Let’s not forget different rules dictate what people can get away with in different series. When a company advertises big “gains” it is often in tri trim. Tri trim in many cases is not UCI legal trim and therefore people running TT series are going to build within the rules of what they race.
Not seeing a non UCI legal (as far I can tell) QR VPR in a TT series doesn’t mean the bike isn’t better, it might just not be legal.
Look at the different versions of the Shiv if you want to see some big differences in what they can get away with on a tri vs tt bike.
That’s very true. My 2012 Specialized shiv with upgraded aero bar is very fast! Unfortunately I bought the wrong size back then so ended up getting a new one
My oldest has my wife’s 25+ year old Specialized Crossroads Cruz, when she went to college I put Schwalbe Marathons on it and it still runs great.
Things have changed on the high end of bikes, but at the $500 fitness bike level things really haven’t changed much when I compare the Crossroads to a 5+ year old Giant Escape city hybrid hanging up in the garage. Or what I see at the bike shop.
But that said, I get what you are trying to say. The P5X may not be markedly faster the the P5 rim, but it has lots of built in storage if that’s what you are looking for. So you don’t have to work as much about figuring out what bottle configuration or bento box is going to be neutral or beneficial drag wise.
