Let down by Felt distributor and LBS
 

:mad:

OK - need to vent a sec. Ordered a Felt F55 from LBS in mid Jan. I was told 1-2 wks which I knew was a pipe dream but it seemed like a pretty sweet deal and I figured spring was far enough away that I could wait for shipment if it was delayed a bit. Well...two wks turned to four, then 6 and 8. 3 wks ago LBS told me end of March. I called today to see what was going on and I was told there are NO 2005 Felt bikes in Canada yet. Seems like BS but who knows. They are telling me that their rep has not received any imports from the US yet. Could this be true? LBS can't give me any delivery date, and says they will push their dealer from some info tomorrow. I am really trying not to dump on these guys, as I know that it is beyond their control, but the weather is getting nicer by the day and my patience has worn out.

Ahhhh.. feel much better now - thanks.

Jason

. . . and the minutes passed like hours . . .

How aboot a Cervelo there hoser?

Diesel - Felt seemed like a great deal back in midwinter - However, depending on info received tomorrow, I will start looking around again.

Jason

Argon 18 is a Canadian maker isn't it? Those bikes sure look nice. But then, so do the Felts.

I feel for you - it really sucks to wait and wait on something like a bike (or a paint job) - especially when it was promised at a certain time. Good luck.

55/Rad

The other thing to keep in mind, is the bike going to be at the orriginal price! when you finnaly get to see the bike you ordered.

No wonder that bike was a great deal.

They are made in Quebec. My local shop is a dealer. Although I have not been on one, their reputation is as the Canadian version of Felt. Small manufacturer, large value. The Argon 18 Platinum is supposed to be a beast at a great price. If you're frustrated by the wait, take one of these for a ride.

Or as Diesel Dan says:


edit: to add a pic of the sweet Platinum:

I looked into the Argon 18 Krypton (alu) awhile back - looked like a very nice frame.

55/Rad

Those Argon 18's look pretty sweet. Two dealers here in Calgary. Will check them out on the w/e.

Cheers - feel better already

Jason

I work very part time at an LBS my best friend owns. We carry Felt and I have decided I want to get an F55 as well. Where else can you get full DA for under 2 grand? However, your LBS isn't misleading you. Back in January, when I first considered selling my Cervelo TT bike and getting the Felt, I was told it would be around a month. Now I'm told it would be many months. There has been such an increase in demand and they are not the most organized company. Now I'm trying to decide between C'dale and Orbea. I have to hurry because my bike will be sold through Ebay in about 12 hours.

I've seen that bike, looks very nice.

They have a new frame this year, the Gallium. It's a full carbon monocoque frame, as opposed to the Platinum, which is lugged carbon. I have not seen it in person, but all their other products are top notch from a fit and finish perspective.

Many of the riders in our club rides have an Argon18, haven't heard one complaint.

f

ronan, sorry to hear about your felt -

your thread seems to have taken a turn - hijacked possibly...I will add to the hijacking, for all you who know who Steve Bauer is, I cut and paste from http://www.stevebauer.com/index2.cfm

"Steve Bauer set to ride with Argon 18

Steve Bauer Bike Tours is proud to announce that "Argon 18" will be our new sponsor / supplier of high end road bikes for all the Steve Bauer international cycling trips. Founder and President of "Argon 18", Gervais Rioux is a friend and former teamate of Steve during their Canadian National Road Team racing careers. Argon 18 is well known for cutting edge carbon fibre frame design and technology. All the Helium road bikes availble for demo rides and spare bikes will be equipped with the new 2005, 10 speed Shimano Ultegra components. One more way that Steve Bauer bike tours will ensure our travelers experience and support is second to none."

Edited in: I am already wondering if Rioux and Bauer will sell off the 'experienced' bikes at the end of the year?? :D

I'm not sure we're hijacking it, just offering another value alternative if he really has hit the wall with the wait.

f

Just looking at the site from my LBS (and club) and noticed they've added FELT to their lineup in '05. I'll be interested to talk to them to see if they are having any of the delivery issues so many here have had. I hope not.

Shame is, they look like sweet bikes and get nothing but praise from those here who actually own one.

f

Not at all concerned about hijack. In fact, the valuable opinions offered in this post (and others on the board) have opened up other alternatives, I probably wouldn't have had the time or knowledge to look into. Will definately look into Argon and Cervelo as possibilities. The Felt does look sweet, but a guy's gotta ride and spring is pretty much here. Time to put away the trainer.....

Thanks again for your suggestions...to open a whole can of worms here...and hijack my own thread...I must admit I have only ever looked into the Shimano group sets. I know there are lots of opinions out there. What would be the approx equivalent Ultegra group set vs Dura Ace in Campy and is the price worth the difference. Nb/ no racing, some group rides but mostly solo.

Jason

Hey, I feel your pain. I ordered a Felt F55 in EARLY October. Although I switched it to the F2C in fairly short order, I still had to wait until March 21 (!) for delivery on my bike. Let me say that it seemed like FOREVER!!! The situation was complicated by the fact that we had such awesome weather here in the Northwest for most of January and February. I was so mad I decided to look at other bikes, but I kept coming back to the Felt. My solution was to go into the LBS and see what products they had that I wanted. I was able to score some goodies at the LBS cost because of the delay. I mentioned that it would be fair because it is no money out of his pocket (due to Felt's delays) but it made me feel better because I got something for my loyalty to the LBS. He agreed and thought it was more than fair, so I suggest you do the same. You'll be glad when the bike arrives!

I called my local Felt dealer inquiring about the cross bike FX1 they said they wouldn't be getting any until middle of May. That sucks...

There must be something to LBS relationships with Felt. I basically walked in and walked out (after a few visits and several tests with other bikes in the range) and rode home on my new Felt F65 three weeks ago. They had several in stock. Same went for the F55. I don't think they had every size, but they seemed to have most of the new models.

I love the look of the F55.... that semi-matte black finish is killer! The F65 had everything I needed though (almost all Ultegra... only Tektros brakes and FSA Gossamer crankset)... for $500 less than the F55.... and $100 less than MSRP, to boot! It's been fun getting it out on the road as the weather is warming up (a little).

Equivalent to Ultegra in the Campy lineup would be Centaur.

I would definately try Campy if you can, it is a bit of a different system with the thumb shifters.
I was riding on 105 stuff for about 4 years. It was a fine system, I have no gripe with Shimano but for me, the Campy stuff is far and away better suited to my style of riding. I have smaller hands and riding on the Campy hoods fit me perfectly (switched to the Campy Chorus '04). Also, I find the Campy shifting to be much crisper. It is not as quiet as Shimano, but I like that. You can feel the shift very well. I also love the multiple up and down shifts. Make going from big to small ring seamless. As well as the ability to infinately trim the FD.

Not looking for a flame war (as these things always develop into). Everyone is looking for something different when evaluating a groupset. For me, I won't be going back to Shimano at all. I love the Campy system. YMMV.

f