The high ground in the battle between triathlon bike companies is the $2500 price range. This is the smart person’s price point where the cost/benefit curve converges for maximum value. You can spend twice as much and your bike won’t be twice as good. You can spend $500 less and accept a host of compromises. Because of fierce competition between triathlon bike manufacturers the $2500 price level provides everything you’ll need to do your first triathlon and your first Ironman but without the fluff. It's the smart money first triathlon bike buy since you'll won't need to replace it.
Today's $2500 tri bike is better than bikes over $5000 from eight years ago. Frame designs and materials have improved, components have been updated and manufacturers’ understanding of triathlon bike geometry has improved resulting in better fitting and handling bikes in 2008/9 at lower prices.
Several key benefits make $2500 the best value price point for a tri bike:
For 2008 the four most prominent bikes around $2500 are Felt’s B12, Cervelo's P2C Ultegra, Kuota’s K-Factor and Quintana Roo’s Seduza. Kestrel also has an entry around $2500 with their Talon. With the sale of Kestrel to Fuji we anticipate spotty supply from Kestrel in the first half of 2008 effectively removing them from the value race. The Talon started life as a road bike and has been adapted for triathlon use, as such it features some compromises.
A quick word about prices: We are using generalities with prices on each of these bikes, lumping them into a category of plus/minus a few hundred dollars. Our website is so widely read and prices vary from region to region. Price is a matter you and your dealer will address. Rather than listing Manufacturers’ Suggested Retail Prices (MSRP) here for each bike we chose, for the sake of comparison, to refer to them each as “around $2500”.
The Bikes.
Cockpit Specifications: Aerobars, Base Bars, Shifters and Brake Levers.
Of the four bikes two have “S” bend aerobars, two have ski bend aerobars. We’ve been critical of the of “S” bend aerobars and you can see why here. Because no one aerobar is right for all customers we consider aerobars an interchangeable feature that should be different for each customer, depending on fit. Ski bend cockpits make up most of what leaves our store since they are the most comfortable. The Quintana Roo Seduza and the Cervelo P2C Ultegra both use the same VisionTech ski bend aerobar, our favorite for most comfortable anatomical fit. The Felt B12 and the Kuota K-Factor use Profile’s T2+ “S” bend aerobar. Of the “S” bend bars this is the best because it is adjustable for length, pad width, and pad fore/aft. There is also a generous upward curve in the “S” that facilitates better comfort than flatter “S” bends. Both the Cervelo P2C Ultegra and Quintana Roo Seduza use the VisionTech wing shaped, aerodynamic base bar which looks nicer and is more aerodynamic than the round tubing base bars used on the Felt B12 and the Kuota K-Factor.
All bikes use the Shimano Dura-Ace 10 speed bar end shifter. Cervelo and Quintana Roo went cheap on the brake levers and the Dia Compe 188 levers are effectively obsolete. They don't have return springs and should be upgraded. There are enough new brake levers with return springs that the Dia Compe 188 is no longer a valid choice. The brake levers on both the Felt B12 and the Kuota K-Factor do have return springs and feel much better to use. If you fit best on a P2C Ultegra or QR Seduza, budget a few dollars to upgrade the Dia Compe 188 brake levers, they simply aren’t very good anymore in comparison to others available.Despite the brake levers our two favorite cockpits are the Cervelo P2C Ultegra and the Quintana Roo Seduza.
