Felt F55 Road Bike

DESCRIPTION

  • Color: Matte Black
  • Felt 7005 Superlite custom double-butted aluminum frame with carbon fiber wishbone seat stays
  • Internally relieved integrated head tube, machined bottom bracket, forged dropouts with replaceable hanger and internal brake cable routing
  • Felt carbon fiber fork
  • Mavic Aksium Race wheelset
  • Vittoria Rubino Slick tires
  • Felt carbon micro adjust seatpost
  • Felt carbon oversized handlebar with Ergonomic drop
  • Felt ST-22 3D-forged stem
  • Felt Race-lite saddle with carbon injected base
  • Shimano Dura-Ace 20-speed shifters and derailleur
  • Truvativ Rouleur 2-piece carbon compact crankset with external BB and 7075/T6 CNC alloy 50/36T machined chainrings

  • USER REVIEWS

    Showing 1-10 of 25  
    [Apr 05, 2010]
    Canit
    Recreational Rider

    OVERALL
    RATING
    5
    VALUE
    RATING
    5
    Strength:

    Gear train, DuraAce drivetrain, crank set. Definite value!

    Weakness:

    "Stock" Mavic wheelset and Rubino slicks. And saddle - but that wasn't as immediately apparent!

    14000 miles and counting, with only one major mishap when I took a spill accelerating out of a corner. No damage to frame/forks - but had to replace cranks, front chainrings, and front derailleur (kept with DuraAce, of course!). Haven't found anything that's even been close to the comfort and quality of this ride - even in Ti, Al, full carbon, or any combination. And that's with almost 20 years of hard riding (only the last 5 on this beauty!)

    Similar Products Used:

    Bianchi Veloce, Trek 4.7, Raleigh Grand Prix, Cannondale Six13 (with Shimano - not Campy- drivetrain)

    [Aug 10, 2009]
    Anonymous
    Triathlete

    OVERALL
    RATING
    5
    VALUE
    RATING
    5
    Strength:

    comfortable. I can ride for ever and not get my hands buzzed. there is a great combination of aero and light weight while still being very responsive. Great quality without giving up food to pay for it.

    Weakness:

    I'm not a fan of verticcal dropouts. it eliminates the possibility of making it a KA fixie

    I built this bike from a frame I got on eBay for $400 and put on $900 in parts. it's by far the best bike I've ever ridden (saying nothing) it obviously blows away my old huffy 626 (RIP Claire you are missed but not forgotten) I can fly up hills and laugh at the wind. not many bikes can do what this can.

    Similar Products Used:

    huffy 314 huffy 626

    [May 05, 2009]
    calamari
    Recreational Rider

    OVERALL
    RATING
    5
    VALUE
    RATING
    5
    Strength:

    ~*Customer service!*~ Lightweight, comfort, very light & speedy (but still solid) American Classic wheels.

    Weakness:

    Stock seat replaced with a Brooks Titanium, (but this is always such a personal thing anyway.)

    I've always marveled at the stiffness of this light bike, until I broke my right chainstay after 4 years of ownership. I was crushed because I'd always loved the comfortable ride, and I didn't want to shop for another bike. I'm 6'2/190 pounds, muscular, and tend to torque-the-bars a little during climbs. But Felt replaced my frame with no grief!

    Similar Products Used:

    1984 Masi Gran Criterium, 1986 Schwinn Peloton. (Both steel, still gorgeous, and still regularly rolling.)

    [May 08, 2008]
    Anonymous
    Road Racer

    OVERALL
    RATING
    5
    VALUE
    RATING
    5
    Strength:

    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).

    Weakness:

    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.

    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.

    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

    [May 07, 2008]
    tomacita
    Road Racer

    OVERALL
    RATING
    5
    VALUE
    RATING
    5
    Strength:

    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.

    Weakness:

    seamingly short head-tube but I've been told I couldn't find a properly fit frame unless it was custom sized for me...

