Felt Z75 Disc specs and reviews

Alexandersupertramp

I am very interested in purchasing the Felt Z75 Disc. The specs show that it comes with 25c tires. And because it has disc brakes, I was wondering if anyone could tell me if this bike would be capable of accommodating 28c tires? I may also consider the new 2016 Z95 Disc if it would accommodate 28c tires. Any other information or reviews of either of these bikes would be greatly appreciated.

JesseD

Have the non disc 2015 version and it handles everything I throw at it in training, plus I race on it as well (which is where it does feel a little out of its depth IMO).

The only downside to the bike were the wheels, the stock rear wheel kept snapping spokes at the rate of 2 per week, but to be fair to Felt, they sent an upgrade (Shimano wheel) without quibble which has been fine ever since. the only other thing I have changed was the bars to my preferred choice and shape (FSA Wing Pro Compact) and also to a -10 degree stem, apart from that its stock!

I reckon you could fit 28mm tyres on there as you wont have the brake callipers to contend with, however I will have a look later today at how much clearance there is between the tyres and the underneath of the fork and rear brake bridge and let you know.

Overall its a good bike, I cant see me selling it anytime soon, and when I buy a race bike for next year, this will be my dedicated winter/bad weather bike complete with mudguards etc.

Alexandersupertramp

Thanks for the reply Jesse. I am pleased to hear that you are enjoying your bike. I am anxious to hear what you think about putting 28c tires on this bike. Also, curious as to where this bike will hold up on group rides. Do you have your bike set up in it's most aggressive position?

fwgx

I also have the non-disc version of this bike (2015) and think it's great, FWIW. I have it kitted out with mudguards and have used it throughout the winter for commuting as well as for some longer weekend runs out. It's a great looking bike in the flesh - better than the pics online.

JesseD

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19667556#p19667556]Alexandersupertramp[/url] wrote:

Thanks for the reply Jesse. I am pleased to hear that you are enjoying your bike. I am anxious to hear what you think about putting 28c tires on this bike. Also, curious as to where this bike will hold up on group rides. Do you have your bike set up in it's most aggressive position?

Just nipped down to the bike store in work and snapped some pics for you to see the clearance you would be playing with, sorry for the poor quality of them though!

My thoughts are that you could fit 28mm tyres on it but it would be very tight if you plan to run full guards as well.

with regards to how the bike is on group rides, IMO its fine and does everything I ask of it, no issues what-so-ever for training duties.

I have started racing on mine and its there you can feel the weaknesses coming through, feels a bit flexy when sprinting and in the corners, definitely feel some power being lost when sprinting but I am not sure how much of this is the wheels and how much is the frame, but for the level I am riding at the moment its not too much of an issue, however next year I will have a dedicated race bike and wheels.

As for position I am riding a 56cm (I am 6ft) with quite a lot of seatpost showing and the stem slammed with no spacers and a flat headset top cap, I originally used a -6 degree stem and found it too high so have now swapped to a -10 degree stem to lower the bars a bit, I think in a couple of months this will be swapped out to a -17 degree stem to get lower again as I get more flexible and fitter. That said I find the fit fine, its comfortable to ride and overall I am happy with the bike.

The only upgrade I would make apart from contact points would be wheels, I think I will swap out the wheels on there when they break/wear out and get something a bit less flexy and a bit lighter, but its no major issue.

Alexandersupertramp

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19667694#p19667694]fwgx[/url] wrote:

I also have the non-disc version of this bike (2015) and think it's great, FWIW. I have it kitted out with mudguards and have used it throughout the winter for commuting as well as for some longer weekend runs out. It's a great looking bike in the flesh - better than the pics online.

Thanks for the review. In the U.S. market, this bike comes standard with disc breaks. Happy to hear that most owners think the pictures do not do it justice and feel it is aesthetically pleasing. Nice to know that it will take mudguards as well. I am really leaning towards purchasing this bike. I did however get a peek at a pic of the 2016 Z95 disc and have to say that I really like the color scheme of the Blue on Black. Wish this color scheme was available on the Z75.

Alexandersupertramp

Thanks for taking time for the pics Jesse! Looks like there is not much room for bigger tyres. Would surely be a tight squeeze. Really leaning towards this bike. Unfortunately my LBS does not have this in stock. I did test ride a z85 there and I imagine that it would be very close to the same ride as the Z75 with a few minor differences in spec. I am concerned about the quality of the wheels though.

fwgx

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19668070#p19668070]Alexandersupertramp[/url] wrote:

I did test ride a z85 there and I imagine that it would be very close to the same ride as the Z75 with a few minor differences in spec.

Yes, same frame, different components.

Pics of mine here: viewtopic.php?f=40044&t=12991286, sans mudguards. I use SKS raceblade longs on it, but for the disc brake version you'll need something else.

It's nice how it's yellow at the front (apart from inside the forks) and changes to blue at the back. I've even upgraded and got a yellow valve cap at the front and a blue one at the back .

The only difference between the disc and the rim brakes (apart from the obvious) is the crankset, which is shimano 105 on the rim brake version and FSA on the disc.

JesseD

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19668070#p19668070]Alexandersupertramp[/url] wrote:

Thanks for taking time for the pics Jesse! Looks like there is not much room for bigger tyres. Would surely be a tight squeeze. Really leaning towards this bike. Unfortunately my LBS does not have this in stock. I did test ride a z85 there and I imagine that it would be very close to the same ride as the Z75 with a few minor differences in spec. I am concerned about the quality of the wheels though.

The wheels are where most bike manufacturer's save money, as they are all usually working to a price point. The way I looked at it was the price of the bike with full carbon fork and full 105 groupset was very good (not much else around could match this), I also knew that I would replace the wheelset to something more robust and lighter, so was happy to ride these until they broke which I suspect will be in the next year or so. So for me it wasn't a deal breaker. I looked around a lot and as the price bracket goes up, usually the spec goes up but seemingly the quality of the wheels always lags behind the quality of the groupset, I think the rational behind this is that most "cyclists" will change out the wheels to their preferred hoops anyway (which for me is true). My honest opinion is that its a great bike for the money, the only other one I would have considered was the Giant Defy which also had great reviews.

With regards to tyre clearance, the pics make it look a bit more tight than it actually is, I do think you could squeeze 28s under there but not as well as full guards. That said, the 25mm tyres are fine and I don't feel any adverse effects in the way of road feel or comfort, then again I was coming from 23mm tyres so these feel like I have suspension

My advice FWIW, is to go and try out the Z85 and also maybe the Giant Defy and see which one fits you best and which one you like the look of more, as if you like the look of the bike you will ride it more, and if it fits you properly then you are on to a winner!