if you are sure you're going to continue to do triathlons buy a tri-specific bike. Or rather, don't expect the AR3 to serve as an adequate bike for tris if you plan to do more, especially HIM and IM. I have a AR1 and an IA...I couldn't imagine using the AR, even with extensions, for anything longer than an Olympic distance. Now if the AR3 is a screaming deal and you think you'll use it as a roadie, go for it then save for a tri bike. Depending on finances you could wait till the end of 2016 and grab a deal on a tri bike/ frame and go from there.

I've fit more than a few ARs in the forward "tri/tt" position and they've all come out nicely and the riders enjoy the position. It's the best and only bike I've come across that does the forward fit thing right.
If you want a singly bike to do both, it's a good option. It won't be a bike you switch all the time, but if you want to switch to road for the off season and switch back again in the triathlon season it's a good option.

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Brian Grasky
Grasky Endurance: World Championship Triathlon Coaching; Professional Training Camps
RETUL fitter, Biomechanist, USAT Level 3 Coach, USAC Level 2 Coach

I've used it in both configurations and loved it. At first I thought the head tube would be too long to get in a proper tri position (ie low enough) but with the right stem and bars I was able to pretty much duplicate the position on my IA FRD and I ended up selling the IA. It's a great option if you want one bike that does it all!

Thanks - good to hear. I'm hoping to take it for a test ride this week and see how i like it. It's a demo bike so is being sold at a decent discount which suits my current budget!.

I've been riding my 2009 AR4 since 2011 (bought it used) and I still love it for mountains. It handles like a road bike. And it loves downhills. Got the clip-on aero bars and they work just fine for flat riding.

And it's a good, reliable long-distance bike. I've used it in three IM races (podium once) and any number of half IMs.

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Sharon McN
@IronCharo
#TeamZoot
Clif Bar Pace Team 2003-2018

Sizing is key. Size down aggressively to get low enough on the stack. Buy the right front end and make sure you can also get low enough. With the reversible seat post you'll be plenty steep. My guess is that it's a very very fast TT rig

If your AR is sized properly for a TT configuration there's no reason it can't do very nearly what your IA does for you.

precise aerobar height and ability to change gears in aero are 2 things, as well as overall aerodynamics. Its like saying you can make a stock Camry fast enough to go around a track...sure, but a racecar built for the track will always be faster. If the OP just wants a roadbike to finish a few tris, sure the AR is adequate, but if he is going to race often into the future a tri-specific bike is the way to go. All depends on the guy's goals, wants and $.

I think you are imagining he is talking about clip ons? I am talking about putting a 5 port junction box and di2 shifters on a full TT front end set up, reversing the seat post to come forward, and going HAM on that thing in a triathlon. If you think the IA is faster, sure, but by what..50 grams of drag?

Make sure it's the right size and don't let anyone invested in the sale of that bike to advise you on whether or not it is. Bike shops will sell you the wrong bike to move inventory, and they'll lie to you too

seems like a lot of hoops to jump through to Frankenstein 1 bike into 2 sort-of-bikes; not really a TT bike and a roadie with aerobars you can't use comfortably because you ditched the forward seatpost and changed seat position. A properly setup TT bike will always be faster than a similarly set up road bike. **Brag time** The AR is a slippery bike...last week a did a 106mile section of the Amgen tour through Santa Barbara and on the flats and downhills the AR (me in racekit, slammed stem, Zipp SL-70 aerobar, 303s) sliced through most other riders. Hills were a different story as I'm not a super strong climber (although was 36th on the Gibraltar Road climb). That being said the IA (with me on it and my setup) is faster, more comfortable and I don't have to switch anything out except race/ training wheels.

I don't care what the OP does, just giving my opinion in regards to his options and that depends on his goals and finances.

Yeah I don't disagree....I'm just playing devils advocate. I have an AR1 and a Felt TT rig too, and I don't even share wheels. It sometimes feels really really dumb to me to be having two of essentially the same *frame* sitting there, and a part of me does wish I had just done the flip flopity thing with the AR.

funny enough I thought about it years ago using a Cervelo S3 but so glad I have the 2 separate bikes. Although it might be 3 once Canyon gets to the States.

