# Felt bikes......



## Uween

Does anyone here own a Felt bike and if so what do you think about them. I have never seen one on the road before. I am thinking about getting a F-60 or F-50. Plus i was looking at a Giant ORC-1.


----------



## namaSSte

Uween said:


> Does anyone here own a Felt bike and if so what do you think about them. I have never seen one on the road before. I am thinking about getting a F-60 or F-50. Plus i was looking at a Giant ORC-1.


I was looking at the Felts and the Giants just this week. Wound up going Litespeed but here's what I thought. The Felts, looked great and the LBS says they are easy to work with so if there's a problem, its dealt with quickly. The F60 looks great and is spec'd well, the welds are clean and the paint seems nice enough. The Giants are really nice as well but between the two, I like the Felt for the very reason you mentioned, you don't see them all the time. Why go with the flow? THe Giant does have a really sloping TT though so if you prefer that over more traditional geometry, the Felt might not be the ticket.

The boys at the shop love the bikes and a few ride/race them. Since they really have a choice, I guess their actions speak volumes.


----------



## Uween

Thanks for your feedback i just talk to one of the guys at LBS and his going to get back with me about how much off the price of the F-50.....Hoping to get at less 400$ off.....my friend is going to get an ORC-1 so his cutting some of the price for us......


----------



## fatguyon2wheels

*Felt F45*



Uween said:


> Does anyone here own a Felt bike and if so what do you think about them. I have never seen one on the road before. I am thinking about getting a F-60 or F-50. Plus i was looking at a Giant ORC-1.


I have a 2004 F45. I have almost 1000 miles on it and so far it has been great! My only complaint is that it is rather noisy. Rattles from the Brake Cable being fed through the top tube is pretty annoying. The handlebar tape needed to be replaced after about three hundred miles. Overall a great bike for the money!
FGO2W


----------



## wawaski

*Felt 60*



Uween said:


> Does anyone here own a Felt bike and if so what do you think about them. I have never seen one on the road before. I am thinking about getting a F-60 or F-50. Plus i was looking at a Giant ORC-1.



Just got the 60, went from a 2001 OCR3, so the components were a wonderful trade up! this bike it quiet! It was a toss up between the Trek 1800 and this one...went from 23 lbs to 19.5 lbs....the ride is great as well! Carbon seat stays and fork make a huge difference, not sure if a carbon seat post would make that much difference...
good luck!


----------



## Punkyhiggs

Own a 05 Felt F70 (105). Love it. Have over 800mi on it since I bought it a month ago. Handles great, components work quietly, quickly and seamlessly. Do hear a little noise when hitting bumps due to the internal routing of the cables, but other than that I love the bike. Looked at the Allez and 1500 when selecting this one. All were about the same, just liked hte Felt a little better. 

Mike


----------



## Trevor Ash

I'm a new biker that bought the Felt F60 a couple weeks ago. I've only put about 90 miles on it at this point but am extremely pleased. I'm sorry I can't offer more valuable feedback. I consider the ride to be ruthlessly quiet and surprisingly soft. I was riding an older mountain bike with road tires prior (no shocks) and the F60 is much more soft on everything but large bumps. I was expecting the bumpiest ride in the world but it didn't happen that way, feels like I'm gliding on ice.


----------



## bikeshopguy

*felt frames*

all Felt Aluminum frames are made by Kinesis - who also builds frames for Specialized, Jamis, Motobecane, Bianchi and dozens of other brands.

Quality is fine and what you expect from Taiwan made bikes


----------



## avkid

*2004 f60*

i have a 2004 f60. I like it a lot. I think the 2005 has better components that come stock as well, which makes it even more bang for the buck if they didn't jack the price to pay for them. I can say I have had a bunch of problems with my front derailler (shimano 105) and the shop not being able to adjust it very well. Also the brake pads that come on those tektro brakes are junk. The brakes work fine for me, but the pads were junk. I had to get new ones.


