All the bike most triathletes will need – Cervelo improves on the P-Series

Long renowned as one of triathlon’s favourite bicycle brands, Cervelo routinely tops the bike count at the Ironman World Championship. (That said, last year Canyon finally toppled Cervelo’s dominance at the men’s race – there were more men riding Canyon bikes than Cervelo models – but when you combined the men’s and women’s numbers, Cervelo remained on top.)

The company’s biggest problem has always been trying to improve on the aerodynamic features of its triathlon bikes from one iteration to the next. As we reported in our review of the new flagship P5 model, there’s only a tiny improvement on the aerodynamics compared to the last edition that was released in 2019. That doesn’t mean the bike isn’t faster, though – improvements to the ride, comfort, adjustability and handling of the new P5 have made it a record-breaking rocket.

A close look at Cervelo’s new world-record-setting P5

The P-Series bikes feature the same design as the flagship P5, but offer a few changes that make it both triathlon-friendly (along with being a bit more friendly to your wallet, too.) Like the P5, the latest model has managed to come out a bit quicker than its predecessor, offering 5.9 g of aero improvement over the old model.

The P-Series uses a different fork, so you can use whatever basebar and extensions you’d like, which allows you to dial in your fit, and maximum stack is increased to a whopping 53 mm. That’s especially helpful for people who have specific fit needs.

The frame also features internal frame storage, a first for Cervelo. This will allow you to store a tube, a multi-tool and some CO2 cannisters in a handy spot away from the wind. This means you’ll have lots of room behind the saddle for hydration.

The P-Series also benefits from wider tire clearance, which allows for the Reserve 52/63 wheels and 29 mm Corsa tires that came with our review model. That review model was the C$10,000/ US$7,300 Shimano Ultegra Di2 version with Reserve 52/ 63 wheels, which offered a great ride and performance that wasn’t far off from the P5. It’s very easy to dial in a fast, aero position, and the bike climbs as well as the P5 does, a tribute to the lateral stiffness that helps performance. You can also get the P-Series with Shimano 105 Di2 or SRAM Rival AXS components (C$7,750/ US$5,700). You can save some money, too, with mechanical shifting –the Shimano 105 Race components will set you back C$6,600/ US$4,850, while the 105 gruppo model goes for C$5,350/ US$3,950.

All versions of the bike come with the Smartpak 400 top tube-mounted bento box and rear-hydration mount, so you’ll be ready to hit the race course as soon as you get the bike.

Thanks to the aerodynamic frame and the adjustability, the P-Series really is all the bike that most triathletes would ever need. Even if you opted for one of the “cheaper” options, a few upgrades as you looked to up your triathlon game – deeper, faster wheels would give you the best bang for your buck – would certainly put you on a fast bike. A bike fast enough that you wouldn’t have any excuses after the race that you didn’t perform to your best because of your ride.