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"Old Geometry" ?

Peter NoyesPeter Noyes
in General Training Discussions

I went to Jim Manton at ERO Sports for a Tri Bike fit and he recommended a number of bikes for me:

Cervelo P2, Cervelo P3 (old geometry), Kestrel 4000, and Felt B-Series (old geometry)

My question is about the P3 and the concept of "old geometry". Do you think he is referring to the P3 classic? From comparing the following bike to the information on the cervelo website it seems like it might be the classic?  http://incycle.com/product/13cervel...3640-1.htm

Thanks!

 

Comments

  • manconamancona
    Yes he is referring to the original p3 like Rich and P and many in the house ride.

    Bike manufactures realized a few years ago that most age triathletes could not ride in a very aggressive position and many of their bikes had stacks of 3-5cm of spaces plus upturned stems. Therefore they starting building bikes like the p5 and new p4 with more stack. For the majority of people this is a good thing. This really sucks for short people that need a long and low bike (like me).

    There are other ways around this like a -30 degree stem, and adjustable stem, or zero stack aerobars with extensions at or below the base bar, but ideally you would just get a bike like he mentioned that is long and low to start with so you don't have to do that. The other option is to size down one size to get the shorter stack, but then you will likely have to run a long stem to get the reach right and a long stem on a TT bike can make the handling a bit twitchy.
  • John WithrowJohn Withrow
    He's saying that you will fit best on a long and low bike frame (low stack, long reach).

    The "classic" P3 (2013 and prior) is one of the longest and lowest bikes out there. However the "new" P3 (2014 version) which took many of its design cues from the P5 has a geometry that is a little taller as opposed to the older P3 (2013 and prior). The new P3 is a "taller" bike in their attempt to be more appropriate for mainstream riders. This is very similar to what Specialized did with the Shiv also.


    You can find the geometry comparisons here: http://www.cervelo.com/media/docs/P3-Geometry-0234a817-0a1e-4e91-bc98-9a70ceb5e22f-0.pdf
    and similar details on a whole bunch of bikes here: http://www.slowtwitch.com/stackreach.html#Anchor-CERVELO

    I don't know your bike size, but using a middle of the road 54, here are the stack and reach comparisons for the "old P3", P2, and "new P3":

    Old P3 P2 New P3
    Stack 498 512 522
    Reach 419 418 411

  • Peter NoyesPeter Noyes
    Do you think that bike in the link is the right one to get? If not and it is hard to get ahold of an old p3, what do you think of the kestrel 4000? Thanks!
  • GMAN 19030GMAN 19030

    Posted By Peter Noyes on 19 Dec 2013 10:43 AM

    I went to Jim Manton at ERO Sports for a Tri Bike fit and he recommended a number of bikes for me:

    Cervelo P2, Cervelo P3 (old geometry), Kestrel 4000, and Felt B-Series (old geometry)

    My question is about the P3 and the concept of "old geometry". Do you think he is referring to the P3 classic? From comparing the following bike to the information on the cervelo website it seems like it might be the classic?  http://incycle.com/product/13cervel...3640-1.htm

    Thanks!

     

    Jim Manton is the f'n man but I'm curious why he didn't recommend some new bikes with integrated cockpits that have oodles of adjustability.  Or were you confined to a certain price point?

  • John WithrowJohn Withrow
    What size bike are you? P3's trade almost every single day on eBay. The Kestral is a good bike as well, but there's a reason so many people are on the P3... The Felt DA is also a pretty sweet bike with that geometry.
  • Peter NoyesPeter Noyes
    I am size 56cm. He didn't recommend anything pricier because I have a budget.

    My local bike shop gives me pretty good discounts because I am in a local tri club. Also, they have a 400$ gift certificate deal if I spend 2500$ or up for the holidays, and I could use that for pedals and an aero helmet. I will check out ebay as well.

    Thanks!
  • John WithrowJohn Withrow
    So what is your max budget? And what would you ideally want to spend?
  • Peter NoyesPeter Noyes
    I would like to stay under 3k.
  • John BayoneJohn Bayone
    Just 2 cents.

    This time of year and for the next few months there is, and will be, a TON of bikes on ebay. A year ago at this time, I waited and waited until I found what I wanted (took till March) and could not be happier with it, not to mention the savings. Sure it was a bit of a leap of faith, but with the bike fit suggestions from Todd @ ttbikefit.com I have no regrets. By taking some time, the savings was well worth it.

    Good luck.
  • John WithrowJohn Withrow
    You will get a SICK bike for that price range!
  • Peter NoyesPeter Noyes

    Posted By John Withrow on 19 Dec 2013 04:23 PM


    You will get a SICK bike for that price range!

    By going the ebay route?

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