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Cervélo P5 vs Scott Plasma RC
Pick up to 4 bikes. Rows line up component by component. Highlighted rows differ, and green marks the best value where lower or higher is clearly better.
Key differences
- The Scott Plasma RC starts €500 cheaper (€9,499 vs €9,999 for the Cervélo P5).
- Our verdict scores the Scott Plasma RC higher overall: 77/100 vs 76/100.
- Only the Cervélo P5 is UCI legal, so only it can be raced in UCI time trials.
- Only the Scott Plasma RC has integrated hydration.
- The Cervélo P5 comes in 6 sizes, the Scott Plasma RC in 5.
Cervélo P5
Scott Plasma RC
| CervéloP5 | ScottPlasma RC | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Brand | Cervélo | Scott |
| Build | P5 Red AXS 1 | Plasma RC Ultimate |
| Build notes | Single-chainring (1x) build. Weight size not stated by Cervélo. | Chrome silver; spec and prices from scott-sports.com (DE, UK and US sites). Scott publishes no complete-bike weight. |
| Price (MSRP) | €13,499$14,750£12,000 | €12,999$15,000£12,799 |
| Bike weight | 9.08 kg20 lb | — |
| Model year | 2027 | 2026 |
| Generation | 2024 version | Plasma 6 |
| Launched | 2024-07 | 2020-10 |
| Discipline | Triathlon | Triathlon |
| UCI legal | Yes | No |
| Verdict (out of 100) | ||
| Overall score | 76 | 77 |
| Aero | 90 | 84 |
| Frame | 84 | 80 |
| Components | 92 | 84 |
| Hydration & storage | 70 | 93 |
| Fit | 86 | 82 |
| Practicality | 56 | 56 |
| Price | 53 | 57 |
| Frame & fork | ||
| Frame material | Carbon | Carbon (Plasma 6 HMX) |
| Fork material | Carbon (Bayonet P5 fork) | Carbon (Plasma 6 HMX) |
| Max system weight | — | 120 kg264.6 lb |
| Frame sizes | 48, 51, 54, 56, 58, 61 | XS, S, M, L, XL |
| Colours | Five Black, Platinum (varies by build and region) | — |
| Also available as | P-Series (lower-priced UCI-legal tri/TT bike with a standard stem interface) | — |
| UCI frame approval | Approved 28 Aug 2023 as 'P5, FM148' with fork 'P5, FK148', sizes 48-61 (6), code CERVELO-148 (UCI list version 2026.10.02) | — |
| Compatibility & standards | ||
| Brake type | Hydraulic disc | Flat-mount disc |
| Wheel size | 700c | 700c |
| Max tire width | 34 mm | — |
| Bottom bracket standard | BBright | Press-fit 86.5 (BB86) |
| Front axle | 12x100 thru-axle | — |
| Rear axle | 12x142 thru-axle | — |
| Drivetrain compatibility | Sold with Shimano Di2 and SRAM AXS electronic groupsets (1x Red AXS, 2x Force AXS) | Spec'd with SRAM Red AXS and Shimano Ultegra Di2; replaceable derailleur hanger |
| Cable routing | — | Fully internal |
| Hydration & storage | ||
| Integrated hydration | No | Yes |
| Hydration volume | — | 620 ml21 fl oz |
| Hydration details | Ships with a downtube aero bottle (500 ml per Triathlete) and a rear hydration mount; the frame has no internal reservoir. | Shaped bottle between the top tube and down tube (575 ml on XS/S, 620 ml on M-XL) with a hatch for refilling on the move; the drinking tube exits the top tube and attaches magnetically to the aerobars. |
| Integrated storage | Yes | Yes |
