Austin Tri-Cyclist Blog

Friday, February 21, 2014

The New Cervelo P2

The P2 is dead. Long live the P2!
by Jack Mott

Since 2006 the Cervelo P2 has enjoyed an incredible run of success. For eight years little was changed about it aside from new forks. It was famously ridden to two Ironman World Championships by Chrissie Wellington. Countless amateurs have racked up wins on it, such as our recently profiled Texas State Cat 3 Champion. The price point and simplicity of the bike make it popular to this day, despite its age. But the time has come for a new P2, and it is in stock and ready to rock.


Differences From The P3

The biggest question on everyone's mind is how the P2 differs from the P3. With a price tag of $2,800 ($1,150 less than the P3), rumors have circulated that the frame might be heavier, or lower grade carbon, or perhaps not shaped quite the same. We have been in touch with our secret contacts at Cervelo and have taken finely calibrated measuring devices to the frames to bring you this shocking table listing the differences in detail:

  • The fork blades are a little thicker (4mm near the crown, 0mm at the dropouts)

That's it. The frame is identical to the P3. Cervelo is shaving cost only by using less expensive components and a slightly thicker fork that is cheaper to manufacture. This has interesting implications for people who tend to upgrade their bikes – the new P2 should only be an Aero Tune-up away from being about as fast as a P5! Or, just leave it alone knowing that the bike is already as fast as others costing twice as much.

The new P2 sticks with the tried and true formula of its predecessor. It is affordable, simple, and aerodynamic. There are no hidden brakes or integrated front ends to give you a headache. Just a very fast, zero hassle bike.

Standard Features


  • Derailleurs - Shimano 150 5700 10spd
  • Shifters - Shimano Dura Ace 7900
  • Brake Calipers - FSA Gossamer Pro
  • Brake Levers - Profile Design ABS AL
  • Crankset - FSA Gossamer BBRight 50/34
  • Aerobar - Profile Design T2/T4
  • Saddle - Fizik ARione Tri2
  • Wheels - Shimano R501

Top Secret Features

Extreme aero weenies have noted that the rear brake cable inserts into the side of the top tube, exposing the cable to a bit of wind. If you don't like the aesthetic or can't stand the thought of a even a second wasted, cable housing can be routed through the top tube instead. Just ask your friendly ATC mechanics and they will set it up that way!




1 comment:

  1. Hi there!

    Im really interested and curious at how we can route the rear brake cable of the new P2 via the top of the top tube. Does that require drilling of the frame? Cos normally when we insert the shift cables on the top tube, it just goes straight down - how do we make it go to the rear top tube?

    Hope to hear some of your advice soon!

    Cheers
    TC

    ReplyDelete