Well, I tried to set the Soloist up as a dual, no pun intended, function bike but plain and simple as it is the clip-on bars are just not wide enough to accommodate my shoulder width. Road bars are thicker and reinforced at the clamp section and then taper down. It is this tapering down which prevents the aero clip-ons from being mounted further outwards from the stem. It took but a few short minutes on my ride yesterday to determine that I wasn't going to be able to make it work, at least the way I wanted it to. Sure, I could ride in this position, but what for? I plan to ride longer distances in this position and I must be comfy, cozy and like I'm right at home in the Lazy boy recliner. I was feeling major discomfort in the first ten minutes of my ride. All I could really think of was the comfort afforded by the P3, how it felt underneath me, how it cut so quietly through the air while that carbon frame easily glided over pavement muting even the most porous of road surfaces. What a bike it was!! So, during the ride I started thinking on what to do. Questions popped up, should I convert this bike to an aero only bike? But then, what about the ever-so-crisp Dura Ace shifters sitting in the parts bin collecting dust? That thought alone didn't sit well. Well how about looking for an aero frameset and building it from scratch? Initially this was my plan before I even ended my ride. So as soon as I shed the Assos winter clothing and juiced some fresh vegetables I headed for the mighty Dimension E521 to see what was out there in terms of affordable, non-carbon fiber and non-Chinese made frames.
From all the reviews I had read in researching the P3 in '05 I knew that Cervelo was in the top 3 with all their aero frames. They don't make 'filler' frames or bikes, every model has a specific application and/or target rider. I started reading the reviews again and after the first two decided on Cervelo. Not too hard eh? But my first look was for the P2 SL, not the Dual seen here. The two are almost identical except for the rear triangle, the P2 SL is smaller with a rear wheel cut-out into the seat tube to increase aerodynamics. The Dual has a rear triangle of a regular road bike. I looked on eBay to see if anyone was selling a frame new but no luck, only used and I'm not a fan of buying used unless I know the person, just too much risk. So I did a Google search and looked at other websites who are Cervelo dealers looking for a P2 SL. They were running around $1700 for the complete bike. I also found the frameset available for $1100. Sheesh, that was more than I wanted to spend on a frame until I came across the '07 Dual closeouts! Cervelo discontinued production of the Dual last year and with everyone jumping on the "I want carbon dam it" bandwagon, these complete bike kits were leftover leaving a great deal for someone in the market for an aluminum aero frame, like me. Now get this, the '08 P2 SL aluminum frameset is $1100, and the closeout '07 Dual COMPLETE BIKE like you see in these pictures, is $1195! You tell me which one you would choose! The only difference is the front and rear derailleur are Shimano Ultegra, not Dura Ace and the wheel set is Shimano R550's not Easton. Ultegra and no DA? Yes, that sucks, I know, but it doesn't take much to upgrade a few components. In fact, I'm upgrading the cranks to Dura Ace and will probably follow suit w/derailleurs. The rims are being swapped out with Mavic Cosmos and those will be handed down to the Cannondale CAAD 4... poor Cannondale gets the cheapest wheelset. That sounds like something Mark Keinath would say. I see it this way, if you're going to spend a good amount of time riding and it's something you thoroughly enjoy doing, it should be outfitted the way you want, no compromises, within reason of course. I don't feel a $4500 set of Carbonsport Lightweight wheels could ever be justified... well... unless you won the lotto.
The Vision Tech aerobars which come on this bike are foreign to me. I have no experience with them and am hoping that they fit, otherwise they come off. If this happens to be the case I already have a replacement in order which is the Oval Concepts A701 Laminar, the alloy version of the A900 Laminar Carbon which I used, cherished and loved on the P3. This aero bar has 1,209,600 adjustment options.
A feature I like about the Dual which the Chinese made P3 doesn't have is the replaceable derailleur hanger. This little piece of metal, aluminum usually, doesn't get much attention or respect until it gets broken off. Can you guess what happens to a $3300 P3 frame if the hanger brakes off? If you think it gets trashed you're wrong because even though I wouldn't be able to use the frame I certainly am not throwing it in the garbage, it would be mounted on the wall like a picture for that kinda moolah.
Fork: Cervelo Wolf TT Carbon Fiber
Aerobar: Vision Tech Alloy Clip-On
Base Bar: Vision Tech Alloy Wing
Bottom Bracket: FSA Mega Exo Cartridge Sealed
Brake Calipers: Cervelo Mach 2
Brake Levers: Dia Compe 188 Alloy Reverse Levers
Cassette: Shimano Ultegra-10 11/23
Chains: Shimano Ultegra-10
Cranks: FSA Gossamer Mega Exo Crankset 53/39
Front Derailleur: Shimano Ultegra Braze-on
Handlebar Tape: Cinelli Cork Black
Headset: Cane Creek S2 1-1/8"
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Ultegra-10
Saddle: Cervelo TT Special
Seatpost: Cervelo Aero Alloy Two Position
Shift Levers: Shimano Dura Ace-10 Bar End
Stem: Vision Tech Sizemore
Pre-Built Wheels : Shimano R-550
Rimstrips : Velox Fond de Jante 17mm
Tires : Vittoria Diamante Pro Lite Black
Tubes: Vittoria Butyl 700x19-25 Presta 51mm valve