Frame Features: Head Tube/Fork/Top Tube/Down Tube Area.Lots of differences in design philosophies here: Some necessitated by actual design and performance and others dictated by manufacturing constraints.Two designs rise to the top: The Cervelo P2C and Felt B12. These are the two most aerodynamic of the four bikes, with both being extensively wind tunnel tested and adapted. Both are excellent, and both approach aerodynamics in a different way.Cervelo relies heavily on a very narrow head tube width and a rounded profile so no flat surface hits the wind. Felt has a wider head tube (advantage: Cervelo) but does do an admirable job of smoothing the union between the fork crown and the down tube for a smooth air flow. Both of these designs work well at low yaw angles, but the Cervelo is likely slightly better due to the narrower, smaller overall frontal area and rounded profile.As the wind yaw angle increases it is likely the aerodynamic performance gap between the two bikes may narrow, although the overall frontal area of the Felt is slightly greater than the Cervelo as you can see in the photos.Cable routing is better on the Felt, not only aerodynamically but mechanically. Felt has the best internal cable routing in the industry- mechanically and aerodynamically. Cervelo’s cable routing is good as is Kuota’s, but the Seduza requires extra attention to prevent the ends of the cable housing from slipping inside the frame.Fit on the bikes is different at the head tubes also- the big differentiation between all four. Head tube heights on the 54cm frame sizes (Medium on the Seduza and K-Factor) range from a low of 110 millimeters on the Felt B12 and Quintana Roo Seduza to a nice middle ground of 120 millimeters on the Cervelo P2C up to 135 millimeters on the Kuota K-Factor. The bike with the greatest flexibility here is the Cervelo P2C Ultegra, which goes right down the middle. It’s a good choice from sprint to Ironman. People with a bias toward higher bars will be attracted to the high head tube on the Kuota K-Factor.The four forks show different aero profiles and construction techniques. Felt scores high marks on its B12 for using a lightweight, full carbon fiber fork with integrated carbon fiber steer tube. It is the lightest fork of the four. The Wolf TT fork on the Cervelo is an efficient and proven aerodynamic design that uses a somewhat heavier and very reliable carbon fiber blade assembly with aluminum crown and steer tube. The fork on the K-Factor is a 350 gram all carbon fiber steer tube fork with aluminum dropouts. The Seduza uses a carbon fiber steer tube also, the original shape going back to the first bladed, carbon fiber aerodynamic fork called the Quintana Roo “Carbonaero”. The Cervelo P2C Ultegra uses an aluminum crown and steer tube and is the heaviest of the four forks.Frame Features: Down Tube/ Top Tube Area.Down tube shapes are a battle ground for bike companies. The fight is decided in the wind tunnel and Cervelo is the winner. What we’re reporting here is based on two separate trips to the wind tunnel by us and published wind tunnel data from two different manufacturers. While the reliability of wind tunnel results by manufacturers is suspect due to the sales motive, both of these tests (even from competing manufacturers) reveal similar findings as did motion flow analysis.Cervelo wins with Felt in second and the others far behind. Cervelo’s rigid adherence to truly aerodynamic shapes and narrow tubes gives them an edge with their down tube design, the same shape down tube used on their flagship P3C. The down tube has the best aspect ratio, shape and profile for bicycle speeds. The Felt B12 is also a valid aerodynamic design and gives a nod to structural concerns by making the bottom bracket flare out a trifle to improve bottom bracket stiffness. Felt’s integration of their down tube into the fork crown is the best design of the four, but Cervelo’s overall front end aerodynamics win out- slightly. Cervelo’s bottom bracket also flares for added stiffness, but it does it internally where you (and the wind…) can’t see it. This design is not as conspicuous and may not look as cool, but it does produce lower drag numbers by maintaining the overall narrow shape of the frame.The design of the K-Factor lags aerodynamically as Kuota put their primary aerodynamic emphasis on their excellent Kalibur and new Kueen K. The K-Factor is a stiff, durable, comfortable design but doesn’t have the aerodynamic benefits of either the Cervelo P2C Ultegra or the Felt B12. The Quintana Roo Seduza is an aerodynamically styled bike that is more aerodynamic than round tubes or the K-Factor but still behind the sophisticated shapes of the Cervelo P2C and the Felt B12. By Quintana Roo’s own admission the Seduza was not designed with wind tunnel input. The next generation of Quintana Roos are being designed in the wind tunnel.The winners here are Cervelo’s P2C Ultegra with the B12 nipping at its heels and the Kuota K-Factor taking the hindmost with the Quintana Roo Seduza between them. As we’ll see though, these bikes redeem themselves later…
Frame Features: Seat Tube Profile and Wheel Cut-Out.The smooth reassembly of air behind the rider is important to aerodynamics so the design of the back of the bike is important even at speeds below 20 M.P.H. Most manufacturers have gone to an airfoil shaped seat tube with a wheel cut out to optimize aerodynamics, or at least style their bike to look like it does. It is important to differentiate between genuine aerodynamic benefits derived from testing and designs that are simply aero styled.Each of the four bikes uses some type of wheel cut-out. The Felt B12 takes the concept one step further by moving the rear brake to the top of the chainstays creating a cleaner profile at the rear of the Felt B12. It’s difficult to imagine how much of a drag savings this is, but easy to imagine it is some drag savings. This design facilitates lower angular placement of the seat stays on the B12, making them more aerodynamic and produces a wheel cutout that sits closer to the rear wheel for improved drag reduction. It follows the radius of the rear wheel for the length of the seat tube. This is an elegant design. The Felt B12 wins here with Cervelo’s Ultegra P2C a close second and, you guessed it, the other two farther back in design sophistication.An interesting note on the design philosophies of Felt and Cervelo: If you want to own Cervelo’s most advanced, lowest drag frame shape it is their flagship P3C at $4500. The $1500 less expensive Dura-Ace equipped version of the P2C and the $2000 less expensive P2C Ultegra use a different frame shape at the rear end than the P3C. If you want Cervelo’s best aero frame shape you have to buy their most expensive aerodynamic triathlon bike, the P3C. Felt uses the same frame shape (but a different fork system) on their $9499 Felt DA flagship tri bike as they do on their (about) $2500+ Felt B12. That is some impressive trickle down. There is a catch to this deal, and that is the Cervelo P3C, Cervelo’s most aero shape, is likely even moreaerodynamic than the Felt DA/B2/B12 frame shape. However, overall aerodynamics of the P2C Ultegra and the B12 may nearly be a wash- at least as far as the frame is concerned.The wheel cut outs on the Seduza and the K-Factor are more styling cues than functional aerodynamic designs.
