# Felt F4 2010 or Felt F5 2011?



## Pete bike

Please post your comments which one would you choose? I have been offered F4 2010 with 130eur higher price vs. F5 2011. Thx Pete


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## wpcouch

The frames for the 2011 F-Series have been significantly updated... Take a look at a recent review of the F2 on cyclingnews. Most of the ride characteristics the reviewer discusses will trickle down to the F5 you are considering.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/reviews/felt-f2-review

I suggest riding both though, and go with the bike you prefer


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## Pete bike

*Kickstand / leg for F4/F5 bike?*

Is it possible to install kickstand / leg for Felt carbon bike? Can you tighten the part
around carbon frame. Usually kickstand needs to be tightened a lot so I wonder if carbon can take it or not?


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## wpcouch

I would highly recommend that you do NOT use a kick stand on any carbon frame. Carbon frames simply aren't designed to have that type of clamping force applied


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## easyridernyc

consensus seems to be that the new frame is off the charts

i wrestled with the same question...'10 team 4 or new 5. arrgghhh.

it comes down to owning the new frame on the f 5. on the '011 bike, the 105 kit is nice, but the rest of the specs, most conspicously, the wheels, maybe the fsa crank, might be on the down slope. i think fsa is actually calling some of the cranks back, cracks reported. anyway, for me, the frame on the f5 is still the thing, that's the same frame used all the way up to f3. the same frame. on the f phuckin THREE bro, that is no joke. f3 is super explosive five thousand dollar bike.

ok so on the '011 f5 its gonna be another five, six, or seven bucks to get the wheels that do it justice. the new 105 only gets you part of the way there. but carefully upgrade, say kick the fsa and get the compact hollowtech 105 or ultegra crank with bb30, for wheels try the easton 90sl's (perfect for that frame), and you just doubled value, value--four, four and a half g bike for only two point 5. like i said, i have been thinking it over. worth pause, serious pause, in my book.


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## wpcouch

If you are kicking around the idea of an F5, but want some upgrades right out of the box, take a look at the F5 Special Edition. For the extra $200 you get:

Team paint job
Full 105 5700 kit
3T cockpit (bars, stem, seatpost)
Fizik Pave saddle

Well over $200 in upgrades.

http://www.feltbicycles.com/USA/2011/Road/F-Series/F5-Special-Edition.aspx

Most sizes are in stock and available to ship if your local dealer does not have one


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## Pete bike

*Seatpost carrier/rack*

Thanks for your comments. Yet another thing to check: can I put carrier to the seatpost with Felt F4 or F5? I know it kills the looks but it is convenient when going out for a longer tour (for couple of days).


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## Dray3573

I love my 2011 F5. I did some part swapping at the time of purchase because my LBS rolls like that and it allowed me to make some significant changes without breaking the bank. Not that there is anything wrong with Shimano, but I ditched the running gear and went with full SRAM Rival except that I went with a SRAM Force BB30 compact crank. Felt has or had their Devox bar and stem for half off so I grab that, and purchased some SRAM S30 Sprints. I couldn't be happier. That parts diet brought my bike down to sub 16 with pedals and cages. There's a picture of my bike on another thread titled "She's almost finished".


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## Don4

Pete bike said:


> Thanks for your comments. Yet another thing to check: can I put carrier to the seatpost with Felt F4 or F5? I know it kills the looks but it is convenient when going out for a longer tour (for couple of days).


On my F3, I choose to go with an alloy seatpost (Thomson) to ensure I had no issues if I choose to hang a rack off the seatpost. So far, I've gotten by with a saddle bag, and haven't actually done the rack, but I'm covered if I do.


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## wpcouch

There are a couple of companies out there making carbon seatpost compatible racks. I'd have to do a little digging to find them... Don4 is right though, an aluminum post is preferable for rack application.

If you decide to put a rack on a carbon post make sure you do not exceed the torque settings on the rack clamp or exceed the recommended weight limit (normally 15-25lbs on a seatpost mount rack.)


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## easyridernyc

Dray3573 said:


> I love my 2011 F5. I did some part swapping at the time of purchase because my LBS rolls like that and it allowed me to make some significant changes without breaking the bank. Not that there is anything wrong with Shimano, but I ditched the running gear and went with full SRAM Rival except that I went with a SRAM Force BB30 compact crank. Felt has or had their Devox bar and stem for half off so I grab that, and purchased some SRAM S30 Sprints. I couldn't be happier. That parts diet brought my bike down to sub 16 with pedals and cages. There's a picture of my bike on another thread titled "She's almost finished".



link or it hasnt happened


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## easyridernyc

wpcouch said:


> If you are kicking around the idea of an F5, but want some upgrades right out of the box, take a look at the F5 Special Edition. For the extra $200 you get:
> 
> Team paint job
> Full 105 5700 kit
> 3T cockpit (bars, stem, seatpost)
> Fizik Pave saddle
> 
> Well over $200 in upgrades.
> 
> http://www.feltbicycles.com/USA/2011/Road/F-Series/F5-Special-Edition.aspx
> 
> Most sizes are in stock and available to ship if your local dealer does not have one


good to know new one oh five nice. 3t nice. f5 is still in the running, not wild about the black scheme. we talkin garmin/blue? damn 105 carbon umh frame for 2100? where?

fulcrum or the felt hubs? carbon steerer?


