Cervelo P3 - "new" time trial bike!

As a budding time trial specialist, it's important to have a fast bike. So, I finally buckled down, bit the bullet, and procured an older, aluminum Cervelo P3. After doing my homework, I found that the older P3 frame was almost every bit as aero as the newer P3 Carbon, and possibly more durable, at a fraction of the cost.

Hopefully, it will be as fast as it looks!

I spent the past few days doing nothing but building the bike. It was a fantastic amount of work. I stripped the P3, and the Motobecane that is replacing, to a bare frame. I cleaned everything. I had to carefully cut the seat mast, as it only offers about 47mm of adjustability once cut. Then, I had to think long and hard about which cockpit configuration I wanted; I ended up settling on my integrated Trimax Vision bars, because the pads were more comfortable than the custom-made aero bars that came on the P3. This, and the aluminum post, make the bike about a full pound heavier than it could easily be, and just a couple of ounces/grams lighter than the setup it replaces. Finally, UCI compliance is a pain: the 5mm setback seat position is horribly uncomfortable, and I had to cut the bars by 30mm to be within the 80mm bar end rule.

In the photos below, you can see the near-finished P3. I made my own "jig", consisting of a wall and tape, to check UCI compliance. In the photo, the bars are compliant but the saddle is not. this is tough to tell due to the perspective of the camera.

Naturally, after hours of toiling to get the bicycle tweaked and ready to ride, the weather took a turn for the worst. It looks like a solid week of probable rain. Screw you, Boston.

I now have a time trial frame and lots of goodies that I need to sell. Make an offer!