One of the dozen P5s in existence takes the TT start in California
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Andrew Talansky’s Cervélo P5 was raced for the first time Thursday at the Amgen Tour of California(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
What you can’t see here it the Shimano Di2 that’s mounted inside the down tube. If you look closely, however, you can see the Allen bolt that keeps the cover on over the battery(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The rear brake caliper is tucked underneath the chainstays, hidden behind a cover(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The P5 has three different height options for the 3T Aduro stem/handlebar. Which do you think Talansky runs?(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Even the seatpost clamp was designed with aerodynamics in mind. Also, the part of the curved downtube that faces the wheel is concave to allow for better air flow; Cervélo engineers found this design let the wheel spin faster(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
This bicycle has Pat McQuaid’s blessing(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The view from the cockpit — a Garmin 500 is tucked in the area where a bottle cage could also be mounted. Di2 buttons handle the shifting(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
For time trials, Talansky prefers an Arione Tri model, with its padded nose(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The RT 8TT hydraulic levers double as a quick release for the brake calipers. Pushing the brake lever forward — the opposite of the braking motion — pops the caliper open for wheel removal(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The hydraulic line for the Magura RT8 brake runs right up against the head tube and disappears into the stem — nice and aero(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The P5 is the world’s first production time trial bike with a hydraulic rim brake, courtesy Magura(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
While many team mechanics are still having to create custom solutions for mounting Shimano Di2 batteries and running cables, Cervélo has provided the most elegant and integrated option yet. Here, you can’t see the battery and the cables — and that is exactly the point(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Arundel provides Garmin-Barracuda with its aero bottle and accompanying aero cage(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The proprietary seatpost doubles the fore/aft adjustability of any saddle(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The massive seat tube ‘cluster’ of the P5(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
A Mavic Comete disc tucks up right behind the P5’s curved seat tube. You can see the red tip of the hydraulic brake caliper protruding from behind the chainring(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Garmin-Barracuda mechanics err on the side of caution by keeping the Di2 cable zip-tied down and out of the way(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
While Rotor is famous for its ovalized Q rings, it also makes round rings, like the 55/55 set-up Talansky has on his 3D+ crankset with an aero spider cover(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
If things had gone Garmin’s way, there would be a power meter inside these pedals. As is, they are simply marked Garmin Vector(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Garmin-Barracuda’s Andrew Talansky got the attention of the racing world in late April, when he finished less than a second behind Team Sky’s Bradley Wiggins in the final time trial of the Tour de Romandie. That performance earned him second place on the stage, second overall in the race and the Best Young Rider award.
It also earned him a new ride. At the Amgen Tour of California, Talansky’s Cervélo P4 from Romandie was hanging on the team rack, but inside the team truck a new Cervélo P5 awaited him.
Cervélo’s P5 comes in two styles: a triathlon edition and the UCI-approved TT model. Both share the same frame but differ in forks; the tri bike has a fairing over the front brake. The P5 was introduced in January, and only a handful have been made thus far.
The 3T Aduro handlebar comes in three heights; Talansky is running the shortest option, with the arm-rest clips bolted in nice and narrow (14cm apart at the center of the pads).
The two most remarkable features of the P5 are the Magura hydraulic rim brakes and the completely integrated Shimano Di2 package. While many team mechanics are still bolting Di2 batteries under down tubes and taping wiring down along the length of tubes, the P5 has completely internal wiring, from the tips of the handlebars, down through the stem and into the frame. Much more impressive, however, is the battery solution — it is tucked inside the down tube, accessible via a panel that faces the rear wheel.
Talansky once again showed his prowess against the clock on Thursday afternoon as he piloted his new rig to a fifth place finish, 48 seconds behind teammate David Zabriskie, who blitzed the Bakersfield time trial and took over the race lead.
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Check out all the details of Talansky’s Cervélo P5 in the photo gallery.
The hydraulic line for the Magura RT8 brake runs right up against the head tube and disappears into the stem — nice and aero
