SOMA Rush Vs. FELT Dispatch
 

hey, any thoughts here? I currently have the rush, and really don't have any complaints, but a buddy of mine was preaching the wonder of Felts, and is a fan of aluminum frames. Seems like they're very similar bikes, with the Felt having more relaxed geometry? and an unnecessary frame mounted bottle opener. Does it just boil down to a steel vs. aluminum frame preference?

http://www.feltracing.com/09-catalog...-dispatch.aspx
http://www.somafab.com/rush.html

thanks.

if you go Felt, get the TK3! It is a much nicer bike. (well, in my eyes at least).

Hmmmmm.....Tange prestige tubing or felt 7005 aluminum.

I'd take the soma any day of the week. I also really prefer steel on the street, which is where I ride.

TK3 does not have brakes, so you might consider that when comparing costs. I personally like the TK2 better, but it comes at a price.

I have a curbside which is the same as the dispatch except bars and color. I like it a lot but not everyone is a fan of that geometry. My MTB has a horizontal TT and my road bike doesn't.

It all comes down to personal preference and how much you want to spend. Ride both and see which one gives you the biggest thrill.

They're 2 different frames for different applications. The TK3 isn't much nicer if you want to use a rack and wider tires on your bike.

Despite the widespread belief that material is all that matters, its really only a minor factor in how a bike rides. As a material, steel is actually both stronger and stiffer than aluminum. However, some aluminum frames tend to give a jarring ride because of the large diameter tubing used to compensate for the lesser stiffness of aluminum. But that does not mean that all ALU frames are stiffer than all steel frames. OUt of all my bikes, the stiffest (EAI Bareknuckle) and unstiffest (Surly Long Haul Trucker) of my bikes are both made of steel. My aluminum bikes are both in the middle somewhere in terms of stiffness. A frame designer can achieve a wide range of ride characteristics with either material by altering the geometry, tube thickness, tube diameter, etc.


Both of those frames are nice frames and are probably going to be stiffer and quicker handling than your average road bike. I would bet that they look more different than how they ride.

The Soma for me all day long, but your mileage may differ. Why not ride the Felt and report back here what you think?

People here love to hate Felt. In the real world I have fun and get many compliments on my terrible green bike.

Don't be a lemming. It's not getting what you want, it's wanting what you got. - SC

:D

im very happy with my felt. its a 06 tk2 so its a 09 tk3

I love my Curbside and the wife loves her Dispatch.

I've ridden a Soma Rush for the past 4 years, and the only thing it's got going for it is great geometry. It is a cheap frame and it flexes a lot, not stiff by any stretch of the imagination. Mine is made from Reynolds 631.

It has held up well, about 35,000 miles of not so gentle city riding.

I have a Soma Rush Tange and a Felt F55 Alum/Carbon road bike (not sure how it compares to a TK1,2,3).

The Rush geometry is a great fit for me, it is stiff and very well made in my opinion. The drop outs are thick and the bottom bracket sits pretty high which is good for road use. The paint is thick but chips off in big pieces from high wear areas like the drop outs and seat post clamp areas. Mine has the stickers under the clearcoat which sucks if you're going for the low key factor.

The F55 is light and also fits me great, although not a comfortable as the Rush (I do ride this bike 3-4 times the distance than the Rush which could be the reason why). It's light and very fast but a little jumpy on harsh roads and not as stiff on steep climbs.

I'd say if you ride on flats, smooth roads or the track, get the Felt. If you ride on rough roads, paved trails, long distances get the Rush. Both are good bikes, cant really go wrong.

rad. thanks for all the good advice, I really appreciate it. I probably do need to get more acquainted with an aluminum frame before I could make a decision, as I've always only rode steel frames to date. I've been thinking my frame is a little small, and since I might be getting a larger one I though I'd explore a completely different type while I'm switching things up. I'll have to cruise by the old LBS and see if they don't mind getting one in I could check out.

"It all comes down to personal preference and how much you want to spend. Ride both and see which one gives you the biggest thrill."

"I would bet that they look more different than how they ride."

-I think you guys probably hit the nail on the head here, prob 6 of 1 half a dozen of the other!

Thanks again all for the help.