Back in March when Cervelo launched 2 brand new bikes in just a week we thought they were having a good year. For any company the dual launch of a new TT bike AND a new UCI ignoring tri bike would be a success. But it would seem that a company that has owned the Kona bike count for just about forever is not one to sit on it’s hands. So today we get to announce 1 (and a half) more bike launches for one of the best known brands in triathlon as well as a whole new (and slightly confusing naming convention). Meet the Cervelo Tri and TT Lineup – the P-Series, P5, P3X, and PX!
The Breakdown
For 2019 Cervelo had thee P2,P3, and a new P5 (disc) for TT. And for tri there was the P3X and P5X. For 2020 there is now the P-Series, P5, P3X, and PX. Confused? The naming convention is a bit off so we broke it down to this chart below (and don’t worry we also have links to looks at all 4 bikes including the just announced P-Series and PX).
| Dicipline | UCI Legal | Cockpit | Frameset Price | Build Prices | |
| P-Series | TT\Tri | Yes | Standard Adjustable Cockpit | $2,500 | $3,200-$7,000 |
| P5 | TT\Tri | Yes | Fixed Basebar\Aerobars | $5,500 | $8,000-$12,500 |
| P3X | Tri | No | Fixed Basebar\Aerobars with Tilt | N/A | $8,000-$10,000 |
| PX | Tri | No | Collapsible Basebar\Aerobars with Tilt | $5,500 | $12,000-$12,500 |
The TT Machines
Cervelo will be entering 2020 with two dedicated TT bikes (that also will work just fine in triathlon). The first is the previously announced P5.
The P5 is the tour level offering from Cervelo. A no stone left unturned super TT machine meant to set records in France, Spain, Italy, and everywhere else there is a TT. We first saw it in March and since then have seen it at the world tour level as well as under pro triathletes.
New for 2020 is the P-Series. The P-Series replaces what was the P2/P3 with a single frame with multiple specs offered (which we find to be a bit simpler than before).
You can check out our deep dive here. But the short version is that the P-Series is the mid-level TT entry that we expect to see quite a lot of in Kona over the next few years. Offered as a $2,500 frame kit and builds running from a mechanical 105 for $3,200 to an electronic SRAM AXS for $7,000. (This represents a $300 increase over the P2 for the entry level).
One of the exciting elements of the P-Series is that it truly comes race ready. All builds include a bento box, custom down tube hydration, rear saddle bracket, and on the upper builds an included Vision aero bottle.
The P-Series is 26g faster than the current P3 with no bolt ons. When you compare them with a bento box and front hydration it jumps to 54g. Check out our deep dive for all the details.
The Tri Options
On the triathlon side Cervelo’s lineup starts with the P3X launched in March. The P3X is a brand new ground up frame designed specifically from triathlon. It took everything that Cervelo learned with the P5X and brought it down just a bit in price while making it more user friendly.
Fast forward 6 months and today we get the PX. The PX takes the frame of the P3X and combines it with the collapsible basebar of the P5X. (Which is why we are calling this a ‘half’ launch).
The result is what we think is one of the best looking bikes on the market today.
The PX represents the top of Cervelo’s triathlon specific spectrum and is offered in two builds – a DuraAce Di2 and a SRAM AXS at $12,000 and $12,500 respectively.
And what about the P5X? Well that was a oneoff (at least for the time being). Cervelo tells us that the ‘5’ label will always represent their true top of the range bikes and at least for the time being the PX series will not have the 5 designation. You can check out our more comprehensive look at the PX here.
The Naming Scheme
We would be remiss if we didn’t at least call out Cervelo for this naming scheme. For both the tri and tt families it is just a little confusing. There are essentially two naming conventions – TT uses the generic P-Series for the more entry level while tri uses the generic PX for the top. We hope that for 2021 we see Cervelo go to a single naming convention. Use the generic P-Series and PX at the bottom of the range – P-Series\PX-Series and leave the specific ‘5’ for the top of the range P5\P5X.
Wrapping Up
While the naming scheme is confusing – the full lineup of bikes is impressive. Anyone buying a Cervelo in 2020 is getting a frame less than a year on the market. And there is a bike from the bottom of the price ranges to the top. Make sure to jump over to our deep dives of each of the new bikes including full spec breakdowns, geometry, and mega galleries. And as always thanks for reading AeroGeeks.com.