So... unless you've been under a rock for the last year, or just aren't interested in the whole "time-trial" racing shenanigans, you've probably heard about the most anticipated TT bike since... well... ever... The cool thing about the development of the new P4 is that, unlike every other company in the world, a prototype was never actually made, the bikes that we are receiving now, for all intended purposes, are the prototypes! Which might explain some of it's short-comings that have already been well documented in the media... This process of "non-prototyping" involved the use of a "test-mule" where tubes and shapes could be modified at will, in order to produce the most aerodynamic shapes at the least cost... And this goal at reducing costs appears to be reflected in its less than stellar paint scheme... Anyways...
Our adventure with the P4 began in early March when we received word the first P4 was finally ready for shipment, a 56cm frameset. Barely out of the paint booth, we requested it be overnighted to us immediately for the Outdoor Travel and Adventure Show... This ended up being the first P4 in Western Canada, and in talking with Cervelo may have been one of the first received the world over! Now you might think, "yea, big deal", well... and here's where my interest in the subject comes in... That made me one of the first "non-Cervelo" employees to build the damn thing up! Maybe your still thinking "big deal... a bike is a bike..." Well when you take into account cable routing and rear brake setup it becomes a little more daunting. Now the obvious question might surface, "Did I need instructions?!?"... The answer is emphatically "YES!". Even the most seasoned mechanic would be stupid to try and install or build a new component without them. I read the instructions for every piece of new technology I work with, there are no exceptions. The stores bank account isn't deep enough to deal with thousands of dollars worth of potential screwups. Now... did I have any? That is answered with a resounding "NO!"... We got the bike before any instructions had even been released!! So, yea, I built the bike without instructions and, "phew!", thank goodness sh!t didn't hit the fan. Now, some quick observations and discoveries I have made on the newest, most-aero piece of machinery the UCI-legal world has ever seen:
1) It is effing light, substantially lighter than a P3.
2) The only similarity between the P4 and the P3 is the middle 6 inches of the top tube.
3) Whether intentional or not, makng the paint scheme bland, certainly doesn't help disguising it, if anything it actually stands out more.
4) There are no water bottle cage mounts on the downtube of the P4... FYI this is because a bottle on the downtube drastically decreases aero efficiency (the same is true for ALL aero Cervelo's... So get a water bottle setup for the back of the seat and off your downtube!).
5) The water bottle is about as functional as a "true" water bottle as it looks, and yes it is faster with it in the frame, leave it there and get a seat mounted bottle holder.
6) The chain stays are HUUUUUUUGE, meaning that certain wheels WILL have issues with lateral flex and frame rub (the list is on the Cervelo site).
7) The seat mounting bolt is similar to the Orbea Ordu and is extremely clean and very aero-slippery.
8) The seatpost itself is the same one used in both the P2 and P3.
9) The fork and rear brake both appear to be proprietary in house Cervelo units.
10) The rear dropouts are adjusted by a sweet little dial making it way easier to center your rear wheel compared with the P3.
If you haven't seen it yet and are interested in seeing the crazyness, please come in and have a look. Now on to more pressing matters... Which events will SpeedTheory be at!!!
We have committed to being at the following events, so please come by and say hello!
May 31 UCTC Sprint Triathlon
May 31 HSBC Calgary Marathon (Volunteers are needed for the aid station at the store!)
June 6 SpeedTheory ITT
June 13-14 Wasa Lake Triathlon *
June 18-21 Banff Bike Fest *
June 20 Chinook Tri *
July 5 Great White North *
August 2 Ironman 70.3 Calgary
August 16 Provincial Road Race
August 22-23 Speed Theory Speed Fest
August 29-30 Ironman Canada (Penticton)
September 13 Provincial Hill Climb
* Our attendance at this event is still subject to approval by race organizers.
Because I blabbered on about the P4 we'll make the topic:
"I have a B.Kin in Exercise & Health Physiology from the University of Calgary. Why am I working at SpeedTheory?"
for the next time...
Cameron Hills
Service Manager
SpeedTheory Calgary
130-5403 Crowchild Trail NW
Calgary, AB, Canada
T3B 4Z1
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