my rare forays into triathlons are limited to sprints, and maybe an Olympic distance someday and, if I do any of the local time trials, it will be simply for fun (if a time trial can ever be considered as “fun”), with no expectation of being competitive.   It’s greatly a matter of aerobic efficiency, which I do not have.  I therefore could not justify to myself, or my wife, owning one of the very best possible TT bikes – I therefore focused my search on the intermediate price range of frames.

I have built many stock Parlee TT tri bikes for shop clients, and have always liked them very much.  Our clients who ride this frame have always had very good things to say about this frame’s ride quality and handling and over the summer I built one for a client, in a frame size that was appropriate for me and took it for a test ride.  I thoroughly enjoyed my ride on this bike.   Because the bike fit me well, I was able to really pay attention to the frame’s ride characteristics.  The ride was very comfortable, stable and responsive, confirming everything we have said about this frame and our clients have reaffirmed.  Our daily manager and buyer, Bruce, also test rode this bike, and was similarly impressed.  I have a Parlee Z2 as my present road bike, one of their custom frames, and love the way it rides – I was leaning decidedly towards the Parlee TT as my future tri frameset.

I liked the fact that Parlee has a local feel to them, being based in Beverly, MA, and that they focus purely on performance oriented carbon fiber road and tri bikes.  Elsewhere in the website is a thorough discussion of Parlee, and why we feel they make such great bikes.  If you have not already read this review, check it out at http://www.fitwerx.com/product-reviews/bike-frame-manufacturer-profiles/parlee.  Also, I had the chance to visit the factory about a year ago and was very favorably impressed.  Bob Parlee, the founder and owner, was there on the production floor, working on a prototype of future models, so he has a personal hand in all their bikes, literally.  Parlee’s custom geometry bikes are fully constructed in this facility.  Their stock geometry bikes, the Z5, Z5 SL, and the stock geometry TT bike, are manufactured to Parlee’s exacting standards in S.Korea, in a small factory that specializes in detailed carbon work.  However, having worked on many, many carbon bikes, I have found the workmanship of the stock Parlee TT exceeds the carbon workmanship and finishing that I see on the frames from all but the very top custom frame builders; the build quality on the stock bikes even rivals Parlee’s in-house bikes.  The Parlee TT offers a wide variety of frame sizes:  Small, Medium, Medium, Large, and Extra Large and each of these frame sizes offers two head tube lengths, making for a total of ten effective sizes.  With most mass manufacturers, you are lucky to get five sizes, and from some manufacturers you only get three – small, medium and large!  As a result, the Parlee Stock TT frameset fits a wider range of riders than just about any other stock geometry tri bike; the only way you will get more fit options on a tri bike is to go with a fully custom bike, such as Guru, Seven, Parlee or Serotta.

The Parlee TT has all the “bells and whistles” that are now considered de rigueur for a quality tri bike:  airfoil-shaped headtube, downtube, seat tube, and seat post; internal derailleur and rear brake cable routing; rear brake mounted behind the bottom bracket, cut-out seat tube to allow the rear wheel to be brought forward for better aerodynamics, and horizontal rear dropouts that allow the wheel to be pulled in tight with the seattube.  Many, many bikes on the market have these attributes, but the Parlee TT goes well beyond these now common attributes.  For example, the seat post is a truly ingenious design, allowing for a wider range of saddle positions than any other seatpost that I have seen in my three years here at Fit Werx, and, of course, there is the ride quality.  Outside of the top custom Guru, Parlee and Serotta custom tri frames, this is the best riding tri frame that I have experienced.   After all, this is the little brother to the full custom Parlee TT, one of the top two best riding TT frames available (the other is the Serotta MeiVici AE).   The Parlee Stock TT shares Bob Parlee’s design philosophy and attention to ride characteristics with its big brother, making it an exceptionally nice riding bike.

Given all of these attributes, and my love of my Parlee road bike, I finally settled on the Parlee Stock TT.    I turned the big Six Zero in September, and decided that this frame would be an appropriate gift to myself.  Even better, my significant other enthusiastically agreed, as it relieved her of trying to think up something to give me.  Besides, she already has a tri bike.  So, I am now the proud owner of a new Parlee TT frame, and cannot wait to get it on the road.  Now for the decisions about the build kit!

We just finished updating the Cervelo manufacturer page.  If you want an overview and short history of Cervelo as a brand and their models, be sure to check it out.

Cervelo Manufacturer Overview