What are your thoughts?

it's somewhere in between.  the Kestrel Talon is getting a bit long in the tooth, a bit soft, and is somewhere between a road and a tri bike.  The geometry, as in the seat angle, is really a road bike's geometry- which puts your butt further behind the seat and if you try and get your head low and aero, closes your hips a bit more, which reduces your power output.  That said- if this is going to be your one, all around bike- then you might find it more comfortable to deal with as it a bit more roadie friendly.  You're probably looking at about $1400 worth of bike there.  It's not too heavy, has some aeroness to the tubing, and has 105 stuff where you need it (i.e. it will shift well and last a long time).  But- there are better bike out there.  Although for sub $2K- perhaps not many.

If you happen to be long legged and short in the torso, it might even work for you.  If you want an agressive TT position with a low head and a flat back- this bike probably isn't the right choice.

As a $2K starter package- if you really need all of the parts and you want to buy them all at once without spending a ton of time researching each thing- it's probably a decent deal.  Me- I would need to pick out each piece that I want to buy separately- even if it cost me more money in the end.

But here's the thing.  you live in NC and Nytro is in Southern California.  You might have a better experience working with a tri shop that's closer to you? 

I'm not after an all-around bike.  I have my 2005 Specialized Transition Multisport to use as my roadie.  I'm contemplating a straight up tri bike. 

I know there's several guys better than me on the bike.  Some of them may even pack 235 pounds onto a 6' frame with broad shoulders and average length legs and torso, just like I do.  That said, I'm no slouch on a bike.  I can push 17.5MPH on the bike for several miles without much stress.  That's on a bike that is a road bike with tri bike attitude.  I'm curious as to how well I'd do if I had a tri specific bike.

Shopping around is all I can afford to do right now.  Maybe I'll just stash every dime, quarter, and dollar I can to scrape up $2500 for a Cervelo P2.

Raleigh is 4 hours away from me.  I live in the extreme northeast corner of NC.  I'm a stone's throw from Chesapeake, VA.  In fact, I commute 33 miles every day to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, VA, where my submarine is currently drydocked.

I recently sold my Cannondale road bike in order to upgrade to a tri bike. I was willing to spend $2500-$3000 for the right bike and really shopped around.

I am 6'3" and 225 pounds. Until I got fitted, I didn't know I was all legs with a short torso. I have always been one of the biggest guys in the room and never considered I would need anything less than the biggest bike in the shop.  

I tried the Cervelo, BMC, Planet X and Kestrel Talon. I really didn't want the Talon because I figured I would out grow it too quickly. I wanted a nicer bike. After trying all of them, there was no doubt that the talon was the best fit for my body type. It was the most comfortable and allowed me to stay in the aero position for a long time without issue. The others were "better" bikes but felt horrible. I spent $1499 for the Talon, added Planet X clinchers for $700 more and purchased a hydration system for the aero bars. I could not be happier with this bike! 

I too was in the 17.5-18 mph range on the road bike. During my first ride on the tri bike, I was averaging over 20 mph and that includes stopping to adjust the cables. The feel of the tri set up is completely different. It is much more exciting to ride. You feel the speed and it is a blast. 

If the geometry on the talon works for you as well as it works for me, you will love this bike. If not, you can pick up a P2 for about $2250 right now. 

Just my thoughts...

Yup.  This is why everyone talks about getting a fit first.  the aerodynamic differences between frames is minimal compared to the aero difference between body position.  Of course- being 'comfortable' doesn't always equate to 'aero', but if you've got a really aero position that you can only stay in 20% of the time- that's not worth much. 

So - the real question here isn't about whether the Talon is a good bike (it's fine, but not the 'best'), but whether it's a good bike for YOU.  Due to its more road bikey geometry, it tends to be more comfortable for 'beginner' TT riders.  i.e. cyclists that don't have a lot of experience riding way forward with a flat back.  Which is one of the two reasons why they included it in the 'package'.  the other reason is that it's about the cheapest carbon framed TT bike available. 

it's not a full monocoque frame.  i.e. it's not all layed up and molded in one piece.  it's older technology where some of the pieces are bonded together.  That doesn't make it 'bad', just less efficient in its construction, and a little less refined in its feel.  A really great bike has that perfect combination of stiffness, shock absorption and livliness.  The older carbon frames such as this tend to feel a bit 'dead', but the difference is really subtle and tends not to be appreciated by newer riders anyway. 

the biggest reason for you not to get this bike is that it's from a shop on the other side of the country.  You won't have a chance to know if it will really work for you before you buy.