| Storage details | Aero top-tube storage (Smartpak 400 bag) and storage at the stem. | 400 ml gel bottle above the bottom bracket, a nutrition 'garage' between the aerobars and a storage compartment for repair items behind the seat tube. |
| Top tube bento box | Yes | — |
| Bottle mount locations | Downtube (aero bottle), behind saddle (seatpost bottle mount), between the arms (BTA mount with angle adjust) | — |
| Behind-saddle mount | Cervélo rear hydration mount (included) | Mounts for one or two bottles behind the saddle |
| Fit & adjustability | ||
| Aerobar system | Integrated one-piece EX16 cockpit with Bayonet fork | Syncros Creston iC TRI integrated basebar with Syncros extensions |
| Pad stack adjustment range | Up to 40 mm of stack adjustment; basebar sits 10 mm lower than on the previous P5 | Pad stack 540-660 mm (XS/S) to 590-710 mm (XL) |
| Pad reach adjustment range | — | Pad reach 362.2-500 mm (XS) to 457.2-595 mm (XL) |
| Extension options | Extension tilt adjustable 0-30° in 5° increments | — |
| Seatpost type | Cervélo SP23 carbon aero seatpost | Syncros Plasma 6 HMX aero seatpost with Ritchey WCS clamp (adjustable head) |
| Fit notes | Cervélo's online size and setup calculator takes target arm-pad stack, reach and saddle height and returns compatible sizes with the matching riser extension and pad hole settings. | Developed with German bike-fit company gebioMized; the cockpit adjusts for height, extension angle (up to 15 degrees), pad position and width, and the saddle clamp has a wide fore-aft range. |
| Aerodynamics | ||
| Manufacturer aero claims | About 1 W faster than the previous P5 frame. Cervélo claims about 5 W total system saving with Reserve 77/88 wheels and 29 mm Vittoria tyres. | — |
| Tube profile | — | Not UCI-constrained; very deep head tube and a fork with wide legs and a shroud over the disc caliper |
| Travel, maintenance & warranty | ||
| Headset bearings | — | Syncros integrated drop-in headset, 1-1 1/8" |
| Proprietary parts | Bayonet fork and one-piece EX16 front end, SP23 seatpost | — |
| Frame warranty | Limited lifetime warranty on the frame for the original owner (frames bought from 1 Sept 2025, excluding paint and decals); forks, carbon bars, stems and seatposts also lifetime | — |
| Sold via | Through Cervélo retailers | — |
| Drivetrain | ||
| Groupset | SRAM Red AXS E1 | SRAM Red AXS E1 |
| Launched | 2024 · current generation | 2024 · current generation |
| Speeds | 12-speed | 12-speed |
| Electronic | Yes | Yes |
| Wireless | Yes | Yes |
| Drivetrain | 1x | 2x12 |
| Shifters | SRAM AXS Blip controllers (bar-end and satellite) | SRAM AXS Wireless Blips |
| Crankset | SRAM Red 1x AXS E1 Power Meter | SRAM Red AXS E1 Power Meter |
| Chainrings | 50 | 50/37 |
| Crank length | 160 (48-51) / 165 (54-56) / 170 (58) / 172.5 (61) | — |
| Power meter | SRAM Red AXS E1 Power Meter | SRAM Red AXS E1 Power Meter |
| Launched | 2024 · current generation | 2024 · current generation |
| Type | Integrated in crankset | — |
| Bottom bracket | SRAM DUB Ceramic | SRAM DUB PF Road 86.5 |
| Standard | BBright | Press-fit 86.5 |
| Bearings | Ceramic | — |
| Front derailleur | — | SRAM Red AXS E1 |
| Rear derailleur | SRAM Red AXS E1 | SRAM Red AXS E1 |
