Felt F85 info needed

fireant4

Hi

I'm looking at getting a Felt F85. Has anyone know of any reason why i should avoid this bike?
Also I'm buying of line (i know i should ride before buy) so i was wondering or wanting so advice on what size to go for? I'm 5"10

Thanks
Tony

TMR

Why have you chosen that particular bike?

fireant4

After looking at various bikes in the F85 price range i got heart set on this one..

I went to a few shops in london and looked at Cannondales and Treks but from what i was told Felt was my best choice. I may change a few components as i hear the felts are there own basics to keep cost down.

Any info welcome

redvision

fireant4 wrote:

Hi

I'm looking at getting a Felt F85. Has anyone know of any reason why i should avoid this bike?
Also I'm buying of line (i know i should ride before buy) so i was wondering or wanting so advice on what size to go for? I'm 5"10

Thanks
Tony

i have recently bought this bike for Training & commuting.
I'm 5ft 10 with inside leg of 32" and the 56cm frame fits perfect.

For the money the bike is excellent value.
first off the bike looks fantastic. The colour scheme is simple but looks very nice.
The frame is excellent & worthy of upgrades.

On the road the ride is very comfortable. It is responsive and handles very well.

Buying it for a training bike / commuter i was delighted that there was enough clearance for cruds.

The spec is very good for the money. i was pleasantly surprised by the wheels which so far have been excellent.
Although you may want to upgrade the tyres.

BUT the shifters are terrible imo. Compared to shimano 105 they are awkward & fiddly, and with winter gloves they are practically impossible to use.

I would definitely recommend this bike, but be warned about the microshift levers.

bobones

I've done around 2.5k miles on my 2011 F85 since August it's a cracking bike. Felt produces good looking bikes with an attention to detail and finish that sets them apart from the run of mill. The 2012 frame is improved with a tapered head tube which is pretty rare at this price point. The bottom bracket shell is standard English threaded whereas higher end models have BB30. Given all the problems with BB30 then this isn't really a setback.

One point of contention are the Microshift shifters. I moved mine to my winter bike and put Shimano 5700 on the Felt. The MS shifters work perfectly well, but are "clicky" compared to the smooth and quiet Shimanos. Unlike the previous poster, I have no issues with the ergonomics of the shifters, but do prefer the 5700s. I'm riding with the MS shifters regularly on my winter bike with all this rain, and the more I use them the less their noisiness annoys me and the more I appreciate how accurately they work.

I believe the 2012 model has a 105 RD and Microshift FD which is supposed to work better than the 105 FD with non-105 chainsets. I can believe this as I had some minor issues with the trim function on the MS shifters when paired with the 105 FD of the 2011 F85.

I've since upgraded the wheels (Dura-Ace C24), tyres (Schwalbe Ultremo HD), saddle (Fizik Arione CX), chainset (FSA SLK light) and brakes (Planet X CNC) from the stock and I am very happy with the ride and looks of the bike. I prefer the colour scheme of mine to the 2012 bikes, but having seen the blue 2012 F85 in the flesh I thought it was a superb looking machine. I'm sure you'll be delighted with the Felt if you decide to purchase it.

BTW, I'm 5'11 with 34in inseam and ride a 56 with a lot of seat post showing. A 58 might have worked for me but guys in the shop thought I was a little stretched on it. I would say the 56 would be perfect for you at 5'10 assuming normal proportions.

jamy99

Can I ask which bottom bracket you use when upgrading your chainset to an FSA SLK light. I too am looking at this upgrade for an F85 but have two options for bottom bracket. One is a PF30, the other a BSA Thread Bottom Bracket. Would both fit?

bobones

The F85 has a threaded BB so the BSA one is the correct option.

jamy99

Excellent, thank you