Cervelo vs. Felt vs. Specialized

I recenttly went through the which bike.  I was between P2 and Look 576, I went with the Look 576 and could not be happier

I think most people are going to love the bike they ride. The best you can do is ride each bike and see what feels best to you. When i was making my decision I said right form the onset I would not get a Cervelo because of the same reasons you stated. I went to the LBS with the idea I wanted the Specialized transition. When I rode the specialized it felt like i was riding on the bike and not sure if I liked it. The bike specialist I was working with suggested I try the P2C (which was black, grey, and white - which I did not like). I took his suggestion. I was shocked at how the bike felt. It felt like I was riding in the bike or I was part of the bike. It was so much different then the transition. So, my mind was changed and I was the new owner of a P2C. I could not be happier. I went with the P2C over the P3 so i could use the money saved to purchase a set of 404's.
I did not paint the bike, but i have had vinyl stickers made that make my bike look custom. I have my name in script on the top tube, my daughters name on one side of the seat post and her birthday on the other side. Now i am looking for a vinyl window sticker of an fairy to represent my wife.

I will try and post a pic for you. I just need to take a picture or two of the bike.



Your experience may differ, but go out and ride each and see how they feel.

it is a toss up between p2c and felt b12

You may have already seen this, but Tom Demerly has a good article about a few bikes in this range, including the Cervelo and the Felt.
 http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/reviews/2500wars.shtml

He's referring to last year's models of course but still some good info.

Edited by danielc 2009-07-29 10:37 PM

I did read that.  And Jorge, I am pretty much at the point where it is a toss-up between theB12 adn the P2C, but just wanted to throw another one in for good measure.

Between 2 bike shops, all 3 bikes are available to be ridden, so I will go try them out.

I would love to see it!!  If I could get away from a custom painting, I would.  But I want my bike to look different.

The Felt B12...mainly because there are ten zillion P2's at every race and I think the Felts are much cooler looking!  No idea if one is better than the other but I hate being a follower and having the same "stuff" as everyone else.

I just went through a year long eBay love affair looking at new bikes.  I was unhappy with my QR Caliente (too small).

I ended up with a Cervelo P2. I love that bike.

EVERYONE (and Felt owners may not like me saying this) and I mean EVERYONE that I know that owns a new carbon Felt has had an issue with it.  From seat binder breaking, to seat post slippage to rear wheel dropouts being out of spec.  A few friends that are strong and experienced cyclists have compared the new Felt carbon frame (DA to B12) to the P2 and Scott Plasma. The general consensus is that the Felt is not as stiff as either.

While the Specialized to me is one kick bike, it too has had it's share of issues.  While I only know two folks that ride Specialized, I have heard of bottom bracket implosions and seat posts breaking.  Maybe this is folks looking to take pot shots at Specialized Transitions but I have yet to hear those kinds of issues regarding Cervelos.

The other bike you should consider IMHO is a lower end Scott. 

I think both the Felt and Specialized are great looking bikes and you would probably be very happy with either.  But really, you cannot go wrong with a P2.  Sure lots of folks have them, but lots of folks have them for a reason.

Get the one that fits best.  I had it narrowed down to a P2 and a B12 based on my fitting and the B12 fit me better.  I didn't really care what it looks like or if everybody else has one or doesn't have one.  I just wanted the one that fit best and that would allow me to perform the best.  The two bikes are very close in spec's, so I went with the best for my fit. 

I have had one minor issue with the B12 and that was a broken seat clamp.  That was my fault as I was adjusting my seat slightly and over tightened the clamp which eventually made it snap.  My LBS put a new clamp on it for free and gave me an extra one.  Overall I am very happy with the B12.  I've ridden 8000 miles on it and two Ironman's and it has been great.  I'm sure I would have been just as happy with a P2 as well. 

The short answer to my rambling post is get the one that fits best.  Who cares what everybody else has or what they look like.  I would ride a pink bike if it fit me the best. 

P.S.  Don't know anything about Specialized other than what I read and somebody covered it fairly well.  I do have a  Specialized Mountain Bike and it works great 

Edited by mattb1 2009-07-30 8:27 AM

i dont' understand "because everyone has it"

everyone has it for a reason, because it fits very well to a number of body types.  the p2 is a great bike.  but the b12 is also very nice, it has the same frame that the top of the line felt DA has, which is pretty damn awsome if you ask me. 

personally i have p2c with about 2k miles on it and love it.  but those felt's look mighty nice, i might just have to test one out one of these days.

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Since I am in the minority, as a Specialized owner, I thought I would chime in. I have a Specialized Transition S-works. I do have long legs and arms as compared to my torso. I love this bike. Even the mechanics at my LBS, which caters to the tri-market but does not sell Specialized, remarked at how fast it was. I am like you in that I did not want the bike everyone seemed to be riding. Because it is less common there is no need for a custom paint job costing hundreds of $.

Good like and post your bike porn when yours arrives.

Doug

For what it's worth, I discovered that my Specialized Allez ('04 or '05) that I had not ridden much had two cracks in its head tube.  After three different moves my receipt had vanished with my hope for warranty work...

However, I was quite surprised to learn that not only did they honor their warranty, they ended up sending me an entire new bike to replace the old one.  That kind of service definitely caught my attention for my future tri-bike purchase.