Felt Speed 22

Price Paid:  $899.00 at Budget Bicycle

Favorite Ride:
Felt Speed 22

Bike Setup:
COLOR: Midnight Blue
WEIGHT: 20.1 lbs. (56cm)

OVERVIEW:
It has a carbon fiber fork for better handling and vibration damping plus a 20-speed drivetrain featuring a 105 rear derailleur for smooth shifting over a broad range of gears and any terrain. Other upgrades include the Felt 2.3 saddle with double density foam and CRMO rails, clipless pedals and Felt/Mavic/DT custom wheels for a lighter, smoother ride.

FRAME:
Felt SpeedBike Exclusive 7005 F-Lite custom-butted aluminum tubing. Externally relieved integrated head tube, forged dropouts with replaceable hanger

FORK:
Felt Carbon Fiber Speed Fork with Aluminum Steerer and Linear Pull brake mounts

DRIVETRAIN:
Shimano 20 speed rapidfire plus Shifters and Flat Bar control Front Derailleur
Shimano 105 Rear Derailleur
Shimano 2-PC Aluminum with 50/34T Chainrings
Shimano 11-25t 10 speed cassette

WHEELSET:
Felt/Mavic/DT Custom SPEEDBike Wheelset
Added continental touring plus 28 mm tires

COMPONENTS:
Felt 6061 Butted Aluminum Flat Bar
Felt 2.1 3D-Forged Stem with +/-8? or +/-16? Adjustability
Felt 2.3 Saddle with Double Density Base with CRMO rails
Felt 1.3 Carbon Seatpost
Linear Pull Aluminum Brakes with Cartridge Pads
added shimano clipless dual sided

Summary:
I wanted a bike that I could commute with. So I went with a flat bar road bike and I think this is among the best of it's type. The componants are all of the medium grade shimano 105 road set. The weight is a reasonably light 20.8 pounds, I added shimano double sided clipless pedals, continental touring plus tires, and a topeak bike rack. With the more durable continentals, I feel more confident I can make my commutes without flats. After work, I like to go out for about a daily 22 mile bike homes, instead of my usual 8.5 mile trip. I take it on a fairly hill but not mountainous route. The gear range is adequate and does not require me to use more than 5-6 gears of the rear deraileur's range. It's not as fast as my bianchi road bike but is not as prone to flats and has a more comfortable riding position for me. It is stable and not prone to any shimming at 35+ mph. It rides on packed gravel and I use it for road trips of 60+ miles.

Strengths:
It's fast, light for this type of bike, and has secure road performance.

Weaknesses:
shifting requires frequent initial adjustments, which is probably endemic to the 105 performance group. Front derailleur also has a half way adjustment that takes some getting use to.

Similar Products Used:
fuji absolute 1.0