Outfitting my Cervelo P3 to be race ready
I wanted to start a quick thread regarding the outfitting of my 2011 Cervelo P3 over the next several weeks. I have never owned a TT Bike before and this my first experience outfitting a bike to race with. Prior to this season, the few races I have done have been sprints and I was able to do them with my road bike.
I don’t know anything about TT Bikes other than what I read on the forums, in magazines and on the web or heard in the Podcasts. My hope is to document what works for me as well solicit feedback, best practices and insight from the community. I know there are many, many Wicked Smart Members and I would appreciate any insights and sharing of things that have worked for you along the way.
I also know there is a bike set-up thread in the wiki, but most of that is bikes already kitted or really specific elements. I wanted a thread that was fairly holistic. Plus, I am totally geeking about it! I am starting to obsess about being totally ready for Wildflower.
My intention is start training on my P3 in February after the OS W8 FTP test. Then use the P3 only for about 10 weeks as I prepare for Wildflower, my first 70.3, on May 5th. I want to focus on riding comfortably while aero as well. I also want to ensure that I get to Wildflower with the bike totally dialed in and ready to roll. I want to make sure everything tested, working well and ideal for how I ride, eat and drink on the course.
Below is what I am currently working with, my baby, the Trek Madone. Since my races have been less than two hours in duration, outfitting has been really straightforward. Note the two bottle holders…. Done! The only other addition for the stock bike is Zipp Firecrest 404’s. These will move with me to the P3 since, A) I love them and 
that is where my Powertap lives. Other than the bottle holders and wheels, she is stock.
The other interesting note is that I run a triple up front on this bike. It’s a granny gear, I know, but when starting out living in the hills here, I needed it. I rarely use it now, but it is a real security blanket for me. The P3 doesn’t have it…..
Here is pic of my P3. I bough it outfitted with the Dura Ace group and the Rotor crank. I choose it because it seemed to fit really well and is a fairly iconic bike. I had it professionally fit, made a few component changes, but nothing major. Crank was the first change based on EN guidance toward a compact ….
Out with the old 52/39
And, in with the new…. The 50/39 compact crank from Rotor as well….
The installation was dead simple with no complications. Just had to move the front derailleur down a bit.
Should be a fun project. I am sucker for little do-dadds and love carbon like my wife loves diamonds. Should also be a little trail error as I dial her in. Please comment and add pictures. Pictures tell the story….
More soon….
Comments
I'd suggest a wheelbuider wheel cover for the rear wheel.
Oh and throw a bottle between the bars.
Just to point out a couple of things...though they may very well be right for you...but they make one wonder.
You have a drop from saddle to bars on your Madone. Can't tell exactly how much, but a few cm.
On your P3, you have a "negative drop", i.e., a RISE from your saddle to pads. The whole point of a TT bike is to get your body out of the wind. You can ride a totally round tube bike and have a huge advantage over Mr. Aero Frame if you're a human missile and he's an umbrella. :-) If you have a very normal shape and this bike is the right size, that'a a way-too-unaggressive fit. If you are unnormally shaped or it's not a good fit frame, that might be the result.
It's pretty rare that people riding P3s have as much spacer AND an upturned stem as you do... this, of course, is what gets you so high in front. Your way-upturned bars also suggest that you're not putting that much weight up front, which is also a bit surprising. You can see in the photo that even the pads have a slightly positive (upward) angle.
See if you can get a side video of yourself. Ideally, your head should be in front of your shoulders, not above them. (or not much). Ideally your sheet should be more or less parallel to the ground. (Some people have a flat back, some a rounded one.) Your most acute knee-hip-shoulder angle should be similar to what's on your road bike, but it may be worth it to narrow that a touch by getting down lower. Theoretically, you can do this by moving your seat forward, and then lengthening (a little) and lowering your stem.... by moving your saddle forward, you minimize the hip constriction.
For the record, I'm a 5'9" 145-155 lbs (depending on what time of year) guy on a 54 cm P3. I wear 32 inch inseam pants, but my real inseam isn't that long. I am NOT magically flexible. Trust me on that. But I have ~15 cm drop from saddle to pads, with my seat slammed as far forward as I can get it. I even bought short cranks (165 mm) this year to alleviate a bit of hip constriction.
We need pictures of YOU on the bike! (Somewhere there's a "critique my fit" standing thread.)
Good luck with it .. she's a beauty!
William already brought this up but I can already tell you that your bar & stem setup is way too high. I don't even need a picture or video for that. :-) My drop from saddle to pads is -14.5cm. You might have an increase.
chain probably needs shortened as you went to the compct crank.
Thanks for taking the time to comment. I have obviously honked this up. In defense of the crew that did the bike fit, I changed it... I flipped the stem.
The issue is my gut, I think. The seat height is perfect, the frame is right at 54, but with the bars that low, it felt like my knees were hitting my gut.
@William - based on your description, we are about the same size, but I am 20 pounds or so heavier. I clocked in at 175 today and have set a Wildflower goal of 165 for race day. With my extra poundage, I wanted more room for my knees, but now I think I need to put in a couple hundred miles and see if I can get more comfy.
