Cervelo P3C - to buy or not to buy?
March 2nd, 2008 by Nikola Tosic
Cervelo P3C is no doubt a fine machine. It is one of the best bikes ever made. It will make you super super fast and it will boost your ego even more than buying a Porsche or even a Ferrari. But do you really really really need it?
Cervelo P3C is no different than any other bike - it goes as fast as you are able to ride it. Once you get to the point of riding a 35kmh average on Ironman it is time to think about buying it. The number 35 I have chosen randomly, there is no research to fortify the choice of this number. You will feel it yourself when you need a better machine if you are open to such sensitivity.
If you are slower than the magical number of 35kmh the only reason why you would need a Cervelo P3C, or any other bike of similar quality, is to boost your ego or to burn money.
I recently spoke with a Cervelo salesman (I am not sure if he officially works for Cervelo but he does sell Cervelos) and he was telling me this whole story how I am cheap that I do not invest money in a bike, how I am a “typical runner” whatever that means etc… I did not react immediately but than I realized how very aggressive this whole conversation was.
I mean, I do invest a lot in the sport: I pay my coach a small fortune every month, I buy all kinds of measuring equipment, I even invest in an underwater camera cause it can help me with the stroke analysis… Not to mention that dedicating several years of my life costs me another fortune in not dedicating all this energy in building my own corporate empire.
But still, because I do ride an aluminium Raleigh RC9000 from 2004 and Profile carbon cockpit from 2005 I am still perceived as cheap and primitive.
I had a phase in my life which consistent of 12+ hours in an office and Saturday afternoon shopping sprees in Armani and Gucci in Milano. It culminated in me making enough money to buy a 700 euro shirt, wear it once every 3 months and than buying another one next season. And there were always next seasons. Fashion industry perfected the art of selling you new stuff every few months.
I have escaped that life into something I find much healthier - a beach, sunshine, good food, lots of free time, freelance work and occasional Ironman race. I entertain myself with the racing as I do need an outlet for my ambitions which I try to control as much as I can. I have learned a bit about modesty and practicality during this exile from corporate culture and I am slowly starting to be satisfied with myself, with my position and with who I am.
As I am more satisfied the more I loose interested in objects and ownership and I enjoy the journey more than anything.
To buy a bike for which I need to work full 4 months would be total madness. And yes I do make about a 1000 euros a month for which I work an average less than 15 hours a week. I do not wish to make more not work more. I keep my time for friends, family, training and art. An investment in a bike like this, so I would apear more up-to-date, would take me away from the things I enjoy.
Cervelo P3C is a great bike, awesome design, but there are better ways to invest so much money. Cervelo P2SL is a great bike at fraction of the price of Cervelo P3C.
Do not fall for the whole “you have to be cool” thing with bikes. They are beginning to be more of a fashion than a necessity. In windy Ironman Hawaii Mark Allen rode 4h 46min on, what we would now consider, a very shitty bike.
Important to know: the bike sales have decreased during last few years but the bike company profits have risen. This is thanks to the increase in sale of more expensive bikes.
This is not bad at all and I am not trying to inspire some kind of “hate the big company” thing here. All I am saying is that you should buy Cervelo P3C - actually you MUST buy it - but only when you really need it.
Do not disrespect such a great piece of design by treating it as decoration. First and foremost it is a machine and second an eye-candy.
This is only my opinion.
March 3rd, 2008 at 6:44 am
As the cliche goes, “it’s not about the bike!”
The problem is that everyone looks at these dream machines from a purely cycling context and this is where they go wrong. Sure it may save you a few seconds or minutes between T1 and T2 but that should just be viewed as an added advantage and not the core reason to spend thousands of Rands on a bike.
I have done 4h46 on an all steel frame, would I have gone faster on the P3C? Yes … but not on the bike! I believe the biggest gains to be made by using any of these so called dream machines is when you leave T2 and start the run.
There is little doubt that they provide a smoother ride and therefore leave you fresher for the marathon than steel or new aluminium does. Since we all know that the marathon is what Ironman is all about, it makes sense to start it with the greatest number of reserves possible regardless of whether you are an 8 hour pro or a 17 hour age grouper.
So, if you can afford it then by all means go ahead and indulge yourself because you will most certainly go faster, just not necessarily where you thought.
If that fails, you can always fall back on my favourite little saying, “if you can’t go fast, at least look good going slow.”