It's definitely the right size frame for me but will see how it feels. I was at my LBS last weekend and test rode 8 different bikes - of course the one I liked the most was the only one not on sale which is why I'm looking at the Felt.

I'm actually thinking about the same thing. My current bikes are:

• Cannondale CAAD8 (2010 model) with Shimano 105 & stock Alex RC24 training wheels - my entry level roadie for hills/mountains, gran fondos and group rides
• Felt B16 (2014 model) with Shimano 105 & Swissside Hadron 625 aero wheels - my (still entry level) TT bike for time trials and triathlons (mostly Olympic and Half distances. I'll have one full IM this year, but it probably won't be a regular thing for me). I have 2-3 races a year and I've been doing them for 4 years as a mid-pack age-grouper.

During last week I had a chance to try a road bike with Di2 and fell in love with it. I would love to have Di2 on both group rides and in my triathlons and now I'm looking for an upgrade.

Now I'm looking at Felt AR frame (either FWD or AR1) and thinking if it could replace my both bikes and still be an upgrade to all of my use cases.

• For triathlons, I would put a full TT front end, use the front set post position and put my aero wheels.
• For group rides, I would put road front end, use the rear seat post position and put shallow wheels.

What, in concrete terms, would I be losing if I would switch my CAAD8 and B16 to AR?

I can't answer your question but I have to say I'm hooked on the Di2 as well. When I looked at the Felt I told the guy that I was keen to upgrade to Di2 and he suggested that I might want to consider upgrading to etap instead. I haven't yet seen a bike with etap to be able to demo it but figure a wireless setup would be easier to install.
Personally, I'd have both a roadie and a TT if I could afford to. I saw the benefits this weekend in St. George where I flew past several people on the climbs but watched them zip past me on the decent.
I guess the realistic question is do you really want the hassle of swapping out the front end on a regular basis? Flipping the seat post and adjusting the saddle is dead easy but I only plan to use clip-ons rather than a full TT front end. At least for now. 😬

Ray Maker wrote a very detailed (as usual) review of eTap. It looks like a pretty nice setup, although it's still not completely wireless if you're going to use extra shifters ("Blips") since they are going to be connected to a junction box with wires. And if you're going to use aero bars, you will want those Blips anyway.

Di2 would also allow you to use Bioshift to automatically keep constant wattage which would be just perfect for TTs (here's the full review). I don't think that's available for eTap since it's not really a programmable system like Di2 is.

Hassle of swapping the front-end.. you're right, that will suck pretty much... Maybe I could go with just clip-on aerobars (e.g. Redshift's quick clip-ons). It would be really nice to know what actual difference in geometry that would make - AR with saddle in front position & clip-ons vs. B16.

Convenience. You won't just be able to choose one and go. If you do spur of the moment group rides on your road bike, forget about it. This is something you're going to want to switch between at most a few times per season. Even if you get eTap.

In terms of speed, nothing or next to nothing, in my opinion, if you invest in the right front end.

Coming late to this thread I know, but wondering if you went with the Felt AR and, if so, how you've found it for both road and tri? I'm considering the AR2 for both purposes (can't afford two bikes), but won't be able to try before I buy. Looking to hear about anyone's experiences.

Training on my AR as I type! I've been very happy with it and had a great season racing on it last year. I've got aero bars on here at the moment but have been contemplating getting the tri stem and swapping out my road one. I've been trying to get a price on this from my LBS to decide if it's worthwhile.

Thanks for the reply - and nice to hear you had such a good season on it. Why are you considering the tri stem - is the position with stock stem/aero bars not aero/comfortable enough?

Planning on my first IM so figured a full tri setup would be slightly to my advantage. However this is totally a price-based decision so if the cost of the stem is outrageous, I will stick with my current set-up! Profile design bars are perfectly adequate and very comfortable so no complaints there. I just never ride in the drops so figure I can get rid of them and shave a bit of weight!

I decided to keep my Felt B16 and upgrade my CAAD8 to Canyon Ultimate CL SLX 8.0 DI2 instead... and sign up for Haute Route Alps 2017 in addition to couple of half-Ironmans this year :)

Do you have pictures of this set up? I just ordered an AR3 and love that it has options

Thank you