Cranks and Bottom Bracket Designs.The original spec for three of the bikes include the FSA Gossamer Crank and Mega-Exo sealed cartridge bearing bottom bracket. Very early versions of the Cervelo P2C Ultegra were shipped with FSA SLK carbon fiber cranks to facilitate early shipment of the bikes to dealers but the majority of those SLK equipped bikes are off dealer floors and in consumer hands so it is back to the FSA Gossamer aluminum crank. The Gossamer is an excellent crank and has actually been used by riders in the Tour de France. Since three of the four bikes use this crank there isn’t much to compare here.The fourth bike, the Kuota K-Factor, has the nicest of the cranks with a Shimano 105 crankset and Shimano sealed cartridge bottom bracket.
Seat Stay, Chain Stay, Rear Drop Out Assemblies.The Kuota K-Factor is the only bike of the four that uses an easily replaceable rear derailleur hanger. This is a practical feature if you flight case your bike frequently and protects it against permanent frame damage from transition area knock-downs. If your rear derailleur hanger becomes bent or stripped on the Kuota K-Factor you can simply unbolt the damaged one and replace it with a new one. On the other three bikes damage to the rear derailleur hanger could mean returning the frame to the manufacturer for repair or replacement. That said, non-replaceable derailleur hangers are near standard in the tri bike industry now owing to the necessity of rear-facing dropouts with rear wheel cut-outs and the need for narrow dropouts for better aerodynamics. This change hasn’t created a culture of easily damaged frames.The chainstays on the Cervelo P2C Ultegra and the Kuota K-Factor are the most robust with the Cervelo getting an edge not only for shape but construction. Paired with their narrow, aerodynamic seat stays the Cervelo rear end is well designed. The seat stays on the Felt B12 are elegant and aero but the chainstays a trifle frail in appearance. Quintana Roo’s Seduza strikes a balance between strength, comfort and stiffness with a nod to aerodynamic styling using a molded, wishbone seat stay assembly with a Coke bottle type curve. This is a Serotta inspired design we see quite a bit of because it works for taking the edge off road shock.The combination of nice, narrow aerodynamic seat stays and chunky, rotationally stiff chainstays make the back of the Cervelo the winner here. Kuota’s K-Factor does a nice job of shoring up the rear end but at a cost to aerodynamics and weight. The Felt B12 and the Seduza nestle behind these two designs on rear end integrity.
