Have been thinking the same thing with my 2011 P2. I decided that if I did upgrade it would be to sram etap as then there would need to be no holes drilled so it would just be the $1,000 or so for the upgrade kit...... have you considered this?

New bike for sure. 2006 is an old bike, not that it's not a good bike, but because it is going to be more and more difficult to get components that work. Wider wheels, wider tires, discs brakes, tubeless tires?, bottom bracket standards, drivetrains, etc etc have changed a lot in 12 years.

Then there is also the N+1 rule.

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Don't drown. Don't crash. Don't walk.

I’d you’re set on DI2 get a new bike. That said the P3 is still at the pointy end in terms of aeroness. The geometry is perfect for an aggressive position. Have you checked to see which new bikes can accommodate your position?

I forgot about disc brakes. I do like those on the Roubaix.

I’m not that aggressive with my aero position. So probably most bikes would be fine. I just haven’t much looked at new bikes, so I don’t know what is a good midrange type of bike. I don’t have much interest in spending $15k on a super bike that I can’t come close to needing.

 
I have adequate resources to buy any tri/tt bike I'd like. I have a P5 frame sitting in the corner of my exercise room. Yet I ride a 2007 P3C with ETAP. Why? Because it's the fastest setup I've been able to assemble. So keep the P3. Skip the DI2.

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My latest book: "Out of the Melting Pot, Into the Fire" is on sale on Amazon and at other online and local booksellers

Tough decision. I ride a P4 for the same reason (despite the braking) the future proofing is an issue.. Is the OP prepared to spend a few grand to potentially go slower?
If I bought my bike again I'd go for a p3c just because its easier to work on and suits my position.

A friend did a di2 conversion on an older P3C. Not only is there the frame drilling, but fishing wires around the bottom bracket was a nightmare. I did eTap on a bike in probably 20 minutes. It is a better option for bikes that weren't designed for di2

What is your goal? To go faster or just enjoy cycling/triathlon? The fact that you LBS didn’t even mention etap as an option—indeed, a better option—tells you all you need to know about them.

I struggled with the same decision.........go get a new bike (I went with a new bike). Most are designed with Di2/Etap in mind. Trying to upgrade makes for problems a 2006 frame wasn't built to handle.

I disagree completely. I have no idea what you mean about designing a bike with Etap in mind. Etap needs nothing in terms of internal cabling or fixtures. I've installed Etap on a couple of P3s now. It is an absolute piece of cake. No more cables in the downtube. The only cable that goes inside the bike is the rear brake, which is the easiest one to route. Now, when I travel with the bike it's 100 times simpler. I can just detach the derailleurs in 2 minutes (remember no cables) and pop them in my carry-on.

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My latest book: "Out of the Melting Pot, Into the Fire" is on sale on Amazon and at other online and local booksellers

Jens... I'm also on a P3C and have no intention of leaving her (long and low baby).

In your testing do you find the ETAP Front Derailleur to be much of a penalty? Are you running 1x or double? Been thinking about going this route but I was leaning towards 1x.

Cheers,
R

What do you need to buy and how many $$$ to put 1x Etap on a TT bike?

You can get by with just:

* Rear Der. Important: If you're running 1X or expect to go large cog (bigger than 26) in the back, you must get the "WIFLI" version ($650). The regular one is $590

* Blipbox -$300

* Blips (or clicks). $100 The buttons that go on your handlebars. These are actually optional. You can just put the blipbox on your aerobars and shift from it directly.

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My latest book: "Out of the Melting Pot, Into the Fire" is on sale on Amazon and at other online and local booksellers

I am running 1X (most of the time). I only tested once, but found no significant difference between running with the ETAP front and the bare hanger (the hangers are damn near impossible to remove from the P3).

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My latest book: "Out of the Melting Pot, Into the Fire" is on sale on Amazon and at other online and local booksellers

Thanks Jens! Curious where you put your blip box and battery?

I have removed my front hanger and it was not difficult and you can put it back on if needed.

I have a 2008 P3C and looked into putting Etap on it but it is listed as incompatible because of chain stay length. How has it worked for you?

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Let food be thy medicine...

I guess I heard that somewhere. It seems to work fine. I'm running 1X with 11-32 in the back. The 32 is a little bit more cross-chained than I'd like, but I only use it in training.

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My latest book: "Out of the Melting Pot, Into the Fire" is on sale on Amazon and at other online and local booksellers

With Etap, there is no separate battery. The blip box has a CS2032 (hearing aid) battery inside it and the derailleur has a very small rechargeable battery that is integral with the derailleur itself.

I've mostly had the blipbox on top of the stem. But, if you wanted to run with out the bar-end clickers, you could mount it near the end of the aerobars where your hands are. It is compatible with any garmin mount and it is roughly the size of a very small Garmin unit (much smaller than the 500).

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My latest book: "Out of the Melting Pot, Into the Fire" is on sale on Amazon and at other online and local booksellers

Thanks for the info! It sounds slick... but still almost $1,000. I can get a very good mechanical shifter and derailleur for $150.

Yes thanks! I’ll have to look into eTap for my P3C. Sounds like a good option for me.

On a similar vein, I have a 2011 Cannondale Slice. I've upgraded it with nice aerobars and TR brakes. I like my fit - quite aero. Is it worth keeping the bike, or would a new bike be that much faster?

Would eTap add any benefit other than convenience.

Here's how I justify it:

1) My P3 used frame only cost $450

2) The lack of shifter cables and the easy derailleur removal make it easy to travel with my bike in a Ruster Henhouse instead of a big bike box. That saves $150 each way. I did 5 trips last year with the bike. That's a $1500 saving!

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My latest book: "Out of the Melting Pot, Into the Fire" is on sale on Amazon and at other online and local booksellers

While we are on the subject, I see that Ultegra Di2 rear derailleurs are <$200. How fancy do the electronics need to be to tell the servos to move and how much? Sounds like an area that is ripe for aftermarket solutions, unless Shimano has made their system hack-proof.