I've had one of these almost 5 years now. A local bike shop our team had a great deal on bikes. I had them build one up from the frame and I've been very happy with it - total 2016 cost for an Ultegra Di2 build (I already had wheels) was about $7k. I live in a hilly area and I've never thought of the weight of the bike as a problem on climbs (*my* weight on the other hand ... :-) ) . While I don't race crits, It's been my every day riding / training bike since then, even the rare packed dirt /gravel ride, which I found a bit too bumpy for this sort of bike.

I’ve built up an AR3 and an AR5 with Ultegra Di2 and generally love the bikes. I like that it’s an aero frameset that you don’t see every day on the roads. I’m too heavy to go uphill fast (regardless of bike weight) but it flies on flat and rolling roads. The FRD has such a cool carbon pattern and I’d definitely ride one, given the chance.

But if I was going to buy one today I’d likely prefer the new disc-brake model to my rim-brakes. I don’t feel as confident in braking power and stopping times with the rim brakes and bottom bracket brake on my carbon rims on longer steep descents.

As for comparison to other aero frames, I did rent a Specialized Venge Pro mechanical with disc brakes to ride for a few days in Kona last year and was surprised that it didn’t feel as quick to accelerate as my AR3 despite getting into a similar position.