Felt F3

Price Paid:  $3000.00 at Bike Religion, Newpo

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
Glendora Mountain Road

Bike Setup:
All SRAM Red, Shimano PRO carbon seatpost, Bontrager XXX carbon handlebars, Mavic Open Pro wheels with Powertap 2.4SL hub, Selle Italia Gel Saddle, Garmin 705, and Look Carbon KEO pedels.

Summary:
This review is for the 2009 F3. I outfitted the bike with all SRAM Red, PRO carbon seatpost, and Bontrager carbon bar. I can only say it is a great improvement over my 2007 Trek Madone 5.2.
The bike is lighter and feels more crisp on the road. It feels more responsive both in movements on the road, and when you put power to the wheel. The chainstays and bottom bracket are much larger and stiffer than the Trek so you can tell the difference when you stand up and crank out the watts. Cornering is secure and solid. There is no twitchiness to the bike if you have to jerk yourself back onto your line.
Climbing seems to have improved because of the rear stiffness. I know Felt does extensive wind tunnel testing on the bikes they make. This is only subjective, but with the hidden front cables and aero qualities of the bike, it seems a shade bit easier to cut through the headwinds now. I base this on feel, perceived exertion, heart rate and watts. I also wonder if the ceramic bearings in the bottom bracket make a difference as well.
The fit and finish of the bike are superb. The black frame with carbon weave peaking through the mat black paint here and there is really cool. There are red and white accents on the frame that are tastefully incorporated. I happened to have some Arundel mat carbon cages that match perfectly.
I came from Dura Ace 7800 to the SRAM Red. All I can say is, "Damn, it's good". It took one trip to my LBS to get the front derailleur dialed in and it has been a dream since. I learned the double tap gear shifting within the first ride. It is pretty intuitive...one click to go down, two clicks to go up. Also you can pull the shifter towards your hand for easy shifting in the drops. The rear shifts are solid and precise, braking seems better than the DA, and front shifting is about 95% on par with the DA. The difference is very subtle. Fit and finish on the SRAM Red is HOT. I have read a lot of reviews that talk about the noise coming from the Red drivetrain. I haven't had any noise issues.
I ditched the Ksyrium Equip wheels it came with for my Mavic OpenPros. So I cannot speak to their performance.

Strengths:
Stiffness, fit and finish, SRAM Red, crisp ride that lets you feel the road without beating you up.

Weaknesses:
Aluminum bars that came with it sucked, the carbon seatpost would be nice, but for the notches that don't allow infinite adjustment like a PRO seatpost, and the seat looks good, but feels only so so. I know it is a price point issue, but the crank, brakes and bottom bracket should really be standard Red. Right now stock is Rival brakes, S900 crank, midrange SRAM chain, and low end bottom bracket.

Similar Products Used:
2007 Trek Madone 5.2 SL.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
anything with fellow riders

Bike Setup:
Felt F3, Selle Italia SLR saddle, Ritchey WCS 4-axis alloy stem, KMC X10-SL Gold Chain, FSA ceramic bearing jockey wheels, All dura-ace except brake calipers

Summary:
Fantastic and well made bike. I made a few modifications over time. The one I had to make was changing the saddle. I was getting saddle sore on the felt seat on rides over 50km. I fitted a Selle Italia SLR saddle and no more pain. The SLR saddle is also lighter than the felt. I also plan the change the carbon seatpost as the felt seatpost is impossible to get the saddle at the exact angle I want. Other mods: fitted Dura-ace crank, BB and 12-27 cassette, KMC X10-SL gold chain, FSA ceramic bearing jockey wheels, Ritchey WCS 4-axis stem. Very well built bike! It rides like a dream. Very stable at high speed descents. The Mavic Ksyrium Equipe wheels roll very fast and excellent for training. I have hit lots of pot holes etc and they are still true. Great value bike! Well done felt!

Strengths:
Fast and stable
Build quality
Great looks (Yellow/Black Carbon)
Relatively light
Reliable
Puts a smile on my face
Braking

Weaknesses:
1. The rider
2. The original saddle and seatpost adjustment

Similar Products Used:
Custom steel frame road racer

Price Paid:  $2450.00 at East bank Cyclery

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
Levee Dest. to NO

Bike Setup:
Rol Volant wheels, Toupe saddle everything else stock (DA)

Summary:
Wanted to get 3K mi on this bike before I wrote a review. My opinion remains the same as the day I took my first ride. Great bike!!! Rode some friends bikes, (Specilized Roubaix, Giant TCR) and they even had to admit the F3 seemed to have a little more pop(they have been riding a lot longer than me). While the other 2 bikes seemed to ride smoother, more effort was required to get the same results, but all 3 bikes were basically in the same class. Where the F3 beat them was in the price. There was no comparasion.

Strengths:
Price.

Weaknesses:
Me

Similar Products Used:
1st true road bike, Rode Giant FCR1 for 1 1/2 yrs prior.

Price Paid:  $2500.00 at 123

Model Year:
2006

Favorite Ride:
Port royal rd flat undulating hills

Summary:
love to ride this bike cant say it performs well in one area its a good all around ( not perfect) can take a beating too rode it alot . not the lightest carbon bike though. not going to sell it either.

Strengths:
has proven to be a solid bikefor 2 yrs of hard riding

Weaknesses:
needs a chain stay protector my chain came off the small chain ring and did some damage

Price Paid:  $2150.00

Model Year:
2006

Favorite Ride:
The roads north of Pittsburgh that roll through hills and flats and somehow are always empty...

Bike Setup:
Fantastic

Summary:
First off, I am absolutely convinced that this is the best value out there today. If you are doing your research that will be apparent immediately.

The bike is extremely light and loaded with top shelf components. The bike eats hills alive and tears through the flats. I was considering looking for a compact crank set (Felt had some in 2006) because of some of the huge climbs around Pittsburgh, but I have not found a hill I could not tackle effectively. Coming down the hills is when this bike turns into a freight train and you can do nothing but hold on and go fast. Through corners the bike is stable and when I want that extra "pop" the bike responds and leaps forward.

I have participated in triathalon's (borrowing a friend's bike) and raced mountain bikes, and being new to road bikes I did not know what to expect. Upon riding other bikes and borrowing bikes for weekends to see what I like, I could not put this bike down when I tested it. This bike makes me think I can go win the tour, and just knowing that I paid an amazing price for it is icing on the cake.

Strengths:
Component group and full carbon frame. The bike absorbs bumps well and you can almost feel it being dampened via the full carbon frame. I also like the blade spokes. The geometry makes for a comfortable ride at any speed.

Weaknesses:
Putting it down.

Similar Products Used:
Tested bikes from specialized (Robaix comp compact, Allez Expert), Giant, Trek.