# Noob wanting to do upgrades to his F95



## danieljmaguire (Jan 8, 2011)

Hey guys im new to the whole road bike game and just got my first road bike and first felt. Soon Uncle Sam is going to be paying me in my tax return and i am interested in performing some upgrades to my bike. I was hoping you guys could give me some suggestions as far as where i should start and maybe some part suggestions. Thanks


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## zach.scofield (Apr 11, 2010)

Wheels!


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## danieljmaguire (Jan 8, 2011)

Any suggestions on types of wheels


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## Don4 (Jul 29, 2010)

Do you have a budget for your upgrades? What kind of riding do you do?


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## TnFeltRider (Jul 27, 2008)

What Felt did u get? We need to know what you have now before wwe can help.
By the way, welcome to the Felt family, I love my F90 which has seen many upgrades, take a look at Neuvation M28 AERO 3s, I love mine, good wheel for the money.


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## danieljmaguire (Jan 8, 2011)

I bought a 2010 Felt F95. Its just the standard edition one. Also im gonna be working with about 800 bucks. Also im getting into endurance riding.


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## zach.scofield (Apr 11, 2010)

I'd recommend a set of williams system 19's if you want to climb or a set of the system 30's for all around use. Im leaning towards the 30's as a do everything set for my '11 F5. 479 bucks is a hard to beat price!


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## danieljmaguire (Jan 8, 2011)

Just a quick fix the bike is a 2011 Felt F95


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## Don4 (Jul 29, 2010)

I ended up spending just short of $800 on a set of custom DT Swiss wheels built by Joe Young. The are wonderfully smooth, roll forever, and alledgedly weight between 1580 and 1620 grams. That said, I weigh 250 pounds, so I tend to stress test normal wheel offerings, which is why I had the custom set built.

I've looked at ROL wheels (Volant & Race SL); both have really good reviews. Zach has recommended the Williams. He's right, I was surprised how affordable they are, and they look really nice too.

I tend to go on a lot of long rides, 60+ miles when the weekend gets here. Make sure you save some of those bucks for a comfortable saddle. I went with a Specialized Alias for $110 direct from Specialized. Specialized's "Body Geometry" system is great. You measure how far apart your sit bones are by sitting on this foam device, and then pick the width of your saddle from there. I have the Alias 143.


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## scottzj (Oct 4, 2010)

I too have a F95 and bought a 2 sets of extra wheels. One set of Aero and a set of Fulcrum. However I was planning on upgrading parts but decide to put that money onto a new 2011 Cannondale Six. I hope to be getting into this years race season and feel the a better bike with already good parts would be better than trying to upgrade my current ride.


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## danieljmaguire (Jan 8, 2011)

Sooo.... you up for helpin a noob with a free set of wheels  or I could relieve you of an extra set for cheap


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## zach.scofield (Apr 11, 2010)

IME the fulcrums are not worth the money. You have to spend a fortune to get a decently lightweight pair. Im am not saying they are bad wheels, I dont think that so at all, quality construction, just heavy. 

Anything you can do to lighten the rotating mass of the bike at the outermost extremes will give you the most noticable benefit for your dollar. Tires, tubes, wheels with light rims, etc, etc, etc.

So far on my F5 I have swapped to s-works turbo tires @ 190gr each. I swapped in a 47gr set of ti skewers and Ti Nitride stem bolts, swapped to a lighter, wider handlebar(more fitment related), Changed the crankset to an FSA SL-K compact and plan to order my wheels in February. Of which they will Most likely be the Williams system 30x's as they offer the best dollar per gram ratio and will still maintain stiffness that Im am looking for with the look that I am after.


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## scottzj (Oct 4, 2010)

Well the Fulcrum wheels I got were the Racing3 and snagged then for around 160$ as they were pull offs. I feel they are better than the OEM wheels and good set of back ups. Now I am really happy with the new Easton Aero 90 wheels as they are very light weight compared and seem very stream line.
Again, upgrading a entry line bike is sometimes not really worth it, as you can usually get deals on bikes with high end parts. Thats why I put money into wheels as you can just transfer them over to the new ride, if we get one.


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## zach.scofield (Apr 11, 2010)

That sounds like a great deal you got on the wheels!


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## danieljmaguire (Jan 8, 2011)

Now what about upgrading this bike with part i know i can take on with me to another frame then would it be worth it? Thanks everyone for helping. Also just to throw it out there the Habitat for Humanity and Teen challenge is doing a century ride out of Ventura Ca, Its to raise money for Female teens in drug rehab and for poor people to help them get into housing. I belive Lance Armstrong did it a few years ago. It starts in Ventura and follows Highway 33 up to mount pinos. Its one hell of a ride. I did it in 2002 when i was a senior in high school but couldn't complete it. I got to the base of the last climb and Bonked. This year i plan to finish and hopefully get in shape to do my first entry level triatholon.


