Road Bike Racing - Felt or Trek

I am new to cycling and hope to start racing within the next year or two at the collegate level. I don't want to spend a ton of money on a new bike. I am looking at the Trek 1200 and the Felt F90. Which one is better? I know that it is the engine, not the bike, but which bike would be faster when i start racing. Does anyone have any other suggestions for good bikes? I am looking to spend no more than around $800. Definitly no more than $1000. Thanks

You are going to hear this a bunch so I'll get it out of the way. The fastest bike is the one that fits you the best. A poor fitting bike will not allow you to produce as much power or allow you to sustain that power. Test ride both the bikes and see which one you like best.

Trek and Felt have very different fits, so, like 2rodies said, try them both out, one is going to feel much better than the other.

Trek....

I bought a Trek 1200. It has been fantastic...and I have really enjoyed every mile on that bike. I did a nice upgrade on it..so now it is even better(Ultegra 10, Bontrager Race Lite wheels, Carbon handlebars, new saddle). It is race ready even without the upgrades...and you can upgrade it one piece at a time as your budget allows. I have over 2k in it now...but I bought it new for around 850. First thing I did was swap out those generic brakes for a Shimano brakeset. Then came the wheel upgrade which really took some weight off.

Good luck. You cannot go wrong either way. The Trek 1200 is a very solid aluminum frame. It's fairly light and I have found it to be fairly comfortable for aluminum. It really is not too harsh at all. My bike with upgrades weighs in at 19 lbs. Not nearly as light as a $4k Madone...but anytime you come in under 20lbs you are doing good and weight ceases to be a serious issue.

I wonder if you can get a 2005 model at a good price this time of year??

If you've ridden a Felt, and like it more than the Trek, I'd say go for an F70. It has carbon seat stays and 105 components, I think the F90 has sora. This time of year you could probably get an F70 for less than $1000. I payed about $1150 after tax at the beginning of the summer. I'm not trying to belittle the F90 but the F70 will have a smoother ride and better components.

A girl in my hometown races a 90, so it's not out of the question.

If you've ridden a Felt, and like it more than the Trek, I'd say go for an F70. It has carbon seat stays and 105 components, I think the F90 has sora. This time of year you could probably get an F70 for less than $1000. I payed about $1150 after tax at the beginning of the summer. I'm not trying to belittle the F90 but the F70 will have a smoother ride and better components.

A girl in my hometown races a 90, so it's not out of the question.

+1 for the F70....or even the F80, which at least has the regular STI paddle shifters over the soras. STI will be much better when you start racing.

I agree that if you can get the Felt at same price with better components then yes the Felt is the way to go. Always try to get the most for your money. I'm just saying that if you do end up with the Trek you will be quite happy with it.

What bugs me about Felt is that unless you get in to really high end stuff your only choice is either A. tripple or B. Compact.
I guess thats how they save money, by not offering choices like Trek. Basically they are offering them because they are the most popular.

Either one will do, all the Marketing hype and ads won't matter when there is 1 lap to go. Buy what you like, in a size that fits and train hard. There is no substitute for mileage.

I bought a Trek 1200. It has been fantastic...and I have really enjoyed every mile on that bike. I did a nice upgrade on it..so now it is even better(Ultegra 10, Bontrager Race Lite wheels, Carbon handlebars, new saddle). It is race ready even without the upgrades...and you can upgrade it one piece at a time as your budget allows. I have over 2k in it now...but I bought it new for around 850. First thing I did was swap out those generic brakes for a Shimano brakeset. Then came the wheel upgrade which really took some weight off.

Don't get caught up in upgrade fever; spend money on proper nutrition and training first and/or get the best bike you can afford off the bat if you *know* you're going to be sticking to the sport. Just search the forum for the plethora of threads debating what the entry point into "racing level" grouppo is. It's a whole can of worms waiting to be opened...again.


What bugs me about Felt is that unless you get in to really high end stuff your only choice is either A. tripple or B. Compact.
I guess thats how they save money, by not offering choices like Trek. Basically they are offering them because they are the most popular.

I'm sure that most shops would be happy to swap out a compact for a standard double for you, provided they are in the same price range.