Beautiful Bicycle: Speed Is Key, Cervelo P5

Beautiful Bicycle: Speed Is Key, Cervelo P5

Written by Isaac Boyden, on January 13, 2025

When it comes to the pursuit of speed, it seems cyclists will stop at nothing for a gain. Time trials and triathlons take this a step further. With different bike regulations, they can be made even faster, where position matters most and aero is everything. When it comes to marginal gains, TT bikes are no strangers. And neither is this Cervelo, with every detail being put toward the pursuit of speed.

Black TT bike in front of concrete stairs at an angle.

With full SRAM Red AXS, Reserve wheels, CeramicSpeed bits and goodies, and Continental tires, this Cervelo P5 TT bike has been built to be the fastest bike on the course, making the most of every small detail. 

The P5 

This is the newest iteration of the P5, first seen being raced this summer in Tour TT stages under Team Visma Lease-A-Bike, and then officially released in the first week of July. The P series from Cervelo has, in the past, had some crazy iterations, like the P5X Disc, which was missing its seat tube and had a downtube that completely cupped the wheel all the way to the BB. While this bike was very much not UCI-compliant, it was a crazy fast triathlon bike where UCI regulations don’t matter. But this newest P5 seems to forgo this route in favor of something within the UCI’s rules, making it a bike that can be used by their Pro Team for TT stages in the World Tour.

Black TT bike at a profile view with concrete stairs in the background.

The P5 is not super different from older generations in terms of frame-to-frame watt savings. Over the previous generation, this frame only saves around one watt of aero and is more about how the bike feels and how it interacts with its wheelset. This bike is designed to be used with Reserve wheels to be as fast as possible and with 29mm tires—a pretty massive tire for a TT bike. Designing a bike to be fastest on a certain wheelset is not uncommon; the new Colnago Y1 RS is an example of this (designed to be fastest on ENVE 5.6 wheels). When combined with these wheels and tires, the savings is a claimed 5 watts. Overall, the P5 suits a rider with good bike-handling skills, with a fully integrated front end and wider tires. This bike feels stiff and planted at the front compared to most TT bikes, and the extra traction from the 29s helps riders in more hilly TT stages.

Black TT bike head on in front of concrete stairs.

Marginal Gains 

In keeping with the frame and design of the bike, this bike is all about marginal gains. Shifting is done by SRAM’s Red AXS group, with a 1x drivetrain setup. This means the rider can run a 52t aero ring, which is not only fast but also looks great. SRAM’s traditional TT brake levers pair with a standard caliper (an unbranded Force caliper), but on this build, they are custom connected to a set of SRAM Red calipers instead, for some additional power and weight savings. And while the rainbow finish of the chain and cassette doesn't offer any performance gains over the silver one, it sure looks cool.

Oil slick drivetrain on black TT bike
Sram Red brake on black TT bike with Reserve wheels.

Propelled by Reserve wheels, with a full disc wheel in the rear and a 99mm deep front wheel, wind resistance is minimal. (That being said, don’t get caught in a crosswind.) Mounted on these wheels is a somewhat unusual tire set. The front wheel has a Continental Aero 111 tire on it, which has divots intentionally placed to create “controlled” turbulent air. (Think of it like a golf ball.) This causes the air to stick to the rim, improves airflow over the rim and the bike, and also improves crosswind stability (claimed). This aero effect only really works on the front wheel, as it is the leading edge of the bike. The rear wheel has a Continental TT tire mounted instead. 

Black TT bike at an angle in front of concrete stairs.
Head on showing the tread on a bicycle tire.
Bicycle tire and wheel shown at an angle.

A custom Cervelo-made water bottle is fitted to the frame to help smooth out airflow as well.

Integrated water bottle on black TT bike.

To finish off the marginal gains theme are some extra CeramicSpeed bits. A CeramicSpeed Alpha OSPW cage tops off the Red AXS derailleur, stiffening the cage and decreasing the rolling friction of the chain. The BB of the bike is also CeramicSpeed. Remember, if you add enough marginal gains, they are eventually no longer marginal.

Cassette, derailleur, and chain shown at angle.

Here’s the rest of the build as follows: 

Frameset

Cervelo P5, Five Black, 56, 

Groupset

SRAM Red AXS 12 speed E1, Sram Aero TT Brake levers, 1x, Aero Powermeter chainring, 

Gearing

52t Chainring, 1x, 10-36t cassette 

Wheelset

Reserve DISC/99 TA wheelset, tubeless, CL, D240 hubs 

Tires

Continental 111 Aero 28c front, GP 5000 TT 28c rear 

Handlebar

P5 Carbon Basebar/EX14 Riser/Carbon Extensions

Handlebar Tape

Cervelo Stock 

Saddle

ISM TT Saddle 

Seatpost

P5 Stock Seatpost 

Accessories

CeramicSpeed OSPW Alpa X, CermicSpeed BB Coated 

Deep section black carbon wheel.
Top tube storage on black TT bike.
Sram brake levers on TT bike in black.
Solid chainring on TT bike with oil slick chain.
Black TT bike at an angle in front of concrete stairs.

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