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Cervelo P3 or Specialized Transition or Giant Trinity

Ok - Dilema - nice dilema - but dilema all the same.



I have the opportunity to buy a new 08 Cervelo P3, built up with Ultegra - No wheels as I already have a pair of HED Jets @ £2,300 - or a Specialized Transition Pro 08 - built with a mix of DA and Ultegra and cosmic elite wheels @ £2,300 - OR - a Giant Trinity 09 with full DA and Cosmic Elite wheels.



I'm doing Sprints & Standards this year - next year I'll throw in a 70.3 and then 2011 IM Mexico is on the cards - I also do a weekly 10 TT too -



So



Which one guys?

Comments

  • treefrogtreefrog Posts: 1,242
    A no brainer the P3 turn every joule of your energy into speed
  • Jack HughesJack Hughes Posts: 1,262
    I would also plump for the Cervelo.



  • sfullersfuller Posts: 628
    Cervelo P3.
  • husslerhussler Posts: 237
    If you have that kind of money to spend have a look at either the Argon E-112 or the more expensive E-114....



    Ihave just got hold of one.... and from what I can gather so far it is awesome! Running off this is a dream and i can put more power hence more speed than my previous TT bike:)
  • Jack HughesJack Hughes Posts: 1,262
    OK - There might be a bit of a danger of "Group Think" here... So, I will qualify my recommendation (you have to be so careful what you read on the Internet).



    Confession: I own none of those bikes, and am, unless circumstances change dramatically, unlikely to. it's also probable that I'll never get to ride one in anger, unless you let me have a go on yours. So my reasoning is purely subjective.



    They are probably all nice bikes - each with their own particular strengths and weaknesses. However, the Cervelo is the only one I covet. Possibly from reviews, comments, possibly from "advertising" - in particular, who rides them (I'm more interested in good athletes who choose them, rather than elite athletes who are paid to ride them, though).



    However, another reason for having a preference is that both Specialised and Giant are mass producers - first and foremost they are interested (I suspect) in the bottom line, in volume, in cost of production etc. etc. They are scaling up from the bottom, and producing the top end bikes to increase brand value - with the expectation that punters will lust over the high end, but actually buy the lower end, where the profits (through volume, margins) are higher.



    Cervelo don't do this. Their only concern is the narrow focus on performance - differences in range are not primarily cost, but in types i.e. TT vs. Road vs. Track etc. They live and breath performance, they will be concerned about how to get the best performance from a particular price point. They don't need to build brand to increase volume at the bottom.



    Of course, I may be being completely unfair to specialized and Giant - and I am sure that the bikes are all wonderful machines in their own right, but that's my opinion - and I am an elitist snob!
  • combatdwarfcombatdwarf Posts: 258
    I have a Trek TTX and the run off it is sublime - buy last years model (in cool red) and use the money save to put some proper wheels on it...



    However if I was doing it again I might consider a P3 or an Orbea [;)]
  • AndreAndre Posts: 103
    Might I suggest you try them before you buy? Although most people are raving about the P3, you might prefer the feel of the Transition. Then again, you might look at the Trinity and fall for its simplicity in design.



    p.s. the Giant, is that the Advanced ISP frame or Alliance?
  • BopomofoBopomofo Posts: 980
    I like discussions like this. It's like those p*ssed up pub conversation where blokes will argue the various merits of cars they will never ever drive.



    There is no "Which is best?". If there was, market forces say there would only ever be one bike at each price point.



    treefrog has previously given good reasons why he chose a P3C based on trying out lots of bikes. Conehead has just done the same. They arrived at different answers. Funny that.



    "Which is best for me?".... can't help you there.
  • JulesJules Posts: 987
    Good points from Bopo and Andre.



    In a somewhat scaled down version of this discussion, for various reasons I have just bought (after seeing the bikes) a Trek 1.5 when the vast majority of the advice on a thread on here was that a Boardman Comp was better for the same money.



    You need the best bike for you, which would involve if at all possible trying them out.
  • BopomofoBopomofo Posts: 980
    See? We're always telling people to ignore our advice on here!



    Jules: the only advice you can ever really get is which bike has the highest spec bits bolted to it for the price point. Whether that bike works for you is entirely different, and I think somebody far more experienced than me has previously pointed out on here that he could take his top end perfectly fitted frame, kit it out with no-brand OEM cogs and wheels and cheerfully whip the backside of anybody on a poorly fitted carbon crotch-rocket.



    Glad you found something that suits you so well. It is such a personal choice.
  • danny_sdanny_s Posts: 235
    I agree with those saying that blindly picking the P3 for every person is quite niave and shortsighted.



    However, I do have to advice against the Transition. It is a maintenance NIGHTMARE. I had one for a month living in my house, via a friend who'd gone to Asia and didn't bring it with him. The brakes are incredibly finicky and if you don't have everything perfectly set up, gave headaches trying to balance. I dont' consider myself to be deficient when it comes to a set of wrenches but this bike got removed from my 'lust list' pronto.