----------



## Frugalcycler

*I suspected this*



bikeshopguy said:


> all Felt Aluminum frames are made by Kinesis - who also builds frames for Specialized, Jamis, Motobecane, Bianchi and dozens of other brands.
> 
> Quality is fine and what you expect from Taiwan made bikes


I have seen the welds on the Felts and Motobecanes and they looked the same.


----------



## BunnV

*2005 F55*



Uween said:


> Does anyone here own a Felt bike and if so what do you think about them. I have never seen one on the road before. I am thinking about getting a F-60 or F-50. Plus i was looking at a Giant ORC-1.


I just bought a '05 Felt F55. I came across a Felt F45 last year while I was looking at Treks. I had never heard of Felt and was fully into my Lance Armstrong wanna-be mode, so Trek was the only thing I wanted. But the more I looked at what I was going to get for the money, I couldn't ignore the Felt. I have a Santa Cruz Superlight and was riding exclusively dirt so I wasn't in a hurry to buy a road bike. Then, some of the guys that routinely kick my ass off road confessed that they ride road bikes during the week. I remembered the Felts and test road the F65. For $1300 it was fantastic, that is until I rode the F55, which for $1875 was amazing. My last road bike was a Colnago I bought new in 1986, so the Felt is like a rocket ship compared to my old school Colnago. It is fast: From the moment I turn out my driveway it feels almost motorized. The handling is quick but stable at the same time, something I did not think was possible. For the money, I don't think anything comes close. I would have had to spend well over 2K to get a comparable Trek. The money I saved on the bike went into some good (Shimano) carbon fiber soled shoes and some new jerseys and shorts. I would recommend a Felt to anyone that wants the most bang for their buck instead of paying much more for a "name brand."


----------



## sunninho

I had a Felt TT bike, an '02 DA700, and it was light, agile and fast. I never worried about the frame quality as it was always solid under every road and climbing condition. The frame consisted of Easton's 7005 tubing and the fork was a Felt branded Reynolds Ouzo Aero Pro. I was a happy camper and got many second looks on the bike. You won't go wrong with Felt.

I traded up for a carbon frame recently and the Felt went with the deal. I'll miss the Felt for sure.


----------



## S2H

I have a Felt F80 with about 500 miles on it. Overall, I am pleased. I would've liked some better components, but for the money, I can't complain.

My only real complaint is that the bike has 1,000,000 'Felt' logos/emblems on it.


----------



## tthomlaw

*Love my Felt*



Uween said:


> Does anyone here own a Felt bike and if so what do you think about them. I have never seen one on the road before. I am thinking about getting a F-60 or F-50. Plus i was looking at a Giant ORC-1.


I have a 2004 F45 that I got at the end of last year. I have over 3000 miles on it and I love it. I think you would be hard pressed to find a better value out there than a Felt. I picked up my Ultegra/Dura Ace F45 for just over $1,400. Most comparable bikes were close to or over $2,000.


----------



## SuperB

*I have a Felt F80*

This is my entry road bike. I've had it for over a year and have well over a thousand miles. I have had no mechanical problems at all with this bike. At the time, I was shopping Specialized and Giant. A similarly-equipped Specialized was about $100 more. As stated elsewhere, Specialized and Felt frames are made at the same factory. Felts are great values and I would also recommend to others.


----------



## S2H

I saw the new F80 ('06) today at my LBS. It's yellow now and the price has increased to $925, but now it comes with 105 brake levers/shifters. 


Just in case anyone cares...


----------



## koolrider67

Test rode a 06 F3C. Its sweet. Probably will pick it up tomorrow. Its kitted with Dura-Ace and a FSA SLK Compact Crank and Velomax wheelset. It felt more responsive than an Orbea Onix that I was considering, couldn't feel any flex and it climbed a lot better than my CAAD8 Cannondale. For $2500 I didn't think I could get a carbon frame with such a good component kit. To do a Dura-Ace kit on the Orbea would have been $3400. Felt offers a lifetime warranty on their frames so I'm willing to give it a go.


