martyh wrote:Hey folks,
Looking at a new treat for myself and thinking either a cervelo s3 or a felt ar2.
Reviews of both seem like they are both pretty excellent... looking at the geometry the cervelo has a stack height I kinda prefer as I can run it without any spacers. Kit wise.. I can take or leave electronic shifting... no issues there. Both seem to have great reviews for handling... the aero tests slightly concern me with the ar2 as it seems it was done without any rider dummy thingy on board... yet it seems to stack up pretty well.
Looked at the propel as well... the spec is appealing, yet I hate the brakes. Venge... meh.
Looking for some opinions and ride reports if anyone has any! Thanks!
Marty
Marty, I was in a similar situation as you recently. I was debating the AR1 vs. S3 framesets. So rest assured that whatever choice you make, I think you will be very happy either way. Both are great/awesome frames. Can't really go wrong with either one. Not sure if this helps, but I'll provide you with a few of my thoughts when I was deciding.
Aero: Both are very aero road bikes. Depending who's data you believe, either the new AR is the fastest road frame right now, or is probably #2 behind the Cervelo S5. The Cervelo S3 isn't far behind as Cervelo says it is only 4W behind the S5. Jim Felt and the guys at Cervelo (White and Rinard) are well regarded and have lots of experience and knowledge. Felt and Cervelo are probably two of the bike manufacturers who take aero seriously and do a good job with it. There are other makers coming into this as well now. But Felt and Cervelo have been doing it for some time now.
Geometry: Not sure what you need in geometry, but I love what Felt did with the new AR geometry coming from a Cannonade guy. Matches up nicely with what I am use to with Cannonade. Cervelo isn't bad, just a bit higher stack and shorter reach than Felt for the same size. That might work better for you but I like Felt's geometry slightly better. Both will work and both would work for me.
Price: Not sure what the pricing is in your market for the two builds you are looking at, but for me the two framesets were within $200 of each other. So I considered that a wash. For you, the price of the two builds might be significantly different. Or the build parts might be different and help you lean in one direction or another.
Warranty: Both are lifetime so no difference here.
Aesthetics: Up to personal preference but I think both frames look great. I really like what Cervelo did with the new S3 paint job. One of their better designs in recent memory. I also like the simplistic look of the AR1. Not sure what the AR2 looks like in your market, but overall I think both frames look really nice.
Handling, comfort, stiffness: Handling of both bikes was really responsive and quick. Not twitchy quick, but more sports car quick like you would want from a bike like this. Also, when I road both bikes, I was surprised by the comfort of both of them. Especially being aero tubed frames, have always had an unpleasant connotation in terms of being too stiff and uncomfortable. But Felt and Cervelo both did a great job with their layup and tube shapes to make two comfy aero frames. That Felt/3T seaport really does it's thing. But I am also of the opinion that you get more comfort from proper wheel & tire & tire pressure along with bib, saddle and bar tape choice. Both frames were plenty stiff for me and I couldn't notice any flex in the frame. I'm 5'11 175-180 and put out around 1200w when sprinting.
I ended up going with the Felt as I wanted something different and there are very few guys who ride Felt bikes around here. Cervelo isn't bad at all, it is a great frame, just very popular and I wanted something different than what most have for this build. One thing I wish is that Felt would have left the rear brake where it traditionally is. I understand the reason for placing it down by the bb and Felt does as good of a job as anyone with the design of their bikes, but I'm not sure if the gains are really worth the hassle. I guess it allowed them to gain a few watts plus help tune and design the seat stays to be more focused on comfort rather than worrying about building it up for a rear brake. I love the new S3 and I am still thinking of ways that I can add that to my quiver of bikes. The S5 doesn't even tempt me. But that S3 sure does.
Hope this helps you in your selection.
"Marginal gains are the only gains when all that's left to gain is in the margins."