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jrensink78
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Felt B16 review

  • Price Paid:$1,500.00
  • User rating:
    (4.7)
  • Would buy again from this company: Yes
  • Used product for: 1 months
  • # of logged workouts: 12

"I would think that this should be considered a very solid entry level carbon bike. I'm sure it's probably all that most any beginner/intermediate racer would need. Possible upgrades may be a different seat and better wheels for race day. But I think you'd be hard pressed to find a superior bike at the same price point."jrensink78

(0)

Ease of installation

My LBS assembled the bike for me. So no work was done on my part. Cannot rate this category.

(5)

Ease of use

It's a pretty standard tri bike. Shifters on the aero bars operate well. Rear shifter click into each gear. Front shifter operates in a smooth linear fashion so you can trim the derailleur to avoid chain rub depending on your rear gear. Brake levers work fine.

(5)

Quality of Construction

Construction appears to be good. I haven't noticed any items that they cheaped out on.

(5)

Fit

Fit will probably be an ongoing process as I get more experience on the bike as well as on a tri bike in general. But it is very customizable in terms of fit. You should have a couple of seat mounting positions. The aero bars have good adjustability in terms of width, height, forward/back, and angle. The bars will probably need to be cut down to size once you dial in your desired position, or you may risk bumping your knees into them when out of the saddle. But my LBS knew that and is taking care of that when the time comes.

(4)

Comfort

Since this is my first tri bike, it's hard to know exactly what to expect. I may have to update after I get my fit completely dialed in. But overall the bike is fairly comfortable as is. The seat would probably be considered adequate. I'm guessing some people will want to upgrade it. I'm keeping it for now and will see how my body ultimately adjusts to it over the off season. The carbon frame seems to do its job of helping to absorb some of the road vibration and bumps. The fitting options for the areo bars should allow you to find a comfortable areo position. Areo bar pads are fine and haven't been a source of any discomfort.

(5)

Adjustability

Pretty good options here. A couple of seat mounting positions. Plenty of seat height adjustability. The Aero bars are very adjustable as mentioned in the fit category..

(4)

Durability

Here I'll have to make assumptions. But you have a good quality carbon frame that should give you many years of riding. Front and rear derailleurs are Shimano Ultegra brand which should also give you years of quality operation. Cranks, cassette, shifters, and wheels are probably more middle of the road.

(5)

Value

I bought this bike for the killer price of $1500. I don't know how you are going to get much better of a deal for the Felt name, a good carbon frame, and Ultegra derailleurs. I would still call it a good deal at its retail price.

(5)

Appearance

I think it looks sharp. It's all black and white. The frame looks nice and aerodynamic. Decent looking fonts and color/graphics design. No complaints.

(0)

Customer Service

Cannot speak to Felt's customer service as I haven't used them yet. the LBS that I purchased it through has been great so far.

(4)

Performance

I know that I'm definitely the limiting factor with this bike. But I've been very happy with its performance. Shifting has been smooth. It responds well as I'm climbing. Haven't been taking hard corners yet. But it's been stable going down the road. I haven't had issues going in and out of aero position. The stock wheels are on the heavier side. So you have to put in some extra effort to accelerate.

Strengths

I think the strengths of the bike come from the quality frame and components at the price level. This bike can get people onto a frame with some good components that would probably serve them well for many years to come. It can also grow with the racer by accepting upgrades over time as desired.

Weakness

This bike probably wouldn't be the final bike of the FOP crowd. But that's not the positioning of the bike. For the beginner/intermediate racers, they may want to swap out the seat and grab some lighter wheels for race day. It also only has built-in mounts for 1 water bottle.

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Buyers clubB16
  • 132 people use
  • 6052 workouts logged
  • 175484.61 miles / 11130.58 hours logged