Canadian brand Cervélo’s latest version of its P5 time trial and triathlon bike claims to be a lighter, stiffer, faster and more practical race bike than before.
- Lamborghini leaves its marque on the Cervélo P5x
- Is the BMC Timemachine ROAD 01 aero supremacy or integration gone mad?
The new P5 frame is fully revised in shape and construction. It's designed around disc brakes, is lighter by 18 percent (a 350g weight reduction on frame and fork), and stiffer by 22 percent in the head tube and 26 percent in the bottom bracket, according to Cervélo.
It has clearance for 28mm tyres and features an integrated fork/base bar upfront and a 405mm chainstay at the back.
Even with all these changes, the bike is within UCI-legal parameters and Cervélo says it retains the same handling geometry as the previous version.
The P5 has been developed with the brand's top pro racers and is aimed squarely at the racing market. "It was designed with our Pro Tour team and triathletes in mind," explains Graham Shrive, Cervélo's director of engineering. "It's the fastest bike we've ever tested."
As well as the improvements in performance, there have been many small but not insignificant practical changes and additions.
Aero is the name of the game here, and a 500ml UCI-legal down tube-mounted bottle is formed to slice through the air with nominal added drag.
Simple rubber top, tube-mounted SmartPak storage gives enough space for food, with a separate compartment for used wrappers and gel packs — a neat detail.
Cervélo’s incorporated speed riser setup sits proudly out front, which allows a range of reach, height, width and extension adjustments in order to perfectly tailor the ride position using a single tool.
The bike also comes with a new seatpost that incorporates the brand’s P5X bottle mount. A removable front derailleur mount, integrated plastic chainstay guard and plenty of bottle and computer mount options make up more practical touches.
Hidden Di2 routing, junction boxes and a battery (which sits in a friction-fit casing in the seatpost) round off a very tidy package.
The P5 is available as two full-build options as well as a frameset.
P5 Disc frameset
- Sizes: 48, 51, 54, 56, 58
- Colour: Navy/Coral/Black
- £TBC / €5,499 / US$5,000
P5 Disc Dura-Ace Di2
- Sizes: 48, 51, 54, 56, 58
- Colour: Black/Green/White
- £10,599 / €11,999 / US$12,500
P5 Disc Ultegra Di2
- Sizes: 48, 51, 54, 56, 58
- Colour: Black/Green/White
- £6,599 / €7,499 / US$7,500