Overall Appearance, Finish and Paint Quality: The “Popular Vote”.If you try to deny that appearance is a factor in the bike you buy I’d suggest you are either boring or less than honest. Everyone has their own tastes in aesthetics and we decided to find out what they were. We asked 40 customers over three weeks which one of the bikes they found “Most Attractive”. Customers were afforded the ability to see all four bikes in person in similar frame sizes to represent similar aesthetic proportions. A whopping 18 customers said the Felt B12 was the “Most Attractive” bike of the group. The Cervelo P2C Ultegra followed at 12 votes with 8 people naming the Quintana Roo Seduza as “Most Attractive” and only 2 for the utilitarian looking (but solid) Kuota K-Factor.These four bikes lack color entirely except for the Quintana Roo Seduza. It is obvious manufacturers were not willing to take chances with the color schemes on these important price category bikes so they went conservative.If you look carefully at finish work the Felt B12 is meticulously finished with nice clear coat, good graphics and an overall very polished look. While people reacted with mixed feelings to the racy, modern graphics of the Quintana Roo Seduza the matt finish work is very clean and nice with no errors, crooked graphics or finish flaws. We do like the Seduza graphics also. The Kuota K-Factor was also well finished with good graphics, a glossy clear coat and nice finishes where frame shapes ended. The Cervelo P2C Ultegra has a nice color scheme and bold, well designed graphics that stand out from a distance (like in your race photos). This paint scheme compliments the truly aerodynamic lines of the Cervelo P2C Ultegra. Paint quality is good and has improved steadily for Cervelo as it didn’t used to be their strong point. Apparently they were too busy making the bikes fast to spend much time on paint quality. That has changed and Cervelo’s new finishes are top notch. There can be some finish irregularities where the rear dropouts meet the carbon fiber frame members at the seat stays and chainstays.Component Kit Comparison.Firstly, it’s important to realize the difference between Ultegra and Dura-Ace never won anyone a race. Changing your rear derailleur doesn’t make you faster. For detailed analysis of the real difference between Shimano derailleurs go here. You’ll be surprised to learn how little difference the components really make. Since each of these bikes are within a few hundred dollars of the same price there simply isn’t enough price difference to build much component differentiation into them.There is one exception, and it is a significant one. The wheels on the Felt B12 are the Felt proprietary TTR 3 deep section aerodynamic wheels. They feature a 40 mm deep alloy aerodynamic rim section and 20 bladed, radial spokes in the front with 24 cross 2 bladed spokes in the rear. This wheelset isn’t particularly light, but it is particularly fast in comparison to the much less aerodynamic wheels on the other three bikes. Cervelo, Quintana Roo and Kuota spec their three offerings with a training type wheel and presume you’ll upgrade to a more aerodynamic race wheel later at additional cost. The TTR 3 wheels on the Felt B12 do double duty as race wheels and every day wheels. That adds tangible value to the Felt B12. If you evaluate the entire aerodynamic package of the bikes with all components this wheelset puts the Felt B12 ahead of all three other bikes on overall aerodynamics. This really is the only tangible component difference between all of the bikes that actually will produce a performance benefit.For the specifics on parts spec and for the buyer who insists on spread sheet comparisons here you go:
B12
K-FactorVisionTech Alloy Ski Bend Profile Design T2+ "S" Bend VisionTech Alloy Ski Bend Profile Design T2+ "S" Bend Shimano 7800 Series Dura-Ace 10 Speed Bar End Shimano 7800 Series Dura-Ace 10 Speed Bar End Shimano 7800 Series Dura-Ace 10 Speed Bar End Shimano 7800 Series Dura-Ace 10 Speed Bar End VisionTech Alloy Wing 26.0mm Round Alloy Base Bar VisionTech Alloy Wing Profile T2 Alloy Base Bar. Dia Compe 188 Tektro RX4.1 with return spring. Dia Compe 188 Profile QS 2 with return spring VisionTech Sizemore FELT 3.2 CNC Machined 6061 Aluminum, Ø26.0mm with 0° rise. VisionTech Sizemore Profile H2OS Stem Wolf TT 1&1/8" Alloy steer tube. NEW Felt 3.1 Airfoil Carbon Fiber Bladed with carbon 1" steerer, crown, and fork blades QR Full Carbon Tri Specific Fork 1&1/8" Kuota Fork 1-1/8 Alloy Steer FSA MegaExo FSA Mega EXO FSA Mega Expo Shimano Sealed Cartridge Shimano Ultegra Shimano Ultegra SL Shimano Ultegra Shim Ultegra Shimano Ultegra Shimano Ultegra SL Dura Ace 7800 Shimano Ultegra FSA Gossamer MegaExo FSA Gossamer PRO MegaExo FSA Gossamer MegaExo Shimano FC-R 550 Cervélo Mach 2 Dual Pivot w/Cartridge Pads, Stainless Hardware, Teflon Bushings Tektro Shimano 105 Shimano Ultegra Shimano 5600 Shimano 5600 Shimano 5600 Shimano Ultegra 12-25T Shimano Ultegra 11-23T Shimano 5600 11-23T Shimano 105 Cassette 12-25T Shimano R-500 Felt TTR-3 700c 40mm Deep Aluminum with CNC Machined Braking Surface, 20H Front/24H Rear Alex 320 Fulcrum Racing 7 Clincher Vittoria Diamante Pro Slick Folding 700c x 23c Vittoria Rubino PRO Slick Folding 700c x 23c Contental Ultra Race 700 x 23c Vittoria Zaphiro Pro Tire Black 700 x23c Cervélo TT Special by Selle Italia. Felt 3.2 Tri/TT Saddle with Carbon Injected base, Gel Nose, Custom Waterproof Cover with Carbon Fiber Inserts and Extended Length Hollow Chrome Moly rails Quintana Roo Triathlon Specific. Kuota San Marco Azoto Saddle
Seatpost/Binder Bolt/Saddle Clamp.Of the four bikes two have variable geometry seatposts, the Cervelo P2C Ultegra and the Felt B12. This provides the widest possible range of saddle fore/aft positions and enables the rider to sit steeper with a more open torso to leg angle. For this reason the P2C Ultegra and B12 have the widest "fit band" and are most adjustable.The saddle clamp on the Cervelo P2C is the best design. It is the easiest to adjust with a single, standard sized allen wrench. All three other systems use hardware under the saddle that is fumbly to reach and work on.The integrated binder bolt assembly on the Cervelo P2C is the most aerodynamic design but you do need exercise reasonable care when adjusting saddle height. If the threaded inserts in the frame itself became stripped the frame would likely have to be returned for repair.From a durability perspective the Felt B12 binder bolt is excellent. If a ham-fisted mechanic stripped the binder bolt the entire assembly can be quickly replaced. This is also true of the QR Seduza and Kuota K-Factor.It isn't worth talking much about saddles since that is an interchangeable item at the time of the fit based on rider preference. I've ridden each of these, and they are all at least good as stock saddles.