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## zach.scofield (Apr 11, 2010)

Well... a search for the perfect seat is inevitable.


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## danieljmaguire (Jan 8, 2011)

Copy that. As soon as I get the info for the ride ill post it if anyone is interested


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## Don4 (Jul 29, 2010)

*Wheels*
Wheels would definitely make a difference. I have a feeling you could drop a pound off your F95 with new wheels. I did a little looking and found one reference (I know, not exactly proof) with those rims with the combination weight being over 2000 g for the set. From looking at the Felt website, it looks like those Alex R500 rims on your bike may come with 2.0 mm straight gauge spokes. As I understand it, you will get a more compliant ride with either double butted or bladed spokes, as they will tend to flex and absorb road shock, rather than the load being transferred directly to the hub and the nipple, which should also extend longevity. The Williams System 30x that Zach is looking seriously at is a really nice looking wheel (better looking than my DT Swiss RR465 based rims Zach. I'm jealous!) and weigh in at 1639g, and cost $489. Bladed spokes, 24 front, 28 rear. These should really ride nicely on those endurance rides you enjoy. And look darn nice doing it. And you can move them on to your next bike...
*
Saddle*
To my point earlier, and Zach's, the Search for the Perfect Saddle will be well worth your while. I had a really nice saddle, handed down from my father-in-law. Cost well over a hundred bucks. And it hurt like there was no tomorrow to ride it more than 20 miles, because it didn't fit me. In fact, if I _did_ ride it more than twenty miles, I wasn't going to be riding it the next day. After my first metric century (that ended up at 67 miles), I didn't ride for a week. Found the Specialized Alias mentioned earlier, and now I don't even feel it. Spend the time and money to get the right saddle.

*Handlebars?*
Focusing on the "user interface" here. Do you like the handlebars? Can you find a number of comfortable positions on them? In the 6-7 weeks I got to ride mine before my fork was recalled, I wasn't able to find comfortable positions. I have since figured out, since I've had a lot of time to just stare at my bike, that I need to tilt them down, not up like they bike shop set them, to at least get near the comfortable hand positions I had on my old bike. That said, once I make the adjustments, I may still find I'm not as comfortable. May need a different stem, and bars with a different profile. We'll see shortly, I hope. If I remember right, Zach wasn't comfortable on the handlebars that came stock on his F5, either (correct me if I'm wrong). But handlebars and stem are both something that could transfer forward to your next bike too.

Zach -- Help me out here. I was fortunate enough to get a Park Home Mechanic Starter Kit and a nice Feedback workstand for Christmas, but you have professional wrenching experience...couldn't pretty much everything -- brakes, drivetrain, shifters -- be transferred to an upgraded frame in the future? I mean, okay, the F95 has a clamp on front derailleur vs braze on, and it doesn't look like it's got BB30 from looking at the website (they don't mention it on F95 or F85, but start to on the F75). If it wasn't for a very unusual event happening in my life this year, I would not be riding an F3 right now. I'd be riding a 1983 Trek, and looking for ways to upgrade it. My Specialized saddle was one of those upgrades that just couldn't wait. It's great if you can take advantage of a prior year model, for instance, that just happens to be your size, and you get a great price, but you've got to have the jack to make that move at that time, too....


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## danieljmaguire (Jan 8, 2011)

Hey Don4 thanks for the help. Im pretty much going to get the Williams System 30x when i can afford it. So far the saddle isn't to bad but will get upgraded in time with a new felt carbon saddle and seatpost. Handle bars are going to get changed to the Felt Carbon series as well. I looked at the bike and im pretty sure it does not have the BB30 (oversized bottom bracket ) Now as far as teh front derailleur being clamped on vs brazed on, is that going to limit my options as far as upgrading my gears and derailleur system.


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## zach.scofield (Apr 11, 2010)

clamp on or braze on should not limit your ability to upgrade. Clamp on der's for the most part can be adjusted up and down for various crankset / chainring combo's. Braze ons use a mounting bracket that usually allows for this same adjustment. Pay attention to a new frame, it may require a different kind of der mounting.

The 11 F95 doesnt come with a BB30 but dont fret. There are MANY great options for non BB30 cranksets. Even if the upgraded frame you may purchase later on is BB30 you can still transfer the cranks over with an adapter.

Pretty much everything can be carried over to a new frameset. Headsets and BB's may be the only thing not able to be carried over. Seatpost sizing could also be an issue but as long as you stay with a Felt frame the sizing will not change. 

Upgrade the heck out of it, make it yours. 

