The rebirth of the Cervelo P3

April 16, 2013

What was true in France in 1422 is true today in Canada – The king is dead, long live the king. The Cervelo P3 has been the king among triathlon bikes for quite a while now and this distinctive model alone eclipsed all other brands in the 2012 Kona bike count. 252 of the 483 Cervelo bikes at the Ironman World Championships were P3 models, compared to a total of 211 Trek and 170 Specialized bikes of all their models, but many of these Treks and Specialized bikes were newer Speed Concepts and Shivs. It was indeed time for Cervelo to move on and here is the new Cervelo P3.

The task to improve on a classic is never easy and that was true for Cervelo too. Mike Trigonidis and crew had been involved in the S5 and P5 development and were given task to tackle the rebirth of the P3 and it does show indeed that lessons learned in the development of the S5 and P5 were applied here.

We chatted with Mike Trigonidis (Engineering Project Manager), Will Chan (Composite Engineer) and Mark Remennik (Industrial Designer) to hear their thoughts about this new Cervelo P3.

It was very cold and wintery a few days ago when Cervelo introduced the new P3 to the media in North America.

The dropped downtube of the P3 is a feature we also saw on the P5 and will likely see on other models. The narrow fork that shows great aero numbers was first seen on the P4.

The Magura RT6 TT brake in the rear is shrouded by the seat cluster aerozone and can easily be worked on. The way it is mounted is similar to the S5.

Cervelo has decided to switch to ISM saddles for their triathlon bikes. The P3 seatpost (just like the one on the P5) uses the very adjustable Ritchey 1-Bolt fastening system. That 1-Bolt is available in three sizes to accommodate various saddle rail diameters.

The 3T cockpit of the new Cervelo P3 with the front Magura RT6 TT just below.

The black and white RT6 offering from Magura goes very well with the paint scheme of the P3.

The entry port for the cables can be replaced according to whatever components are selected.

The storage space on the toptube is just like the one on the P5.

The Rotor cranks are part of the package, the very sweet deep section Mavic wheels though are after market.

XLab is rumored to have storage for this area above the bottom bracket for both the P3 and the P5 soon.

The initial offering of the Cervelo P3 will come with a Shimano Dura-Ace mechanical group.

The seat cluster area of the new P3.

The view from behind.

As a size comparison we also looked at the 48cm version of the P3 that comes with 700c wheels.

The 45cm Cervelo P3 is indeed a 650c bike.

Quite a few Cervelo P3 bikes awaited the media in Boulder, Colorado.

Colorado based Jason Losey was hard at work setting the bikes up for the riders.

Mary Beth Ellis was also on hand and she looked very comfortable on the ride she had just jumped on.

The new Cervelo P3 geometry chart.

The mantra for this new bike was Speed Within Reach with the idea that those who lust for the Cervelo P5 can have an offering from the same brand that fills the need for Aero Performance Lust but at a more affordable price.

The Cervelo P3 is available starting today in sizes 51, 54 and 56 with a Shimano Dura-Ace mechanical group and Magura RT6 TT hydraulic brakes for $5,400. The sizes 45, 48, 58 and 61 will trickle in after, and that is also true for other complete bike configurations and frame only offerings.