JJopp

Hello All,

I have been riding for about 5 years and am currently still riding my entry level FELT F75 with upgrade SRAM carbon wheels. I love the bike but I think it is time for an upgrade. I do a few Olympic Distance Triathlons each year, but not really interest in a tri bike. The two bikes I am looking into are the FELT AR3 EPS or the Cervelo S5 Ultegra.

Although I ride a good bit, not really familiar with components and technical aspects of the bike. Hoping to hear some feedback about these two bikes to help with the decision.

Thanks in advance for your feedback,

JJ

10 Wheels

Five years,, you should be an expert by now.

JJopp

One would think. I just kind of hop on and ride

Hammondc

Is there a dealership nearby that has both? Not sure what to tell you about the groupset. I have and like Ultegra, if that helps. I really dislike the all matte black color on the Felt.

JJopp

Hammondc - I agree about not liking the Matte Black. But I do like my felt ride now. Tough to find a dealer that has these bikes so thinking I will need to order. I also just checked out the GIANT Propel Advanced 1 as well and my dealer pointed me in that direction. That one looks similar with nice components as well.

IcySmooth52

I'd say get on a test-ride for the Cervelo S5! It's a way nicer machine than the Felt AR from my experiences, but I've yet to touch a Giant Propel.

RobbV

Well the Felt is available with Ultegra also, so you can have either groupset, although I don't see the EPS available for 2015 on there websight yet. The AR was redesigned for 2014 so any reviews from previous models years wouldn't apply. I ride a 14 AR4 which is Ultegra group and I'm completly satisfied, but that shouldn't really mean much. Go ride them and see what YOU like.

hamster

Both are supposed to be very good aero frames. Cervelo is a well-known player. Felt AR was completely redesigned for 2014 model year and Felt claims to be superior to Cervelo both in terms of aerodynamics and weight. (Since these frames are aero, there's a bit of a weight penalty compared to a pure road frame like Cervelo R5.) AR3 is a low-end version of AR and it is somewhat heavy compared to AR1 or AR FRD, but it should still be at least equal to S5.

With Cervelo, you're buying one of their best frames (MSRP $3500) and a good but not outrageously expensive groupset(drivetrain) (Shimano Ultegra). With Felt, you're getting a low-end version of a good frame (not sold separately, but AR1 is better and has MSRP $2500) and an exotic Italian electronic groupset (Campagnolo Athena EPS) so the whole bike ends up costing more.

Unless you have a reason to want Athena EPS specifically, I would not go with this option. Take a look at Felt AR4, it's the same groupset as your S5, and it's much cheaper. Alternatively, if you like tinkering, you can get an AR1 frame ($2500), buy a 6870 groupset on eBay ($1200), and bring over your carbon wheels.

FIVE ONE SIX

honestly, if i was going to spend over $5000 on a bike, it wouldn't be on a Felt unless it was a really nice closeout at a really nice price...

fwiw, the 2015 AR3 is a nice bike at $3500 if it matters. it comes with full Ultegra 6800 and the only downside of the entire bike is the 1950 gram oem wheelset, but if you can throw your current SRAM carbon wheel set on there you should be good to go...

KantoBoy

Took delivery of my AR3 this week with my sweet team discount.

The only thing that I didn't like about it as mentioned above is the heavy TRAINING wheelset you'll receive. Everything else is awesome. I'm not going to claim aero results here as I do not have a wind tunnel in my backyard, but I can tell you that it's a very aggressive bike. I'm coming from a 1yr aggressive geo bike hiatus and I surely missed it.

bahula03

As always, if it's remotely possible, go out and ride both and see which one speaks to you.

I'm heavily inclined to recommend the Felt from my F5 ownership experience, and the reviews I've read on the new AR bikes. If EPS is important to you, the AR3 is a solid deal, even more so if you get it discounted. If you're not dead set on EPS, I'd look at building from scratch as previously mentioned.

And FWIW, Six reasons why Felt is making some of the world?s best bikes - VeloNews.com