I'm in the process of upgrading my 2015 P2 to electronic shifting. I have the TR Alpha One too.

The upgrade kit you're looking at is a great option. What are you confused about? It's pricey, but likely the most straight forward approach.

Electronic shifting is somewhat new to me. The only reason I tried it out was because I got a really good deal on a Di2-only road frame. But now that I have tried it, I like it.

My Di2 upgrade path for my P2 has been different. For starters, did you know that 10-speed Di2 shifters are fully compatible with 11 speed derailleurs (so long as they're both e-tube)? I bought a used Ultegra10-speed Di2 for cheap and found a great deal on an 11-speed Ultegra RD (I'm only running 1x11 set up). I plugged in the RD and was able to shift through all 11 gears. Kinda cool to see that Di2 can be upgraded like that.

Just one caveat: If you plan on running both front and rear derailleurs, both derailleurs must be from a 10s or 11s series. You can't mix a 10s FD with an 11s RD. (Shimano has made this incompatible at a firmware level)

I'd get Archer D1x.

Awesome. Had forgotten about that. Really cool idea and brilliant in terms of compatibility with any drivetrain.
Could use a little work on the industrial design and miniaturization but cool nonetheless

https://www.youtube.com/embed/5nZYF2SdTfI

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if you can read this
YOU'RE DRAFTING!

Is the Alpha One and etap an option for you?

I upgraded my Felt a while back (post 1 , post 2) and and have really enjoyed the combination of the two. The blip box is exposed below the bars, but all else is wireless and I don't have any mess of cables. I forget the blip box is under there. Or it can be hidden away elsewhere. No problems so far. I do need to top off the batteries more often than a Di2 battery.

When you ask about "best route," what paths are you considering? Di2 vs. eTap? Buy a new bike vs. upgrading your existing bike? Sourcing an upgrade kit vs. buying individual parts?

I did my Di2 upgrade to my TT bike, and I much prefer Di2 to eTap on a TT bike. (I have eTap on my road bike, and I freakin' love eTap on a road bike.) When I did mine, no one had a "kit" that met my needs, so I selected each part individually.

I just upgraded my 2018 P2 from mechanical to Di2. Very easy and straightforward. I pieced my group set together from forum sellers and eBay. I got all in for significantly less than buying it in one package. A little, maybe a lot, more effort though. Don’t forget about grommets. There is one where the cable exits the frame for the RD, one where the cable exits the frame for the FD and one to replace the cable guide below the BB. Probably not necessary but it makes the install look like it was originally built that way. Also there are adhesive cable covers/protectors that protect the cables where they exit the frame. Very useful especially by the FD where dropping a chain could shred the cable.

Other than that you just need to decide on internal vs external battery. Also, think about the online WiFi unit. It allows you to change your settings from your phone/iPad and allows your Garmin to communicate with the Di2. You can set up a data screen showing battery life, current gearing etc. I have heard of some who have had issues with it. I haven’t experienced those yet and find the functionality kind of cool.

Good luck with your install.

Bryan

Admittedly I am pretty green on this stuff. I have pretty much ruled out a new bike and decided to upgrade what I have.
I guess my main question was opinions between Di2 and etap. Which is the easier install and most reliable etc.
And a good source for purchasing. I found one site that has the Di2 group set on sale for $1159.00
Do I want or need the wireless transmit option? thats an extra 120 bucks. Short cage or medium cage rear derailleur?
Medium cage is an extra 20 bucks. Battery charger 94 bucks. I could also add Shift/brake levers for another 300 bucks. So with those options the price bumps up to $1693.00
All said and done I will have about 4800 hundred bucks invested in my P2.
I guess thats still cheaper then a new P3 and I still wouldn't have the Alpha one bar.

Lots of good posts so far. The only thing I would add in is that I think the di2 install on the Alpha X bars is much cleaner than on the Alpha One. You have to shave down your junction box to jam it in the stem cavity of the one and then use tape to route the shifter wires down the monopost. I think it looks ugly up close.




The Alpha X bars have a really nice routing for di2 cables. Completely out of the wind and no electrical tape.

etap is the easier install. di2 is more reliable. Going electronic on a tri bike is borderline worthless without adding the basebar shifters. I pieced together my (used) di2 group for less than half the number you have.

Short cage is fine if you won't use a cassette bigger than 11-28. If you want to upgrade to bigger derailleur wheels, you definitely want the 8000 series instead of the 6800 series.

The wireless unit eats up battery a little faster. I don't think the phone version of e-tube useful at all. The tablet version is better. Hooking it up to the computer works the best for me. You need to be able to easily reach the junction box to make use of the wireless unit because you have to hold down the junction box button a couple of seconds for it to connect to your phone or tablet. I suppose that's also true to charge or attach to the computer since the cord has to be plugged in.

The wireless unit talking to your Garmin is sorta neat. You can see stats later. Sometimes it's handy to get the beep before the chainring is going to shift. If I had known how useless the E-tube phone app was, I would have saved the $100 bucks spent on the wireless unit and extra cable.

On a TT bike, I mega-vote for Di2. I absolutely love synchro shift on my TT bike. Plus, you can make the installation a lot more hidden than eTap which requires the big Blip Box hanging out somewhere exposed with 4 wires leading into it. By contrast, my Di2 on my TT bike has only 1 visible wire at the cockpit.

Reliability: the two are a total wash. I have eTap on my road bike and it has been exactly as reliable as Di2 on my TT bike.

Yes, get the Di2 Bluetooth wireless gizmo. I love that... it lets you do config stuff wirelessly. And, it will connect to your head unit to give you system status, beep when it is about to automatically synchro sift your FD, and capture all of your shifts in your ride data.

Choose the cage length based on your rear cassette needs. I have a short cage, because the biggest cassette I will ever need is 28T.

Get the brake shifters; those are worth it and part of the driver to getting electronic. If you are on a ride with climbs or technical turns, you will use the brake shifters a lot.

Will 6871 shifters work with a Di2 setup where everything else is 8050? It sounds that way, but I want to double check.

Yes, all of the 11 speed stuff works together (6000-series, 8,000-series, 9,000-series, 9,100-series).