Is $3,400 for a frameset particularly in reach? It's a subjective and pointless debate, but as someone whom 99.99% of society would classify as extremely irrational for what I already spend on bikes, I would be pretty hard pressed to say yes. Putting my subjective narcissism cap on, which guarantees that everyone shares my opinions, I would say a complete bike for $3,400 is comfortably within reach for most 'serious' (as in, more than casual) AG triathletes.
A complete bike at or under 4 grand is starting to get up into eyebrow raising territory, but rational to an irrational triathlete who is upgrading to a more serious ride from their entry or mid-level ride. Mid-4's is stretching it, keep going and we rapidly approach dream-bike territory where it's a tough sell to spend that much without at least getting the gratification to know that you have the absolute best-- i.e. the P5 standing just over your shoulder.
As currently spec'd, I'm not saying the new P3 is a bad value, or more accurately that there isn't a very good reason why it costs as much as it does. I'm just saying I'm not exactly sure who it is for.
I would very much like it to be for me, but at present, it just isn't.
For dramatic effect I would have preferred to end it there. But realistically, I, probably like a lot of others am a lot more interested in a good aero frame and reasonable spec rather than paying a bunch extra to save some grams on DA. Nor do I particularly care to pay for a fancy rotor crank when I'm going to slap my Quarq on there. Nor for an ISM when I already have a perfectly good Cobb. Nor for the 3T Aura, when if anything, I'd put my Ventus on there to really take it to the next level.
So I'll just shut up and buy a used P4 frameset already.
A complete bike at or under 4 grand is starting to get up into eyebrow raising territory, but rational to an irrational triathlete who is upgrading to a more serious ride from their entry or mid-level ride. Mid-4's is stretching it, keep going and we rapidly approach dream-bike territory where it's a tough sell to spend that much without at least getting the gratification to know that you have the absolute best-- i.e. the P5 standing just over your shoulder.
As currently spec'd, I'm not saying the new P3 is a bad value, or more accurately that there isn't a very good reason why it costs as much as it does. I'm just saying I'm not exactly sure who it is for.
I would very much like it to be for me, but at present, it just isn't.
For dramatic effect I would have preferred to end it there. But realistically, I, probably like a lot of others am a lot more interested in a good aero frame and reasonable spec rather than paying a bunch extra to save some grams on DA. Nor do I particularly care to pay for a fancy rotor crank when I'm going to slap my Quarq on there. Nor for an ISM when I already have a perfectly good Cobb. Nor for the 3T Aura, when if anything, I'd put my Ventus on there to really take it to the next level.
So I'll just shut up and buy a used P4 frameset already.