I was looking at a Cervelo P3, BMC TM02, Shiv Expert, and Blue Triad EX Di2. All of these bikes would fit me & all were in my price range. I have been overanalyzing the decision for months to the point of talking myself in & out of each bike.
I finally sat down & did a side by side comparison of all components, advantages, and disadvantages. When looking at the bikes in what ultimately became a blind taste test, it became pretty clear which one I should go with, so yesterday I pulled the trigger on a 2015 Blue Triad EX Di2. My LBS ordered it & should have it next week & with any luck, I will be able to take it out on her first ride next weekend.
I love the look of that all black frame. Unfortunately the only option I had available was the red. not my first choice, but I’m not so vain as to eliminate the right bike over the paint scheme.
The Ultegra Di2 for the same price as the other bikes was the clincher. My coach has a deal with the LBS so I got the Blue at a significant discount off the regular $5k MSRP that put it equal to the other bikes. Plus he price matched the 2014 model on Nytro.com which took another few hundred off. As I told him, that’s money for a new set of wheels or power meter that I will likely buy from the same LBS down the road.
It really came down to the Blue & the P3, but I felt I would just be getting the P3 for the brand.
Off the top of my head, the other factors were that the cockpit on the Blue is all carbon while not all of the other bikes were all carbon (some were aluminum). The other components were equal or better than the other bikes as well. One big thing that not many people think of is that the rear hanger on the Blue is replaceable. On the P3 it’s integrated, so if you ever get in a crash & break the rear derailleur hanger, your entire frame is toast.
I also did my pre-fit on a blue & it worked well without spacers or a lot of tinkering. So there was another level of comfort there.
I know that Blue is not the most popular or prominent brand in the sport, but I say that makes me stand out a bit more from the rest of the bikes racked up in transition!
