The F90 replaced the F85 last year, and at $599-629 offers a lot of value for a bike that sells for a price in between an Apple iPod and the cheapest Windows laptop computer. It's outfitted with Shimano 8-speed Sora, but with Tiagra rear derailleur. The triple crank has been upgraded to FSA RPM, and the VP bottom bracket on previous years' models is also not FSA
The fork has carbon legs—very rare in a bike of this price—aluminum crown, chrome moly steerer. This makes this F90 a "big people's" bike technologically speaking, and Felt is to be saluted.
This bike has a non-integrated headset, which is no big deal. I have $5000 bikes in my garage with non-integrated headsets. I point this out just to disclose information—Felt's road bike headsets are integrated in every other model.
F80
This—and every—road frame Felt makes has been redesigned for 2005. Head tubes are a bit taller, headsets are integrated, geometry has been rejiggered.
This is a Tiagra bike, though with the FSA RPM crank/bb as the F90. It's got 31.8mm bars and stems, all the rage in road race these days but an entirely meaningless, even frivolous trend. But I don't mind it, it doesn't really hurt anything, and I don't blame Felt for adopting the latest must-have feature.
Felt has ditched the Continental 1000 tires for its own Felt Inertia mode but, as opposed to the Mavic CXP21 rims Felts used to have in this price range, now it's the Alex DA22. The bike sells for $769-$809, and as has been the case this bike is fully $200 below a similarly spec'd bike from most other companies (Giant being the obvious exception—Giant and Felt fight it out neck and neck in this price and spec category).
F70
The big difference in frames between the F70, which sells for $999 to $1069, and the models below it is the carbon rear end. Considering its integrated head tube, and the reworked geometry, this frame is the first bike in Felt's line that has all the important road frame features found on bikes that cost $2000. The F70's accompaniment to these features is down-spec'd, no doubt, but with Shimano 105, an FSA Gossamer triple crank, Shimano R500 wheels and Vittoria tires, if you lose a race it won't be because of the frame.
F65
It's got the same frame as F70, but with a no-excuses parts kit. Spec'd with an Ultegra 10-speed shift system, this is one of the very few road bikes you'll find that sports a 10-speed drive train for under $1400. Rounding the drive train out is an FSA Gossamer double crank, along with Tektro brake calipers, Alex ALX220 wheels and Vittoria Action HSD tires. There's a leather saddle, a carbon seat post, pretty much all the required up-specs for a very nice bike. This model sells for $1329 to $1399, and at this level the #7005 tubes get butted to reduce weight. In referring to the parts kit as "no excuses" what I mean is, now if you lose the race it's not just the frame that is excused from blame, but the entire bike. Bikes at this level are good enough to win a stage at the Tour de France.
The F60 is the same bike as the one above, however with FSA's triple chainring crank instead of double.
Felt's website is here.
