Bike Setup: - 2005 Felt SR71 Aluminium Frame
- Shimano Ultega running gear
- Mavic Ksyrium rims
- Carbon forks, seat post and handlebar plus bar ends
- SPD pedals
- TekPro Eclipse brakes
Summary: I could start rolling out the superlatives but I just adore this bike. It is the 2005 model purchased in late 2004 for a daily commute in Sydney (and yes I survived). I've put around 2500Km on it. Fast, fast, fast and light. Fantastic around town, very predictable handling. Easy to get a lot of air on it. Can become hard work on the open road especially when the road surface deteriorates. I've spent some money to apply upgrades: the stock Shimano wheels kept bending - replaced with a nice set of Mavic Ksyrium; replaced handle bar and seat post with carbon fibre variety; put on some bar ends; SPDs are mandatory on this type of bike. Have just shipped it to the UK for use around Cambridge.
Strengths: - lovely frame with great feedback
- great brakes and gears
- matt black finish is gorgeous
Weaknesses: - Shimano rims too "soft" for Sydney roads
- The seat just plain sucks
- Gooseneck can sometimes come loose causing the handlebars to collapse
- Needs bar ends
Similar Products Used: This was my first "speed bike" or flat bar racer. Prior to this one I was riding Giant and Trek MTBs.
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Summary: Went looking for something fast for my wife who loves to ride with me. But not that would break her back. Love the straight bars. I steal it from her all the time. Very very very fast and nimble. Excellent acceleration. Quick and precise. Did I mention extremely fast and predictable. Great bike for her and I enjoy it on family rides and time personal time trials (cuz' it is faster than my r800). The Cannondale feels like a dead pig in comparison, but it a great bullet proof bike that has earned my loyalty. The Felt has fender mounts and bottle mounts and I suppose a rack mount. Very versatile. Easy to ride. Even my 11 year old has ridden it up and down the street. My wife and I are both 5'10" but it fits her long legs great. The cushion post is a plus. And the brakes are flawless and smooth. It is truly a 70 mph commuter (on a downhill of course) that feels like a a rocket. I even am starting to like the white. The price was right at $500. The shop was closing it out brand new for that price with the upgraded wheels. Killer for me!
Strengths: Upright and comfy. Great around town. Triple crank. Cushion post. Brakes. Nice seat. Straight bar.
Weaknesses: Short stem. No bar ends.
Similar Products Used: Trek 2000 Dura Ace, Specialized Ground Control Full Suspension, Cannondale r800 105sti, Trek 2300 Carbon Fiber.
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Summary: Went looking for something fast for my wife who loves to ride with me. But not that would break her back. Love the straight bars. I steal it from her all the time. Very very very fast and nimble. Excellent acceleration. Quick and precise. Did I mention extremely fast and predictable. Great bike for her and I enjoy it on family rides and time personal time trials (cuz' it is faster than my r800). The Cannondale feels like a dead pig in comparison, but it a great bullet proof bike that has earned my loyalty. The Felt has fender mounts and bottle mounts and I suppose a rack mount. Very versatile. Easy to ride. Even my 11 year old has ridden it up and down the street. My wife and I are both 5'10" but it fits her long legs great. The cushion post is a plus. And the brakes are flawless and smooth. It is truly a 70 mph commuter (on a downhill of course) that feels like a a rocket. I even am starting to like the white. The price was right at $500. The shop was closing it out brand new for that price with the upgraded wheels. Killer for me!
Strengths: Upright and comfy. Great around town. Triple crank. Cushion post. Brakes. Nice seat. Straight bar.
Weaknesses: Short stem. No bar ends.
Similar Products Used: Trek 2000 Dura Ace, Specialized Ground Control Full Suspension, Cannondale r800 105sti, Trek 2300 Carbon Fiber.
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Bike Setup: - adjustable front stem to adjust angle of bars
- everything else is stock!
Summary: Being a newbie, I admit to not having as much experience as some- I thought I'd write this review to possibly turn on some people to the fun and fulfillment that can be had from picking the 'right' ride.
