Monday, December 14, 2009

Product Review 14 - Felt F2SL - Sweet!











I had this bike as a loner and I rode it 5 times for a total of just over 4 hours. Before riding this wonderful bike I had a Lemond Sarthe (steel frame) with Shimano Ultegra components and a Bontrager crank. The Felt is a full carbon bike and it is as stiff as the full steel Lemond and light as a feather. I own a full carbon tri bike and the Felt F2SL feels lighter than that bike, it also handles better. The Felt comes standard with the new Shimano Dura-Ace 7900 group which is the nicest shifting component group I have ever ridden. Both the front and rear shifting is solid and precise. I shifted up and down hills and under low and high cadence and it always shifted perfectly. In my opinion, there is a difference, a noticeable difference, between the Ultegra and Dura-Ace. Now, the Ultegra group on my Lemond was 3+ years old and I know there is a new Ultegra group that might be better, so the comparison might not be valid. Also, I only put about 4 hours on the bike, so I have no idea of the durability of the component group. The braking was crisp and sure. I believe this bike is a 2009 and has a list price in the neighborhood of $4800, but I believe it can be purchased now for around $3500, while they last. $3500 for a full carbon road bike (frame, forks, handle bars, seat post) with Dura-Ace is a steal, considering the Dura-Ace components by themselves retail for over $2000. If had the money, I would definitely purchase this bike.

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