Triathlon - Felt B2R-TTR

There's an outside chance I may be able to afford this bike later this year. Photo (http://www.feltracing.com/09/images/catalog/xl/8943yellow.png)

But I have to admit I primarily picked it for looks. Anyone have any opinions on the value of this bike at $4600, and how it stacks up against other brands in the same range?

Here's the main link. (http://www.feltracing.com/09-catalog/time-trial-triathlon/tt-tri-series/09-b2r-ttr.aspx#)

You saw my other post so I'm no going to add a whole lot.

$4600 is a lot of coin to drop on a bike. I'd first suggest going in and making sure it will fit. Granted, Felt has a ton of sizes and they are made to be ridden steep/low like a tribike is meant to be ridden.

No $4600 bike will be bad. If there is a "bad" $4600 bike out there, I'd be shocked. What I do believe is that a person needs to weigh a lot of factors in to what they are getting for their money. And honestly, I think the Felt B2 line is high ranking in a lot of these factors.

For $4500 I think the Cervelo P3 hits many of those factors square on the head as well as the Specialized Transition Pro frameset built to spec. The Trek 9.9 in my opinion can also be included in this category.

What was the case for me at a little bit lower price point was that the characteristics people were reporting, the nature of the fit, the Felt branded handlebar and TTR2 wheels were above what I could get from other bike companies.

When I've gotten a little road time on it I'll get a good review up.

I just went through the same thoughts. I started at a B12 then started to seriously think about dropping the cash on a B2 or B2TTR. When I finally called up to make the order I asked my local guys what they thought, here's their response "As a guy who wants to take as much money from you as I can, I want to make sure you spend it wisely. The B2 is great but you probably aren't going to notice a difference between Ultegra and Red. I really think the best use of your money is to get a B12 and then a nice set of race wheels." That's pretty much how we started the conversation. He got me thinking on a number of angles on this. I ended up going B12 with a HED jet disc rear and Jet 6 front. Total coin $4300 + tax.
One thing you'll probably hear from people is the Bayonette fork is worth the extra $$$ but I was also told the previous ones had an issues occasionally and when they had to be repaired it was not an easy or pretty repair process. Don't remember everything, on that one and maybe someone else can elaborate. I do believe either bike is a great bike, when you're thinking about dropping this kind of coin I'd recommend trying to decide where your money is going to have the most bang for the buck.
Here's a great review of the B12: http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/reviews/FeltB12-2009.shtml
--Sax

Saxman brings up two good points:

1. Whats your best dollar/bike ratio. I'll admit, it starts around $2000 and it stops right around $3000. This goes with all triathlon bikes including Felt, Cervelo, Trek, etc. At $2000 you can buy a well fitting bike with 90% of the qualities of any other bike no matter the price. At $3000 you get carbon thrown into the mix so it's probably more aerodynamic and comfortable(now you are at 99% of what any bike has to offer). The B12 represents the best value at the $3000 price point, especially if you don't have the $$$ for race wheels off the bat. The Cervelo P2 is not far behind, worse wheels and handlebar in my opinion. Trek's 9.0 and Specialized's $3k offering both lag in spec at this price point but still are fully functional and high quality bikes. I should have prefaced the fact that my decision was based on the idea that I already owned a set of Trispokes. Having seen the Felt TTR wheels, I am inclined to believe they are probably pretty quick with a 21mm tire on them and that you are not giving up much by racing on them until you can afford a higher end wheel but I don't know that for sure.

2. The Bayonet fork has grown since it's introduction, I would know as I have studiously followed Felt since they introduced their carbon bikes. I tried to find every positive and minus to the system. Here are the facts:

1. Early introduction didn't allow for minor front wheel/handlebar alignment - this has been fixed
2. The system needs to be assembled correctly, if it isn't it may rub on the headtube - this is an ongoing issue. If you have a competent bike shop, and are aware of your bike(the fork will rock on the headtube noticeably if it loosens) then you should have no problems with this. As with many bike components, after the initial install, you should have it checked 2 weeks to one month later. Felt has added one additional holder nut to keep the system tighter. This has fixed many of the rubbing issues.
3. Once you assemble and attach the Bayonet fork(and check it about one month later), it doesn't need to be touched again. You can pack the bike with it attached, you can change stem and stem angles with it attached. It's a set and forget system.
4. The Bayonet front end feels DIALED IN on the road. This is a combination of Felt knowing what they're doing geometry wise, and the stiffness thats created from the more direct system. It also has a slight aerodynamic gain, but this isn't the "big thing" as far as the Bayonet is concerned.

And just to keep things fair, here is what Tom D said about the B2 pro which is the frameset you'd be getting but with Red components... http://bikesportmichigan.com/reviews/feltB2Pro.shtml

i rode that exact bike yesterday at one of my lbs. it was very nice. i also rode a cervelo p2c. they were very comparable to one another. i talked to another lbs and they use rival on there tri bikes because it is cheaper and comparable to red not worth the extra grand.

$4600 is a lot of coin to drop on a bike. I'd first suggest going in and making sure it will fit. Granted, Felt has a ton of sizes and they are made to be ridden steep/low like a tribike is meant to be ridden.

That's another things I was curious about. I'm definitely looking for a steep ride. Right now I'm on a 76 degree Aegis (2000). I have the seat forward to the max and my shoes adjusted back to the max and still feel a little squished together (belly fat's not helping). I know the seat angle is only one component in a good fit, but I'm just wondering how Felt compares. The SA on this bike is 77.9 degrees (front position).

BTW, I'm still looking for a dealer that has one I can test ride. Felt has forwarded me a couple of leads.