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## Dray3573

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=244372


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## wpcouch

easyridernyc said:


> good to know new one oh five nice. 3t nice. f5 is still in the running, not wild about the black scheme. we talkin garmin/blue? damn 105 carbon umh frame for 2100? where?
> 
> fulcrum or the felt hubs? carbon steerer?


The F5 Spec Edition is the Garmin team livery
Felt hubs
Carbon tapered steerer
$2299


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## 95zpro

wpcouch said:


> If you are kicking around the idea of an F5, but want some upgrades right out of the box, take a look at the F5 Special Edition. For the extra $200 you get:
> 
> Team paint job
> Full 105 5700 kit
> 3T cockpit (bars, stem, seatpost)
> Fizik Pave saddle
> 
> Well over $200 in upgrades.
> 
> http://www.feltbicycles.com/USA/2011/Road/F-Series/F5-Special-Edition.aspx
> 
> Most sizes are in stock and available to ship if your local dealer does not have one


Why do they have a team edition when then are no longer the bike supplier for Garmin Slipstream?


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## Pete bike

*Ordered the F4 2010 for now...*

The selling company in Germany assured me that the F4 bike that I am getting at 1479 EUR is SO good and that I wont be disapppointed so I took it. The seller was so sure of it that he gave me full guarantee i.e. try it out and if I am not happy return it. I really hope I wont be disappointed and dont need to return it and start to order th F5 2011 instead etc. Let´s see - the bike should arrive to Finland next week.


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## wpcouch

95zpro said:


> Why do they have a team edition when then are no longer the bike supplier for Garmin Slipstream?


The team edition was finalized and sent to production long before the split between Felt and Garmin/Slipstream


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## easyridernyc

wpcouch said:


> The F5 Spec Edition is the Garmin team livery
> Felt hubs
> Carbon tapered steerer
> $2299



the footprint was actually nicer on the 010, but the umh frame is a way way WAY upgrade. 

not sold on the felt hubs, but the carbon steerer imo is close to a deal clincher, very nice, and important feature when you are humping it down a hill and around a bend


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## zach.scofield

I definately agree w/ dray! 

My F5 is sub 16 riding weight minus water in the bottles. Only stock parts left are the frame, headset bearings and saddle. The bike is phenominal. I went to 6700 w/ fsa brakes, strong yet light cockpit from deda and ritchey, FSA cranks w/ ceramic bb and AM Classic Victory 30 wheels. With knog lights, king SS cages, computer and keo sprint pedals 16 lbs flat w/ my old AM Classic victory wheels. New AM Classic Victory 30 wheels are about 1/4lb lighter. Didnt really cost me much as my friends and the shop love trading parts around. The 53/39 and 11-25 cassette are ripping my legs apart on the climbs this early in the season but its a damn fun ride!


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## lauty4

*Like the F4?*



Pete bike said:


> The selling company in Germany assured me that the F4 bike that I am getting at 1479 EUR is SO good and that I wont be disapppointed so I took it. The seller was so sure of it that he gave me full guarantee i.e. try it out and if I am not happy return it. I really hope I wont be disappointed and dont need to return it and start to order th F5 2011 instead etc. Let´s see - the bike should arrive to Finland next week.


Pete, just wanted to follow up, since I'm looking at the same possibility. Do you like the F4? I imagine you do, it's a sweet looking bike.


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## YZ 343

What bike did you end up getting?
Just got a 2011 f4 and it's blowing my mind how good it is!


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## sherlock

Old thread, but post #16 indicates he ended up with the 2010 F4.


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## Alietr

I'm a newbie, but it won't let me start a topic until I've reached the posting threshold, so I'll try asking here -- I need to replace the cassette on my F5C. When I bought the bike, I replaced the largest gear with one that has 27 teeth. I still don't find that particularly adequate for big hills. Anyway, I was thinking of replacing it with the Shimano Ultegra 6700 11/28 to get at least a little bit more to work with on hills. Any reason that wouldn't work on the F5C, or is there a better alternative for a cassette?

Thanks in advance.


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## sherlock

Moving from 27T to 28T is a very small upgrade. You might be better off with a 10-speed MTB rear dérailleur and a 11-32 on the back?


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## JogBike

Alietr said:


> ... I need to replace the cassette on my F5C. When I bought the bike, I replaced the largest gear with one that has 27 teeth. I still don't find that particularly adequate for big hills. Anyway, I was thinking of replacing it with the Shimano Ultegra 6700 11/28 to get at least a little bit more to work with on hills. Any reason that wouldn't work on the F5C, or is there a better alternative for a cassette?


QUOTE = Sherlock]Moving from 27T to 28T is a very small upgrade. You might be better off with a 10-speed MTB rear dérailleur and a 11-32 on the back? /


> What Sherlock says is very workable if you need low gearing for tough hills. I go on a 5 day road tour each year that invoves lots of climbing. Each year it got harder for me to handle it with a 27T. My LBS set up one of my road bikes with MTB rear derailleur and 11-34 cassette. Although I had Shimano 105 components on the bike, I opted for lower level replacement derailleur and cassette, which cost about $120 total.