Being in Santa Cruz, I started commuting on my bike last summer, as the traffic here keeps getting worse and worse. I found that 80% of the places I needed to go were within 10 miles of each other- what better way to get around, sometimes even beating traffic, than with a bike!
I had basically wore out a stock 12 year old Specialized Rock Hopper that I was riding with slicks to and from work when someone stole my front wheel. With the amount of work that was needed on that bike, plus the cost of a wheel, tube and tire, I made myself feel better by selling myself on a new bike!
From riding several different models, I found that I like the upright position a flatbar allows, but wanted a sleeker, faster ride with a better gear ratio for commuting. I tried the flatbar Gary Fishers, the Treks, the Giant- many seemed to have more comfort, at the expense of weight and durability. Then I found the Felt SR71.
This thing is 10x the bike than I am the rider- and I love that! It is inspiring to cruise out and just feel your body's energy take you up hills, around corners. It handles so nicely. I was used to slick MTB tires so the skinnies were a little wild at first, but the pickup is phenomenal, and I am getting to and from places even faster than ever.
For those of you who spend most of your time on the road, but don't need to go for the sleek spandex hunch-over, I highly recommend checking out the Felt SR series. The SR81 had a lot going for it, but after changing gears and feeling the weight on the SR71 , I went for it. I am glad I found last years model in my size- the price was right and this bike is totally worth the money.
So if you're like me and are thinking of getting back into riding, and you haven't bought a bike in years, go out and test drive a couple of dozen bikes. Get different opinions and see what's out there. The geometry has changed so much, you can really find the variables that make the way you like to ride much more comfortable...and fun!
Strengths: - handling
- acceleration
- shifting is a breeze- noiseless, painless
- upright comfort is great for just cruising.
Weaknesses: - don't love the seat
- didn't love the white paint at first, but it's growing on me
- not other complaints so far!
Similar Products Used: none
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Bike Setup: Stock bike but longer handle bar stem and different seat. I really pefer the Specialized BG milano seat over the stock seat. I have no ass. I could only ride 10 miles with the stock seat and my ass was killing me. With the BG seat,I can ride for a 100 miles with minimal discomfort. The BG saddles do work great. After wearing out the 700x23 stock tires. I replaced them with the Specialized 700x23 Armadillo tires.
Summary: After riding the Felt SR71 7 months and 2300 miles, It's a great bike. Light and solid. I checked out other bikes in it's class. If you want a flat bar road bike, this is the one you want. All the other bikes are more comfort than road or cheaper components. You pay a little more @$175.00 but worth it. I'm looking forward to riding the Solvang Century ride in March 2005 with my Felt SR71.
Strengths: Great frame and Good components for the price. Light weight. Cornering is tight and tremendous.
Weaknesses: I'm a between size 53 & 56. I'm 5'9" with shorter legs and a long mucular torso and arms. I went with a 53. I bought a longer handle bar stem to solve that. The rear brake line that runs through the frame is not cheesy to me, but the cable casing starts to rattles inside the frame when going over bumps over time. I solved that by wrapping electircal tape around the cable casing where it enters and exits frame. You have to disconnect brake and pull the casing out from front hole in the frame first then wrap tape and pull casing back into frame hole, so casing is wedged in frame hole. then pull casing tight from rear hole and take out slack then wrap tape casing closest to the hole so it becomes a stopper. when you release casing, the taped casing slides back in rear hole and wedges in. all you need a few wraps of tape on each end. I don't like to hear execessive noises when riding, untuned derailers and rattles. I also wish it was still black (2003) not white but oh well. The 2005 is black. Still a better bike than the rest. I guess you can't have every thing.
Similar Products Used: Before I bought this bike I rode a 1999 Specialized hardrock put the skinny tires for the road because I hardly went off road. Found out gearing is too low for the road and with 1' fat boy slick tires. I returned it back to a Mtn bike (knobby tires), Its' original intention. I test rode the top end Specialised Sirrus and it didn't corner as good as the Felt SR71 and the components are of lesser quality. It is also was a little heavier than the Felt SR71. I saw the Cannondale, Fuji, and later saw the Giant and Lemond but the Felt SR71 is the best bike for the buck (Better frame and components).
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