My New Bike

So I have finally taken the plunge and bought myself a new bike. I wanted something that was a definite upgrade from what I currently ride, (A Marin Fairfax), but without going too over the top.
I had already decided on a Triathlon (TT) bike over a standard road bike as I really wanted the aerodynamic benefits that this would offer me in the race. I also like riding TT style rather than road race so this backed up that decision. I headed down to one of our Sony Pictures Triathlon Team sponsors, Triathlon Lab down in Redondo Beach to check out my choices.

My next decision was whether to go Carbon or Aluminum. The bikes that I had been looking at were the Cervelo P1 and P2. The P1 has an Aluminum frame while the P2 is Carbon Fiber. The weight of the two bikes is very similar with the aluminum bike only slightly heavier than the Carbon version. The aerodynamics is slightly better on the Carbon frame as well but the price was about $1000 more than the $1750 of the P1.

On the way to the shop, my head was telling me the P1 would be ideal and within budget while my heart was telling me to go for the extra styling and aerodynamics of the P2. (My wife surprisingly was also telling me to get the P2). In the end, the test ride broke the internal indecision.

The Carbon frame felt so smooth. It soaks up the high frequency vibrations. This was allowing me to put the power down in a smooth and controlled fashion. The power also seemed to translate better to the wheels making the bike seem to accelerate faster.

Finally my mind was made up. The next issue was availability in my size. There was only one bike in the shop with the correct 58cm frame for me and it was on a slightly more expensive Dura Ace setup. It was actually a mid year 2008-2009 model with last years Dura Ace components so the price was less than this years equivalent but with everything essentially the same. This in fact was also the bike I test rode so I thought it was best to stick with what I knew I liked.

So here it is. My new bike. I have been riding to work on it for most of the week and first impressions are amazing. I have a section of the Ballona Creek that I have been timing myself on and with my old bike, my previous best was 12 minutes and 7 Seconds on my Marin Fairfax.

On only my second time out on the bike and my first timed run using my Garmin Forerunner 305 over the 4.8 mile section, I completed it in 11 minutes and 22 seconds. That's 45 seconds quicker but most importantly, a 1.5 mph increase in average speed. Obviously conditions can make it hard to compare but I feel that the two days were similar.

So a big thumbs up from my triathlon point of view but a bit of a dent in the wallet that now needs addressing.