Poprad or Felt F1X (the old steel Vs alum. debate)
 

I've narrowed it down to these two. The Felt's a little more but I'll spend the extra $ on some Poprad upgrades if I go that way. I will be doing cross but this will also be my daily road training bike. I'm a little bigger (230 lb) which is why I was leaning toward the steel. Is there really that much of a comfort difference? One dealer told me that the "flex" in the steel will drag and make you feel sluggish. I will sacrifice a little speed and weight for comfort (when I train, not race) but unless you ride one for an extended period it's hard to gauge. comments are mucho appreciated

Cross racing or using your cross bike for various types of rides? If the former, you might want to go with the Felt (it will likely save you a couple pounds over the Poprad; good for dismounting and carrying your bike). If the latter, the Poprad may be a little more comfortable. But I'm going through the same decision process myself, except that I don't anticipated that I'll be racing. Why not the Bianchi Axis?

well............... I wanted to stick with a bike made in the good 'ol USA. However I could be dead wrong and the Bianchi is made here and the Felt is made in China- but that's not the info I got. Anyway since it will be my training bike as well it will be used more on the road then on the track, but I still want to be able to hit the cross races when they are available.

What about the Trek XO? The Poprad is a better deal though, but the XO is aluminum and made in the US too (I think). The Poprad is handmade in Wisconsin (although some will argue that a handbuilt bike isn't as good as a machine welded bike... I know my water bottle rivets were poorly done, but have seen the same thing on some made in China Specializeds).

I like the Poprad, I don't feel it flexing much when I ride, even in sprints, it's pretty stiff and it's pretty light with the air-hardened tubing. My 52cm Poprad (with all its components) weighs about the same as my 51cm Pista.

I upgraded the crappy Aheadset to a Chris King though and put on a carbon/aluminum stem (the Bontrager wouldn't work with the CK headset). Anyhoo, the Poprad is a good riding bike.

the steel vs aluminum debate is something of a non-issue in a cyclo-cross bike. the high-volume/low-pressure tires mitigate most of the harshness associated with aluminum. moreover, in a race situation [assuming you plan to race] all of the dismounting means that you're not really in the saddle long enough for it to really make much of a difference.

Consider the fit first before making a final decision.

would love to consider the fit- unfortunately none of my local dealers have either model in stock. my main question was the "perceived difference" between steel & alum. for my purposes and I think Veloco answered that. what the hell- they are both good bikes and since I'm not a pro rider I probably won't even notice the difference. thanks for all the help though.

Well if I remember correctly Mark McCormac (2004 USPro Winner, NE Cyclocross Champ...) formerly raced on the Poprad and now races on the Felt, in his words the Poprad was "a garbage truck" and he's been much happier to ride the Felt, and the garbage truck comment came when he was still riding the Poprad (with sponsor's obligations et all)

Garbage truck meaning it was garbage? Or Garbage truck meaning it was strong, rugged etc.??

I'm assuming he hated his Poprad. But what if he calls his Felt a dishrag?

I'd would assume garbage truck would mean something along the lines of beefy and poor handling, though thats based on my opinions of garbage trucks :rolleyes: