Originally Posted by kankushok

Hi, I'm considering purchasing my first road bike. After visiting six LBS, I've pretty much narrowed it down to either a 2013 Felt z100 for 710, a 2013 Fuji sportif 1.3c for 650, or a 2013 Fuji sportif 1.7c 490. I've not tried the fujis out yet, but performance bikes told me that both would ride the same way as the Fuji 1.1c which I test road (out of my price range). The Fuji and the Felt with carbon forks definitely felt superior to their counterparts with aluminum forks, and the shifting on the felt felt smoother than the others I tried with 2300 groupsets. If I understand correctly, the Fuji 1.3 comes with better components than the felt (the shifters are on the brake lever rather than a separate button).

The conundrum is that the Felt is sold by a local shop which promised a free year of maintenance and a fitting. Is that going to be worth more than the better components and cheaper price of the Fuji? Is the extra cost of the felt and 1.3c over the 1.7c worth it? I'm planning to use the bike for puttering around campus during the week, and replacing my long distance runs (Hoping to do 1-2 hours in the hills behind Palo Alto) during the weekend while I recover from injuries. Thanks for helping.