Felt V's Dolan...First Carbon purchase....help!

rawcas

Hello all....help on an all too familiar 'what should I get' conundrum please!

I've had the go ahead to grab a Cycle To Work Scheme bargain, now comes the headache of what to spend my tax free dollars on. I'm set on owning something carbon framed as well.

Have been looking through all sorts in the last few days but at the moment it's a straight up fight between the Dolan Mythos with SRAM Rival and optional Mavic Aksiums (£1,120) or the Felt F5 with 105 (on offer at Wiggle for £1072). The Dolan seems to have a good following but the Felt seems to have a very well respected frame for the money that appears on much higher spec bikes.

Usage for me will be supplemental riding to help general fitness for my main sport of open water swimming, summer season commuting (MTB hack to stay for the winter months) and the odd Triathlon.

Have also considered Planet X SL pro Carbon but the comparative spec available for the price is not as good. There is also the KHS Flite 500 AK, not technically full Carbon but very good reviews, but there is no UK stock at the moment either with no real promise on when it will be available again.

Help please before I spend several more tortuous hours trawling the internet !!!

roscoe94

I had the same square off a couple of months ago. I went for the Mythos although I really regret it now. First had a nightmare trying to contact Dolan to get advice (confirmation) on the odd compact sizing of the frame. Was told they would phone back around 7-8 times but received no phone call back. Finally ordered the bike and got a phone call about 4 weeks later saying that they didn't have the gearing option I wanted and it would be at least a month wait for the requested so I decided to take what they had as I had waited a while on the bike and wasn't wanting to wait any longer. When the bike turned up there was also different components on it to what was specified. I like to keep all my finishing kit the same but there was Dolan and Deda components replacing some 3T. Turned up about a week after Dolan said they had despatched it, not Dolan's fault I would assume but Royal Mail's or Parcelforce. Took it out for a test drive and the rear hanger presumably must have been damaged during delivery causing the rear mech to go through the wheel destroying the chain, mech and the hanger. Contacted Dolan to see what they could do and they were going to send out parts for me to fit if I sent the totalled parts back to them. Considering the money I had just spent, especially only being a poor 18 year old student, I did not expect to be fixing a brand new bike. After refusing this option, I received no parts from Dolan and a hefty bill replacing parts out of my own wallet. Dolan just didn't seem to have any time for me, which was quite the contrary to what the few people I had heard talking about them had said. I don't know if it's just the online side of it or whether it's a problem with the company. I know it's not solely Dolan's fault but I received a faulty bike and when speaking to a friend who works with trading standards told me I was well within my rights to get Dolan to fix the bike for me. However, after the hassle I had already been through, left it alone. At the time I had no experience of dealing with the technical side of the bike so did not have a clue what to check and wouldn't have noticed a bent hanger. In hindsight, the Felt F5 would probably have been the better option. The Dolan seems very flexy at the rear and I'm only a 9 stone lightweight so definitely no major wattage being exerted through the bike. I have since ridden the F5 and it seems like a great frame and far superior to the Dolan. It also, in my opinion, looks a lot better than the Dolan. If I had the choice again, my money would be securely with the F5. No waiting time on the bike being built, the spec will be as it says and after having had a few problems with items bought from Wiggle, I can be certain that their customer service is nothing less than great. Personally, if/when I buy my next bike it will be from physical bike store definitely not online. Sorry about the essay, I can't stop my fingers typing when they get started on this subject.

rawcas

Hmm, interesting stuff....cheers for the reply.

Seems some of the UK manufacturers/suppliers are letting things slip a little with their customer service. I've just been reading a couple of threads about Planet X bikes being shipped with the wrong kit and to compound it my brothers brand new Pro Carbon turned up today with the wrong brakes, tyres and other various other mismatches (although I have to add that overall he is really pleased with it).

You're right, it seems as Dolan was not at fault for some of the problems but it's not the first post I've read about slightly up and down service (some really good experiences....some equally bad).

Having spent the best part of a whole evening playing with the Ribble bike builder (and getting even more confused), I cant help think that the F5 might well be the option...when you consider the frame comes as standard on bikes further up the Felt range with £3k+ price points it seems to say a lot and all advice seems to lead to getting the best frame possible and building on that. On top of that I'll also be able to fall back on the Wiggle 30 day return option.

The flex in the Dolan frame is also interesting as I'm a little on the larger side at 6 '2" so it's concerning that that might be a problem....anyone else got any views on this?

sporttourer

Don't forget the Wiggle 30 day return option does not apply to sale bikes!

DavidJB

Roscoe...why would you ride a new bike without checking it over first...! Lesson learned I suppose. I don't trust anyone but me checking over a bike after work is done....after all it me who face plants tarmac if things go wrong.

rawcas

sporttourer wrote:

Don't forget the Wiggle 30 day return option does not apply to sale bikes!

Good point....will be out and about on Saturday trying to track an F5 (or nearest derivative) down for a test!

Rushmore

The Felt F series is great... Race Geometry... Really nice bikes...

corriebee1

I'm kinda in the same boat, but thinking the Z6 Geometry might be a little bit better for e as this will be my first serious road bike and I have a very tight back/hamstrings etc. Despite years of competitive sport and all the stretching involved, it seems I'm just never going to be able to bend all that well!

The Felt bikes on wiggle do look like good deals at the moment. Just trying to talk myself into making the jump!!

roscoe94

David, when I get any work carried out on my bike now, I know what to check. Back then I didn't have a clue. I got it out of the box and the frame was in one piece, the wheels moved and the gears shifted so it passed my inadequate checks. Complete newbie behaviour, I know. I spent more time worrying about going fast and less about things going wrong.

rawcas

Cheers for the posts guys. Off to try the Felt locally tomorrow morning so hopefully I'll know more come Monday as to where those tax free £'s will be spent

corriebee1

Well?

What's the verdict?! Did you get on well with the Felt?