Cervelo P4 v Ridley Noah...

boost creep

hi all, i'm thinking of doing an Ironman event next year, i have my eye on Ironman Germany in Frankfurt. anyway my question is this... i will be in a position to buy a new bike soon, but is it really a worthwhile advantage to buy a tt bike or would i be better off to but a really good road bike? is it going to be much of a difference either way over the 112 miles?
while my biking is ok i wouldn't consider it to be my strongest discipline, that would be the running. so i'm torn between a P4 and a Noah, i have also been offered a great deal on an Argon 18 E-112.

mloc123

Money no question... I'd get a P4, if it fits you.

Power savings on a properly fitted P4 over a road bike will be big.

Diarmuid

A TT bike will make a big difference over 180kms. However jumping straight for a P4 as your first TT bike seems nuts. Why not pick up a Planet-X second hand first and figure out if you like and are good at it ?

Bambaata

Gota be a troll!!!

P4 all the way! And since when did ability matter when it came to buying bike blibng :P

If it makes you happy and you can afford it you might as well get the P4. That said have you looked into all TT bikes in that bracket? Not all fit the same and depending on your own specific requirements there might be other ones that suit better.

Lumen

There are lots of advantages of a TT/tri bike, but you need to put in the hours on it.

How many hours a week do you expect (realistically) to train on the bike?

Nwm2

boost creep wrote: »

hi all, i'm thinking of doing an Ironman event next year, i have my eye on Ironman Germany in Frankfurt. anyway my question is this... i will be in a position to buy a new bike soon, but is it really a worthwhile advantage to buy a tt bike or would i be better off to but a really good road bike? is it going to be much of a difference either way over the 112 miles?
while my biking is ok i wouldn't consider it to be my strongest discipline, that would be the running. so i'm torn between a P4 and a Noah, i have also been offered a great deal on an Argon 18 E-112.

Big advantage for almost any TT bike over almost any road bike (assuming you've a good position that you stay in all that time).

Small advantage for a P4 over a 2nd hand TT bike a quarter of the price.

But definitely get a TT bike.

mloc123

On a side note, Frankfurt is already sold out for 2012?

levitronix

With training and a good comfortable/aero position a 5 and half hour bike spilt on a road bike is way doable - i ve done it or you could spend 5k and buy yourself 5-10 mins on the bike

thekidd147

Roth sold out in 24 hours as well.

boost creep

there's lots of good information to think about after reading through the replies, i'm not trolling, i'm genuinely looking for unbiased advice. i'm not one of those 'money no object' types either but through hard work and 'creative accounting' i can just about stretch my budget! i'll just have to get a ride on a P4 and see what they're like on the road. realistically i can see myself doing 12 hours training on the bike each week. as for getting an entry for the sold out events there's a couple of sports travel agencies i can get an entry through.

Tobyglen

If you're looking to save money don't go through the sports agency, that should be pretty obvious. They'll always add on a few quid.

Lumen

If you can afford a P4 or an Argon 18 E-112 then I'd set aside part of your budget for a power meter (e.g. power2max) and head unit (e.g. Garmin 500). The benefit to training and pacing will be significant, particularly in avoiding overcooking the bike leg and screwing up your run.

If that means you have to buy a cheaper TT bike then so be it.

Used Zipp clinchers are also much cheaper than they used to be since the full carbon version came out. I wouldn't buy new Zipps unless you are properly minted.

Also, budget for aero accessories - pointy hat etc.

Fit is absolutely critical. Get it done by someone experienced who can understand your particular physical requirements.

moby2101

boost creep wrote: »

hi all, i'm thinking of doing an Ironman event next year, i have my eye on Ironman Germany in Frankfurt. anyway my question is this... i will be in a position to buy a new bike soon, but is it really a worthwhile advantage to buy a tt bike or would i be better off to but a really good road bike? is it going to be much of a difference either way over the 112 miles?
while my biking is ok i wouldn't consider it to be my strongest discipline, that would be the running. so i'm torn between a P4 and a Noah, i have also been offered a great deal on an Argon 18 E-112.

Hi boost creep,

I was thinking of buying a P4 also for next year, I've been doing as much research as possible and I think Im going to go for Cervelo's new S5 which should be available from December onwards.
I was looking for an aero machine that can serve double duty as a roadbike or triathlon bike. The S5 has a two-position seatpost head (..S5's seat tube angle is 73) which should
get the angle to 76.

Pricewise the P4 frame is available for about 3100 ...the S5 price should be somewhere between 2900 and 3300.( ..prices quoted to me locally and in the UK)

I'd be very interested in what others here including yourself think of this option.

Cheers

Mike

Diarmuid

The phrase "Jack of all trades, master of none" comes to mind. When you consider that for the same price you could buy a good road bike and a decent second hand TT bike, I really don't see the point in what you are planning.
EDIT: I wrote that with the Ironman requirement in mind.