----------



## KSF666

*I own a Felt*

Just picked up my F90 from my LBS today , Havent been able to ride as its been raining in Long Island for the past 7 days


----------



## jsigone

I picked up a 05' Felt F90 in Feb and have close to 3000 miles logged on the bike. Great bike, 22lbs in the 58cm size. Havn't had a prob with it other then some flats (was 225# when I got it and down to 195# now). I still have the stock front tires after all the riding. Handles great, rides great, fast ride and great price at $550.


----------



## BunnV

*Update FELT F55*

I've got 700 miles on my F55 now and everytime I get on this bike I'm amazed at the value. My bike is stiff, FAST, and really light (18lbs, 58cm) for the price ($1875). Best of all, I keep up with my friends on their $7000 Ti wonder bikes!


----------



## sdkwan

*2005 F60 Reviews???*

Hi Folks, 

I'm considering getting a 2005 F60. What do you guys think about this for $1K new? If anyone has one, how does it ride? Are there anything negative about it?


----------



## dhof60

sdkwan said:


> Hi Folks,
> 
> I'm considering getting a 2005 F60. What do you guys think about this for $1K new? If anyone has one, how does it ride? Are there anything negative about it?



I have the 2004 F60. Great bike for the money. A few semi weak components but over all a great buy and a great ride. I think they updated a couple of things for '05.


----------



## tthomlaw

*Felt F60 Upgrade*



dhof60 said:


> I have the 2004 F60. Great bike for the money. A few semi weak components but over all a great buy and a great ride. I think they updated a couple of things for '05.


I think you are correct. When Felt dropped the F45 from its 2005 line up I think the remaining bikes got component upgrades (e.g. F55, F60, F65, etc.).


----------



## sabbathu

How about the future of Felt?

I'm thinking of buying the F75. Will they be around in 5 years if I have frame warranty issues? Aren't they relatively new?


----------



## 9-speed

sabbathu said:


> How about the future of Felt?
> 
> They've been around for 15+ years, their high end stuff sells out early (maybe due to small production runs--who knows), more and more people are buying them, prices are definitely competitive, they make a wide variety of bikes. Looks good to me.
> 
> They kind of remind me of Giant from 5 years or so ago--good product that they're selling cheaper than other brands. Now Giant bikes aren't the bargain they used to be, but they got their foot in the door and people still love 'em.


----------



## sdkwan

I agree with the previous person. I just picked up a 2005 Felt F60 last month because they were on closeout prices. I got a 30 speed bike with carbon seat stay for $1000 and Ultegra tranny. How can you beat that deal???

The only thing I dislike about the Felts are their wheels. I think thats how they save money. For the most part, the bike and components are great but the wheels that they come with are nothing to write home about.


----------



## S2H

sdkwan said:


> I agree with the previous person. I just picked up a 2005 Felt F60 last month because they were on closeout prices. I got a 30 speed bike with carbon seat stay for $1000 and Ultegra tranny. How can you beat that deal???
> 
> The only thing I dislike about the Felts are their wheels. I think thats how they save money. For the most part, the bike and components are great but the wheels that they come with are nothing to write home about.


That's true. I just replaced my Alex wheelset on my F80 with some Mavic Equipes. There's a definite difference in the ride now.


----------



## stalter

*F80*

I bought a Felt F80 late 2004 when the 2005 just came out. Now mind you I am in Okinawa Japan where Felts are rare to begin with. So happening to find one hanging on th wall in my size and at a close out price, I couldn't pass it up. I just wasn't too happy with the components...but that changed after some time. I now have full Ultegra on it sans the shifters. I like the look of the black 105's so I went with those. I also changed the wheelset due to my weight to Ultegra hubs/Mavic Open Pro, responsive, strong, cheap, can't beat them! After the upgrades made a year after purchase, the bike now feels like I wanted it to when I bought it. I am very happy with my purchase and ride quality.

Every body has said what I wanted to say. You can't beat the price these setups. You won't be dissappointed.

Here is my latest pic taken about a week ago. Man I love this thing!


