And speed is a primary component of being an Ironman champion. I wanted the bike to look fast standing still. So we used a gradient within the pixels to create motion, a sense of speed within the bike.
There was back and forth in color, and green comes with his kit. It's tonal, and it works really well as a complete package.
LAVA: What paint house did you use for this project?
Briggs: it's called Exor and based in Montreal. It was a fun project. It's not everyday you get to design a bike for a world champion, so all of us were excited about making it happen.
LAVA: Certainly this begets the question of whether you'll be doing this for any of your other pro athletes.
More: Tri Shorts Vs. Bike Shorts
Briggs: Lesley had a few back and forth with a few athletes. There's nothing formally rolling along, but definitely, plans are in the works.
LAVA: Considering how much of a dynamic presentation this is, it's definitely an example of what's possible. And while Cervelo can't be taken to task for its bikes, it's often raked over the coals for its stock graphic packages. Might this be a bellwether to what may be possible in terms of stock offerings in coming year models?
Briggs: There has been internal conversations about stuff coming down the pipe. I can't say this will influence any of that, but there's definitely conversations about what we're capable of doing. We haven't done anything similar to this yet.
LAVA: The look is certainly something distinctive...
Briggs: Yep. We moved Cervelo logo onto downtube. That's a bit of a change in this bike and rolled up under the downtube. We moved the E, which now sits in the area where toptobe, seattube and seatstays meet, which gives it a lot of real estate.
We have the P5 logo on outside of chainstays. Inside of the stays are white, and gradating line that mirrors the front of the bike with the pixels extends out on to the 3T Aduro aerobars.
More: Gear Review EC90 Aero 55 Wheels
And as for the top tube, we included time from last year's Ironman World Championships. I wanted him to be able to glance down and have it be something to see as a motivation. We want to drive him forward, to go even faster. By knowing his time, it gives him a goal to shoot for. And the Ironman World Champion logo Ironman provided to us.
LAVA: How did you feel in knowing that Frederick digs it?
Briggs: Well, it was my first bicycle; I'd worked at design firms and ad agencies, and had worked for Nike and Red Bull within hockey. But a bike was new for me. So it was really important, and I was really happy that Freddie had a very good reaction.
I really wanted three groups of people to like it. Freddie first, I really hoped he would like it. I hope the general public likes it, and finally, I hoped the folks here at Cervelo like it. It's a fun project, but also a reflection on the brand. I think it moves us in a good direction.
More: Do You Need a Tri Bike?
Search for your next triathlon