Strengths: Smooth and quiet ride. Great deal for the frame level (ie-carbon seatstays) Triple set up (can be good or bad depending on ur type of riding) Quality componets, yet good frame to upgrade on.
Weaknesses: Cheap brakes, flexy wheels, 105 levers and internal cabling rattle on bumps.
Bottom Line:
This is for the 2004 F60. It's a quality bike, especially for the price I paid. But, even for the full price of it's year it was a deal. I was riding a 2005 F80, but jumped at the opportunity to get some more carbon on my ride. I wish I could afford a full carbon, but this bike will do while I save up. It is heavy (aprox. 20lbs), but smooth. I don't notice any flexing and the bike climbs well. (the triple helps). I recomend the upgrades to carbon bars/seatpost, and new wheels. Other than that, this is a great bike that looks sharp and fast. Get one!
Bike Setup: Stock except for upgrades to carbon seatpost and handlebars, LOOK KEO Classic pedals, Ultegra chainrings, Forte Titan wheelset(bladed spokes), Hutchinson Fusion2 tires
Weaknesses: -Wheels/tires
-More logos than Times Square
-Cranks?
Bottom Line:
Riding friend's bikes that I could never afford only makes me love my Felt more. Why? Because it was 1/3 to 1/6 the price and, although I'm not claiming to be an expert, it seems to deliver 80-90% of the experience. That said, I agree completely with others about the Alex 220 wheels and the Vittoria tires sucking. Replaced them with Neuvation R28's and Conti GP 4000's and it was like a new bike. Other than that, the FSA cranks could be swapped out but who can argue with the Ultegra at this price point? I wish deals like this existed in the automotive world.
Weaknesses: Stock Vitorria Action tires. We'll see about the ALX 220 rims and hubs. The Tektro brakes are adequate, I guess.
Bottom Line:
I'm surprised to read other reviews that pooh-pooh this bike. For what it is, its the TOP. A revered name in cycling is behind this velo. When I hit the hills, you can feel the carbon seat stay pushing from behind. I was worried about ALX 220 rims from all the reviews, but, so far, no problems (I'll write a review after logging more miles).
I changed out the Vittoria Actions to Vredestein Fortezzas (the Actions were like mud). In my salad days (the 70's), I rode a LeJeuene Champion Du Mond'. Gave up cycling in the 80's and a nagging friend talked me back onto the road 6 months ago. Eased myself into the sport with a 1987 Cannondale (loved it), then a Scattante R650 (another good'n), and now the Felt 60. For the price, the ride is great and I have no complaints.
Weaknesses: Wheels are very flexy, like a wet noodle. Non-Ultegra crankset and brakes. Tires are horrible.
Bottom Line:
I bought this bike about 3 months ago and have logged almost 500 miles on it in that time but I wanted to wait to review it until I had some miles under my belt so that I could make some useful observations.
I bought the bike primarily because of the heavy discount my LBS had on it and the Ultegra components it came with (well, it’s Ultegra except for the crankset and brakes). Overall, I am happy with the purchase but there are some upgrades I made that really make this bike much much better than it really is.
The wheel set is a very weak spot. The wheels flex way too much and I just didn't feel comfortable blasting down a steep hill at 46mph on those wheels so I replaced them with a Velocity Aerohead/Speedcific combo which is lighter, stiffer and much stronger. I also replaced the crankset with a new Dura Ace crank and I replaced the brakes with Dura Ace 7700 brakes (the brake upgrade wasn’t really necessary though as the Tektro brakes were adequate).
I also had an intermittent clicking noise in the rear freehub while pedaling which was replaced under warranty. The crappy tires were also replaced under warranty (they were all cracked on the edges).
I spent about $700 making this into a bike that I absolutely love to ride which brought the cost up to about $100 over the original msrp but I couldn’t touch the quality of this bike now for that price.
Favorite Ride: Long coastal ride, Carlsbad to Del Mar
Price Paid:
$899.00
Purchased At: Local Bike Shop
Similar Products Used: I looked at Trek and Specialized but for the price I paid (even if you factor in the upgrades) I couldn't touch this bike for the money.
Bike Setup: Dura Ace crankset, cassette and brakes. Mike Garcia wheels with Specialized Mondo Pro 700x23c. Polar CS200 w/heartrate and cadence sensor.
Strengths: When and if the bike is not broken the ride quality is nice.
Ultegra works well
Weaknesses: See above
Bottom Line:
Purchased this bike in May 2005. Was impressed with the price to parts/frame ratio and ride feel quality. I have a Bianchi Eros that I love but she is very heavy so I wanted something a little lighter. I test rode alot of bikes before purchase and this bike did feel good and I wanted something that everyone is not riding, ie Treck, Cannondale etc. Boy did I make a mistake. This bike has been nothing but a waste of time for me. The frame is extremely flexy to the point that people will comment on it. In three months I have been back to the LBS almost every other week. I have had the BB retighten once and completely replaced once. That was a huge pain to get the LBS to replace it in the first place since they keep on saying there is nothing wrong. The large chain ring was bent and had to be replaced. Every single ride there is a new strange sound coming from the frame. The brakes are horrible and need to be replaced. Then there are the wheels. Plain and simple they suck. Never stay true and to date I have had over 12 flats in the rear and only one was caused from a puncture. To top that off I have had two broken spokes. All this in 3 months of riding about 35-40 miles per ride. The Victoria tires were just horrible as well and since have been replaced. I have written Felt but never heard back from them. The LBS has zero customer service and it is like pulling teeth to get things done. I should have known this because when I purchased the bike I was not fitted and allowed to leave with the bars out of center. My last visit there they finally apologized for all the problems I have been having, which was a mile stone. I actually ignored the 10% discount on accessories the LBS offered at purchase and bought new pedals and had the bike fitted and the bars centered at another LBS. In short do not buy this bike period. Remember the saying if it seems to good to be true it probably is. I will wait until the end of the year or first of next year to purchase a new bike again. This time I will go with a Bianchi since my first road bike is a Bianchi and it has had no problems in 8 years.
Hey Everybody,
I'm a newbie from Australia here and have been reading up on this website quite regularly of late and especially with the disussions relating to the Tour De Franc Read More »
My girlfriend wants the F60 (50cm) and I am interested in finding the best price.
msrp is $1399. Anyone know a legit dealer who has them for a much better price?
Thanks. Read More »
Does anyone know anything about these wheels? They seem very light for the price and are cheaper than any equivalent wheels but I have never heard of them and cant find a review an Read More »
