Road Cycling - Ever hear of Felt?

Please forgive this long post but I need some advice on road bikes. I ride a hybrid now but my biking friends are all on road bikes. We ride up to 40+ miles and all but .8 of a mile is on paved mountain roads. My hybrid works well on the dirt roads and pretty good on the paved roads but I am having a tough time keeping up. My “roady” friends bikes are much lighter than my hybrid and they also are much smaller people. I can stay with them on the flats and down hills (they tell me I am a “good coaster”) but they kill me on the climbs.

My LBS is inundated with Ironmen competitors due to the Lake Placid Ironman held here every July. So any discount right now is out of the question.

I have been researching bikes on the net and came across Felt F50. It has the components I want i.e. Ultegra equipped and sells for hundreds less that other brands comparably equipped. One of my local bike shops carries this brand so I will be able to take it out for a ride. They also carry Litespeed so I can make a comparison. Anyway does any of you biking experts know about Felts?

I have a couple of other questions. One is about shifters/deraillers. Is the Ultegra system a big step up from the Tiagra or 105? A final question is I am a fairly big guy at 6’2” tall and 215 pounds. Will the Felt’s aluminum body be able to stand up to my size? My hybrid is a Cannondale and the aluminum frame is fine but it is a pretty heavy bike.

I would love to purchase a Litespeed Ultegra Classic but the price is pretty steep.

Any help would be appreciated.

Ron

The Felt is a really good bike. That's what the little woman bought for me. Really great component group and good quality for the money. Just no big time name you have to pay for. It should have no problem with the weight, if it did, the only thing that would be affected would be the wheels. They are a fairly low spoke count shimano setup. I haven't had any trouble with mine, but at 6'1" & 135 pounds you may be able to put down more torque than me.

I test rode the F50 a few months ago while I was shopping. I ended up an a IF Planet X, mainly cause a friend convinced me to try CX racing and because I found a great deal on ebay.

I came from owning/riding a Giant OCR3 to test riding a 52 cm Soma Smoothie, Trek 2200, Klein Aura X and Felt 50. For my preference, I would rate them as follows (YMMV):

1) Soma Smoothie (~$900): Not as quick as the others, but I found the steel ride VERY smooth. Much like riding a Cadillac. I've been converted, "Steel is real."
2) Klein Aura X ($1600): Good component mix, slightly better than the Trek. Feels quick, handling is VERY accurate, compared to the Soma which was a little forgiving. I liked the carbon stay a LOT.
3) Trek 2200 ($1600): Felt slightly faster than the Aura, but not as precise. Still a good bike.
4) Felt 50 ($1500, I think): I had high hopes because I like the idea of supporting lesser known builders. This bike did NOT feel up to par w/ either of the 3 bikes above. Unfortunately, part was due to the fact that the shop didn't tune it properly, so there was some mis-shifting during my ride. But even w/ that, it seemed like a REALLY slow ride for me. Didn't like it at all.

I've never HEARD of FELT but I have FELT a LOOK. :eek:

Felt is a very big name in Triathlon. They have decided to get into the road racing scene - the Colavita professional racing team ride Felts. This is not a no-name mickey mouse company. Jim Felt has been designing bikes for years. I ride an F35 and have zero complaints. You should be able to get a pretty sweet deal on a 2003.5 right about now.

1) Soma Smoothie (~$900): Not as quick as the others, but I found the steel ride VERY smooth. Much like riding a Cadillac. I've been converted, "Steel is real."
.[/QUOTE]


is this the 853 smoothie?

I have a Felt F30. Very pleased with all aspects except the Hutchinson Fusion tires which flatted twice in the first two weeks. Using Michelin carbons now without incident for the past 500 miles. PS I'm 6'2" 220 lbs with a 15% body fat (which may explain the tire problem) as most bikes are built for a 80kg person.

Larry

Wow! Thanks for the help to my overly convoluted post. It's really invaluable to hear from you, "guys."

One of my other passions is downhill skiing. Modern shaped skies are great but if not tuned correctly they can be terrible. The same is true for a bike. You have to keep them tuned to keep them riding/sliding right.

