Felt F95: Best Budget Road Bike for Aspiring Racers

drbob — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 17:56:57 +0000

Budget Road Bike for Aspiring Racers
Felt F95 Team Issue
MSRP $850
ConsumerSearch.com has synthesized multiple reviews of road bike and concluded the Felt F95 is the best budget road bike for cyclist who desire to become road racers. Below is what they concluded.

The Trek 1.2 offers a comfortable and stable ride for beginners, but new riders with lofty race ambitions may prefer the racy and sporty Felt F95 Team Issue. The aluminum-framed Felt road bike offers a more race-oriented positioning than the Trek 1.2, and it has a compact crank set instead of a triple chainring. Outside magazine picks the Felt 95 Team Issue as one of the best road bikes of the year, saying it's a "ton of bike for the money." Reviewers say it has great acceleration while sprinting, but they also say the bike is better suited to flat, low-mileage rides than long hauls.
The Felt F95 Team Issue is built as a bike for beginners, but reviewers say it doesn't sacrifice performance. Unlike the Trek 1.2 or the Giant Defy 3, the Felt F95 Team Issue has sportier positioning that reviewers say is great for fast, low-mileage riding. It also has a compact -- instead of a triple -- crank set and an eight-speed cassette, meaning you'll have fewer gearing options than on other entry-level bikes in this category. The Felt F95 Team Issue has an aluminum frame, carbon fork, Shimano 2200 STI shifters and a Shimano Tiagra rear derailleur. Several reviewers pick this road bike as one of the best options for beginners. Testers say it has good sprinting power but say it may be limited to flat roads rather than hilly long rides. The Felt F95 Team Issue also earns praise for a wide range of sizes -- eight in all -- and the attractive (to some) Team Garmin color scheme. If you want a bike for high mileage, reviewers say the comfortable, upright positioning on the Trek 1.2 (MSRP: $880) may be better fit.
The best reviews of the Felt F95 Team Issue come from Bicycling and Outside magazines. Both publications conduct extensive testing for their road bike reviews, and they present balanced and thorough overviews. There are two reviews from Bicycling magazine, and one includes tester comments. There is also a brief mention of the Felt F95 Team Issue in a Buyer's Guide from RoadCyclingUK.com.

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Trek 1.2: Best Budget Road Bike

drbob — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 17:44:31 +0000

Road Bike Reviews
Updated June 2009

Best Budget road bike
Trek 1.2
ConsumerSearch.com has synthesized multiple reviews of road bike and concluded the Trek 1.2 is the best budget road bike. A great first road bike. Below is what they concluded.

For beginning cyclists, reviewers say it's hard to beat the Trek 1.2. This road bike is comfortable, has a wide range of gears and provides stable handling at a great price. Like most road bikes under $1,000, the Trek 1.2has an aluminum frame and uses less expensive components like Shimano Sora shifters and derailleurs. As a result, owners say the shifting is not as fluid as it could be, and the brakes take a few hits for lacking power. Still, the Trek 1.2 is widely recognized as a good choice for those new to road biking, and Bicycling magazine picks it as one of the best road bikes under $1,000. Trek doesn't neglect female riders -- they offer a women-specific design, the Trek 1.2 WSD, for the same price.

The Trek 1.2 is widely hailed as a great road bike for beginners. Thanks to comfortable, upright positioning and stable handling, reviewers say this bike performs well for its intended audience -- new riders. Like most road bikes in this price range, the Trek 1.2 has an aluminum frame and uses components from Shimano's lower-end Sora group, including shifters and derailleurs. It has a triple chainring, which reviewers say is a good choice for beginners, because it gives a wider range of gears and to help with hills. Testers say the Trek 1.2 provides a comfortable ride with good acceleration, but they also note that the brakes are somewhat weak. The most common complaint involves the bike's shifting; multiple reviewers mention that the shifter can hesitate on hills and isn't the smoothest. For women, Trek makes a women-specific model, the Trek 1.2 WSD, for the same price. Beginners seeking a racier road bike may want to take a look at the Felt F95 Team Issue (MSRP: $850). It's priced similarly to the Trek 1.2, but it offers a sportier ride and Team Garmin colors.

We found the best reviews of the Trek 1.2 at Bicycling magazine and the Los Angeles Times. Both publications test the road bike and present balanced reviews that note pros and cons. The Trek 1.2 also gets brief reviews in The Boston Globe and in Fitness magazine, but it appears that these sources haven't actually tested the bike. There are a number of owner-written reviews on sites like Buzzillions.com, but the reviews are somewhat dated. But if you are considering buying a used Trek 1.2, this can be a great resource because the reviews go back several years.