I posted below about considering a Felt F60 at a pretty good price and discovered that the wheel set is, by most folk's opinion... crap.

Here's my choices in my current price range (I could afford more but ain't doing it until I have a good feel for the roadie market): I will be test riding them over the next 3 days...

'05 Felt F60
'06 Specialized Allez Elite Triple
'06 Trek 1500

I won't go into the component differences - you who know road bikes know.

A triple is for me... hills galore around here, and I'm no Ulrich.

Which bike is going to be most favorable to someone 6'-4", 205 lb., who is going to do training rides in the 15 - 20 mile range, with "distance" rides of 30 - 50 miles? I'm not going to be doing any century rides, or crits, or anything like that.

I've read many reviews here, talked to many of the respective bike dealers in the area, and am still bewildered by the choices... too much hype by each dealer!

Help. Please. I'm no Lance wannabe (though I am in the Austin area and he IS the King, so don't bad mouth him in front of me!)... I just want to make the right decision for the dollars spent.

And an apology to the hard core who get bored by newbies like me asking the same questions for the thousandth time... they're new questions for me :)

Thanks again to all who respond. RBR is definitely the best road bike forum in America and it's been invaluable to me so far in my search.

-Led-

I would go with the Felt , I have a F90 and love it.

Great components for the price and a great ride.

Go with the bike YOU like. Sure, the wheels may not be the best in the world - but all manufacturers mix componenets to keep the prices as low as possible. Almost everyone who buys a bike looks a 'better' wheels. But, do you think that most people really will notice the difference in wheels? Assuming they are not professional, or talanted amatuers, anyway.

I suspect the wheels will serve you will. You can always upgrade later - I see wheels on sale all the time from various mail order supplies, and on Ebay (But would probably stick with suppliers). You have to like your bike in order to ride it. It does not matter if I think your bike is 'less than adequate' if it does not carry a certain type wheel.

I like the way the Felts look, although I am no big fan of the visible weld marks on most bikes. Their finish is good, the one I rode I liked well enough.

So long as the frame fits, I think you will like it.

Sinclair

That Specialized is a really nice bike IMHO. Honestly, buy the bike that fits you well from the shop that threated you the best. Most bikes in that price range are pretty well built. Sometimes you just have to pull the trigger and start riding.


:)

I ended up going w the Spec Allez Elite. It was the first road bike I tried and kept coming back to it because it fit me perfectly off the rack. I also felt more confident on the bike for whatever reason and this along with my satisfaction of that LBS closed the deal.

This is what worked for me. I bought my road bike six weeks ago so obviously there are many more knowledgable folks on the board than I. You'll hear and I'm sure have read to ride everything and go with what feels best to you. Do this, and try to find what YOU feel is the best mix confidence, comfort, and quality both in the bike and the LBS.

I ended up going w the Spec Allez Elite. It was the first road bike I tried and kept coming back to it because it fit me perfectly off the rack. I also felt more confident on the bike for whatever reason and this along with my satisfaction of that LBS closed the deal.

This is what worked for me. I bought my road bike six weeks ago so obviously there are many more knowledgable folks on the board than I. You'll hear and I'm sure have read to ride everything and go with what feels best to you. Do this, and try to find what YOU feel is the best mix confidence, comfort, and quality both in the bike and the LBS.

I got a Specialized Allez triple and I love it, but's all up to what you feel the best on..

I got the Specialized Allez Elite Double also, it's a great bike.. no real need for a triple in my area, they dont' even stock them. Really great ride... you could probably save a couple hundred if you buy the 05 though.

I'm assuming these bikes are in the same price range. If so, they probably have somewhat equivalent components; one may have better wheels, one may have a better drivetrain, etc.

If it matters to you, the Trek may be welded in the US; the Felt and Specialized will be welded in Taiwan.

In the end, it comes down to the bike that you think fits and looks best. The more you like the bike and the more it resonates with you, the more you are likely to ride. And that's what is most important.

Trek....

At 6'4 and 205... the load on wheels will be pretty high. If you notice, many wheels even have weight limits in the 175 range. This is a big fella for a little skinny tire, and even if a beginner doesn't really notice a performance difference, he will notice wheels coming out of true, and getting some silly flex on substandard wheels, especially under standing power. At 205, and a beginning rider, Id want something that is a solid performer that will hold true. For beginners, especially those on the heavy side, the best economical choice in my mind is a 32xUltegra hub to open pros, or maybe cxp33s. The open pros are a solid choice and laced 3x are pretty close to bombproof without a great weight penalty. Nice middle-ground wheel if you ask me for someone in the 200-250 range. The 33s are kind of a toss up, the more aero rim would offer some greater lateral rim strength, but there are some other weight penalties... but either would be an ideal choice and an upgrade that would be worth the extra $$$.

The most important thing is fit, then wheels.

If you live in Austin, I would also consider the shop you are buying from. I live in Lubbock, but drove to Austin to buy my bike because there aren't many shops here. In three days, I hit about 15 shops.