    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!

    Similar Products Used:

    Cannondale Aluminum (forgot which model)
    Trek 1100

    [Dec 28, 2007]
    Edgar
    Recreational Rider

    OVERALL
    RATING
    5
    VALUE
    RATING
    5
    Strength:

    Shimano Dura Ace, Carbon fiber, looks, very fast, smooth, reliable.

    Weakness:

    Saddle, brakes, handlbar tape

    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.

    Similar Products Used:

    Bianchi, Picchio special, Specialized, Cannondale.

    [Dec 09, 2007]
    dru
    Recreational Rider

    OVERALL
    RATING
    5
    VALUE
    RATING
    5
    Strength:

    specs w/ top grade shimano components..very affordable race bike...performance is great... climbs fast..

    Weakness:

    felt components (saddle handlebars etc..) brakes......but all was replace for my fitment on this bike

    best choice for its class. (better than some bikes thats worth thousands more)...few upgrades needed but everyone upgrades

    Similar Products Used:

    giant tcr advanced, specialized tarmac, look 555, colnago atre ultegra

    [Dec 08, 2007]
    drew
    Road Racer

    OVERALL
    RATING
    5
    VALUE
    RATING
    5
    Strength:

    Beautiful paint job, top shelve shimano grouping, fast, fast, fast, and greeat value for my hard earned money

    Weakness:

    saddle, but thats always the first to be upgraded

    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!

    Similar Products Used:

    cannondale, giant, specialied,

    [Oct 15, 2007]
    Anonymous
    Recreational Rider

    OVERALL
    RATING
    5
    VALUE
    RATING
    5
    Strength:

    Accelerates, climbs, decends, sprints, long rides. Light bike. Easton Velomax Vista SL stay true and spin 4ever!

    Weakness:

    Only my roving eye, want to upgrade every couple of years, even when I find the perfect bike...

    2 years, 2000 miles, Simply awesome bike, I like everything about it! Stiff aluminum frame, just enough carbon to smooth the ride. Mostly smoooooth Dura-Ace kit. Compact crank. Stealth matte black, yellow highlights, looks cool with yellow Michelin PR2s.

    Similar Products Used:

    Diamondback Sora and Giant OCR1 Ultegra

    [Aug 12, 2007]
    BunnV
    Recreational Rider

    OVERALL
    RATING
    5
    VALUE
    RATING
    5
    Strength:

    In spite of some other opinions (all personal) this bike needs NO upgrades. Just ride it and be happy. Of course when I can afford to I will upgrade it :-)

    Weakness:

    None


    I love this bike. I've had it two years now and every time I ride it I am completely satisfied. I've read reviews bashing the brakes and seat. Sure, the brakes could have more power but for the money I spent on this F55, the performance is much more than adequate.

    Today I did an 86-mile ride with 12,000 feet of total elevation. I was riding with a friend on a Specialized Tarmac (full DA) and another friend on a Serotta (steel with older DA). Both are strong riders and both have gotten the best of me in the past, but today was my day. The Specialized is awesome and cost double the price of my Felt, yet "weak" brakes and all, I dropped him like a bad habit on the steep descents through Malibu and Calabasas. Same story on the climbs…the Felt wastes no energy, allowing me to pull out sizable leads on the toughest climbs.

    I would love to upgrade a few things on the bike but honestly it is not necessary!
    The whole point of the F55 is value, and it delivers value in large amounts! If you spend your time training instead of "upgrading", the F55 will reward your efforts with quick acceleration, efficient climbing, stable descending and a smooth ride too. The carbon fork and seat stays blended with the Superlight aluminum frame works beautifully. What more can you ask for?

    One day I'll own a high-end full carbon wonder bike that weighs 13 pounds. Until then, my 18-pound F55 gets the job done nicely, thank you very much.

    Similar Products Used:

    88 Colnago steel road bike.

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