Juan Foote

Any good or bad word about this bike?
I was looking at a set of wheels and a group for my Trek 1.5 and came across an exceptional deal on a demo Felt. The wheelset is not as good as I would like, but the group and other components are much better, not to mention being carbon frame. Not something I was looking for specifically as I am happy with my current aluminum frame, but the deal may be too good to pass on. I would love to hear opinion on the Felt brand and this bike specifically.

monkeydentity

my thoughts might be of little use as i am new to biking...i can say that when i rented one i felt like i was flying a friggin' rocket.

Mike F

The F5 is a really nice bike.

RollCNY

2010 or 2011? The new 2011 frame is much stiffer than previous, and is supposedly quite the performance ride. It is an aggressive bike, not a relaxed geometry ride. Initially, I heard that the F3, F4, F5, and FC frame were all the same, so that the price difference between models was entirely components. I recently heard that the F5 is not the same as the other 3, but the source may not be correct.

Felt makes very nice stuff. Will use some lower end parts to bring the price down. Heck, they offer a carbon bike with Microshift shifters to offer a $1600 full carbon ride (Z6).

eippo1

Get the Felt. They have a great bang for the buck and keep your 1.2 as a rain bike.

lung

+1

Urban Turkey

I just bought an F5 frame and built it up with a mixture of SRAM bits. I've only been riding it about a week, but I'm loving it so far. It's very stiff and more aggressive than the my previous bike (Cannondale Synapse Al). Very solid.

joe_5700

Another +1

Juan Foote

Sorry, mistyped..what I have now is a 1.5...but...

I went up and looked at the Felt. The LBS had it torn down to do a full clean and service, so I was unable to ride it. I did get a nice look at all the componetry and frame though and it is all very nice. The mavic wheelset is not the "best" but better than what I have and slightly lighter. It is a 105 group with BNIB brifter handles, the only part not 105 are the cranks, which are FSA Gossamer, and the hubs which are open bearing felt hubs, no better or worse than what is on my Trek. The crank gusset is bb30, so what is outboard bearing on the 1.5 is actually in the carbon on this F5 frame.
Overall, this bike is going to be about 8lbs lighter than my bike, maybe 7 after I put the tires and lights. etc back around. It is actually a larger frame, I have been unknowingly riding a 57cm frame (actual measurement probably sold as a 56) that I thought was a 58. This bike IS a 58, and is longer in the top tube, and not as steep on the seat tube, so it should be more ergonomic to my size and shape. LBS will have it put together tomorrow, and I am going up to take it for a good 10 mile spin to check it out. If it rides half as good as it looks and feels sitting still, I am going to get it. Superb deal on what appears to be an exceptional bike with very few items that I will be upgrading down the road.
With that said, can anyone tell me more about the FSA Gossamer cranks? I do not like them as compared to a set of 105. I don't care for the "octolink" looking crank arm attachment, and the slender crank arm just looks like it is going to flex. It is a true compact crankset, where my current Tiagra is running a 52 instead of the 50, however with the 10 speed drivetrain I don't feel like I am going to notice. I am guessing that with the smaller chainrings that the slender crank arm may not be as noticable. I still think I will be swapping to a 105 set ASAP. From what the mech. was telling me, the "bb30" gusset is going to be so much stiffer than what I am riding now that I will never notice the crank arm being "lesser".

I am really excited about the test ride tomorrow. The shop is offering me a very acceptable trade in value for my Trek as well. It is in exceptional condition, and I am going to get just barely less than what I have in it. Pretty happy about that. I just hope that the more aggresive riding position turns out to be something I can work with. My 1.5 is a happy mix between comfort and road bike in the way it sits and fits me. I could never race it, but I can ride it comfortably for as much as I ride. We will see, check in with y'all tomorrow and let you know what comes of it.

SashaSolitaire

I have a 2009 Felt F4SL. The 'F' is not a comfort fit, and is slightly more oriented towards a more "sportier" stance. That said, you always get bang for your buck with Felt. For the price point, they do not cheap out. While I had no experience (thankfully) with their service, I have only heard good things mostly on the forums. The bike feels stiff and handles the road imperfections well. Go for it...

RollCNY

If it is a 2011, there was a fork recall and replacement. You might want confirmation that it was squared away.

Juan Foote

Thanks Roll, I had posted another thread about it and know what to look and ask about when I go back for the test ride tomorrow. From the forum activity I have seen while searching I would have to assume it has all been resolved. It would be nice if the Gov't recall notices were dated, and show the disposition of the issue. Kind of scares the hell out of ya to be drooling over a nice new bike and see something like that. My LBS holds a high place in my regard and I would like to think that they will have handled all this long ago at this point.

elzy0000

I have about 1200 miles on my 2011 F5. No issues. It's as solid as the day I bought it. I agree that the wheels aren't all that great. I have a set of Boyd Vitesse wheels on the way to replace them.

Mike F

I put Boyd Roluer's on my Z85 and they are much lighter then the cxp22's. Plenty on the bling factor too..