Comments on: Cervelo P5- rules are meant to be broken…or at least bent

By: art

art — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:36:37 +0000

I don’t buy it. The only time brakes ever come into play is on out and back courses. You can lose significant time at the turnaround, but the limiting factor is never the brakes themselves. Dual pivots with good pads already have enough grip to either flip the bike or skid the front end.

By: Mechanics Matter

Mechanics Matter — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:34:20 +0000

The biggest benefit to Di2 on a TT bike is that you can shift from both hand positions. Here Cervelo has a $10,000 Di2 bike that forces you to buy something else to make it work.

I never thought Dura-Ace calipers weren’t strong enough, it seems, to me, like an example of “you need it because we say you need it” marketing. Cervelo is a master of this type of brand development.

By: art

art — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:52:35 +0000

I wouldn’t say pointless. One of the biggest headaches in maintaining an aero bike has always been hidden cables. It’s a nightmare to replace the cable housings, and there are so many kinks and bends that nothing works quite right. Wires and hydraulic lines don’t mind tight corners, and are good for the life of the frame.

By: kfg

kfg — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:31:54 +0000

“Do they ever brake other than at the finish line?”

The turnaround is a critical place, however, most people loose time there because they already don’t come anywhere near extracting the performance potential of mechanical brakes.

By: kfg

kfg — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:29:38 +0000

Except these appear to be a quite modern implementation.

By: James Thomas

James Thomas — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:24:32 +0000

Good point. For a TT course with many sharp turns, good brakes may be necessary. The few triathlon courses I have seen are usually pretty straight and open though, requiring little or no braking until the end. Regardless, Magura claims that these brakes are the “fastest on the market” because the rider “can stay faster for a longer time”, but it seems like that would be a bigger factor in a mass start race than in one against the clock. As for the push bottom electronic brake idea, check out this.

By: Andy

Andy — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:07:26 +0000

Frankly I’m surprised they still use such large brake levers. If the purpose of the bike is to be riding on a course solo at top speeds, the needs of a fancy brake system are so low that I would think a single brake with a tiny lever would suffice. Do they ever brake other than at the finish line?

I can’t remember if it was here or elsewhere, but I recall a woman racing on a bike that had the brake lever integrated into the bars. There was just a wide button that worked the brake, which didn’t add to the drag.

Or maybe Di3 will also include a button for electronic braking too?

By: James Thomas

James Thomas — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:58:36 +0000

Ha ha! I thought about those brake lever comments as I uploaded the second picture. I had a feeling that I hadn’t heard the end of it.

By: Andy

Andy — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:46:18 +0000

Good use of “traditional style” brake levers! Electric shifting and hydraulic brakes seem rather pointless, but it’s interesting to watch their development.