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The New Cervelo P2

wills029wills029
in General Training Discussions

Just saw this on the new Cervelo P2.

http://triathlon.competitor.com/201...o-p2_92603

Thought it may be of interest to our Cervelo riders.

Comments

  • rwsmith96rwsmith96

    I was very disappointed with this new product.  I bought a new 2012 P2 for $2300 in September 2012 (on sale from $2800 after the tri season) and it came with DA shifters, Ultegra derailleurs, chain, and cassette, and FSA crank and brakes (which I've since replaced with Ultegra).  This new complete bike is DA shifters, 105 derailleurs, Tiagra chain and cassette, and FSA crank/brakes.  They've basically taken $100-$200 worth of component value out of the build and held the same price.  The hybrid gruppo is something I would expect from Trek or Specialized; I loved how Cervelo spec'd complete groupsets for their bikes even at entry level.  This seems like an attempt to shift the economics of high-end bike purchases more toward the manufacturer and the LBSs.  I'd certainly be curious to understand how the incremental $200 of profit will be shared out between the two.

    Kind of disappointed in my friends from Quebec.  I also own a 2012 S5, so I take it somewhat personally when I see my favorite bike builders make rider-unfriendly moves.

  • wills029wills029

    I agree Richard. Looks like you are paying for the new P2 frame and accepting a lower level component group to keep the price point.

    I have an older P2 with the Ultegra group and like the bike a lot. Over Christmas, I was lucky enough to get a 2013 P5 Six with SRAM group for a great price. Can't say enough about the P5 - it is an awesome bike. More for a new P5 thread.

    -B

  • William JenksWilliam Jenks
    What you're paying for is a downspecked P3....the P2 frame has been retired. THIS IS A P3 with a barely downspecked fork and the mixed components.

    I would't hesitate to buy this, but I would exchange out the crank for shimano go get better shifting.

    The disappointment here is not the bike that they are calling P2 (which is really a P3) is a bad buy (at least if you think the P3 is a decent buy), but that they have dropped all pretense of having an entry level bike. The Aluminum frame is gone, and now the entry level carbon frame is gone.

  • wills029wills029

    @WJ

    I agree, and see the trickle down of the P5 frame to the new P3 and now to the new P2. Which is a good thing.

    The downside is an increased cost in the individual bikes. And for the P2, a lesser component group due to Cervelo's decision to maintain the price point.

    With the new P2, I would have much rather seen a slightly higher price for a bike equipped with a decent component group, like Ultegra, to avoid the additional cost of upgrading on your own and pushing closer to the P3.

    Just my $0.02 worth

    ~Bill

     

  • Peter NoyesPeter Noyes
    Glad I got my P3 when I did! I got a 2013 Ultegra P3 for basically the cost of this P2!
  • Gaudir8Gaudir8

    @Bill

    All 3 Sports here in Atlanta was the largest Cervelo dealer in the world until Cervelo pulled the rug out from dealers and said no internet sales a few years back.

     When the P2 was announced last week I happen to be at the shop and the manager said the announcement of the P2 just shocked the dealers. They had no idea it was coming and All 3 in particular felt it would just cannibalize the P3.  They felt it was pretty crappy on Cervelo's part after dealers had made their annual commitments for the P3 and in ALL3's case paid for all the bikes up front to get additional discounts.

  • wills029wills029

    @Ray

    Interesting to hear. I have not been to my LBS recently to gauge their reaction.

    I felt very fortunate to be able to grab a 2013 P5 at a reduced price, which effectively took the new P3 out of the running.

    My understanding is that with the change in ownership of Cervelo, they are going to push out more annual bike upgrades (e.g. 2014 P5 with 11-speed group) to increase sales. This means more deals on last year's bikes  Not that anyone would be interested in another bike!!

  • William JenksWilliam Jenks
    Yeah, in a year or two, I'll hope there's a 2012 S5 in my size still sitting in inventory. :-)
  • RumpoleRumpole
    I covet an R3 myself...
  • oscar_poscar_p

    Folks

    I'm in the market for a new P2 or Cannondale Slice (bike fit and then purchase in April).I can't afford a P3!  Not going to use the stock wheels / cassette as have Powertap built into my race wheels (DuraAce C50s), which has a ultegra cassette. 

    What you would recommend to be upgraded on the P2 ? I'm not a components snob e.g. I think that a 105 gruppo is fine (I have 105 on my winter bike and ultegra on road bike), but I'd like to keep components aligned.