I didnt like the stock bars. I changed to a set of Ritchey WCS aluminum bars that I found on closeout. I wanted a little longer reach, tighter radius bend and a wider bar. This was out of comfort and had I liked the stock bars they would still be on the bike. Fully transferable and is like the saddle. some search for the right bars for a long time before finding the right ones. However these will go to any bike you build or buy in the future.

If I was to upgrade I would start with wheels and then do the drive train starting with ders, cassette, chain and shifters. I am very impressed with the new 105 stuff but also love campy 11sp stuff(is more expensive though). The stock crankset isnt the greatest but will function just fine with upgraded parts around it.

Speaking of upgrading,
If anyone knows where I can get an inexpensive 48cm-49cm frameset for my wife I would greatly appreciate it. I have a 54cm Giant OCR that I picked up for parts and would like to swap the frame and fork out for the correct size for my wife. Condition needs to be excellent(she's picky) and no pink or purple frames. The OCR frame is in excellent condition. Maybe I'll keep the frame for a project...........unless some one wants it.


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## danieljmaguire (Jan 8, 2011)

Thanks again guys


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## danieljmaguire (Jan 8, 2011)

Just tackled 36 miles on the new bike. Most of it hill climbing. Finished at the san juan batista mission. Pretty cool ride


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## scottzj (Oct 4, 2010)

Well I have put more miles on my F95 than the average rider. Put it this way, my tires only lasted a little over 2 months and the rear was toast. The only problem I have found so far with this bike was keeping the shifters tuned up and smooth. I think that goes with better quality stuff as the F95 is lacking in that area. However as my LBS tells me, I am not "normal" when it comes to riding, as I do more riding in a week than most do in a month. Even when I get my Six, I still plan on riding this Felt, however I might upgrade the shifter system at least.


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## terbennett (Apr 1, 2006)

TnFeltRider said:


> What Felt did u get? We need to know what you have now before wwe can help.
> By the way, welcome to the Felt family, I love my F90 which has seen many upgrades, take a look at Neuvation M28 AERO 3s, I love mine, good wheel for the money.


+1... I have a pair as well and they are great wheels. If you go to the website, they might have them on sale.


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## scottzj (Oct 4, 2010)

I bought yet another set of wheels for my F95. I got a killer deal on them too, so these will be my training wheels for team rides and use the other for the Cannondale. They arent as light as the Easton Aero 90's but pretty close and look just as good.....these are Aero 50's. Maybe I should put stock in easton, buying all their wheels haha.


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## zach.scofield (Apr 11, 2010)

Thats a great set of wheels that should last you a very long time.


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## terbennett (Apr 1, 2006)

Don4 said:


> I ended up spending just short of $800 on a set of custom DT Swiss wheels built by Joe Young. The are wonderfully smooth, roll forever, and alledgedly weight between 1580 and 1620 grams. That said, I weigh 250 pounds, so I tend to stress test normal wheel offerings, which is why I had the custom set built.
> 
> I've looked at ROL wheels (Volant & Race SL); both have really good reviews. Zach has recommended the Williams. He's right, I was surprised how affordable they are, and they look really nice too.
> 
> I tend to go on a lot of long rides, 60+ miles when the weekend gets here. Make sure you save some of those bucks for a comfortable saddle. I went with a Specialized Alias for $110 direct from Specialized. Specialized's "Body Geometry" system is great. You measure how far apart your sit bones are by sitting on this foam device, and then pick the width of your saddle from there. I have the Alias 143.


+1....Custom-build was definitely the way to go. Good job on that one.


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## terbennett (Apr 1, 2006)

zach.scofield said:


> Speaking of upgrading,
> If anyone knows where I can get an inexpensive 48cm-49cm frameset for my wife I would greatly appreciate it. I have a 54cm Giant OCR that I picked up for parts and would like to swap the frame and fork out for the correct size for my wife. Condition needs to be excellent(she's picky) and no pink or purple frames. The OCR frame is in excellent condition. Maybe I'll keep the frame for a project...........unless some one wants it.


I'm in the same boat as you. If you find an inexpensive 48-49 cm frameset, let me know. I need one for my wife too. .


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## Don4 (Jul 29, 2010)

terbennett said:


> I'm in the same boat as you. If you find an inexpensive 48-49 cm frameset, let me know. I need one for my wife too. .


Zach & terbennett -- Define "inexpensive" for the purposes of discussion. Don't have a particular one in mind, but it'll help separate the wheat from the chaff.


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## zach.scofield (Apr 11, 2010)

Don4 said:


> Zach & terbennett -- Define "inexpensive" for the purposes of discussion. Don't have a particular one in mind, but it'll help separate the wheat from the chaff.


300 or less is what Im thinking. I have been searching the net for a while and for about 400 I can go with a full carbon getup from asia. Not so sure I want to spend over 300 though.


