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The Undisputed King of TT

As the Porsche 997 is to the evolution of the 40 year-old 911 series, the Cervelo P3C is to the evolution of the long-standing Cervelo P3 series. While an aluminum Cervelo P3 SL remains in production to this day, the P3C takes that great engineering feat to a whole other level. And while many a pro and amateur triathlete and time trialist has long desired a P3 to call their own, the P3C turns that desire into sheer lust.

Depending on the speed of forward movement, 70% to a whopping 95% of the energy produced by a cyclist (measured in Watts) serves to overcome wind resistance. But there are a lot of other forces working against a rider trying to attain and maintain high speed. The primary forces are:

- Rolling resistance from tires
- Rotational resistance from wheels
- Gravity
- Friction from moving parts , and
- Wind resistance

A bike frame can really only assist in overcoming resistance in two of the five above categories: weight and wind resistance. While weight is a factor in acheiving and holding speed, for time trialists and triathletes it's well known that weight is far from a critical factor. Wind resistance, on the other hand, is critical.

When Cervelo took up the redesign of the P3 they knew that using carbon would allow them a number of tube shaping advantages to considerably improve the already formidable profile of the P3. The shaping of the headtube provides a much thinner frontal profile despite the P3C's use of a 1 1/8" fork; the ultra-thin stays allow air to exit the bike with hardly a hint of turbulence; the deep profile tubing (reportedly the narrowest in the industry and which still adheres to the UCI's strict 3:1 aspect ratio), and the seat tube cut out which maintains a constant width to shelter the rear wheel from unwanted drag are all factors which make the P3C nearly invisible to the wind.