----------



## S2H

stalter said:


> I bought a Felt F80 late 2004 when the 2005 just came out. Now mind you I am in Okinawa Japan where Felts are rare to begin with. So happening to find one hanging on th wall in my size and at a close out price, I couldn't pass it up. I just wasn't too happy with the components...but that changed after some time. I now have full Ultegra on it sans the shifters. I like the look of the black 105's so I went with those. I also changed the wheelset due to my weight to Ultegra hubs/Mavic Open Pro, responsive, strong, cheap, can't beat them! After the upgrades made a year after purchase, the bike now feels like I wanted it to when I bought it. I am very happy with my purchase and ride quality.
> 
> Every body has said what I wanted to say. You can't beat the price these setups. You won't be dissappointed.
> 
> Here is my latest pic taken about a week ago. Man I love this thing!


I keep upgrading stuff on my bike and I'm wishing I had just spent the extra dough to begin with and got a an Ultegra bike. Anyway, I'm happy with my F80 as well.


----------



## DoubleTap

*F70*



Scotty2Hotty said:


> I keep upgrading stuff on my bike and I'm wishing I had just spent the extra dough to begin with and got a an Ultegra bike. Anyway, I'm happy with my F80 as well.


I keep upgrading as well.


----------



## S2H

DoubleTap said:


> I keep upgrading as well.


Post it.

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=50899


----------



## Scuzzo

I just got a used f35 paying 850 or so and shipping, when i saw all the dura-ace 10 speed and nice circut wheel set and carbon compact crank. and all the other carbon bits i thought what the heck time to retire the cannondale campy 8ps, but i kinda wonder about the geom of the felts.. their ideas of simislope toptube and 0 degree stems is kinda shifting away from trad road bike fit.. any thoughts on the fit of the FELT?


----------



## Kennedy

I LOVE my Felt F70. I rode just about every bike between $900-1200 trying to find my first road bike and just loved the feel and fit of the Felt. Stable, stiff, solid components (105s all around). You can't beat the value. 

I don't think, at this point, I have any complaints related to the frame. I hate my stupid wellgo pedals and want my Crank Bros. back. I also think i want a better wheelset. Otherwise, its good to go.


----------



## yogreg

*new Felt owner*

Currently riding a Felt F4 and loving it. 


Greg


----------



## drgav

*New 06 Felt Owner*

Purchsed a 2006 Felt F65 about 2 months ago, all other bikes I looked at with full ultegra were between $2100-2500CAD, picked up the F65 for $1500 CAD. Considering the money I saved I upgraded the seatpost(EC90), stem(EC70), handlebar(EC70), Brakes(black 105), Saddle(selle italia SLR). I sacrificed a few grams for the brakes cause I liked the look of the black brakes. I picked up all the additional upgrades on ebay for less than $350 bucks. I figure I got a pretty light bike (17.6lbs) for under $1900. Also looked at Orbea and Bianchi, however the prices of these bikes are overly inflated for what they are.


----------



## hocuz

Here's another satisfied Felt owner. Purchased a F4C in April of '06 and have since put on about 2k miles. The only upgrade I have done so far is to upgrade the wheelset. The bike came stock with Shimano R550 wheels and I ended up breaking a couple of spokes so I decided to upgrade the wheels. Ended up getting King hubs paired with DT Swiss wheels and have no regrets whatsoever. So much stiffer than the stock wheels. Gotta say, I love the buzzzzzz of the hubs... :thumbsup: 

Oh, and replace the stock brake pads. I switched them out to Kool Stop salmon pads and its the best $20 upgrade for the bike.


----------



## cdr

I own a 05 F3 that I just love. It's smooth light and responsive.


