# New to the forum, help me ease my mind! F75 or 2.1?



## rzue426 (May 11, 2010)

Well hello everyone! I have decided to finally pursue getting a road bike after my girlfriend and I rode bikes (she has a Felt road bike, I have a Giant mountain bike) and after struggling to keep up while it looked like she was hardly peddling, I knew it was time. 

So I have been doing some research for the past couple of days and have a couple questions that may have been encountered here a few times. 

First, I LOVE the way Felt bikes look. But looks are obviously not everything, nor should they necessarily be. I like a couple of the Felt bikes, including the F75, 85 (older), 95 and the Z85. I know the components of these bikes, and I have a pretty good understanding about the frames as well. I also am looking at a Trek 2.1 and 1.5. I am open to other suggestions for entry/intermediate road bikes, but for convenience sakes of where I live, these are what I have found. 

Second, I plan on being very involved with riding this summer, though for a reason below, this might not happen. Either way, I am a fairly athletic guy, tall (6'3"), and I would like to use the bike for fitness reasons. Now, because I have never had a road bike before, I'm guesstimating that the longest trip I will go on the bike will be 50-60 miles. I don't want to kill myself, and I think that sounds like a reasonable number to build up to. Who knows, maybe I will like riding so much that I will try for more as I get more proficient. I doubt I will get into racing, unless it is part of a triathlon. Plus it'd be nice to keep up with the girlfriend for a change.

That being said...the Trek store has both bikes in my size ready to go. The Felt store can order an F75 in my size, it has all other bikes (except the older F85) in store in my size. The F75 they can order is the LAST from their supplier and they will hold it for a day for me to make a decision. The store owner said that the newer models will be coming out maybe in October? Maybe earlier? So if I don't tell them to get it, I probably will never see it. 

This throws a wrench in things. I really like the F75. I rode the bike (60 cm) today, and it felt really good. I still need to swing by the Trek store and try out the 2.1 for comparison's sake. I could wait on the newer models and maybe they are better (though I'd think they'd be pretty much the same) I could wait awhile and get this year's '10 F75 at a discount (most likely through an online retailer). Or I could get a Trek. Or I could spring for another Felt model. In case you are wondering, I am leaning toward the F75 and 2.1 because I understand they have 1. great and comparable components, and 2. carbon seat stays, which as I understand would be better for longer rides, and crappy Chicago roads. So my questions are (keeping in mind my purpose for the bike)....

1. Is an F75 really worth the extra $100? I know it is all about fit, but assuming they both feel great, is there anything that puts the Felt above the Trek? Or the Trek above the Felt? I weighed a 2.1 and it was around 20.6 pounds and the Felt says (on their site) 18.8.

2. Has anyone ridden an F75 and a Z85, and is there really a big difference between those too? With my purpose for cycling, would a Z85 be a suitable bike for me?

3. Would it be worth it to grab an F95 and upgrade? Is it cheaper to upgrade right when I buy the bike? (i.e. is there a parts swap discount?)

4. What is a reasonable price to pay for these bikes? I understand a lot of people will scoff at paying msrp, so what kind of discount can you usually expect for a new bike for a new customer? (Yes I also have to buy pedals, helmet, gear, etc.)

5. Speaking of, are bike shops a good place to buy those extras, or is online a better way to go? 

6. Any additional comments about what I should do when it comes to either waiting, looking at other makes of bikes, etc.? 

I apologize for the long first post. I am excited to get into cycling, and would love the input from you all. I'm also going to post this in the Trek forum probably. Thanks to all!


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## terbennett (Apr 1, 2006)

Actually, the 2010 2.1s don't have the carbon stays. I believe that 2009 was the last year. A buddy of mine (who works for Trek) told me that it was discontinued because the 2 Series rode as well as the higher priced full carbon Series 4 Madones. Many people were catching on and buying the cheaper bike because of that. Well, Trek isn't about to let an aluminum/carbon rear bike outsell one of their carbon bikes so they axed the carbon rear.
Still the 2.1 is a really good bike regardless. However, I can't really think of a better all around bike than the F75. Seriously, that bike has made Best Buy in nearly every bicycle buyer's guide at one time or another. It seems that win it doesn't when the top honor, it is a close second. Felt really did their homework with this one. That says a lot about the company since it's not even near being a top of the line bike.


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## Superdave3T (May 11, 2009)

Those two bikes are very similar and will serve you well on the ROAD.

For a better comparison, the 2.1 and Z85 are more similar I think. The Z series may suit your ability at this point, and with no intention of racing, it may be easier to set up a position more like your MTB to start to get familiar with road cycling.

As for the 2010 vs. 2011, you won't need to wait until October for the new models. If your bikes of choice is sold out, don't worry, we'll have them in stock months before Interbike.

-SD


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## easyridernyc (Jan 10, 2008)

yeah that's the thing the 75 can handle improvements in your skill level, that's a good point. the 2.1 is a nice bike, no doubt. but at virtually the same price, i think you get better value with the 75. imo probably a better frame, upgraded components with the stays. the mavics, although heavy, rate out better than the bontragers, the felt carbon fork is really nice, felt carbon steerers. the felt pieces are all kinda sweet throughout. the trek footprint (color scheme) is kinda cooler looking than the white felt for '010; but i have the 09 in red, so...

lol...anyway hope it worked out..


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