Back to Aero; say hello to FReD! Felt AR FRD now 6235g

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Imaking20
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Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2011 5:19 am

by Imaking20

After a chaotic year of bike swapping, I've finally decided to head back to aero builds. I spent 7500 miles on an S-Works Venge and decided I wanted a little better ride quality. That led to an S-Works Tarmac which did provide a much better ride quality, definitely felt more explosive, but also never seemed to hold top end speed as well. Then I felt a little more fancy pants and went for a Colnago C59. While the Colnago was a lovely bike, there was some bad juju with the acquisition, build, and ultimately the behavior of the Di2 - which quickly had me out of love.

Within about a month of riding the Colnago, I realized that the impression "ride quality" diminishes a bit for me. It's something you get used to and then it's just another bike. This ended up making the Colnago feel a bit less special (except to look at). For me, the only sensation I've had on a bike that persists (other than enjoyment) is the element of speed from an aero bike. I never get tired of that feeling when you're tapping out a rhythm over 25mph and the bike just feels like it will stay there.

After spending some serious quality time with Google hunting down the next steed, I was reminded how fond I've always been of the look and tech of the Felt AR. I snagged a 2015 AR1 frameset which arrived in not as great of shape as I like... so now I'm riding it while waiting for my new FRD frameset to arrive. This thread will focus on the build for the FRD (and answer any questions people have got comparing the different rides!)

With only a couple hundred miles on the AR1, I would comfortably say the bike climbs and rides as well as the Tarmac - which is to say better than the Venge but not as good as the C59. It definitely feels faster than I remember the Venge though!

The build (will add individual weights as I have them):

2015 Felt ARD (54cm)
SRAM Red eTap - 1377g excluding brakes, cables, and chain
Enve 4.5 tubular w/ CK R45 - 1361g excluding skewers
Enve SES Road bar (soon to be replaced) - 245g
3T Arx 120mm (to be replaced) - 131g
S-Works Power saddle - 163g
Arundel Mandible - 28g x2
Alligator mini i-links
EE direct mount rear brake - 74g w/o pads
EE standard mount front brake - 90g w/ pads
Look Keo Blade carbon/ti

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172.5 52/36
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11/28
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Last edited by Imaking20 on Fri Dec 16, 2016 1:12 am, edited 3 times in total.

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cyclespeed
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by cyclespeed

Looks like an interesting build.

Soon to swap the bar? What for? I would recommend the 3T Aeronova LTD.

by Weenie


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Imaking20
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Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2011 5:19 am

by Imaking20

This bar is just a bit goofy - and the Aeronova is about the only bar more goofy. I've got a Ritchey Streem on the way.

Imaking20
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Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2011 5:19 am

by Imaking20

And the build is on hold. Fedex damaged the frame in transit :doh:

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Calnago
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by Calnago

Jesus Murphy... you gotta win the bad luck bike karma of the year award. Hang in there.
Colnago C64 - The Naked Build; Colnago C60 - PR99; Trek Koppenberg - Where Emonda and Domane Meet;
Unlinked Builds (searchable): Colnago C59 - 5 Years Later; Trek Emonda SL Campagnolo SR; Special Colnago EPQ

Imaking20
Posts: 2260
Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2011 5:19 am

by Imaking20

No kidding! I'm not sure if I shared my di2 troubles in the Colnago build thread - but it's certainly been a tumultuous few months in bike land! Well, tumultuous in a first world problems sort of way :)

Thanks for the words of encouragement! Looks like things are going to work out fine. The issue doesn't seem to be structural - still unfortunate for an unbidden frame to start off that way but we'll see what FedEx comes back with to make it right.

Anywho, target weight for the bike is 14lb/6.3kg. I'm looking aboutique 200g heavy right now with a plan for a 130g reduction. Let's hope I can hit the goal without getting too crazy!

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mattyNor
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by mattyNor

Got a link to the di2 troubles, now I'm curious

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Imaking20
Posts: 2260
Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2011 5:19 am

by Imaking20

I'm not sure I've typed it out anywhere. The 9070 group I had on the C59 ended up being cursed for me (despite being brand new). The first ~800 miles or so were fine - aside from the more-frequent-than-i'd-like-to-admit case of shifting the wrong direction and the reaffirmation that 9000 is REALLY good. Then I had an e-tube fail. Then, a couple hundred miles later after basically dismantling the bike and confirming every connection individually, I learned that my battery was not actually taking a charge from the wall. It would only charge from a laptop - which probably could have been sorted out with a firmware update... except that I always received incompatibility errors between the software and the battery (despite 3 software re-installs and 2 different PCs). So I was now only getting 1-2 rides before needing to take my computer down to the bike and charge it again. What finally tipped me over was the etube unwilling to make a positive connection in the left shifter and frequently coming unplugged - leaving me with a very pretty bicycle that wouldn't shift.

So my dissatisfaction started with a mission to get back to mechanical, which necessitated a sale of the C59, then mid-way through the process I decided to give eTap a shot... and now I just look like a crazy person :)

On the flip side, I was immediately more pleased with the eTap compared to the di2. Even considering the DA brakes are fantastic and the shift action felt slightly more refined. I love that I can take the batteries with me to charge them, I don't have to buy another gadget to see battery life on my Garmin, the shift logic is easy to pick up, and no wires is awesome! Because aero...

Imaking20
Posts: 2260
Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2011 5:19 am

by Imaking20

While I'm waiting for a few parts, I figured I'd share some weights and anecdotes.

This includes hangers and cable guides... but about 100g more than I was hoping for.
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This was the big surprise, 50g lighter than the AR1 post!
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In short, I wouldn't suggest splurging for the FRD if weight is the motivator - just buy the VM seatpost. But this FRD sure looks a lot more impressive in person compared to the AR1!

mrlobber
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by mrlobber

You must have a ton of uncut carbon on top of the fork! :D Mine weighed right at 300g when cut (frame size 54). Seatpost was 245g. Didn't weigh the frame separately.
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Imaking20
Posts: 2260
Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2011 5:19 am

by Imaking20

You are correct. The fork is uncut and that weight also includes the stock expander (17g)

Imaking20
Posts: 2260
Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2011 5:19 am

by Imaking20

A few little bits were waiting for me when we got back to town today. Still waiting on stem and bars.

Front brake (the feel of the TriRig wasn't for me)
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Need a better scale!
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Tune GumGum and Absolute Black topcap
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Imaking20
Posts: 2260
Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2011 5:19 am

by Imaking20

And a total of 6.49KG as it sits (including Garmin speed sensor and mount). Still some work to do...

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dpkinard
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by dpkinard

I love those handelbars. Are those the still the enve bars in the picture?

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willowwonka
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Location: West Midlands, UK

by willowwonka

Really nice build and great weight for an aero build! Those brakes look really nice on the frame. Needs a black logo enve stem to match.
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