@Bob - thanks for the tip. My thinking was load the bike with all kinds of options, see what I like, what I don't and then peel it down. I was thinking Speedfill on the down tube for nutrition, A2 between my arms for water and the wing for tools, tube and any bottle I take from aid stations. Sounds like over kill for a 70.3 when I write it down, but I never down that distance and don't know any better.
Back to the lab....
I will make changes and post again.... Thanks!
You can keep the little bag around the seat post for tools and stuff but definitely ditch the wing. The A2 between the bars is a good choice (it would be similar to the Xlab Torpedo mount on the chart below). The "original" Speedfil is a ludicrous product, IMO. It's an aero brick (see chart below) and it weighs over 5 pounds when full. Running those two Speedfils would mean you'd have two straws sticking out and all that. Just run a normal bottle with a concentrated nutrition mix (3 hours worth of calories). Use the A2 for water and just keep refilling it at aid stations. Keep the little saddle bag for tools/tube. That's all you need. As the saying goes... KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid).
You might as well just use your Madone if you're not going to use the aero benefits of a tri bike. One of the tri bike myths (which you may have bought into) is that the geometry of the tri frames makes for easier running after the bike. That's debateable at best. What's not debateable are the aero position benefits... which you negated by changing the stem.
I'd love to see a pic or video (more preferable) of your fit. Either that feeling you get that your knees were hitting your gut is mental or it tells me your seat is not at a perfect position for a tri setup.
Reading that you flipped your stem yourself (and looking at the bike) implies to me that maybe you're not clear on the weight distribution on the tri bike, which is very different than on the road bike. A LOT of your weight is supposed to be on your pads, via your arms, which is why it's important for them to be at an angle that you are supporting them skeletally rather than muscularly. When you've just got it locked into a trainer (and aren't riding), you should feel like you could take a nap supporting your torso partly with your arms there...much different than a road bike where you're just holding yourself with your hands.
Is that stem a -7, so that it's flat to the ground when put the "right" way? Or is it more acute than that, so that it's actually pointing down...a little hard to tell. The most straightforward way to fit (unless you really have to do otherwise) is with a -7 stem so that it's flat. Then all the height adjustment is in the spacers and the pedestals under the elbow pads. (and stems of different lengths with a -7 are very cheap...the lbs probably has a bunch of them lying around for you to try as needed).
Bob has a lot of good things to say. A pic/video would be great.
Dino,
https://www.box.com/shared/xu23878c8t
Race Central has this:
http://members.endurancenation.us/Training/TrainingForums/tabid/101/aft/6253/afpg/2/Default.aspx#91558
When I think about how you are probably set up on the bike as it is currently configured, I'm guessing that your pelvis is rotated back, rather than forward, since the armrests sit so high. That actually closes off your hip angle when you are down in the aero position, which could be another reason why the stem in the previous position was not comfortable.
Calculating the best range for armrest drop has been given a formula by Dan Empfield, and is a function of saddle height. It is a good starting point for a reasonable armrest drop range. When I plugged in the formula, my armrest drop was in the middle of the range, so it worked pretty well for me. Again, it's a starting point.
I agree that getting pictures of you on your bike would help.
I'm surprised no one has pointed out the most obvious details: pictures of the bike shall be taken from the drive side with the chain in the big ring and the right crank at 3p. Your bike is clearly in the small ring and crank is at something other than 3pm.
This is your first strike.
haha! I love this thread. This is the kind of thing I was hoping for.
Thanks to everyone for the time invested reading the thread and commenting. I really appreciate it. And, I promise that I am a quick study and will get this baby nailed down. I don't want to let the Team down by wearing the colors while on a bike that is that completely dialed in!
@Bob - Thanks for the guidance on the speedfil. I had not thought about 5 pounds of Speedfil while I am working my tail off trying to get my body comp where I want it. I do think it is cool, but will save it for training rides without the benefit of aid stations.
@William - Pics/video are on the way. I told my wife we were going to make a movie for the internet this weekend and she gave me quite a look. I think I should have further explained....
@Rich - Got it on the large chain ring and 3 O'Clock crank. I am so ashamed of myself....
@Tucker - No one like the wing. Huh. I think it is cool, but I now agree it is another toy for training rides...
Thanks again, guys! I am really having a great time and am totally stoked about how this is shaping up!
More tomorrow.....
Ok.... At long last, the much awaited video of my fit. For bonus points, I made sure to wear to EN Gear.... Since the last look, I have striped down a lot of the extra stuff to it keep simple, I also changed the stem....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yG0e7BksWdE
Let me know your thoughts. FYI - I also have the video out to Todd at TTbikefit.com and am eager to see his veal as well.
Thanks!
Todd is the expert.
Oh yeah, and your cadence is a bit low. :-)
I could type a 750 word essay about your fit but you're paying Todd for that advice so I'll leave it to him. Unless you want to pay me. ;-)
Pretty sure he's going to tell you the following - seat up, seat forward, shorter length stem, drop some spacers.