Please help!

Plus he would have to wear lycra ALL the time. You can't ever wear normal clothes on a bike like that.

It's horrible and not practical for getting from A to B everyday.

I know it's a good bike and that, but it's U-G-L-Y.

I'm sure that pearl of wisdom will help swing your friends decision.

Buy it, buy it now.

Anyone who is gonna spend that much cash on their first bike is crazy, and seeing that they have picked style (or lack there of) over function & practiality screams 'more money than sence'.

I would go with all the advice above, that bike is all wrong. Your 1st bike should be easy to ride and fairly pratical so you can learn what you like/dont like about the bike and update, change and personalize it as you go along. If the bike is wrong it will be used a handful of times and left in the shed gathering dust.

Start him off on one of these.

That's too small as well...

thanks for all the great advice, has been documented and Ill pass it on.

@ donut!.. do you want to give away yr trike? what will you use? ;)

My CAR!

Just tell your mate to go to his LBS and he'll get all the advice he needs.

That bike is only useful if you're racing in timetrials or triathlons. Don't buy it.

• 1 that would put me off cycling for life...
  

he should buy it and put risers on it. and an arrospok. Tell him to take the brakes off too :-)

seriously, if he wants it, he should buy it. It is a specialist bike, but so the hell what? Unless he's planning to lock it up all day and night outside, what's the issue? He'll buy it, love it, realise it's not practical, and sell it on / buy a more sensible bike for everyday use.

There are plenty of more suitable bling bikes to buy if he has money to burn. Go to mosquito for starters. They can give decent advice and then relieve him of great chunks of cash.

Ignoring all previous comments, since I don't listen to anyone anyway..
An incorrectly sized P3 for a commuter? Fail.

+1 to all of the above. He should do what everyone else on here does. Research. Tell him to buy a cycling mag and read through the reviews for something that fits his needs and budget. Seeing as budget clearly isn't an issue he won't have trouble finding a suitable bling-machine. Buying a high-spec TT bike isn't going to guarantee him a good commuting experience. If anything it'll probably put him off cycling altogether! But then a dude like that can probably afford to make mistakes like that...

This is a seriously impractical bike for almost any use except actual timetrials. The bike is also hideously too small for him and a bit flash for a first roadbike, bear in mind damage will likely be done as he learns the finer points of roadbiking, this is a great bike for its purpose but is simply the wrong bike for what he sounds like he wants to do.

as above, TT bike, although good £££

Whilst you could put lights and a horn on an F1 car and then try to use it to commute to work it would not be a good idea.

Equally trying to use an out and out time trial bike as a commuter would lead to similar results.

If he can afford it and wants it (which seems to be the case) tell him to get it as his weekend bike, then get something else to do the weekly grind with.

As many have said he will soon grow to hate the Cervalo if he uses it to commute on, plus unless he takes it into his office rather than locking it outside he will will be going home on the tube wearing full lycra, and that's never a good look.

just get a specialized tarmac or a trek madone or something. seems to be what every other posh prick who buys a bike to 'see if they like it' does.

You guys are nuts. Have any of you actually ridden a Carbon/ TT frame before? It won't be uncomfortable, no more uncomfortable than a steel track frame, probably nicer actually. The awkward handlebar position can very easily be changed.

It's also got track ends so it can be fixed. What more could you want. Tell him to fucking BUY IT. If he doesn't like it, he can split it can sell it for more than he bought it. Can't lose.

edit: ok, re-reading the op, this shouldn't be someones 'only' bike, i wouldn't lock it up!

just get a specialized tarmac or a trek madone or something. seems to be what every other posh prick who buys a bike to 'see if they like it' does.

I bought a £500 Spesh Allez and rode it for a year to see if I liked it, flogged it to a mate for £300 and then bought a Cannondale SystemSix.

So not quite what everyone does.

edit: ok, re-reading the op, this shouldn't be someones 'only' bike, i wouldn't lock it outside maccy d's on a saturday - i wouldn't lock it up full stop!

Seconded, tell him to buy it if he wants it, but not as his main wheels.

Oh just show him to bloody Condor Cycles and let them deal with him and his excessive amount of money.

and then show him Rapha so he can buy all the clothes he need to get to work.

get a nice second hand cannondale r500 r600 or r800 caad4 onwards sweet bikes nice to ride light strong equally as good quality as the cervelo and much better for commuting

for 900 squid he could have some class steel from brick lane bikes they do geared stuff as well as single and fixed

or even a condor bike that fitted him properly with campy drivetrain.

or a cannondale r500 r600 or r800