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## srenkin

Interesting thread, strange how most of the threads/comments about the F-series seem to be about the F1, F2, F3 and F5 ... but not the F4? I'm taking delivery of a 2011 F4 next week, would love to see more discussion/comments about this model. I demo'd many other bikes before making my decision (Giant TCR Advanced and TCR composite, Felt Z-series, Specialized Tarmac Expert Elite and Roubaix) and none had the combination of stiffness, quickness and comfort that the F4 had.


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## YZ 343

For some reason, I didn't feel worthy of an F4. I thought is was overkill. My last road bike race was in 1986, so why buy a race bike? Well, after riding one, I figured what the heck. Picked up the last one in my area in september. 
I rationalized the F4 because I wouldn't need to upgrade anything. I agree with everything you said about it above. I look forward to hills now. You're going to love it.


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## srenkin

I just got my 2011 F4 - got it all set up and took it for a 30 mi ride yesterday. WOW. What a great balance of stiffness and compliance. Coming off a 2008 F55, the shorter wheelbase makes this bike more responsive by comparison (and my F55 is no slouch). Still getting used to the full size chain rings but I couldn't be happier. I thought for sure I'd be swapping out the Felt saddle for my anatomic model but I like it!

It's a beautiful bike that rides as good as it looks.


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## aliensporebomb

Not to resurrect an old thread but today I was at one of the bike shops I frequent and they offered me a deal on a 2010 Felt F5 Garmin team bike (said $2299 on the price tag) with Aero F4 wheels, HM Carbon fork, 105 10-speed and Fizik seat for $1599 - is this a good deal? 

The terrible thing is it's in my size and it's the last one they had so I think they were trying to get someone to snap it up. I've been riding a 2002 Giant TCR2 which has a carbon fork and seatpost and stem but the frame is aluminum. What makes it worse is it's gorgeous and it's winter in Minnesota so even if I did get this I wouldn't really be able to ride it regularly until springtime.

The type of riding I like to do is longer distance type rides as well as going fast and when I feel like it putting the hurt on my cycling friends. I guess you'd call it "informal racing".


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## YZ 343

Sounds like a great price. I have a 2011 F4, which is a bit different. The F series is more race oriented. It will be an upgrade from your Giant.


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## o-rengas

I had Surly Cross Check, which I totally used as road bike. When I found Felt F5 2011 for
price 1.195 € (1.490 usd) I could not prevent my self to buy it. I sold my Cross Check
and my new shiny F5 is now in my friend's garage waiting for spring. I was lucky
to have friend like this, because my shed is already full of bikes (mtb). 

I have not tested it on road yet, but i adjusted driving positon indoors and it has not
any racier driving positon than was in my Cross Check, which has quite short head tube .
(F5 head tube 120 mm, Cross Check 91 mm) 

Hopefully Spring comes early next year. I have never try modern (carbon) race bike so you could believe, that I have high expectation for Felt F5.


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## edot1983

*crankset*



zach.scofield said:


> I definately agree w/ dray!
> 
> My F5 is sub 16 riding weight minus water in the bottles. Only stock parts left are the frame, headset bearings and saddle. The bike is phenominal. I went to 6700 w/ fsa brakes, strong yet light cockpit from deda and ritchey, FSA cranks w/ ceramic bb and AM Classic Victory 30 wheels. With knog lights, king SS cages, computer and keo sprint pedals 16 lbs flat w/ my old AM Classic victory wheels. New AM Classic Victory 30 wheels are about 1/4lb lighter. Didnt really cost me much as my friends and the shop love trading parts around. The 53/39 and 11-25 cassette are ripping my legs apart on the climbs this early in the season but its a damn fun ride!


Do u prefer the 53/39 or 50/34? Right now I have 50/34 om my felt. Should I keep or swap?


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## Don4

aliensporebomb said:


> Not to resurrect an old thread but today I was at one of the bike shops I frequent and they offered me a deal on a 2010 Felt F5 Garmin team bike (said $2299 on the price tag) with Aero F4 wheels, HM Carbon fork, 105 10-speed and Fizik seat for $1599 - is this a good deal?
> 
> The terrible thing is it's in my size and it's the last one they had so I think they were trying to get someone to snap it up. I've been riding a 2002 Giant TCR2 which has a carbon fork and seatpost and stem but the frame is aluminum. What makes it worse is it's gorgeous and it's winter in Minnesota so even if I did get this I wouldn't really be able to ride it regularly until springtime.
> 
> The type of riding I like to do is longer distance type rides as well as going fast and when I feel like it putting the hurt on my cycling friends. I guess you'd call it "informal racing".


So what did you end up doing? Did you buy it?!


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## Rashadabd

I say 2011 F5 for sure. However, keep in mind that 2010/2011 was the year Felt had the fork recall issue, so make sure the frame you select has a replacement fork on it if it fell within those models identified in the recall notice.


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