Luis G.

I asked for opinions on a bike in a previous thread and it seems no one has had a Fitwell bike. I was asked for pictures and here you guys go. I will add my comments tomorrow.

Bike is the Fitwell "Degroot" II in Alex geometry.

Specs:
Aluminum Frame, carbon fork with tapered steerer.
Alloy (aluminum) fixed components: Seat, Seatpost, handlebars, stem etc.
Shimano 105 Shifters, Rear Derailleur, front derailleur, bottom bracket. Tiagra HG62 cassette. KMC Chain. Shimano RS500 series crankset and brakeset.
Weinnman Wheels, Novatec Hubs, using bladed spokes.

Initial Observations:

Handling:
The bike rides quite well with a plush ride. This is likely due to th 28mm wide tires and carbon fork. The gearing is great with a high 11 gear in the rear for speed, to climbing steep grades with a 32 low gear in the rear, and 34 compact in the front. Power delivery is good, I did not feel the bike flex much when pedaling hard and fast. I will get more input on this when I take it for a longer ride so far I've only done a quick 5 mile test ride.
The bike handles very quickly, and is very responsive. I felt that on my Trek turning or making quick movements felt sluggish and unresponsive. This bike however feels really good and confident when turning, once again likely having to do with the larger tires providing a more stable ride.

Drivetrain:
The drive train shifts smooth, and instantly. The front derailleur requires a bit of force to shift but it should wear in nicely. I absolutely enjoy the trim options on the 105 front deralleur, I am bothered by chain rub when cross geared (rarely happens but bothers me when I do).
The brakes are where the bike shines. I've ridden quite a few bikes in my search for a good entry level road bike. Most of the bikes ranged from Claris to Ultegra. Most brakesets were tektro or in-house branded. Most of the braksets were equal in stopping power. The only bike to have better or as good braking as this bike was a Altimara 2.5 which came equipped with 105 brakeset. The RS500 brake calipers work well and stop you fast. I will once again offer additional input when I go for longer rides and get some serious descents.

Wheelset:
I am fairly impressed with this bike's wheelset. I feel that the lightweight factor really helps add to the feel of the bike. When people say wheels are a great upgrade, they're not kidding. I am not sure what it is but they feel lighter than my 21mm wide rims on my 1993 Trek 2200 (Sonic USA made wheelset). The only problem with the wheelset is that the rear wheel came with a serious bend extending over 1/4th of the wheel. This was due to spokes on the left side having no tension. I've done a spot truing job and it's considerably better, but feel it could be better still. I may take it to a shop for a professional truing but at a later date. The hubs equipped with the wheelset are what I guess to be of decent quality. I've never really understood hub quality, even in mountain bikes. All I gathered from it is that usually higher quality hubs last longer and offer less maintenance.


Bike as a package:
I paid $590 for this bike and I feel for the price it was an unbeatable purchase. However being realistic and looking at the price tag on most sites including the mfger's with an average price of $750-$850 I feel that the bike definitely warrants the price tag on paper with solid components HOWEVER the pricepoint puts it too close to other bike offers such as bikes direct, and nashbar 105. It also puts it close to bikes from larger bike retail shops such as performance bikes and sun and ski. For an additional $100~ you can often find a similar Fuji bike. And with performance bikes while you may pay an additional $200~ you will often get $200 back in store credit with the performance bike membership.
Ignoring the price tag and competition however I feel that this bike is equipped well, designed intelligently with different body geometries, and the only corners that were cut came in the form of cheaper fixed components (namely the seatpost, saddle, and stem). The frame is excellent, and the handlebars actually are shaped really nicely. It rides well, responds fast, and I feel it will be a great partner in my goal to better fitness.

Specs:
105 Drive train with RS500 brakeset/crankset.
Carbon Fork
Weinnman rims, bladed spokes and novatec hubs.
Weight without pedals: 18.37lbs 51CM Frame

f4rrest

Have you ridden it yet?

What are your initial thoughts?

Does it Fit (you) Well?

MikeyBoyAz

...also if you have tuning background... please adjust the brakes so you can stop without damaging yourself and the bike. If not, pay a couple bucks to the LBS and fix that disaster waiting to happen. I am hoping that because none of the brake or shifter cables are cut and capped, that's on your list of things to do?

pretty looking bike BTW.

Luis G.

Cables are cut and capped. Brakes are perfectly adjusted now lol. Incredible stopping power.
Those pictures were from when I received the bike at 8PM or so on Thursday. Spend about 1 hour building it and tuning the rear derailleur and checking bolts. Spent better part of friday fixing the front derailleur and truing the rear wheel.

dr_lha

Welcome to the 41. People rush to judge here!

Lazyass

Looks good. I'm still real tempted to get one. Are those Novatech hubs pretty nice?

Luis G.

The hubs look good cosmetically. I really don't know how to tell a quality hub to be honest. I know higher quality clubs will click due to more locking surfaces or stronger spring loaded pawls.

I got a weigh in at performance bike. 18.37lbs without pedals.

Inpd

I recall that great Amazon deal was for the small size right? 49cm? That's a nice weight for a steel bike.

Luis G.

49.9cm~ from crank to seat post however the dimensions make it fit more as a 51cm-52cm with a 540mm top tube.
Also it isn't steel, it's a aluminum lol.

Luis G.

Rear wheel got out of shape again. Going to take it to a LBS to true it properly.

Seems issue is the hub or rim. Damaged during transit. Amazon is is going above and beyond working out details to get have the rim replaced. I will post pics of how it arrived.

MikeyBoyAz

Well, I feel better now. I almost didn't sleep for the last few days not knowing if .... just kidding.


purdy bike again. Congrats.

Luis G.

Seems they're able to achieve such a light weight by having a good light frame, and a full carbon fork (steerer tube is also carbon).

I've received the replacement wheel, and have dropped them off at performance to true. When I get it back I will do a weigh in again.

milkbaby

Enjoy the new bike!

I just wanted to say that when I write my novel, Fitwell Degroot II will be the name of one of the characters.

Inpd

Was going to write the same thing, but some how fit in it's an Alex (their size) and some how Amazon.

Inpd

The full carbon fork will save you 300 grams. They must have used niceer components throughout the bike to achieve that weight.