cmart wrote:
Good point. For buying my first triathlon bike I initially didn't want to make too much of a compromise. But I thought that this is an awesome bike, even compared with other new bikes without having to justify spending thousands for a bike that I actually use as a second bike to my beloved road bike. The other option would be a Speedmax CF, which has it's own compromises, like the armpads being really wide which probably can be fixed quite easily and maybe not being really designed as a high end TT bike. I guess this can be fixed as well by having a good aggressive fit. So going for the Speedmax (and paying 2k - 2.5k€ more) might still be the better choice though.
I had both a 2012 Argon E118 and first gen 10spd DuraAce Di2. Not on the same bike tho. Both are A+.
The rear brake can be an issue, but I put the springs on max and that fixed it. My cable shrouds were good but not that flexible. The E118 is a great riding bike with its own personality - like a dog that is tugging at the chain. It doesn't like to go slow. It's not an "easy" riding or beginner bike due to the flat narrow bars. However they are strong and come race day, it's able to go all out. I had SRAM red mech and tubulars. I used it in sprints and always posted top 5 even going fastest split one year. With a rebuilt Zipp 808 and 900 Disc I sold it for $4000 CAD.
I loved that vintage of Di2. Shimano put their heart and soul into that first product it was a work of art. The mechanical bits are sublime. The battery lasts forever. Yes the trunk cable was an issue for me (I got the groupset used) - but I repaired it. Parts are hard to find that is true as well, but I have seen them here and there. It worked flawlessly for the 3 or so years I used it.
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