Cervélo P1

"World-championship-winning entry-level bike"; the P1 is the only bike that can legitimately claim this.

P1 Technology
Availability
Introduction
Feature-Benefit-Experience
TrueAero®
Smartwall 2™
éRide Test Ride Program
Reviews
Geometry
Warranty
Owner's Manual
UCI Approval
Prices and Specs
Retailers

P1 Views
Full size view
360° view
Detail views

Availability

The P1 is available now.

Introduction

Danny Pate wins the 2001 World TT Championships for Espoirs

“For those who are anchored in the mid $2000s and need to buy a podium-worthy bike, stop shopping, you’ve found it” - Dan Empfield, founder QR, about the P1

The above quote refers to the P2SL. The P1 is the same bike, but at an even better price. 15 years of focus on only triathlon and road bikes is what made Cervelo the #1 triathlon bike company in the world. It is also what makes the P1 the only triathlon bike you can buy when you are just starting out in triathlon, without any reason to upgrade for the next ten years.

First and foremost there is Cervelo’s unique triathlon geometry, which simply fits most people very well, and FIT=COMFORT. Then there are the narrow and aero tubes, internal cables, and a functional rearwheel cutout. Pro level tt/tri performance for less than $2000.

Feature-Benefit-Experience

The bike industry loves to talk about features (tube shapes, materials, etc). But a feature is useless without a benefit! Ask yourself, would you prefer a poorly engineered frame made of “Ultra High Modulus carbon” (a feature)? Or an intelligently engineered frame that uses the material to create something lighter, stiffer and stronger (real benefits)? Even more than benefits, you want experiences. The aforementioned lightness & stiffness may be benefits, but what you really want is the experience of higher performance, through quicker acceleration and better climbing.

This is why we list not only features, but also the accompanying benefits and experiences. To recap:

Product Feature: “Which innovative shape, material or design solution was used on this frame?”

Technical Benefit: “What is the advantage of this shape, material or solution?”

Rider Experience: “How does this feature & benefit change my riding experience?” This usually involves experiencing higher performance or more comfort. Some features also offer an esthetic experience, and although we would never sacrifice performance or comfort for beauty, sometimes you can have it all.

Product Feature	Technical Benefit	Rider Experience
Cervelo TT/Tri geometry with 2-postion seatpost	Better rider fit: Developed over 15 years, our geometry puts your saddle and bars in the best position to support your weight through your bone structure, not your muscles.	Higher performance and comfort: Supported by your bone structure, you can ride in a fast and comfortable position for a long time, leaving your muscles to focus on pedaling.
TrueAero® tubeset	Lower aerodynamic resistance: TrueAero® tube shapes are designed for the lowest drag at bicycle speeds.	Higher performance: Lower resistance means you need to generate fewer Watts for the same speed.
Smartwall™ cross section	Increased stiffness without added weight: Smartwall moves material from the top and bottom to the sides of the aero tubes to make them laterally stiffer.	Higher performance: A laterally stiffer frame means more efficient power transfer from pedal to rear wheel, and more predictable handling in corners.

TrueAero®

Airplanes require different airfoils than bicycles. Sounds logical, but many companies are so proud to say their airfoils come from the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA). So were we, 13 years ago.

But now, we design our own specific airfoils, and it has led to significant improvements. It’s one of the reasons why we spend weeks and weeks in the windtunnel each year, not hours (if any) as is customary in the industry.

When you have the most and the best engineers working on aerodynamic improvements and you give them more time to play in the windtunnel sand box than anybody else, you end up with faster bikes. Simple.

Smartwall 2™

Smartwall™ cross section

Smartwall™ puts the material where it matters, far away from the center plane. This increases bottom bracket stiffness (more efficient power transfer) and torsional stiffness (better handling) while at the same time reducing in-plane harshness. It’s why S1 test rides convince so many people to get this Aluminum bike instead of a carbon bike.

éRide Test Ride Program

You can ride many of the Cervélo bike models and try out the products from other TestTeam partners at our eRide events. In order to be notified when the 2010 éRide schedule is released, please subscribe to our newsletter:

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Reviews

Dan Empfield, editor slowtwitch.com and founder Quintana Roo - There are lots of things I like about Cervélo. Such as this bike’s price. The very first thing you notice is that it’s not $2499 It’s $2500. How cool is that? A company that doesn’t try to horse you around with a “$omething-99.” You’ve got to honor that.

And then there’s, well, the price. For $2500 you get a bike that you could put underneath three quarters of the pros in a grand tour, and it’d be better than the hoity-toity bikes their teams are given by their hoity-toity sponsors. Why? Because Cervélo knows how to make a bike, and the P2 SL is a mature, tested, retested, TT/tri bike that has ninety percent of what its sexy carbon monocoques have.

I mean, think about it. Great geometry, tubes with minor diameters of 28mm or so, faired rear wheel, micro-adjustable chainstay, aero seat post and tube (with a clamp that functions!), hardy, scratch-resistant paint, Dura Ace, and FSA’s show-stopping SLK MegaExo crankset.

So, the question is, what’s keeping you from buying it? We'll answer that for you. This bike is a victim of Cervélo’s carbon success. So many people are reaching up and grabbing that brass — er, carbon — ring at the $3600 and $4500 price points, that $1100 to step to the next level is just not enough differential. But for those who’re anchored in the mid $2000s and need to buy a podium-worthy bike stop shopping, you've found it.