Please keep the comments coming all are appreciated.

Thanks,

Ron

Hey Larry,

You could be my twin except I'm really old but don't tell anybody.

Thanks for you help,

Ron

The Felt is a really good bike. That's what the little woman bought for me. Really great component group and good quality for the money. Just no big time name you have to pay for. It should have no problem with the weight, if it did, the only thing that would be affected would be the wheels. They are a fairly low spoke count shimano setup. I haven't had any trouble with mine, but at 6'1" & 135 pounds you may be able to put down more torque than me.

6'1 and 135lbs???!!!!
how many meals do you eat a day?

im 5'8 & 155 and i consider myself skinny looking

"Never eat more than you can lift." - Miss Piggy

Ron

if you are really stong yoo may not want to go wtih aluminum.

Please forgive this long post but I need some advice on road bikes. I ride a hybrid now but my biking friends are all on road bikes. We ride up to 40+ miles and all but .8 of a mile is on paved mountain roads. My hybrid works well on the dirt roads and pretty good on the paved roads but I am having a tough time keeping up. My “roady” friends bikes are much lighter than my hybrid and they also are much smaller people. I can stay with them on the flats and down hills (they tell me I am a “good coaster”) but they kill me on the climbs.

My LBS is inundated with Ironmen competitors due to the Lake Placid Ironman held here every July. So any discount right now is out of the question.

I have been researching bikes on the net and came across Felt F50. It has the components I want i.e. Ultegra equipped and sells for hundreds less that other brands comparably equipped. One of my local bike shops carries this brand so I will be able to take it out for a ride. They also carry Litespeed so I can make a comparison. Anyway does any of you biking experts know about Felts?

I have a couple of other questions. One is about shifters/deraillers. Is the Ultegra system a big step up from the Tiagra or 105? A final question is I am a fairly big guy at 6’2” tall and 215 pounds. Will the Felt’s aluminum body be able to stand up to my size? My hybrid is a Cannondale and the aluminum frame is fine but it is a pretty heavy bike.

I would love to purchase a Litespeed Ultegra Classic but the price is pretty steep.

Any help would be appreciated.

Ron

I was down to a Felt 50, Lemond Versailles, and a leftover Litespeed Arenberg.

I really liked the Felt and I thought all 3 bikes on my short list were very nice. I'm a little on the older side some might say middle aged, my interest is recreational skewed towards fitness. Extended test riding had the F50 second on the list but the lbs made me an offer on the Litespeed I could not refuse. I gave up a touch in componentry compared to the F50 but the ride of the Arenberg suited my style and the fit was great.

I found Felts in what I would call more discerning shops and I couldn't fault the attention paid to me by the shop staff, same with the Lemond and Litespeed which were both from the same shop.

If the Litespeed hadn't been such a deal I know I would have been happy with the F50, one of the things I really liked was the lack of garish graphics and the fact that they don't bury any cheesy components where you can't see em.

Good luck with your choice

Again thanks for the help.

I am an old guy but, "strong like bull." I have weight lifted since I was 11 years old and when I weighed 202 lbs I had a body fat analysis done before running the NYC Marathon. I was at 6.23% and most people were guessing my weight at 150. My ex-wife was a phys-ed teacher and her working buddies accused her of not feeding me. Actually she was a terrific cook and I ate like a horse.

So the aluminum frame does scare me a bit but I really try and ride technically and spin not muscle. Yet my weight could be a problem for aluminum. Beer cans are putty in my hands (and every one eles). Sorry about that but it's Friday night and I am a little ...

Ron

one of my regular riding buddies owns a felt tri bike. the frame is light enough for competition, and seems durable, unfortuneately the dropouts are each 1/16th of an inch of center (for a total of 1/8th of an inch) . doesn't sound like much, but the rear wheel actually has to to be dished to match or the tire rubs on the frame. it came like this from the factory, with the offset wheel and everything. he was thinking of warrantying it but decided he doesn't want another felt. it is just sloppy workmanship to dish the wheel out of whack to make up for poor alignment.

