# 2005 Felt F70 good deal?



## bludwig (Jul 24, 2009)

I'm looking to buy my first road bike. I've been looking around for about a month now and have decided that I'd like to buy a used bike so I can get more for my money. My LBS has a used 2005 Felt F70 for 750.00. It's in great shape and comes with a Cateye computer, frame pump, two water bottle holders, and a saddle pouch with an extra tube in it. I'm going to be using it for triathlons, beginner races, and exercise. It's also the exact size I need. What are your thoughts? Thanks!


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## andy11 (Aug 23, 2009)

*Too much. Don't even consider it.* I repeat Too much. The extras do not mean anything. You can find all those from local stores real cheap. Concentrate just on the bike. ONLY the bike. You can always find your size somewhere.

Now, I think that 2005 F70 is aluminum. It's almost 5 yrs old. 2010 models are out already.
I just bought a 2009 ALL carbon bike. (Specialized) . Look for new bikes. 2009's are on sale now. DO NOT buy used bikes. Esp. if you are using for races etc. Save for couple of months and go for a new bike. You can still get great deals around 1000 dollars


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## bludwig (Jul 24, 2009)

Thanks for the info, any suggestions for around 750.00 to 850.00? And what do you think that Felt would be worth paying for? I can always see if they'll come down in price.


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

bludwig said:


> I'm looking to buy my first road bike. I've been looking around for about a month now and have *decided that I'd like to buy a used bike so I can get more for my money. *My LBS has a used 2005 Felt F70 for 750.00. It's in great shape and comes with a Cateye computer, frame pump, two water bottle holders, and a saddle pouch with an extra tube in it. I'm going to be using it for triathlons, beginner races, and exercise. *It's also the exact size I need*. What are your thoughts? Thanks!


I agree with Andy that the bike is overpriced. It's 5 years old and sold new (MSRP) for under $1,100.
http://www.bikepedia.com/quickbike/BikeSpecs.aspx?Year=2005&Brand=Felt&Model=F70&Type=bike

If this is your first road bike, how do you know your size? Requirements can change from brand to brand, and sometimes even by model within a brand. 

Regarding getting more for your money (going used), it depends. Even if you get the bike for less than $750, you get no warranty. It's a materials mix (cf/ alu), so if any bonding issues arise, repair costs or replacement will be your responsibility. And to be honest, if you're looking at competing, I'd suggest you stay with an all alu bike. They're cheaper, less fragile, thus a minimal loss in the event of the (inevitable) crash.


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## andy11 (Aug 23, 2009)

For 850 you will get a very good aluminum. I recently went thro an extensive research process. you can get good brand names too.

If you like Felt (I like it too!), then you can get the F95 team issue. It looks cool with garmin chipolte logo etc. The 2009 model is $849, but for the 2010 they dropped the price and it is $799, which is right in your price range. The only thing is that you will find it hard to get shimano 105 components.

I am not sure how much knowledge/experience you have on bikes, but typically the shifter design will be different on $700 range bikes. You can see the gear change knob on the top as opposed to being part of the downshift/brake lever. If you are racing it might be a problem. 

You can find lot of good cannondale bikes also in this range. Aluminum frames with Carbon forks. 

Form what I can see based on the price, you are probably better off with another LBS. Remember no matter how nice they may sound they are in for your money. They want to make as much profit out of you.

PJ is accurate on the size. You need to do a basic fit to see what size frame is ideal for that manufacturer/model.

Don't hurry. Visit atleast 5 bike shops. Look around. Remember the sale deals. compare and you will know which one is right for you

good luck!


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## bludwig (Jul 24, 2009)

Thanks for all the great advice guys! What are your thoughts on Bikesdirect.com? They seem to have some really good deals.


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

bludwig said:


> Thanks for all the great advice guys! What are your thoughts on Bikesdirect.com? They seem to have some really good deals.


Generally speaking, there's nothing wrong with BD's products, but they offer _no_ sizing/ fitting assistance, _no_ test rides, _no_ final assembly or adjustments and warranty assistance _only when you return the defective item_. If you read between all those lines you're taking a (big) gamble on fit, are buying a bike you never rode, have to pay someone to assemble and adjust the bike (and maybe fit you). You are essentially basing your purchase on specs and a picture. Not good.

Beyond that, BD framesets are nothing special, and in some cases aren't on a par with the better framesets offered by some name brand manufacturers.

Remember, fit matters most, so if you get the sizing wrong you aren't going to ride the bike. If you don't ride the bike, how good of a deal is it, really?


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## bikesdirect (Sep 9, 2006)

PJ352 said:


> Generally speaking, there's nothing wrong with BD's products, but they offer _no_ sizing/ fitting assistance, _no_ test rides, _no_ final assembly or adjustments and warranty assistance _only when you return the defective item_. If you read between all those lines you're taking a (big) gamble on fit, are buying a bike you never rode, have to pay someone to assemble and adjust the bike (and maybe fit you). You are essentially basing your purchase on specs and a picture. Not good.
> *
> Beyond that, BD framesets are nothing special, and in some cases aren't on a par with the better framesets offered by some name brand manufacturers.*
> 
> Remember, fit matters most, so if you get the sizing wrong you aren't going to ride the bike. If you don't ride the bike, how good of a deal is it, really?



