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 P2 SL
The P2 SL comes from a long line of high-performance time trial/triathlon bikes that starts all the way back in 1996 with our first production model, the P2. With features such as the (for the time revolutionary) aerodynamic shapes, internal cable routing, horizontal dropouts and extended seat mast, the P2 was a no-holds-barred speed machine. It was also impractical and expensive.
For the 2000 model year, we wanted to make the benefits of the P2 available to a broader range of customers, but we were adamant that performance could not suffer as a result. At the top of the list of featured that were impractical was the seatmast. The seatmast made it impossible for a medium or large P2 bike to fit in a standard (or even a custom) bike bag, which is really a big drawback considering how often people travel with these types of bikes. We eventually had a company make a custom bag for us that fit the P2, but airlines and UPS would constantly create trouble because it was oversized.
So the challenge was to remove the seatmast, boost or at least match the overall aerodynamics (though maybe through improvement in one spot to offset losses elsewhere on the frame) and find ways to make the frame less expensive to purchase for our customers. To replace the seatmast, we designed an aero seattube/seatpost combination that had several benefits.
Firstly, it ensured the same seamless aerodynamic shape from bb to saddle that the seatmast did. Secondly, by significantly narrowing down the width of the seattube and seatpost we were able to reduce the frontal area of the frame, an important factor in aerodynamics. Almost coincidentally, these changes also reduced weight of the frame, yet another benefit. Lastly, thanks to some clever engineering the changes also lowered our manufacturing costs. At the same time, our very strong growth had given us much more clout with suppliers, giving us a further opportunity to make the new P2 more affordable.
When the new P2, dubbed the P2K, was introduced just before the 2000 season it created immediate excitement. Remember, this was the year where many manufacturers gave up on TT/tri bikes or significantly worsened their performance because of the new, limiting UCI rules. Yet the new Cervélo P2K offered our renowned P2 performance without the impracticalities from before and at roughly half the price. No wonder that year after year it picked up top honors in the roadbikereview.com customer awards, as well as Best in Class distinctions from the major triathlon magazines. It was even used by professional cyclists and picked up a World Time Trial Championship title along the way (by far the least expensive frame to have such honors).
The next step in the evolution is the P2 SL. The tubing has been refined with the Smartwall 2 set, further reducing the weight while increasing the stiffness. The finish is upgraded to an anodization to offer the best possible scratch-resistance. The parts kit is stepped up another notch to DuraAce, offering pro performance at a very affordable price. The result is that the P2 SL is still ahead of its time today while it continues to build on ten years of family history carrying people to their personal TT/Tri victories. |
| | Full aero TT/Tri frame and seatpost - Building on ten years of experience, this member of the P2 family offers pro-level performance at an affordable price. The downtube, seattube and seatpost all feature Cervélo's proprietary TrueAero aerodynamic shapes. Rearwheel cutout - The seattube features a tight-fitting rearwheel cutout to further improve the aeordynamics. The frame has horizontal dropouts with set-screws to allow the rider to adjust the cutout gap depending on the size of tire used, and ensures that the airflow from the seattube to the rearwheel is as smooth as possible for tire sizes from 19-25mm. Cervélo Smartwall 2 tubing - Putting the material where it matters, the P2 SL offers great bottom bracket and torsional stiffness despite the narrow aerodynamic profile of its tubes. ICS Internal Cable Stops - The best internal cable stop system available. Easy to install, easy to service, easy to keep clean and improved aerodynamics. Adjustable geometry - The flippable seatpost allows for an adjustment in seattube angle range of anywhere between 74-79 degrees so the rider can tailor the geometry to his/her specific desires. |
| | When Cervélo first started using tube profiles as designed by the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA), it caused quite a stir in the bike industry. These tubeshapes are the result of years and years of research and do a very good job of reducing the aerodynamic drag created by the tubes. We manufactured extrusion dies specifically for these NACA profiles, as it was the only way to get the tube shapes accurate. But while NACA profiles are good, they are not ideal for bicycles. NACA profiles are generally designed for higher speeds, even those designed for "low-speeds" were made with speeds in mind that go beyond most cyclists' abilities. Therefore we have turned our attention to designing our own airfoils at Cervélo in the past few years, improving wherever possible on the foundation laid by NACA. The result is the latest family of airfoils, from the shapes used on the Soloist, Dual and P series TT/Tri bikes to the Wolf shapes optimized for frame and fork shapes adjacent to spinning wheels. |
| | The aerodynamic downtube of the P2K is differentially butted, which means that the wall thicknesses around the perimeter are not constant. The reason we vary these wall thicknesses is that the material isn’t as useful at each spot. Both tubes are especially needed to provide lateral (sideway) stiffness. It also provides in-plane (vertical) stiffness, but that is not a critical factor, as the frame structure by itself already provides ample in-plane stiffness. It is actually a good idea to try to reduce the in-plane stiffness (and thus increase comfort), which can also be accomplished with the differential butting.
The variable wall thickness we use means that we have more material on the sides (the high-stress points in the lateral load case), and less on the top and bottom of the tube (the high-stress points in the in-plane load case). The result is a frame with increased lateral stiffness, reduced in-plane stiffness (more comfort) and the highest possible stiffness-to-weight ratio.