Plus, there’s a little secret about the P2 SL that not very many people now. As of this writing, and unless things change, the P2 SL is actually a more adjustable bike than either the P2 or P3 Carbon. The P2 SL’s carbon post has more forward adjustability, and for those who ride in excess of 80° of seat angle, the P2 SL can get you into a place you may or may not be able to achieve with Cervélo’s all-carbon bikes (mind you, the P2 and P3 Carbon are have as much forward adjustability as anything in their respective classes, they just aren't quite as adjustable as this aluminum Cervélo).

The P2 SL is the poster child proving out our belief: carbon bikes are all the rage, but mid-$2000 aluminum is where the value is. Whether it’s a Felt S22, QR Tequilo, or P2 SL (and other bikes fit into this category), this is where bang and buck collide. Perhaps no bike is a better example than the one written about here.

Geometry

Cervélos fit better. In the end that is the main reason why they have become the most popular time trial & triathlon bike in history. Of course we have unparalleled aerodynamic know-how, and the frames offer great power transfer and handling. But the most important reason why people are comfortable and fast on Cervélos is that they fit properly.
Cervélo geometry offers two large benefits:

It puts the handlebars and saddle in the right position relative to the bottom bracket very easily in its standard set-up, making it easy to find a fast and comfortable position.

It offers a very wide range of positioning option thanks to the seatpost design and the different headtube lengths between the P1/P2 and the P3/P4. This allows our customers with a not-so-standard fit to take advantage of Cervélo’s superb aerodynamic and handling performance without any need to go custom.

78 Degree Seattube Angle (forward seatpost position)
Size	Wheel Size	Head Tube Angle	BB Drop	Top Tube	Head Tube Length	Front Center	Rear Center	Stand Over Height	Stack	Reach
48	650c	72°	43	490	110	568	368	716	461	389
51	700c	72.5°	60	510	90	586	380	746	482	405
54	700c	72.5°	60	530	120	609	380	776	512	418
56	700c	72.5°	60	545	140	626	380	795	531	429
58	700c	72.5°	60	560	160	643	380	815	550	440
61	700c	72.5°	60	574	190	659	380	840	577	448
Note 1:		The above headtube lengths are for integrated headsets. To compare to non-integrated headtubes, deduct 20mm from the above lengths to adjust for the stack height needed for non-integrated headsets.
Note 2:		All our TT/tri bikes have a dropped toptube and shortened headtube to enable the rider to position the aerobars low enough for a proper aero position. This means that the frame size is no longer equivalent to the seattube length, so don't determine the size that way. Simply go by the size sticker, or measure the headtube and look it up in the above chart.

75 Degree Seattube Angle (shallow seatpost position)
Size	Wheel Size	Head Tube Angle	BB Drop	Top Tube	Head Tube Length	Front Center	Rear Center	Stand Over Height	Stack	Reach
48	650c	72°	43	514	110	568	368	716	461	389
51	700c	72.5°	60	535	90	586	380	746	482	405
54	700c	72.5°	60	557	120	609	380	776	512	418
56	700c	72.5°	60	573	140	626	380	795	531	429
58	700c	72.5°	60	589	160	643	380	815	550	440
61	700c	72.5°	60	604	190	659	380	840	577	448
Note 1:		The above headtube lengths are for integrated headsets. To compare to non-integrated headtubes, deduct 20mm from the above lengths to adjust for the stack height needed for non-integrated headsets.
Note 2:		All our TT/tri bikes have a dropped toptube and shortened headtube to enable the rider to position the aerobars low enough for a proper aero position. This means that the frame size is no longer equivalent to the seattube length, so don't determine the size that way. Simply go by the size sticker, or measure the headtube and look it up in the above chart.

Warranty

Every Cervélo frame comes with a limited lifetime warranty for the original owner. For full details on this warranty, please click here. Please note that frames not purchased from an authorized retailer are not covered by any warranty. For a list of authorized retailers, please check our retailer locator below.

Owner's Manual

Cervélo's general owner's manual as well as model-specific instructional videos can be found in our Manuals section.

Additional information, as well as fitting information to optimize performance (as opposed to fitting information for safety purposes described in the manual) can be obtained from your Cervélo retailer.

UCI Approval

Click here to view the UCI approval.

Prices and Specs

The P1 is available as a frameset or a complete bike. Your Cervélo retailer can also customize the specifications for you.

Part	Ultegra SL Kit
Fork	FK15
Headset	FSA IS 3
Seatpost	Cervélo aero Aluminum - 2-position
Shift Levers	Shimano Dura-Ace
Front Derailleur	Shimano Ultegra
Rear Derailleur	Shimano Ultegra
Cassette	Shimano Ultegra 12-25
Chain	Shimano Ultegra
Brake Calipers	FSA Gossamer
Brake Levers	Vision Aero Levers
Crankset	FSA Omega Compact
Bottom Bracket	FSA Gossamer MegaExo
Stem	Visiontech Sizemore
Basebars	Visiontech
Aerobars	Visiontech clip on
Saddle	fi'zi:k Arione Tri2
Wheels	Shimano R-500 Aero / Easton Vista (650C)
Tires	Vittoria Rubino Pro Slick
Pricing USD	$1,700
Prices and specification are subject to change without notice.

Retailers

In the retailer locator below you can find all authorized Cervélo retailers. If a retailer is not on the list, they are not authorized to sell Cervélo. This means the product will not be covered by any warranty. Please see our warranty policy for details here. Enter your address to base retailer search on:
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