So he's keen to keep a dodgy bike, just because he doesn't want to accept a good one off them in exchange? Is it just me, or does that sound crazy?

I have a couple of other questions. One is about shifters/deraillers. Is the Ultegra system a big step up from the Tiagra or 105? A final question is I am a fairly big guy at 6’2” tall and 215 pounds. Will the Felt’s aluminum body be able to stand up to my size?
Ron

I am also a pretty large guy. I am 6'4" 240lbs and I went with a Felt after feeling the most comfortable on that bike. I have been riding it for the last two years and have put almost three thousand miles on it with no problems. Mine is the F65. As for the Ultegra, I tried the Ultegra bike and the 105 bike and ended up going with the 105. The guy at my LBS said that unless I was racing or riding tons of miles I wouldn't notice a huge difference. I have put on quite a few miles, but the 105 is still going strong. Next time I might go with an Ultegra bike, but I would definately purchase a Felt again! It is awesome when you go on a group ride and you are the only person riding that bike.

1) Soma Smoothie (~$900): Not as quick as the others, but I found the steel ride VERY smooth. Much like riding a Cadillac. I've been converted, "Steel is real."
.


is this the 853 smoothie?[/QUOTE]

Yes. The orange smoothie is also a great looking frame.

6'1 and 135lbs???!!!!
how many meals do you eat a day?

im 5'8 & 155 and i consider myself skinny looking


:rolleyes: All of them I can get my hands on. My usual afternoon snack consists of a little debbie double brownie (540 calories) or a double oatmeal cream pie (700 calories) and a coke. That's on top of breakfast, a typical fast food lunch (big mac, fries, etc), and ususally some pasta for dinner. Sometimes I snack before lunch too. A big grab of chips and a coke or something. It just depends.

I have a "Felt 50"........love it.....no problems at all.......such a smooth ride, it's almost like flying...Great bike.

How much should I pay max for a used F-50 Felt with AT400 Alex rims?

I might sell my 2003 F65. What size do you need?

I might sell my 2003 F65. What size do you need?


53/54cm...

how much are you going to sell it for you arrogant bastard?

I'm not sure yet. It is perfect has no dings or scratches. It is a 54. I am thinking $750.

I am also a pretty large guy. I am 6'4" 240lbs and I went with a Felt after feeling the most comfortable on that bike. I have been riding it for the last two years and have put almost three thousand miles on it with no problems. Mine is the F65. As for the Ultegra, I tried the Ultegra bike and the 105 bike and ended up going with the 105. The guy at my LBS said that unless I was racing or riding tons of miles I wouldn't notice a huge difference. I have put on quite a few miles, but the 105 is still going strong. Next time I might go with an Ultegra bike, but I would definately purchase a Felt again! It is awesome when you go on a group ride and you are the only person riding that bike.

I can relate. :) I compared the 04 felt 65 to: 03 felt f50, bianchi eros, marin verona, burley pine grove, and an 05 trek 1500. They were all very nice bikes, the marin was a bit small for me, had they had one big enough, I might have liked it more than the f65, but out of those bikes, the f65 was my favorite and was the best priced one. :)

I can't wait to do my weekly group ride this thursday. Nearly everyone in the group rides trek, so they are all going to be baffled by the Felt.

I'm not sure yet. It is perfect has no dings or scratches. It is a 54. I am thinking $750.
Well that is a pretty good price and it's the perfect size, but unfortunately I don't believe my wife will be too keen on me buying another bike right now. Good luck selling it.

Okay, I know I already showed a pic of my new Felt.. but I rode to work today and decided to drop over to the studio in the photo dept for some quick pics. :)

http://www.fvscc.com/barren/bike/f651_web.jpg
http://www.fvscc.com/barren/bike/f652_web.jpg
http://www.fvscc.com/barren/bike/f653_web.jpg

I didn't know the new F65 had carbon stays.

Yep and I just got a reply from feltracing.com answering my question as to why it's not on their website.

It released mid-year and never made it to the website. They also said it's the same bike as the f60, except it has a double instead of a triple and it's yellow.