Bike Setup: Stock, need to swap out the saddle, probably go with a Fizik.
Summary: 58 cm, stock setup, have had it for a little over a week now, have about 175 miles on it. I'm a large rider (6'2", 218) and coming off my old bike this is a good 2 mph faster over the same rides. A large part of this is I finally got a fitting and the Felt fits so much better than my old ride, but the stiffness is great. I crashed one of my carbon bikes hard, had it checked out okay, and it wasn't until 2 rides later, about 20 miles from home when the downtube cracked all the way through. This made me a bit wary of carbon frames and I wanted a second bike so I wanted to check out aluminum. Compared to the other bikes I tested the Felt is lively & quick, less buzzy than the AL pinarello, more direct than the carbons. The other bike I liked from demos was the Pinarello FP5 but at nearly double the price it was not a tough decision. The kit on this bike is amazing for the price, with full dura-ace, ksyrium wheels, carbon bits all over. The ride is stiffer than my carbon, and transmits more road irregularities, but it isn't annoying or offsetting, it handles well through corners even if there is a bump/pothole midway through, and the power transmission is great. So far I've gone out for several 30-50 mile rides and have had less soreness & fatigue than on my carbon bike. The value is amazing for the components, frankly you could buy it for parts and be ahead, but the ride is great and to me there isn't much more you need in a bike unless you want to spend thousands more to save some grams.
Strengths: Value for the money, first and foremost, but this isn't some bargain ride that you give up something to save some cash, it's a great bike. Frame stiffness without buzziness, great drivetrain (full Dura-ace), carbon goodies are nice to placate those who think carbon is the only acceptable bike material (handlebar, cranks, seat post, fork, stays).
Weaknesses: I've had more comfortable saddles, but that's dependent on the rider. The plastic plug for the cable routing on the top tube always comes out when I hit cobbles, it doesn't need to be in or anything, but it's a dumb little annoyance that a spot of tape will fix. If you're looking at a more plush/comfortable road bike, a la the Felt Z series or Specialized Roubaix, I would probably stay away from this, since it is pretty "racy" in it's geometry and not the plushest of rides.
Similar Products Used: 2 Giant TCR Limiteds (broke one, 9,000+ miles total on both), Demoed Pinarello FP2 (AL) and FP5 (Carbon) and the Felt Z35
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Bike Setup: Ultegra drivetrain, Nuevation R-28 Aero wheels, Reynolds Ouzo Pro fork, Easton ec-70 ergo wing bars- 18.9 pounds (pretty good for an older drivetrain and 1640 gram wheelset consider the price of the bike)
Summary: This is one of the most amazing bikes I've had the pleasure of sitting on. The frame itself is incredibly light. It had a lot more flex than I would have expected, but it didn't seem waste much when it was really time to mash. It comes with just enough carbon in it to shake out the buzz. I think this bike offer an incredibly good value considering the quality of the frame and the price it costs. Mine did unfortunately just break at the weld just in front of the derrailuer hanger. I do feel though, that this was a flaw in the manufacturing process. I'm currently in the process of having it replaced by Felt, who up to this point has been incredibly helpful in rectifying this situation. I highly encourage riders to consider these bikes especially considering Felt's steadfast integrity in standing by their product, admitting a fault, and expeditiously fixing it. What more could you ask for from a company. THANKS FELT!
Strengths: Superlight Aluminum/Carbon frame.
Really snappy, when you start to go, there is no waiting for this bike to catch up
BIG STRENGTH: Felt's customer service and willing to stand by their product.
Weaknesses: seamingly short head-tube but I've been told I couldn't find a properly fit frame unless it was custom sized for me...
Similar Products Used: Cannondale Aluminum (forgot which model)
Trek 1100
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Summary: I bought the bike two years ago and took it out for my first ride on beach ran into pack of cyclist and stayed with them for 10 miles (I weighed 295 lbs at time) when we got to truck they all wanted to look at bike cause they wanted to know what made fat boy stay with them. Rode it a couple of times and put it away due to busy schedule. Have ridden a lot in last 2 months and dropped 20lbs. Honestly say it is a fast bike, I have dropped a lot of riders which surprises me because I feel I am out of shape still(I used to be semi pro racer 100lbs ago) My latest was a guy on new Colnago, looked to be experienced and in good shape, wouldnt say hi at light so decided to see if he was as good as he acted, 5 miles down the road I dropped him made my day. I agree with other reviews bike needs new saddle and brakes could be better but they are livable. Best bang for the buck.
Bike Setup: san marco aspide saddle, mavic ksyrium elite w/ michilin pro race tires, change all none dura ace to dura ace components, ec90 stem , ec90 seatpost, ec90 handle bars.
Summary: Anyone looking to buy a race bike should consider felt f55. The grouping on this bike is top grade, same on bikes found thousands of dollars more and it performs like its worth thousands of dollars more. NO need for carbon or Ti (not yet anyways). Use the money you save from buying this bike into buying lite wheelset. Good job Felt!
Strengths: Beautiful paint job, top shelve shimano grouping, fast, fast, fast, and greeat value for my hard earned money
Weaknesses: saddle, but thats always the first to be upgraded
Similar Products Used: cannondale, giant, specialied,
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5 of 5
5 of 5
