- Designed for: Road Racing
- Defining Characteristics: Traditional road geometry.
- Materials: Carbon Fiber, Aluminum
If I had to choose just one race bike from Felt as my “do it all” machine, an F-Series frame would be it. As much as I lust after an AR-Series aero frame (you just cannot walk past one without feeling a bit robbed of the air in your chest…the frame is simply a striking design that says “speed.”), the purist and the pragmatist in me would not stray from the classical road geometry of the F series frame.
The polls are split almost evenly among the pros. About half the Garmin pro team riders choose the F-Series frame, while the other half choose the AR-Series.
With that in mind and with our own eye for how we see the strengths of each, we chose the F-Series in its aluminum built frames. Our belief is that Felt simply offers the best value on the market in these bikes. We’ve selected the F-75, F-95 Team (a paint replica tribute model) and the F-95 models. These models are all handsomely equipped with Shimano 105 and Tiagra blended groupos that bring them in from $775 – $1,500.
The F75
The F75 is where Felt moves into Aluminum as its choice of frame material with carbon fiber seat stays a carbon fork with aluminum steer tube. Truth be told, this bike is a gem with true Belgium crit style design (and we sell it as a frame set too!) There are points at which aluminum just cannot be beat and it’s our opinion that for raw stiffness and out of the corner point-and-shoot performance, aluminum wins a place among hearts. The choice to add carbon at the seat stays is truly a “best of both worlds” design – one that was widely used in the late 90’s as many companies dabbled in various concepts and that was without question one of the most sensible designs ever done.
Sadly aluminum has somehow lost some of its luster amongst the throngs of composite frames, it doesn’t tend to get stacked up in the model line ups like they used to. So the F75 gets dressed in a modest blend of Shimano 105 and R600 compact drive components and is a more-than-excellent starting point for the serious road rider. At only $1,470, this bike is a shining example of how well Felt bleeds such great technology into prices that others seemingly don’t take serious enough.
The F95 & F95 Team Edition
At $770 and $800 respectively, the F95 and F95 Team Edition represent excellent aluminum alloy-built entry level road frames with traditional horizontal top tube frame geometry. For the purist on a tighter budget who seeks a proper fitting road frame, the F-series design is well represented in these two bikes adorned with Shimano Tiagra and FSA series components. The Team Edition pays homage to the Garmin Pro Team with team inspired graphics – an upgrade that a youthful new road rider will enjoy as he or she aspires to feel like a pro on their first road bike.
