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05-23-09, 08:45 PM
So after some debate and my LBS gently pushing me towards Felt last fall, I ended up ordering a Felt B2 last fall. It took a few months for it to arrive and now I've ridden it for a few months and so forth.
Reasons I chose the Felt to begin with -
1. Fit - I have a reasonable 90mm stem, and no spacers on the bike. I consider it the best fit I've ever had.
2. I wanted the "best" bike I could get, it's got all the technological things a person could want
3. It looks really nice
So the bike arrived -
I got fit up more officially than when I went in and tried it out last fall. The fitting was a, "does it feel good?", along with suggestions from my fitter.
My first ride was 15 miles and my initial reactions from that ride were -
1. The steering is definitely different
2. The front end is stiff and the rear end has more give
3. I feel bad ass riding it
So I'm going to break things down on my impressions after a month of riding.
The aerobar is Felt's house brand aluminum bar. They are super simple, 4 Bolts. They are comfortable, and it seems aerodynamic enough. If I were to through out a weight estimate, it would be 850 grams. Most amazingly, Felt created a molded rubber grip that is awesome. How has no one come up with these before? I stripped one of the 4 bolts, but funny enough, the damn thing still holds strong. I've been riding for a few days with it loose, I'm going to my LBS to get the new replacement part on Tuesday.
The fork/stem is interesting. It may be a little lame but one of the best parts about this bike is the steering. Felt uses forks with a shorter rake than many other companies, and this added trail puts the bike on Rails. I can ride one handed much more simply in the aerobars. I stay in my aerobars in areas where I used to get out of them when I felt uncomfortable because of traffic or turning. In a race today I actually stayed in my aerobars through a high speed sweeping turn that I've always gotten on my cowhorns for in the past. The stem is stiff and I think it contributes to the dialed in feeling. However I think that the stem being a pivot only device is somewhat limiting.
The cable routing is supposedly the best internal routing in the business. I haven't changed my cables yet, so I can't comment. The shifting is smoothe, and I'm guessing the internal routing is a part of that.
The frame of the Felt B2 is nice. It looks well thought out, it rides nicely but the same frame shape also comes on the $2200 B16. I really hope to get the frame on a scale someday, my guess is that it is light.
The seatpost is nice. It's got adjustment markings to remember where to set it, it hasn't slipped yet. The clamp isn't integrated into the frame, so if I ever torque it to hard it's easily replaceable.
The TTR2 wheels are exactly on claimed weight of 1875 grams, including rim tape. They ride nicely, look aerodynamic but one of them is ever so slightly out of true. Another thing I want to have fixed on Tuesday. One thing I don't like about the TTR2 wheels is, I know I paid extra for them. I have race wheels. It would have been nice to save $300 and have crap training wheels but if you don't have race wheels these are definitely a budget upgrade worth having.
The parts spec is an interesting one. You get Dura Ace shifters, front and rear derailleurs. Very nice pieces. The chain and casette are Shimano 105, which I like. I wear out chains and cassettes and it's nice to use the quality 105 parts and not pay for the lighter weight Dura Ace. The brakes are a Tektro variant which work all right, they are starting to squeal and the quick release is sticky. Finally, the cranks are the bane of the parts spec. It's the FSA Gossamer crank with their TT chainrings. The crankset works fine, but the Gossamer crank can be had for $60, and this is a +$3000 bike. It is also very heavy. With the TT chainrings, it's in the ball park of 1050 grams.
The good -
1. Fits delightfully
2. I'm riding faster. I haven't worked out any more, so who knows.
3. It's comfortable.
4. Looks great.
5. User friendly aerobars, seatpost/clamp and cable routing.
6. Dura Ace derailleurs
The bad -
1. Popped one of he Vittoria tires on my second ride.
2. I had to change the rear crank side brake pad location slightly.
3. Boat anchor crank
In the end, I love this bike. It catches eyes, it's unique, it fits me and I'm riding faster this year. I'll try and get some pictures up soon.
Reasons I chose the Felt to begin with -
1. Fit - I have a reasonable 90mm stem, and no spacers on the bike. I consider it the best fit I've ever had.
2. I wanted the "best" bike I could get, it's got all the technological things a person could want
3. It looks really nice
So the bike arrived -
I got fit up more officially than when I went in and tried it out last fall. The fitting was a, "does it feel good?", along with suggestions from my fitter.
My first ride was 15 miles and my initial reactions from that ride were -
1. The steering is definitely different
2. The front end is stiff and the rear end has more give
3. I feel bad ass riding it
So I'm going to break things down on my impressions after a month of riding.
The aerobar is Felt's house brand aluminum bar. They are super simple, 4 Bolts. They are comfortable, and it seems aerodynamic enough. If I were to through out a weight estimate, it would be 850 grams. Most amazingly, Felt created a molded rubber grip that is awesome. How has no one come up with these before? I stripped one of the 4 bolts, but funny enough, the damn thing still holds strong. I've been riding for a few days with it loose, I'm going to my LBS to get the new replacement part on Tuesday.
The fork/stem is interesting. It may be a little lame but one of the best parts about this bike is the steering. Felt uses forks with a shorter rake than many other companies, and this added trail puts the bike on Rails. I can ride one handed much more simply in the aerobars. I stay in my aerobars in areas where I used to get out of them when I felt uncomfortable because of traffic or turning. In a race today I actually stayed in my aerobars through a high speed sweeping turn that I've always gotten on my cowhorns for in the past. The stem is stiff and I think it contributes to the dialed in feeling. However I think that the stem being a pivot only device is somewhat limiting.
The cable routing is supposedly the best internal routing in the business. I haven't changed my cables yet, so I can't comment. The shifting is smoothe, and I'm guessing the internal routing is a part of that.
The frame of the Felt B2 is nice. It looks well thought out, it rides nicely but the same frame shape also comes on the $2200 B16. I really hope to get the frame on a scale someday, my guess is that it is light.
The seatpost is nice. It's got adjustment markings to remember where to set it, it hasn't slipped yet. The clamp isn't integrated into the frame, so if I ever torque it to hard it's easily replaceable.
The TTR2 wheels are exactly on claimed weight of 1875 grams, including rim tape. They ride nicely, look aerodynamic but one of them is ever so slightly out of true. Another thing I want to have fixed on Tuesday. One thing I don't like about the TTR2 wheels is, I know I paid extra for them. I have race wheels. It would have been nice to save $300 and have crap training wheels but if you don't have race wheels these are definitely a budget upgrade worth having.
The parts spec is an interesting one. You get Dura Ace shifters, front and rear derailleurs. Very nice pieces. The chain and casette are Shimano 105, which I like. I wear out chains and cassettes and it's nice to use the quality 105 parts and not pay for the lighter weight Dura Ace. The brakes are a Tektro variant which work all right, they are starting to squeal and the quick release is sticky. Finally, the cranks are the bane of the parts spec. It's the FSA Gossamer crank with their TT chainrings. The crankset works fine, but the Gossamer crank can be had for $60, and this is a +$3000 bike. It is also very heavy. With the TT chainrings, it's in the ball park of 1050 grams.
The good -
1. Fits delightfully
2. I'm riding faster. I haven't worked out any more, so who knows.
3. It's comfortable.
4. Looks great.
5. User friendly aerobars, seatpost/clamp and cable routing.
6. Dura Ace derailleurs
The bad -
1. Popped one of he Vittoria tires on my second ride.
2. I had to change the rear crank side brake pad location slightly.
3. Boat anchor crank
In the end, I love this bike. It catches eyes, it's unique, it fits me and I'm riding faster this year. I'll try and get some pictures up soon.