used P3 advice

Ralph Moore

ok,

 first things first. I am in my second year with EN and I  am on the 3 year plan.  I know that I really am not  supposed to try to  "buy speed" until next year  and I am in the process of  getting my powermeter  right now (priority 1) but I was  wondering....

Todd says I need a 61 cm  frame bike and I have seen  some older P3  aluminum frame bikes  in this size going for the 600-800 dollars on e-bay. It seems like I might be  able to get into one of these  significantly sooner than  I could afford a full on  carbon new version.   Would the TT bike geometry  be with it even in aluminum  or should I just wait until  I can afford the Carbon version  (about a year probably).

 what say ye?

Mark Roberts

I used to have an old aluminum P3 and it is a great bike and rides very smooth for an aluminum frame. Very aero also. It is a difficult bike to fit properly. Cervelos, especially several years ago fit "long and low" meaning that have a very short head tube and a LONG top tube. This is fine if you can ride w a lot of drop and are not a Long leg, short torso person. A 61 cm Cervelo, due to the long reach and low stack will NOT fit the same as a 61 cm of some other brand. See if Todd made specific recommendations for "stack and reach" and you can lookup those numbers online, being sure to find the specs on the aluminum P3
Good luck!

jfields74

I would def check with Todd on that and get the specs before you buy. I'd sell you my P2 but wife would kill me (among other things) ;-)!

William Jenks

As long as you are considering good Aluminum fames, the P2SL that is a little more recent is another excellent choice. It will have different fit characteristics than the old P3. We have one in our family...great bike for the $.

But if you have to buy the componentry on top of the frame, you might want to look into whether an entry level full-carbon P2 might be in the same cost neighborhood. Huge bang for the buck.