    The fit was not at all the same to a Cervelo, and this is where you'll probably find what is best for you. I'd get a real bike fitting by a certified bike fitter. Get your stack and reach measured and then see which brands you'll match up well with. You'll probably be fastest (99.99% of the time) on the bike which you're fit best and comfortable on. Bike porn and advertising is hard to ignore but if you're spending that kind of money, getting someone independent involved may be a good idea.

  • TTX PROTTX PRO Posts: 225
    Its Deffinently a tricky one.Out of those im gonna say,go with the P3.Its race proven.aerodynamic and they do look the part,However you can get an Argon 18 E-112 bike or even a argon 18 E-114 Framset for about the same price.Argon 18 are deffininently worth considering,there very aero and striff and comfortable.I use to have a Mercury,Brilliant frames and top quility and there Canadian just like Cervelo

    Compare the bike

    [image]http://www.fitfanatics.com/images/products/Bike/Cervelo/2008/P3C.jpg[/image]

    [image]http://www.bikerumor.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/argon18-e112.jpg[/image]

    [image]http://www.brittonbikes.com/bikes/argon18/tt-tri/images/09-e-112-mp.jpg[/image]

    [image]http://www.frfsports.com/images/2009/Argon/E114_frame.jpg[/image]
  • husslerhussler Posts: 237
    What a lovely looking bike the Argon is :) thats the one I bought last week..... It is fantastic!!!



    I have done a few sessions on it and I am finding it awesome.

    My running off the bike is alot easier, I am now running around 10/15s per mile quicker than previous bikes and feeling fresher.

    I have a 25TT this weekend on it so well see how it preforms under 'race conditions':)



    On the maintenance side of things - BRILLIANT!- the internal cabling is immense and so easy to strip out and replace....



    Saying that and echoing other comments on here - the bike seems to work for me - having never tried the P3 or the Orbea or Giant... but having rode Transitions I would go for the Argon over the Transition just on the maintenance side of things as I had problems with my transition too mainly the internal cabling.



    I got the Argon Frameset E-112
  • ironkavironkav Posts: 259
    What a lovely looking bike the Argon is :) thats the one I bought last week..... It is fantastic!!!


    Man that is a sexy bike..



    On looks alone.. I have to say im in love. After testing it. Its marriage material. Unfortunately Im only beginning to save for one. A long way to go.





  • danny_sdanny_s Posts: 235
    hussler wrote:


    What a lovely looking bike the Argon is :) thats the one I bought last week..... It is fantastic!!!



    I have done a few sessions on it and I am finding it awesome.

    My running off the bike is alot easier, I am now running around 10/15s per mile quicker than previous bikes and feeling fresher.

    I have a 25TT this weekend on it so well see how it preforms under 'race conditions':)



    On the maintenance side of things - BRILLIANT!- the internal cabling is immense and so easy to strip out and replace....



    Saying that and echoing other comments on here - the bike seems to work for me - having never tried the P3 or the Orbea or Giant... but having rode Transitions I would go for the Argon over the Transition just on the maintenance side of things as I had problems with my transition too mainly the internal cabling.



    I got the Argon Frameset E-112



    Where did you go for an Argon dealer? I only dealer for the UK on their website in Hailsham, East Sussex. The bikes look dead sexy and I'd love to try one out before deciding which new bike to lust over until I can save some money...

  • husslerhussler Posts: 237
    I spent about 2 days looking for somewhere who sold them.... Primera in Bournemouth and Poole have them and it was a guy I spoke to on the phone who recommended one....

    I searched Google and found a shop about half an hour from me who sold them!!!

    Bridgtown Cycles in Cannock, West Midlands is where i got it from. They do test rides etc They only had one in built with 105 and Ultegra for £2200 but I was only after the Frameset and they stripped the frame down and sold me that!!

    It only came in the country on the Saturday before I bought it, they built it up on the Sunday and I bought it on the Tuesday and no-one else had the chance to test it or even look at it before I bought it!! Guess I just fell lucky on that one....as I believe there is a Waiting list at some dealers to get hold of them.



    ITS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • danny_sdanny_s Posts: 235
    If you don't mind me asking, what did you pay for the frameset? And is the E-112 that much more expensive because I figure you've got to put at least 400 into a proper cockpit, which would come standard with the 114, and I could be more like Torbjorn that way which is always very high to #1 priority...

  • JulesJules Posts: 987
    Loving the bike-porn pics!



    "Argon" is a funny name - odd to name a bike after something inert.
  • husslerhussler Posts: 237
    I paid £1300 for the frameset. The E-114 is around £2300 as a frameset but like you say you get the bars with it. Luckily I have all the kit already to slap straight on so dont need to buy anything else:) and I get my wheels through my Sponsorship deal:)



    The frames are identical between the E112 and E114 as they are from the same mould when built. Its just the headset thats different. The E112 comes with a conventional headset rather than the Felt DA-esque headset.



    Alot of money for a different headset.....
  • jon_gjon_g Posts: 318
    i've been reading reviews of the argon online, mostly because i liked the look of the one posted on here! everyones saying its a pretty heavy bike, how much does yours weigh fully built?
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