----------



## ChilliConCarnage

9-speed said:


> sabbathu said:
> 
> 
> 
> How about the future of Felt?
> 
> They've been around for 15+ years, their high end stuff sells out early (maybe due to small production runs--who knows), more and more people are buying them, prices are definitely competitive, they make a wide variety of bikes. Looks good to me.
> 
> 
> 
> The 15+ years is wrong.
> 
> Jim Felt has been building bikes for some years, but the actual company only came into being around 2001, and didn't see wide-spread sales until a little later. Jim is most famous for being Motorcycle Hall Of Fame Johnny "O'Show" O'Mara's mechanic in the early 80s when he rode for Honda. He also worked with other successful riders. He then got a little fame as a custom triathalon bike designer, and a number of winning rides happened on bikes he designed (with other company's logos on them). He then worked for Answer, but that didn't work out, so he started his own company. IIRC, he got his funding for his new company from investors out of Germany, so that's where the company is based out of.
> 
> Felt enjoyed some success as the official bike of Team Colavita for the past couple of years, and they were under the riders of crazy-named "Slipstream powered by Chipotle" team at the recent Amgen Tour of California.
> 
> In terms of price / performance ratio, Felt's are near or at the top. I've owned an all-105 F65 and an all Dura-Ace F35, and both were great bikes at comparatively bargain prices. If I hadn't had fit issues with them, I might still own them. That, and the fact that I became very enamored with Look carbon-fiber bicycles
> 
> As far as their future is concerned, when I rode my Felt four years ago, nobody else had one. Now, a bunch of shops carry the Felt line locally, and I see them out-and-about all the time. While they are not competing at the level of the first tier mfgs, they're definitely 2nd tier and growing. I wouldn't put too much worry into it either way.
Click to expand...


----------



## allison

Hubby just got a Felt Z25. It's got Dura-Ace/Ultegra. He loves it so far. It was pretty fairly priced.

I have seen more and more LBS' carrying Felt bikes (road and mountain) lately. Not sure about other areas, but here in So Cal quite a few have at least some selection of them in stock.

BTW, I really like the Slipstream team. Chipotle is my favorite fast food


----------



## dtyoshih

I purchased a 06 F3C about two months ago. This bike just feels right to me. Stiff in the bottom bracket but also provides a compliant ride quality. I would definately buy another Felt.


----------



## stratofisher

I have the F5C with upgrades to full ultegra. Totally sweet ride. The stiff bottom bracket is perfect for my heavy weight. Great bike for the money. Just had to trade the wheels out to start.


----------



## slitespd

I'd say just get it! I had an F55 and loved that bike. Needed some dollars so I had to sell it and got very near what it cost me 3 years ago.


----------



## uzziefly

Any Pro Tour teams ride Felt?? :idea:

I can't remember.


----------



## terbennett

Giant was actually around in the 80's. A friend of mine had one when I was a junior in high school back in 1989. I had no idea that they would become the world's largest bicycle company there one day. Also, I had a Felt F55- the best bike that I have ever owned. Like it better than the Trek 5200 that I had owned before that. I sold it and bought an Felt F80 because I tow a bike trailer sometimes. I just ordered an Ultegra grouppo to put on the this one with all of the wear and tear I put on this competent bike. I use Neuvation M28 Aero wheels to use when Im not pulling the trailer. felt will be around for a long time. They are big in triathlons, mountain biking and the are the big dog in BMX right now.


----------



## 4bykn

uzziefly said:


> Any Pro Tour teams ride Felt?? :idea:


Wiesenhof-Felt (obviously), and Slipstream both ride Felts. Not sure if either is ProTour, but both definitely successful teams.


----------



## terbennett

Scuzzo said:


> I just got a used f35 paying 850 or so and shipping, when i saw all the dura-ace 10 speed and nice circut wheel set and carbon compact crank. and all the other carbon bits i thought what the heck time to retire the cannondale campy 8ps, but i kinda wonder about the geom of the felts.. their ideas of simislope toptube and 0 degree stems is kinda shifting away from trad road bike fit.. any thoughts on the fit of the FELT?


I'm quite pleased with the fit of my two felt bikes. However, most of the owners that I've spoken to thought that the top tube was a little too long even with a shorter stem.


----------



## wilric44

Felt placed third at the Paris Roubaix this weekend.


----------

