Felt F1 vs. AR

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KWalker
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by KWalker

Has anyone ridden 2014 or newer versions of either of these frames and care to comment on the perceived ride quality, comfort, etc.? I have an F1 and its a fantastic frame. Favorite bike I've ever owned. But the AR is what it is and faster is faster. I'm curious about the effectiveness of the AR seatpost on dampening and geo is very similar so I would imagine the handling that I love is also great as well.
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aaric
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by aaric

Haven't ridden the F1, but I'd say my AR is as comfortable or more than the tarmac SL3 it replaced. between the seatpost, and the lack of a brake bridge, I've been very impressed with the ride quality: It is night and day better than the venge it also replaced comfort wise as well.

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mrlobber
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by mrlobber

I can compare AR FRD vs Cannondale Evo HiMod (isn't it pretty close to F1 in geo)?

The AR feels much more "planted" and "sticky to the road", just wanting to go straight regardless of what you want, while Evo wants to jump around and follows your moves instantly. I would say that Cannondale is slightly smoother, but I haven't really run similar wheel/tyre setups on both (and I have a titanium railed saddle on Felt while Cannondale has a carbon 100g one on it).
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KWalker
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by KWalker

Thanks guys. I was curious about the direct comparison since I own an F1 and am very interested in an AR1. The F1 is the best riding bike I have ever ridden or owned and while the geo is similar I'd hate to give up any ride quality by swapping.
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SuperDave
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by SuperDave

mrlobber wrote:I can compare AR FRD vs Cannondale Evo HiMod (isn't it pretty close to F1 in geo)?

The AR feels much more "planted" and "sticky to the road", just wanting to go straight regardless of what you want, while Evo wants to jump around and follows your moves instantly. I would say that Cannondale is slightly smoother, but I haven't really run similar wheel/tyre setups on both (and I have a titanium railed saddle on Felt while Cannondale has a carbon 100g one on it).


This is a good observation but the frame has almost nothing to with smoothness. Vibration and HT/axle twist are what frame "feel" transmits. Comfort is 99.44% component related. With that said the AR with 3T VR seatpost has nearly double the vertical compliance as our F-series bikes with 3T Team posts and the same wheels/tires.

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53x12
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by 53x12

Yeah my '15 AR1 is quite comfy. On par to the comfort of my Look 585. However I am also of the mindset that you get more 'comfort' from the wheels/tires/tire pressure/sadle/bibs/sest post...etc. The current AR is a fantastic frame.
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simon
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by simon

i'm riding and racing both on a daily basis.
felt f1 with ritchey wcs carbon flexlogic seatpost, about 2 cm of spacers under stem, same bars, stem, components and wheels on both bikes(ar has a flat topcap, 1 mm spacer, then stem)
when riding in the saddle on rough roads, none of them feel harsh. when i ride through a "round pothole", so no sharp edges, more like a curved hole in the road, i can feel the saddle flexing back forward on the f1. i guess that's the combination of not much flex in the frame and the seatpost bending/flexing because it was optimised to do so. this flexing back(that would be the rebound part of the suspension process) is not noticable with the ar wich for me means that rear end and seatpost are working together to take the buzz away.
you seem to know how to take care of your material and select components wisely, so as long as you take really good brake housing for the rear brake and put carbon friction paste onto the seatpost from time to time(can get dry and creak a little bit but i wash the bike at least 1x a week), there won't be any downsides.

g32ecs
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by g32ecs

I ride a 2014 AR.

It's meant to be ridden fast. I seriously think you're at a large disadvantage if you're just out for an easy ride on it.

Otherwise, when the hammers are dropped, expect to move forward. You don't have time to think about those vibrations anyway.

I love it. It's the most aggressive bike I've owned (had an BMC SLR01 as a proper race bike before).

hornedfrog
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by hornedfrog

How are you at a large disadvantage if you are out on an easy ride? Does it swell up and become the most un-aerodynamic frame out there?
How is it more aggressive than a Team Machine, which has a more aggressive geometry?

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ultyguy
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by ultyguy

I guess I'll chime in, owner of a 14 AR1 and a Evo Nano. AR1 is a tool, the smile comes from gratification after winning on it, I can't say I massively enjoy riding it, but it is absolutely an advantage over un-aero bikes.

Handling is good, but it does have a tendency to want to go 'straight' as mentioned above, but that's a good thing for high speed descents as it's really stable. I'm sure the seatpost helps with dampening, but it still rattles you pretty good over uneven pavement (more than traditional frames). Over bigger hits gives it wobble/shudder (don't know how better to describe it) that the Evo Nano deals with much better. Power transmission is very good, so it doesn't let you down there and in a sprint the whole bike works together nicely.

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