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## easyridernyc (Jan 10, 2008)

i may have missed it, but as far as wheels go

easton 70. phuck. they are nice, especially in the hills. u can find em at a discount for like four bucks. handbuilt and roll forever. or

easton 90sl. ceramic bearings, i seen em stock on a $ 6000 carbon look w/ campy chorus and they looked right at home. had em in the closet for a while before in finally put them on my 09 felt 75. phuuuccckkk. that bike is now light, and with the compact 105, fast as phuck. the 90's cost more than the 70's, but man are they worth it. 

nine speed double, tough to upgrade without dumping it all. shim stopped with the nine speeds already. tough to find old nine speed double shifters. but they are out there, tiagra, some 105, some ultegra. the 105 would be good for you, imo the shifters are the thing. i would jump on em new, that would be a great upgrade for 200 bucks. then three or four for the handbuilts. and certainly the shifters before the crank, that's a good compact crank, why would you go for the crank before the shifters?


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## Don4 (Jul 29, 2010)

zach.scofield said:


> 300 or less is what Im thinking. I have been searching the net for a while and for about 400 I can go with a full carbon getup from asia. Not so sure I want to spend over 300 though.


Have you guys tried allofcraigslist.com? There seems to be a variety of stuff, although not necessarily local, or current. Found a complete Independent Fabrication 48cm (understanding you were looking for a frame you could add existing parts to, Zach), for $1150 in Birmingham AL, a Neuvation F100 48cm frame only for $295 in LA. Interesting stuff.


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## zach.scofield (Apr 11, 2010)

Don4 said:


> Have you guys tried allofcraigslist.com? There seems to be a variety of stuff, although not necessarily local, or current. Found a complete Independent Fabrication 48cm (understanding you were looking for a frame you could add existing parts to, Zach), for $1150 in Birmingham AL, a Neuvation F100 48cm frame only for $295 in LA. Interesting stuff.


The neuvation frames are actually quite nice as are his wheels he puts out and he is a great guy to deal with.


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## scottzj (Oct 4, 2010)

Well I upgraded the Felt with all Ultegra parts and Dura Ace shifters. It has changed the bike totally and lost some serious weight on it too. I added the carbon seat post, but sent back my Aero 90's are they were junk and kept loosing spokes. But the 50's are still fine and ordered some carbon reynolds.


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## easyridernyc (Jan 10, 2008)

scottzj said:


> Well I upgraded the Felt with all Ultegra parts and Dura Ace shifters. It has changed the bike totally and lost some serious weight on it too. I added the carbon seat post, but sent back my Aero 90's are they were junk and kept loosing spokes. But the 50's are still fine and ordered some carbon reynolds.


nice....how did you find the ultegra and ace shifters?


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## scottzj (Oct 4, 2010)

I just watched ebay and pieced it together one new piece at a time. The dura ace shifters were pull offs of a new bike the rest were new in package. So far I am pretty happy with it all and even with the Aero 50 rims that are a tad heavier than carbon, I am still cool for now.


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## ssm-gd3 (Aug 8, 2010)

nice team color bike in the background!

what do you think has made the biggest difference on your F95 upgrade?


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## Don4 (Jul 29, 2010)

ssm-gd3 said:


> nice team color bike in the background!
> 
> what do you think has made the biggest difference on your F95 upgrade?


Good catch on the Felt in the background. I was too busy looking through it at what I think is a Porsche 928...can't really tell for sure....

That said, the F95 in the foreground is sweet! Nice job!


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## scottzj (Oct 4, 2010)

Good eyes fellaz. Yea thats the team color F95 I bought for the wife. I thought it was pretty sweet and got her that cannondale Mt bike too. 
Yes that is a 1989 Porsche 928 S4.


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## scottzj (Oct 4, 2010)

ssm-gd3 said:


> nice team color bike in the background!
> 
> what do you think has made the biggest difference on your F95 upgrade?


I think the shifting has helped the most. I put thousands of miles on the stock stuff and it got to where I had to tweek it after every ride. The ultegra/dura ace combo is working flawlessly and already have 500 miles on it.


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## Don4 (Jul 29, 2010)

scottzj said:


> Good eyes fellaz. Yea thats the team color F95 I bought for the wife. I thought it was pretty sweet and got her that cannondale Mt bike too.
> Yes that is a 1989 Porsche 928 S4.


Very nice! Shared the thread with my wife who exclaimed "So there is still a car guy in there!", meaning me. Thanks for sharing the pics!


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## zach.scofield (Apr 11, 2010)

Don4 said:


> Very nice! Shared the thread with my wife who exclaimed "So there is still a car guy in there!", meaning me. Thanks for sharing the pics!


I got a similar comment a few weeks ago when I was looking up some car related performance items.


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