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F4rword
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Felt B16 review

  • Price Paid:$1,899.00
  • User rating:
    (3.4)
  • Would buy again from this company: No
  • Used product for: 1 years
  • # of logged workouts: 0

"Based on teh recall experience I cannot recommend the FElt. Though I thinks its overall a great bike and a great value for carbon triathlon, the personal exposure to the safety issue results in a big NOT RECOMMENDED."F4rword

(0)

Ease of installation

Yes, simple

(4)

Ease of use

REasonably easy to use

(1)

Quality of Construction

Part of a product recall the front steer tube on the bike DID break while biking, and I was lucky not to have been injured.

(4)

Fit

Good fit

(4)

Comfort

REasonalbly comfortable

(4)

Adjustability

yes

(1)

Durability

Again, aluminum steer tube broke after less than a year of use and not due to a crash or particularly hard use. About 3000 miles on the bike.

(3)

Value

Its a great value at around $2000, but the recall break has been a major inconvenience in the middle fo peak training for an IM

(5)

Appearance

Very hot looking bike, lots of compliments

(4)

Customer Service

Reasonable.

(4)

Performance

I've had some of my best race perfomrances on this bike, but now am a bit nervous about using it for balls to the wall competing....

Strengths

I love this bike. It looks great and perfomrs well. Upgrade the crankset to DuraAce as it ships with a marginal no-name brand.

Weakness

Wow....I have a Felt B16 and my front fork snapped.

I had just had a race on Saturday and had some roling downhills with speeds 35mph+ , then on Sunday while on a 90-mile training mile my steering suddenly went all to hell while on a flat paved bike trail at mile 50. There was a grinding noise while turning steeering wheel and steering was sloppy and pulled all over the place. Limped it into a gas station, bought some WD-40 (I know, I know...it was an emergency decision and would not and have not ever done it before, I just thought I could clear out some gunk causing the problem so I could limp home and then clean it out) in the fork tube area. Didn't help and had to ask my wife to pack the kids and come get me - an 1 1/2 hour round trip.
Transported the B16 to the bike shop on Monday where I bought it and they didn't find anything wrong...8-( but told me about the recall and asked if I'd received a notice. Nope and nope. Nothing. So, I filled out paperwork to get the new fork and they sent me off and told me not to use WD40 (yeah, okay thanks for that) and said they'd looked at the front post and didn't see anything wrong and sent me on my way....

Getting on the bike on Wednesday I knew immediately the steering was still jacked up. Luckily I didn't get into the aero's or go more than 15 mph (my usual commute route is about 20 mph with top speeds around 35 mph)....stopped several times as the steering was very sloppy. Tried tightening and then loosening the main post lugs a few times.

Then after stopping at an intersection pushed off and heard a snap and front fork collapsed into the wheel. Caught myself going forward and luckily did not go down in the intersection. I could see that the front fork aluminum down tube had snapped off just above the fork - holy moly. If that would have occurred at any of a number of 25-45 mph moment in the past few weeks I don't even want to imagine what could have occurred.

Called a co-worker and got a lift to work and let me borrow her car to bring the bike to the bike shop. "Hey," I said, "I found the steering problem."

On the way to the bike shop I had called Felt and told them I had a broken steer tube in the front fork. "Dave" said it might not be the recall issue...huh? What? But since the bike was under warranty they'd take care of it. I told him I was in the middle of peak trainingperiod for Louisville IM and wanted the repair ASAP. He said if the paperwork was faxed to him today he could get the new fork sent to arrive Thursday.

Meanwhile, back at the bike shop. They called Dave at Felt and turned out best he could do was expidite new fork to arrive on Friday for retrofit (which I can live with). The bike shop guys noted that I could rent a bike for training..., yea thanks for that how about another Felt.....

Anyhow, slightly freaked out about the whole deal. Didn't get the recall notice, bike shop didn't catch the real problem on Monday, and mostly just thinking about all my efforst to "train safe" only to discover I was riding a ticking time bomb.

I basically just got very lucky....

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