Tech Presentation: 8 grams In this presentation, we show you several seemingly small engineering details, many of which are incorporated in the P2 SL. Despite their size, the effect of each of these details is quite amazing. One thing they all have in common is that they weigh 8 grams or less, and they are certainly worth their weight - and much more - in gold. You can view the presentation here. |
| | The P2 SL comes in two versions. The first version comes with our DuraAce kit, and the frame has an indestructible gun-metal anodized finish. The second version uses our Ultegra kit and a yellow, painted frame. |
| | 77-78 degree seattube angles have become more and more common for time trial and triathlon bikes in the past few years. Whereas in the past time trialers often rode at more shallow angles in the 74-75 degree range, the situation is no longer as lopsided. Riders like Zabriskie, Voigt, Julich and many of their Team CSC colleagues now ride at 77-78 degrees, and if it weren’t for the restrictive UCI rules on saddle position, some might even ride steeper. Other teams are starting to catch on to this trend as well, and no wonder if you look at the results Team CSC garners in time trials. But even if you aren’t a professional cyclist, there are compelling reasons to ride steep on a time trial bike: - With lower back flexibility often a limiting factor, a steep seattube angle allows you to attain a flatter back without having to change your body’s “internal” angles (hip angle, knee angle, etc). Basically, a steeper seattube angle rotates the rider forward around the bottom bracket, thereby leaving the internal angles intact while positioning the back more horizontal.
- A steeper seattube angle can allow you to even open up your hip angle, thereby reducing the strain on your lower back as well as making the pedal motion less restrictive.
- For triathletes, several studies have shown that running times after riding a bike decrease if the bike was ridden with a steep seattube angle.
That said, a steep seattube angle is not for everybody and it remains a personal preference, so we offer our TT/tri bikes with adjustable geometry, allowing for an effective seattube angle anywhere in the 74-79 degree range. As you move through the range of effective seattube angles, the effective toptube length also changes. Note that we say effective seattube angle, as the standard seattube angle is really a very inadequate dimension. It does not describe very well the position of the point that actually matters for fitting, the saddle. A 75 degree seattube angle with a large setback seatpost and the saddle pushed backwards is a lot less steep than the same seattube angle with a zero-offset post and the saddle forward. The variation between these two situations can be as much as 3 degrees, yet both are called 75 degree seattube angles. So to really be able to intelligently compare positions, it is better to use effective seattube angles, which is normalized for a standard seatpost setback and a saddle position in the middle of the range. In the example above, we would call the first situation an effective seattube angle of 74 degrees, and the second situation an effective seattube angle of 77 degrees. In other words, you can achieve the same position for the saddle (and therefore the rider) with different seattube angles, as long as the seatpost and saddle position are adjusted to create the same effective seattube angle. In the geometry tables below we list the dimensions for 75 and 78 degree effective seattube angles, roughly corresponding to the two positions of the adjustable seatposts if the saddle is clamped in the center of the rails.
| 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. |
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| | | Part | Ultegra Kit | DuraAce Kit | | Fork | Wolf TT | Wolf TT | | Seatpost | Cervélo aero Aluminum - 2-position | Cervélo aero Aluminum - 2-position | | Shift Levers | Shimano DuraAce Bar-ends | Shimano DuraAce Bar-ends | | Front Derailleur | Shimano Ultegra | Shimano DuraAce | | Rear Derailleur | Shimano Ultegra | Shimano DuraAce | | Cassette | Shimano Ultegra 12-23 | Shimano Ultegra 12-23 | | Chain | Shimano Ultegra | Shimano Ultegra | | Brake Calipers | Cervélo Mach 2 | Cervélo Mach 2 | | Brake Levers | Dia Compe 188 | Dia Compe 188 | | Crankset | FSA Gossamer Compact MegaExo | FSA Gossamer Compact MegaExo | | Bottom Bracket | FSA Gossamer MegaExo | FSA Gossamer MegaExo | | Headset | FSA | FSA | | Stem | Visiontech Sizemore | Visiontech Sizemore | | Basebars | Cervélo stoker | Cervélo stoker | | Aerobars | Vision TT clip-on | Vision TT clip-on | | Saddle | Profile Design TriStryke | Profile Design TriStryke | | Wheels | Shimano R-500 Aero | Shimano R-500 Aero | | Tires | Vittoria Diamante Pro Lite | Vittoria Diamante Pro Lite | | Specs may change without notice. |
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| | 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 dealer are not covered by any warranty. For a list of authorized dealers, please check our dealer locator below. |
| | Here you will find Cervélo’s general owner’s manual. 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 dealer. To read the owner’s manual, please click here. |
| | During the development of the P2 and P3 models, Cervélo has ensured that these models comply with the new UCI regulations that came into effect on January 1, 2000. The main points of the new rules are: - Frames have to be of a double diamond lay-out
- Both wheels have to be the same size
- All tubes have to fit within a 80mm wide template, except near the joints where more room is allowed
- A credit card has to fit between the seattube and the tire. Don't jam it through, as the official may not try that either. Just play it safe, and if there is any trouble sliding the credit card through, move the wheel a millimeter further back. A 3mm gap will enable a credit card to slip through without a problem (2.1mm should do it theoretically). The horizontal drop-outs of our TT bikes enable the rider to achieve the appropriate gap irrespective of the size of tire used.
Several national federations are working on a grace period so that people with old bikes can still compete in events. But this grace period will likely only apply to bikes purchased before January 1, 2000, so if you are looking to buy a new bike, please ensure that your bike is approved by the UCI. And for more information on a grace period, contact your own national federation. The link below will show you the UCI approval of our models. To make sure things go smoothly at the pre-race technical inspection, you can print this out and present it to the commissaires. Be sure to print it in grayscale and high quality for proper reproduction of the drawings. Click here to view the UCI approval |
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