Fit, Geometry, Size Run and Positioning.We saved the most important consideration for last. The single biggest determining factor in your ownership experience is how well your bike fits you.You could achieve the same position (provided it wasn’t excessively low in the front end) on a similar frame size on each of these bikes- but they still wouldn’t fit you the same way. Chances are one of these four bikes will be the optimal fit based on your riding goals, level of experience, pedaling style, body shape and torso to leg length proportions compared to the other three. These are the factors that will decide which one is best for you. Especially if you are a short torso, long leg rider one of these bikes will suit you significantly better than the other three.The Felt B12 and the Cervelo P2C both have the capability to go the steepest with effective seat tube angle of the four bikes. These two bikes use a widely adjustable Variable Geometry Seatpost design which facilitates a wide fit band. The Felt B12 and Cervelo P2C Ultegra will fit more people with more positional options than the Kuota K-Factor or the Quintana Roo Seduza since those two bikes use fixed position seatposts with much less fore/aft adjustment. This is a critical ability since steeper effective seat tube angle means a more relaxed, open angle between torso and femur translating to an overall more comfortable position. This can also make a bike more versatile, enabling the rider to evolve toward a lower front end position as they gain experience. On fit and position the Cervelo P2C Ultegra and the Felt B12 are the winners because of their variable geometry seatposts.The Kuota K-Factor had the shortest reach and highest stack per frame size along with the slackest seat tube angle making it an excellent choice for problem fit, short torso, long leg (femur) riders. For some riders in this category, the K-Factor is absolutely the best option in their fit range and other bikes would be a serious fit compromise. This is combined with the highest head tube also working well with the long leg, short torso crowd.The Quintana Roo Seduza is another good shortish reach option a few millimeters shorter per size than the Cervelo P2C Ultegra and the Felt B12. The Seduza also has the highest seat tube extension, a feature that may further benefit the long-legged rider.If you are average or to the long-torsoed, the statistical majority of cyclists, then you will be a Cervelo P2C Ultegra or Felt B12 customer. There are small differences in the stack and reach, both of which equate to barely a full stem size (1 cm.) change. Head tube heights are different by 1 cm or one headset spacer with the Cervelo P2C Ultegra having the higher trend.
Stack Reach Head Tube Seat Angle 51.2 cm. 41.8 cm. 120 mm. 78° V.G
B1251.0 cm. 41.5 cm. 110 mm. 78° V.G 51.4 cm. 40.8 cm. 110 mm. 77° F.G
K-Factor53.6 cm. 40.2 cm. 135 mm. 76° F.G
V.G. = Variable (Adjustable Seatpost Geometry)So, Which Bike is Best?That’s an easy question to answer: The one that fits you best. That said, several of these bikes could support identical rider positions if set up correctly. The decision of which bike is best for you will be a matter for you and your bike fitter to decide. If you read the article carefully you do see the Cervelo P2C Ultegra and Felt B12 both seem to consistently offer fit, aerodynamic and even component benefits that rise above the others. This trend has also manifested itself on the sales floor- those are the two most commonly purchased bikes of the four.All four of these bikes represent a level of performance, durability, function, fit and value that has never been available anywhere near this price. About $2500 is a bargain for such sophisticated racing machines that would have been impossible to produce at any price only a decade ago. These bikes will enhance the triathletes enjoyment of the sport and make participation in the sport easier, more comfortable, safer and faster than ever thought possible at around $2500 for a high performance, carbon fiber, aerodynamic triathlon specific bike.
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