Felt F-series Project

[OwenN]

Greetings all. This thread will contain pictures and information on my Felt F-series project.

For many years I've been riding on elite teams that have provided at least some equipment to me. The equipment has usually included a loaner bicycle or a bicycle that I have purchased at a very good price. For 2012 I will not be a member of a team that requires me to use a particular bicycle. Therefore I'm fully revamping my ride from 2011. In 2011 I purchased a Felt F5 at a super deal. Since I am very happy with the ride characteristics and weight of the carbon frame from Felt I am starting with it as my base and will replace nearly every component around it.

In addition to changing out nearly every component on the bicycle I am also reworking the look and style. I have started sanding down the frame. Currently, I am undecided on how to finish the frame after sanding. My first thought was to add some simple decals and clear coat the frame. However, it seems the whole black bike thing is pretty played out. So instead I am likely to have a professional paint the frame silver and add back some simple decals.

Anyway, let's see some pictures of what I'm working with so far.

Here's a picture of what I started with. I was never of fan of the excess decals running all over the bike.


Here is the frame and fork with decals sanded off.


More sanding. So far I have simply removed decals. A lot more sanding will be needed before paint can be added.


Here are some of the parts I will be using for this build. See build list below.


Below is the build list as it stands now. I have all these items on hand. Most weights are directly observed by me using the actual part I will use. Bar tape, housings, etc. are estimates based on info from this very site. Self-imposed restrictions for my build include alloy bar and stem, alloy clinchers, Quarq power meter, among others. Fit, budget, and appearance are also of utmost importance.

Felt F5 Light Build
Component Type Weight (grams)
Frame Felt F5 948
Fork Felt 374
Headset FSA 105
Stem Kalloy Uno Ultraglight 112
Bar Bontrager RL 237
Post Origin8 Ultim8 139
Saddle Fizik Arione Carbon 166
Brakes Origin8 Torq Lite 203
Front Derailleur Shimano Dura-Ace 65
Rear Derailleur Shimano Dura-Ace 165
Brakes/Shifters Shimano Dura-Ace 371
Bartape Velo Wrap 52
Cranks Quarq Truvativ 827
Pedals Shimano Dura-Ace 279
Bottom Bracket Felt BB30 53
Cages Topeak 35
Chain Shimano Dura-Ace 261
Cassette Shimano Dura-Ace 162
Tubes Specialized Turbo 130
Tires Michelin Pro3 395
Rim Strips Velox 10mm 16
Skewers Token TK480 43
Cables/House Alligator Ilink 95
Wheels AmClas/Stans 1357
Misc. Frame barrels, hanger, etc. 52
Misc. grease and such 50

Total (grams) 6694
Total (lbs) 14.76

That's all for now. Updating will not be a problem, doing more work on the bike will be the problem. I work at a snail's pace.

[TerribleCadence]

Sounds interesting. Any reason why you didn't but a Felt FC frameset instead?

[OwenN]

Yes, a valid question. I already had this frameset because buying the complete F5 bike last year was my only option. At this point selling this frameset would have yielded less than the cost of purchasing a new FC frameset. Also, the FC frameset doesn't meet my aesthetic requirements so it would have needed cosmetic work anyway. Thanks for looking.

[TerribleCadence]

Fair enough. Btw, the pictures don't work. Try using a site like Flickr. I've tried to copy the IMG code but it asks me to log in to msn.

[OwenN]

Pictures should be fixed. Windows Live SkyDrive just wasn't working. Using Flickr now.

[bobsled]

That's a good start. Good luck with your build and keep the updates coming.

[OwenN]

I've made some serious progress. The frame was fully sanded, one coat of clear applied, sanded again, and decals applied. I'm ready for some final coats of clear and polishing. It won't come out perfect but I never expected it to. It's going to be a "5-footer".

I just got the decals applied and snapped a couple of pictures.

[tharmor]

Did you have a warranty to consider before making the plunge to sanding and reprinting? I've been seriously debating doing this myself to my cervelo, but have always been fearful of the voiding aspect of the project.

[OwenN]

I have no doubt that I voided my warranty. My desire to re-finish the look of the bike was worth more than the expected value of the warranty. After all, if the frame retails for $1,650, that is not the expected value of the warranty. The probability that I will need to utilize the warranty must also be considered. How many of these frames actually break in a manner covered by warranty? It must be less than 5%. So at most the warranty is worth $82.50.

[OwenN]

The frame and fork re-do is complete. I have created quite the "5-footer", as in, she looks great from 5 feet away, but get closer than that... Here are a few pictures of the finished product. The major lesson learned is to have more patience. Take your time sanding and use a fairly fine grit paper. If you use a coarse grit you will spend an eternity sanding out the roughness created by the coarse paper. Then when painting have patience, spray multiple light coats. Pictures of the fully built bike coming soon.






In the above picture you can really see the weakness in the paint. Certain angles bring out the fact that the surface is a bit rough. The shine is lost at certain angles.


Is everyone familiar with pounds (lbs). Multiple by 453.592 to convert to grams. This frame is 947 grams. Originally the frame was 948 grams and was as low as 930 when fully sanded.


Here is the fork weight after clear coat. 374 grams. Again, within 1 gram of original weight.

[istigatrice]

I still think it looks much nicer than what it used to, I didn't notice the roughness until I had a VERY close look. I think its going to be one of those things that only you will notice. Post a pic from 5 feet away so we can marvel it properly