Road Cycling - Felt SR71 Reviews

Anybody out there have a Felt SR71 (preferably the '04)? Could you give me a review?

I'm looking to use it for fitness training and tours (65+ mi). I am wondering how the aluminum frame with the carbon fork feels after 50 or 60 miles...

Thanks.

I ride the F35. The frame is made of the same material as the SR71. The fork is carbon and so are the stays on the F35. I've ridden 110 miles on it in one ride and felt fine. Ride 40-50 every sunday and have never felt sore or fatigued as a result of the bike. I love the thing! I should say that the F35 is also far more aggressive than the SR71 in its setup as well.

I ride the F30, and have had the same experience as MacMan.

I ride the F30, and have had the same experience as MacMan.

Have either of you ridden a steel bike that you can compare the ride?

Have either of you ridden a steel bike that you can compare the ride?

Not really. Used to have a Raleigh Arena back in the day when I was a kid (over 20 years ago now!). Last bike I owned was a Trek 1000 which was aluminium.

I ride an 89 trek 400 as my commuter. I'm not exactly the best judge of ride characteristics, but here are my observations:

Trek: HEAVY. Almost 30 lbs. est. Felt: Light. <20 lbs. est. (without my flat-pack & water)
Trek: smooth (don't feel many vibrations). Felt: No discernable difference here. Very smooth.
Flex: Trek does have flex when I stand on hills, none on the Felt
Shock-absorption: Trek is better, but I think its due to wheels, not frame 28 vs 23s.

My overall experience is that I'm equally comfortable on both bikes for long periods of time, but I get less fatigued on the felt since its so much lighter. Also, the Felt is a more compact wheelbase, so it feels much more agile.

If you ask which is more fun to ride: Felt. Which is better at carrying all my stuff: Trek. Do I wish I could be riding the Felt to work? absolutely.

If you have a specific question, I can try to give it a shot, but otherwise, there is nothing about the steel bike that the Felt doesn't do better except carry stuff.

I ride an 89 trek 400 as my commuter. I'm not exactly the best judge of ride characteristics, but here are my observations:

Trek: HEAVY. Almost 30 lbs. est. Felt: Light. <20 lbs. est. (without my flat-pack & water)
Trek: smooth (don't feel many vibrations). Felt: No discernable difference here. Very smooth.
Flex: Trek does have flex when I stand on hills, none on the Felt
Shock-absorption: Trek is better, but I think its due to wheels, not frame 28 vs 23s.



With an aluminum frame, does the carbon fork make a difference? Do you take the felt out for rides over 50 or 60 miles (long tours)? Any complaints over rougher roads?

I'm hoping that my LBS can get one in for me to try.

With an aluminum frame, does the carbon fork make a difference? Do you take the felt out for rides over 50 or 60 miles (long tours)? Any complaints over rougher roads?

I'm hoping that my LBS can get one in for me to try.

I can definitely say that the Felt is better at filtering out the bumps than my old Trek 1000 which was all aluminium. Sure, if you hit bumps all the time your "boys" are going to get a bashing on any bike, but I regularly ride the F35 up to 50 miles and am starting to ride centuries on it and have had zero complaints about road roughness being transfered to my legs and arms in the way that the Trek did. Like I said though, some roads will kill you no matter what you ride (unless you have a MTB w/ shocks!).

I take my felt on longer road rides on rough roads also. In comparing it to the cro-moly fork on my Trek 400, I notice that they feel strangely similar to me. I don't notice vibrations from either, even on rough roads, but the cro-moly fork does give a little (little) when I hit the bigger bumps, and the Felt fork doesn't.

I bought the SR71 (05) this spring and I love it. I use the SR71 for commuting to and from work (28 miles round trip). It is sturdy and responsive and weighs in at about 20 pounds. With the carbon front fork and the shock absorbing seat post, the bumps in the road get dampened out significantly. The Dura Ace rear derailleur is great, and for commuting, I really like the flat handlebar and more upright position. Despite the fact it handles the commute very well, it is great for weekend training rides too (although the more upright position the flat bar gives you may cut your time down a bit). The SR71 has a double ring instead of the triple, but I like a double much better. The geometry of the bike suits me very well, and the adjustable stem helps me tune in the position that suits me best. I looked at a lot of bikes before deciding on the SR71 (especially the LeMonde Poprad), but thought the Felt gave me the best bang for the buck. I have no regrets and have been very satisfied with the bike both as a solid but lightweight commuter and fast weekend trainer.

My aluminum felt with carbon fork feels smoother than my cromo Nishiki. Could be because it fits me better but still I would not say it is a rough ride by any means.