  • William JenksWilliam Jenks
    Graham - I've had a P2SL (the aluminum bike) and a P3 in my family. My P3 is several years old now, so probably your frame is at least as good with a new P2. :-)

    Of those two bikes, the two things we've had issues with were the no-name brakes that came with the P3 and the cranks. I probably did something stupid in not cleaning them, but my front brakes became inoperable within a year. We replaced them with some Shimano ultegra and I've been very happy with them. They just seem more substantial. I don't think you need to sub them out, but if you are looking at things to consider, they might be on the list. I am pretty sure we eventually replaced the brakes on my son's P2SL for some other reason a couple years later, but I can't remember that for sure.

    The one that I would recommend for sure though is the front crank. I replaced my FSA crank with an ultegra crank and my life using the bike changed. It Just Shifts Better. Not only that, but before I switched off the FSA crank, my rear cassette usage with a SRAM cassette just wasn't quite right. Why the latter suddenly worked just fine after I switched to the Shimano crank I can't quite explain.... but it did. Later, I downgraded the crank from ultregra to 105 when I changed crank length (and found a really cheap 105). I can't tell the difference between the 105 and the ultregra. Again, my son had a very similar experience when we switched his crank. The current P2 is using a DIFFERENT stock FSA crank than existed then, but if you probe the LBS guy, I wouldn't be surprised if he agreed the shifting is Just Better with the Shimano up front.
  • novaavantnovaavant
    I'd look at the seat that is shipped with that bike. Seats are very personal but I've tried that fizik seat and for me at least it was not comfortable for even short rides let alone 112 miles. If you need to keep the FSA crank for a while I'd at least upgrade the chain to either ultegra or KMC, I've had pretty good luck with smoothing out shifting with FSA cranks by changing out the chain.

    Here is some more info from an online review.
    http://aerogeeks.com/2014/01/16/cervelo-p2-first-look/
  • oscar_poscar_p

    Thanks Wicked Smart guys. I can't believe that you drop approx $3,500 on a new bike and then have to upgrade parts of it!! i.e. another $200 on a crank. Based upon that the Cannondale Slice Ultegra looks is looking better value for money.

    @Attila - thanks for the Aerogeek link! 

    Ok... having read the Aerogeeks review I think the take home message is "Its a platform that can be built on". Meaning, u get a whole lot of frame and then you can start upgrading the components one by one as the $$ becomes available. Starting with the crank (swap to Shimano), then the brakes. hmm not so bad. Also the review had a good picture of the difference between the 2013 and 2014 model (apart from the colour scheme!) - specifically on the 2014 the cable entry is on the top (compared to the side for the 2013). This will come in handy when the LBS attempt to pass off the 2013 bike on me (as one did over the phone - i removed them from my list immediately!)

    I'll be swapping out the stock saddle for my nice comfy ISM Adamo!!

     

  • rwsmith96rwsmith96

    Graham, I am with you (see my original reply to this post).  By the time you upgrade, you're just about better off with a P3 complete or a P3 frameset that you build up.  William had a good point about how this bike is the death of the entry level price point for tri bikes.

    I also replaced my FSA crank with an Ultegra (when I got my Stages PM) and the shifting is way better.  I haven't replaced my FSA brakes yet but their Ultegra replacements are sitting on my workbench as we speak.

  • William JenksWilliam Jenks
    Most shops will trade you the value of the take-off piece, so if you go with an immediate upgrade, you only have to pay the difference. Pretty sure they would do that for the crank.
  • William JenksWilliam Jenks
    Top entry is an improvement over the side tube entry, which is what I have on my older P3.
  • rwsmith96rwsmith96

    File under irony: I had a minor crash during today's race rehearsal...no skin lost, a couple bruises, no big whoop.  Until I found the cracks in my top tube.  Lots of cracks.  Bike frames shouldn't be mushy.  It's either Calfee (love Calfee) or replacement.  Well, my friendly local Cervelo dealer is setting me up with a warranty replacement on Monday.  

    So...depending on whether I get a 2013 or 2014 replacement frame, I may be riding a 2014 P2 quite soon.  Probably not in time for Oceanside, so I may be building up my 2012 S5 with a TT setup for Oceanside in 5 weeks.  That'll be interesting too.

    I'll keep this thread updated.  Please mourn my 2012 P2 with me.  It was my first real bike and I love it.  5000 miles in 17 months together...we had a lot of time to get friendly.

  • wills029wills029

    Sorry for your loss....

    I still have my 2012 P2. It's a great bike. I had a major crash on it last summer. I made sure to hit the pavement first - quite a few fractures, but only a few scratches for my P2 

    Good luck with the new bike Richard.

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