I am looking in particular at the Z6. Not sure I can swing the Z5, so I'll probably just upgrade the FD at first on the 6. Tried searching a bit and didn't find a whole lot. LBS gave me a price of $1499.99 for the Z6 and $1879.99 on the Z5. The big bonus at that LBS is the lifetime service for the bike. Don't hear of that too often, at least where I'm from. And hey, my Garmin Slipstream (my favorite team) rides them. What's not to like? I know Tiagra isn't the best but I more than likely will upgrade to Rival next year. Just can't swing a huge price right now.

I test-rode Felt Z-series carbon fiber bikes, along with the Specialized Roubaix, Cervelo RS, and Giant Defy. The Cervelo RS was my favorite, with the Specialized Roubaix close behind. I tested versions of the Felt, Giant, and Specialized bikes with 105 components, since they were the easiest to come by, in addition to higher-end models with Ultegra, DuraAce, and Red.

My biggest complaint with the Z-series bikes was the weight. They seemed noticeably heavier than their competition and acceleration was sluggish in comparison to the competition. I also thought the Z-series carbon frames were a bit too plush. They soaked up so much of the road that they bike started to feel numb; you really couldn't feel what was happening underneath the tires.

FWIW, I would put the value of "lifetime service" at just about $0. A few shots of chain lube and the occasional tweak on a derailleur adjustment screw aren't worth much...

I guess you're pretty much right about the lifetime service. I'm surprised you thought the Felt was heavy. The Z6 is 18.89lbs with crappy Tiagra stuff. You also need to consider the wheels which are 32 hole CXP22s. This actually interested me because I am a big clyde. Other brands don't seem to come with strong wheels at the $1500 pricepoint. I am checking out the CAAD9 4 also but not sure if the ride quality would be comfortable enough for me. I sat on a Z series Felt last year and was very comfortable geometry wise.

Bike selection is about fit and personal preference. Here on BF they tend to want absolute performance over anything else. If the Felt fits you and is in your price range buy it. A poor fitting bike you will not ride for long. Unless you racing, the higher groups and lighter weight will not matter much.

My Trek 2.1 is not the lightest and has Tiagra driveline and I have not had problems keeping pace on fast group rides. The most important difference is the engine. Good Luck.

Note that I didn't actually weigh any of the bikes. As stated: the Z-series bikes just seemed heavier than the competition and acceleration was sluggish in comparison. That could be as much to do with frame design or tire choice as anything else. At the time I was test-riding, I think the Felts had a slightly difference mix of components than the competition. Different wheels or cranks, maybe? Don't remember...

In any event, as you point out the Z6 is hardly a heavy bike. If you like it better than the competition, there's no reason not to buy. If I were going to do a lot of centuries on real-world roads, I might have purchased a Z-series bike myself!

I ride an 08 Z25...LOVE it! Have 11,950 miles on it with no complaints. The Felt folks offer a lot of bang for the buck in my opinion.
Good luck on your final choice!

Proud owner of a 2010 z85... While its the aluminum version of the z, I really enjoy it! I upgraded the wheelset to dt swiss 1.2's with 240 hubs and I am in bike heaven! I had a problem with the stock alex wheelset due to my weight, but other than that I really enjoy the z series bikes. Since I have a 61cm frame, I know the weight issue comes with the territory of having a larger frame. I am very pleased with the entire layout of the bike!

You know the CAAD9 frame geometry is about as different from the Z frame as can be, most notably in head tube height, chain stay, wheel base. If you're looking at the CAAD9 (which is a great frame), you're opening up a whole different category which you might want to explore other options within too.

Right the CAAD is more akin to Felt's F series ... Felt Z is probably more like Cdale Synapse?

i have a Felt Z carbon with ultegra 6700 bontrager x-lite wheel set and the bike weights in @ 17.2 so sluggish it ain't. it is quite responsive, stable, agile, comfortable and spins up great. i test rode a specialized and the biggest difference i felt was the ride quality, inmo the felt was superior I also have a trek madone, and 3 other steel road bikes . The flet rides better than my trek

I am completely aware as to how different the CAAD9 and Z series is. I'm sure that sounded goofy when I originally stated that I was looking at both. I am also looking at the Felt F series, but I am figuring the Z will be more comfortable. I am just looking for something for just general road riding on a daily basis, and some centuries tossed in here and there. I'm not afraid to drop a decent amount of money (my decent is topping out at $2,000) but I am also buying my wife a new bike, a hitch carrier for my truck, and a burley for my son, so yeah I have a lot of crap to buy this spring, LOL. Most of the bikes I'd really be happy with and not want to change anything are more in the $2500-$3000 range, but it just isn't happening. I think I'll be OK though.

FD upgrade on its own is totally worthless. save up so you can have $300 for rival shifters, FD, and RD. the only reason why you need to upgrade your FD as a package is because of the different pull ratios employed by SRAM and *****mano (coming from a *****mano ultegra user). alternatively, save up $200 for a better crank (force can be had for that price)

lifetime service isn't all it's hyped to be. unless if they are willing to give you free labor for bottom bracket service and hub maintenance. common adjustments for brakes & derailleurs are not hard to learn.

OP, if you can swing $2000, you could probably get something very nice. somewhere i saw an ultegra equipped carbon Focus (riddent by Milram of the pro tours) for about $1900. scour the internet for shippable bikes