What are your fit numbers?

The world is your oyster with a $5K USD budget. That is the space where some bikes offer Di2, so that is worth consideration. I know you asked about those three specifically, and you cannot go wrong with either the Argon 18 or new P Series. (The Blue is not as familiar to me.) A couple others with great reputations and Di2 are the Felt IA10, Canyon Speedmax CF 8.0, and Premier Tactical. The Tactical is higher than $5K, but it comes fully outfitted with race wheels.

Thanks for the response. Since you mentioned Di2, I'm skeptical about electronic shifting from hearing bad experience with others. But I have no first hands experience at all. Does it offer a clear advantage and how reliable is it?

Regards,

Kevin

I like my etap setup, easy to setup, no cables to worry about having to adjust and makes disassembly for travel easy.

Electronic shifting is fantastic. It has been the standard on professional bikes for years. It is a mature technology and highly reliable.

Edit: Shimano is on its 3rd generation of electronic shifting and SRAM is on its 2nd generation, though in fairness to SRAM, their 1st gen was perfect.

If I can answer any questions about the Premier Tactical just send me a PM.

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Dan Kennison

facebook: @triPremierBike
http://www.PremierBike.com
http://www.PositionOneSports.com

chronomaestro,

I'm begging you to approach your purchase from a FIT FIRST perspective. Sure, road bikes in the past, they were easy: tell me your height and we can nail the size bike 95% of the time and all you might need to make it perfect is a new stem. But for triathlon bicycles you really need to start your purchase process with your Pad Stack (Pad Y) and Pad Reach (Pad X) so that you know the bike will come and meet you in a place were you can sustain the aero position for large chunks of time in comfort.

The best way to do this is to go to a fitter who is educated in the modern way of fitting, one who is experienced in fitting triathletes, and one who has a dynamic fit bike. The person you see needs to check all three of those boxes. The cool thing about doing it this way is 1) you are certain what bike to buy based on the Pad Stack and Pad Reach that comes from that process and 2) your fit is finished even though you haven't yet purchased the bike. So when you do buy you can simply hand the fit sheet to the shop staffer (or mobile mechanic) and tell 'em "can you adjust the bike so that these are the coordinates" and you're golden.

The second best way to do this doesn't apply to you because you have an existing road bike and not a existing tri bike to measure off of so let's skip that one.

The third best way to do this is to chat up someone who's job it is to sell bikes remotely. We have our secret ways of getting close.

So, if you want to walk down the "best practices" path then reply here with were you live and let's see if we can find a proper fitter near you.

If that's not an option for you then touch base with Dan Kinneson in the post just above this and let him guide you to his bike. You could also put "official fit" into the search field on this forum and you stumble onto me and a few others on this forum who help in these exact situations.

Ian

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Ian Murray
http://www.TriathlonTrainingSeries.com
I like the pursuit of mastery
Twitter - @TriCoachIan

Hi Ian,

Very sound, logical, and thoughtful advice. I definitely will reconsider what you just mentioned above.

Regards,

Kevin

Thanks, Dan. I’m not familiar with this brand but will take a look now.

By the way, Ian. I live in the Bay Area, California.

That's why I asked you what your fit numbers are in the first post.

chronomaestro,

There are two in SF whom I believe can deliver. One is Terry Gerardo at Sports Basement - I was involved in a portion of his training and I've seen him work accurately and efficiently. The other is Cesar at 3D Bike Fit. I've never met Cesar in person but I quized him via email pretty aggressively and he seems to be able to do what I want fitters to do for someone in your situation. Call 'em both, find out what they each charge, and make your decision based on the vibe you get over the phone.

Ian

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Ian Murray
http://www.TriathlonTrainingSeries.com
I like the pursuit of mastery
Twitter - @TriCoachIan