Hello guys. Quick question here. I've been doing a lot of research on what Santa will be bringing me this year. I'm new to road biking. I have an old steel bike which is what I'm using right now. I've gone up from 10mile rides to 30 miles now within 1.5 months. My goal is to do 50 mile training rides, then eventually a century. I've given myself till X-Mas to invest on a new bike. This is what I'm looking at:

FELT Z45 - https://2009.feltracing.com/09-catalo...es/09-z45.aspx
or
Neuvation - https://www.neuvationcycling.com/product144.html

Neuvation has much better components, which is the only plus I'm seeing. My LBS will cut me a deal and I'll be paying about the same as the neuvation for the FELT. What are your opinions between these 2? I've heard great things about neuvation. I couldn't find too many reviews on the FELT. Thanx for any help.

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Wonder how many posts until ugly logos are mentioned (by someone other than me)?

The Neuvation is much nicer looking (though I might have to desticker the wheels). The components are a little better too, as is the price.

We have our winner.

It also has better wheels, by most people's standards. And Rival over Tiagra is a pretty significant improvement that is easier to quantify than the difference in frames. Don't be fooled when that Felt says 105/Tiagra equiped...the only 105 piece is the front derailleur. I would rather get an aluminum bike with full 105/ultegra than a carbon one with Tiagra at that $1800 price point.

From a purely aesthetic standpoint, I don't like the look of the lugged carbon construction on the FC100, but not sure if that really translates to performance. Makes it a bit heavier though. testrider.com recently did a review of the FC100, so you might want to check it out. I think it was fairly positive.

The ability to swap out components before you buy is what is interesting me the most about Neuvation bikes (other than the price). At that price-point, wheelsets and other components can be pretty iffy, but the ability to dial in the important stuff at little or no cost is a big plus to me. Every review I've seen of the framesets are that they're as good or better than other bikes at that pricepoint, and the weight isn't all that bad.

I'm looking at a Ultegra F100 myself, as a solid crit bike.

I was leaning towards neuvation as well. I really don't care about "name brands", just performance and an upgraded feel compared to what I have right now. I mean, I'm new to the sport, so dropping 2-3k for a bike is outta the question. Do I like the graphics on the neuvation, no in my opinion. Graphics will not improve my ride, it will only improve the approval from other roadies. I know there will be drawback from not buying local, but from what I've heard, customer service/support is outstanding from neuvation.

By the way, is there a big difference in aluminum vs carbon fiber? I've read that it is better to get a quality al frame vs a poor carbon fiber frame. But how do you know if the carbon fiber is "good or poor"? I've always wondered. I'm really liking the SRAM over the Shimano components. I saw the reviews on testrider for both the bike and components, all positive!

did you know that Felt bike is the 09 model?

is there no sales tax buying that neuvation? that would certainly be a bonus.

Yes. My LBS told me its there "affordable" entry level carbon frame bike. And the plus would be that the frame is a really good frame that is worth upgrading with better components. But if I would take this route, that means whenever I upgrade, I would be spending way more!

Yes, there is no sales tax, only the $40 shipping cuz I'm not from Cali.

Finemnt...Is your LBS a Felt dealer? Are they giving you a deal on the 09 Z45? If they are not have them contact Felt to see if they have any of your size in and if they are giving deals. I got a huge discount on my 09 Felt F3...im talking huge.

For the price and componentry, the Neuvation is the better deal. Can you step up to the Z35? I have that model and it is fully 105 equipped.

Also be aware that the bikes have differing geometry - the Felt is more "relaxed" than the Neuvation.

Ben

Thanx for all the input. I will continue my search and continue to test out bikes up until X-Mas season. We'll see.