Inertianinja

i was just farting around on eBay, and i saw this: https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...:B:WNA:US:1123

Felt AR1 frame. it's expensive, but that's not the point.

my understanding is that aero frames are generally heavier since they use such aero tubes, and hence aren't great for everyday riding. true? false? whatchu think?

transamman1999

i'm a fan. but then again i do triathlons so i'm a big fan of aero. i doubt it's THAT much heavier than a standard tube frame (both being carbon). i see lots of aero road bikes (Cervelo S# being the most common)

this bike isn't very heavy: https://www.cervelo.com/en_us/bikes/2010/S3/

max power

weight differences are minimal usually around 200g between a company's aero and superlight frameset. i'd be more worried more about dealing with crosswinds on a day to day basis

transamman1999

i ride 4-5 days(~200miles) a week on my triathlon bike and not even on the crazy windy days does it have much of an effect on handling. now slap my 808's on it and then you'll feel the wind, but having aero forks and an aero frame doesn't get you pushed around like many think it does. unless you're running deep aero wheels you will BARELY notice a difference.

for reference, i do own both an Al tri bike and an Al road bike and have ridden both in similar wind conditions, i'm not just talkin from my arse. i've ridden my tri bike in 40-50 group rides this summer (training for an IM) and have not had a single handling issue because of wind.

Inertianinja

i have a SRAM S60/S80 set for my non-aero felt, and they're generally fine in the wind. at high speeds i have gotten wobbly though.

As far as the handling, i thought i heard that the aero bikes had to use more material if they wanted to be laterally stiff, since the tubes had such a thin profile...and that this hurt weight and handling.

i'm really just asking for my own curiosity. i love my F3...i think an AR would be cool. maybe as a second bike someday. in particular because the 2011 Felt's are very expensive, i'm guessing they're recouping their development costs on the new design process.

for example, my F3SL's 2009 price was $3800 (i paid a lot less, anyway) but the 2011 F3 is $5000.

Menel

AR's are :drool: and high on my new bike list.

Tagging through for curiosity.

Varns269

How do you know the 2011 F3 is $5,000?

Inertianinja

https://www.bikerumor.com/2010/08/23/...-specs-photos/

F3 - $4,999

urbanknight

I wouldn't worry about the weight too much, but I would look up the geometry before pulling the trigger. Most "aero", "time trial", or "triathlon" labeled frames have very steep seat tubes and are often meant to be used with bullhorns and aero bars. They are also not necessarily designed for cornering, so handling might be a little different. For this reason, I rule out most aero frames for regular road riding.

Varns269

I love the color schemes of all the F series. I would love to know why the prices jumped from $3,499 to $4,999.

Inertianinja

for 2011 Felt has, among other things, a new carbon molding process. it makes the insides of the tubes perfectly smooth, which makes the bikes stronger/lighter/more reliable since its eliminating imperfections. the F1 frameset weighs something like 800g. i assume that the R&D for this first year of the new process is at least part of the reason for the higher prices.

Velo Gator

https://www.cervelo.com/reviews/S3_aero_dynamic.pdf

urbanknight

Thanks! I finally have evidence to support that I made the right decision by going light. It's probably more like 4% for me, too, since I'm not as fast as most amateur racers.

Varns269

Yea i saw the feature they posted on the F1 describing that process. The price increase doesn't seem worth it to me. I wonder if they priced that particular model out of a lot of riders price range. It is like if I wanted to get a new Felt I would actually have to downgrade from what i currently have.

Inertianinja

i'm a tech nerd, so the new molding technology to me was like THE BONE ZONE.
but i looked at the prices -
F1 - $12,000 with Di2. eh, even if i had the money, i'm a SRAM guy.
F2 - a bit heavier, still shimano.
so the F3 is the first one i'd be interested in, and i doubt it's worth the huge price increase.

I'd rather buy that AR1 on ebay and do a SRAM build.

Blackdays

I don't believe anyone that knows a thing about bikes would pick anything over Di2.

Say whatever you want about Shimano, but Di2 is king (for now).

Inertianinja

im sure its wonderful. not worth it to me to spend the money to find out, and i don't like Shimano hoods. not hating on Di2, but that bike is half a year's rent for me

shovelhd

I love my Felt, but if I had $12K to drop on one bike I'd be on a custom Parlee with Di2 or Super Record 11.

Inertianinja

i know i sound crazy...but...
i don't like the shape of shimano hoods, i don't like using the shimano brake lever to shift, and i don't like the thumb shifter location on Campagnolo shifters. not that i've owned a Campy product, it's just that SRAM feels oh-so-right all the time.

and after watching the documentary about Richard Sachs, i don't have as much interest in custom frames. what i got was that custom handbuilt = mistakes. i'll take my mass-produced hyper-techno frame, thank you very much

shovelhd

Spoken like someone who has never owned a custom fitted frame. Each to their own.

Inertianinja

Exactly. I still want that AR

383

Wind will definitely push you around on an aero frame, regardless of weight.

Velo Gator

Very, very true! I glide sideways on mine.

383

Same here. Add mid-depth wheels for normal riding and you're always fighting for control.

StormBringer

So carbon fiber layup with a inflatable bag inside. Its been done before by many other industries, just a bit of CAD work for the mold changes and fab work. It should not add that much of a increase in price, not 1K at least. Its not like they don't change the mold of the frame every other season anyway.