I had a great experience with 360 Cycleworks. I ultimately bought my C-dale Six 13 from them. They answered all my questions and had no problem letting me ride whatever I wanted. They gave me good routes to test the bikes on real roads, not just parking lots, and cut me a good deal on my accessories - they threw in two cages and bottles and t-shirts for my wife and I free, took 50% off the pedals and 15% off everything else. Zak and Seth were both really helpful. They also fitted me for each bike on a trainer before I test rode it. I probably spent about 6 hours there total over the three days - my wife was really ticked off until she found the Mexian restaurant next door and their margaritas. She now wants to move to Austin, but I digress.

360 Cycleworks carries Felt, as well as Cannondale and Scott, which are two other options you might consider. I like Cannondale, and the R700 is in your price range (it is also an American made frame, which I prefer though doesn't mean it is any better quality than a Taiwanese frame), but it may not fit you. As to the quality of the Felt F-60, it's a pretty good bike, but you're right, you don't get great wheels, and the brakes are also kind of cheap too, but you could upgrade those pretty cheaply.

I wasnt' as impressed with the Trek and Specialized dealers there. At both Bicycles Sport Shop locations I had trouble getting service, and when I did, none of the sales people seemed that interested in helping me. And at Freewheeling Bicycles, the salesman seemed more interested in pushing what he wanted to get rid of than what I was interested in buying. I was looking for a Madone, and he wanted to sell me a Lemond Chamberly.

As for the quality of the bikes, the Trek 1500 is a solid bike, though it isn't made in the US. I can't speak to the quality of the Allez, a lot of people on this board love it, though if memory serves me correct, the wheels on the Felt and Allez are very similar, if not the same.

If you live in Austin, I would also consider the shop you are buying from. I live in Lubbock, but drove to Austin to buy my bike because there aren't many shops here. In three days, I hit about 15 shops.

I had a great experience with 360 Cycleworks. I ultimately bought my C-dale Six 13 from them. They answered all my questions and had no problem letting me ride whatever I wanted. They gave me good routes to test the bikes on real roads, not just parking lots, and cut me a good deal on my accessories - they threw in two cages and bottles and t-shirts for my wife and I free, took 50% off the pedals and 15% off everything else. Zak and Seth were both really helpful. They also fitted me for each bike on a trainer before I test rode it. I probably spent about 6 hours there total over the three days - my wife was really ticked off until she found the Mexian restaurant next door and their margaritas. She now wants to move to Austin, but I digress.

360 Cycleworks carries Felt, as well as Cannondale and Scott, which are two other options you might consider. I like Cannondale, and the R700 is in your price range (it is also an American made frame, which I prefer though doesn't mean it is any better quality than a Taiwanese frame), but it may not fit you. As to the quality of the Felt F-60, it's a pretty good bike, but you're right, you don't get great wheels, and the brakes are also kind of cheap too, but you could upgrade those pretty cheaply.

I wasnt' as impressed with the Trek and Specialized dealers there. At both Bicycles Sport Shop locations I had trouble getting service, and when I did, none of the sales people seemed that interested in helping me. And at Freewheeling Bicycles, the salesman seemed more interested in pushing what he wanted to get rid of than what I was interested in buying. I was looking for a Madone, and he wanted to sell me a Lemond Chamberly.

As for the quality of the bikes, the Trek 1500 is a solid bike, though it isn't made in the US. I can't speak to the quality of the Allez, a lot of people on this board love it, though if memory serves me correct, the wheels on the Felt and Allez are very similar, if not the same.

Yup, from the reviews of the site, the wheels on the Allez are a bit dodgy, I've had no problems so far, but I'm looking into Mavic Ksyrium Elites maybe next season. Mind you, I'm only 5'10 150lbs... listen to funk, you probably want to get a better wheelset. The only real issues with the allez are the generic brakes, and the wheels, everything else I think is good with the bike. the generic brakes you can fix easily by swapping the pads for some Kool Stops, those will save your rims. otherwise it is a pretty sweet bike. Though it might be worth getting a better wheelset with your new bike, ask if you can swap that stock wheelset for something else for a little extra.

Unless you are hell bent on supporting the american economy (nttawwt), it doesn't matter where the frame is made. a taiwanese/chinese factory can only produce top quality if they are provided with top quality materials. you can argue worksmanship, but i think that is rather marginal at this price level.

Been ok for me and I'm 6'1'' 220. One LBS said the Allez wheel problems were fixed in '05. Could have been a sales ploy but I have no complaints. They're relatively heavy, not pretty, and you can't thrash 'em like your on a MTB but they'll do the job.

Still comes down to what you like and finding a good LBS. That may be trek, felt, spec or something else. If you're really nervous about the wheelset ask about your alternatives and their advantages. See if they'll set em up on the bike your interested in for a new test ride. Then you can see if you can feel the diff and get a good feel for the service of the LBS.