| Cassette | SRAM Red XG-1290 E1 | SRAM Red XG-1290 E1 |
| Range | 10-33 | 10-33 |
| Speeds | 12-speed | 12-speed |
| Chain | SRAM Red E1 | SRAM Red E1 |
| Brakes | ||
| Brake levers | — | SRAM S-900 Aero HRD |
| Brake calipers | SRAM Red Aero | SRAM S-900 Aero HRD |
| Type | Hydraulic disc | Hydraulic disc |
| Rotors | SRAM Paceline X | SRAM Paceline X |
| Front rotor | — | 160 mm |
| Rear rotor | — | 160 mm |
| Mount | Center Lock | — |
| Wheels & tires | ||
| Wheelset | Reserve 77TA (front) / 88TA (rear) | Syncros Capital SL Aero 80 |
| Front rim depth | 77 mm | 80 mm |
| Rear rim depth | 88 mm | 80 mm |
| Rear disc wheel | No | — |
| Material | Carbon | — |
| Tubeless ready | Yes | — |
| Hubs | DT Swiss 180 | — |
| Spokes | 24H | — |
| Notes | — | Syncros SL axle with removable lever |
| Tires | Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR G2.0 | Schwalbe Pro One Aero TL-Easy |
| Tire width | 29 mm | 28 mm |
| Type | — | Tubeless-ready, supplied with Schwalbe Aerothan inner tubes |
| Cockpit | ||
| Aerobar system | Cervélo EX16 Triathlon Cockpit (EX16 carbon riser + EX16 extension assembly) | — |
| Integrated with frame | Yes | — |
| Pad stack adjustment | Up to 40 mm | — |
| Tilt adjustment | 0-30° in 5° steps | — |
| Material | Carbon | — |
| Basebar | Cervélo HB15 | Syncros Creston iC TRI |
| Basebar width | 380 mm | 400 mm |
| Material | Carbon | — |
| Extensions | — | Syncros E1 Carbon extension |
| Material | — | Carbon |
| Headset | FSA IS2 1-1/8 in / 1-1/4 in | Syncros Integrated 1 1/4"-1 1/2" drop-in |
| Saddle & seatpost | ||
| Saddle | Fizik Transiro Aeris LD R1 Light | Syncros Belcarra 1.0 TRI |
| Seatpost | Cervélo SP23 | Syncros Plasma 6 HMX with Ritchey WCS clamp |
| Material | Carbon | Carbon |
| Included extras | ||
| Storage / bento | Cervélo P5 stem storage + Smartpak 400 top-tube bag | — |
| Bottle cages | Cervélo Aero water bottle with cage + rear hydration mount | — |
| Geometry (smallest – largest size) | ||
| Sizes | 48, 51, 54, 56, 58, 61 | XS, S, M, L, XL |
| Stack | 461–556 mm18.1–21.9″ | 520–570 mm20.5–22.4″ |
| Reach | 389–455 mm15.3–17.9″ | 372.5–467.5 mm14.7–18.4″ |
| Pad stack min | — | 540–590 mm21.3–23.2″ |
| Pad stack max | — | 660–710 mm26–28″ |
| Pad reach min | — | 362.2–457.2 mm14.3–18″ |
| Pad reach max | — | 500–595 mm19.7–23.4″ |
| Seat angle min | — | 75.2° |
| Seat angle max | — | 75.2° |
| Head tube angle | 71–72.5° | 72.5° |
| Head tube length | 58.5–147.8 mm2.3–5.8″ | 71.5–124 mm2.8–4.9″ |
| Effective top tube | — | 509.3–609.5 mm20.1–24″ |
| Seat tube length | — | 503–587.5 mm19.8–23.1″ |
| Chainstay | 405 mm15.9″ | 410 mm16.1″ |
| Wheelbase | 975–1,048 mm38.4–41.3″ | 962–1,072.8 mm37.9–42.2″ |
| BB drop | 74–75 mm2.9–3″ | 75 mm3″ |
| BB height | — | 261 mm10.3″ |
| Fork offset | 40.4–52 mm1.6–2″ | — |
| Front centre | 582–654 mm22.9–25.7″ | — |
| Standover | 739–906 mm29.1–35.7″ | 746–831.1 mm29.4–32.7″ |
| Wheel size | 700c | 700c |
| Crank length | 160–172.5 mm6.3–6.8″ | — |
| Basebar width | 380 mm15″ | 400 mm15.7″ |
Geometry overlay
Pick a size for each bike to see frames and arm-pad ranges on top of each other.
Drawn to scale (how to read it).