This statement is funny; since many Motobecane, Windsor, and Mercier frames are made by Kinesis; same factory that makes most Felt frames. 

Truth is: our aluminum frames are just like most aluminum frames on most brands.
our CF frames are made by same factories that make almost all big name CF bikes and to same standards. Moreover, out Ti frames are something special in terms of design, quality, and certainly value.

Fit is another story; but most customers are more likely to get proper fit buying online than in a shop. This used to not be true; but sadly standards in most shops have really fallen [your results may vary, but this is the tend]


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

bikesdirect said:


> This statement is funny; since many Motobecane, Windsor, and Mercier frames are made by Kinesis; same factory that makes most Felt frames.
> 
> Truth is: our aluminum frames are just like *most *aluminum frames on *most* brands.
> our CF frames are made by same factories that make *almost* all big name CF bikes and to same standards. Moreover, out Ti frames are something special in terms of design, quality, and certainly value.
> ...


I'm glad you found humor in my statement, but you're not telling the whole story. Just because a frame is made along side another, doesn't mean they're of equal quality/ specs. Predictably, you _say_ they are, but I can _show_ you examples where they are not. And seeing as you use 'qualifiers' (the word *most* twice, *almost* once) I think you know this to be true. 

There's no way to sugar coat your fit statement. It's just plain sad, and about the third time you've made these unsubstantiated claims. When posters (including me) have called you on the statements asking for clarification, predictably we don't hear back. Fact is, your 'guide' is nothing more than a *sizing* (_not fitting_) recommendation based on ones height and standover clearance. Clearly, a very poor method of determining size - and you and I both know you offer NO assistance on *fit.* 

Example:
General Size guide (choose a size you can clear by at least 1 inch) Geometry Sizing Chart
Most riders 5'1" to 5'4" fit the 15" (min clearance 27.5")
Most riders 5'5" to 5'7" fit the 17" (min clearance 28.5")
Most riders 5'8" to 5'10" fit the 19" (min clearance 30")
Most riders 5'11" to 6'1" fit the 21" (min clearance 31.5")
Most riders 6'2" to 6'4" fit the 23" (min clearance 33")

LBS's level of service and competence varies, just like any other retail store, but IME even the subpar shops can better than equal your size chart above, and the better ones add services like (in person) sizing/ fitting, final assembly, adjustments, test rides, warranty assistance (without customers shipping items back, thus increasing downtime and incurring shipping charges), after purchase tune ups. And some are willing to tweak rider fit after a period of time as well.

BD offers.... none of the above.


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## bikesdirect (Sep 9, 2006)

PJ352 said:


> I'm glad you found humor in my statement, but you're not telling the whole story. Just because a frame is made along side another, doesn't mean they're of equal quality/ specs. Predictably, you _say_ they are, but I can _show_ you examples where they are not. And seeing as you use 'qualifiers' (the word *most* twice, *almost* once) I think you know this to be true.
> 
> There's no way to sugar coat your fit statement. It's just plain sad, and about the third time you've made these unsubstantiated claims. When posters (including me) have called you on the statements asking for clarification, predictably we don't hear back. Fact is, your 'guide' is nothing more than a *sizing* (_not fitting_) recommendation based on ones height and standover clearance. Clearly, a very poor method of determining size - and you and I both know you offer NO assistance on *fit.*
> 
> ...


Two points:

One in most cases our frames are exactly the same QC as others; you probably know this. In some cases they are higher, this is mainly due to my hardheaded attempts to stay with as many models as possible in Taiwan. Thus we end up with bikes at $500 from Taiwan where others tend to not change from China to Taiwan until $1000 or even $1200. {most companies have lower end bikes from China, then higher level from Taiwan - this is for a reason}

Two: I do not read every post on RBR but I have not ducked the sizing question for any reason other than the fact I am sad about how it is handled in many shops today. this is a long and hard thing to understand. But there are several issues; worst is sizing to inventory - which as assortments of styles of bikes has increased and stocking pressures with them; this practice has increased. Also not great in my opinion is the tend to charge for sizing which mainly occurs in shops that tend to under size. And then there is just the normal uninformed salesperson issue that you would find in any type of retail. 
Are there shops that are great? You bet. Are there shops that understanding sizing and do it correctly? You bet. Are there tons of buyers who know how to size themselves from geo? You bet. is sizing over used as a 'sales tactic'? You bet. 
With so many options out there - about anything can happened; but one thing that never happens with us is a customer is told to buy size X due to us not having the size Y we really think he needs. But everyone knows that happens in lots of shops.
With all that said, a good thing to think about is how many sizes 'classic' road bikes came in during the Road Bike Boom - lots of happy riders back then; I would say just as high a % as today.

Some people are better off buying in a shop
Some people are better off buying on line
Most people can be very happy doing either
And of course, options are good


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