The seemingly undisputed alu king (CAAD 10) vs Felt F75

[Chris_W]

The CAAD 10 is available as a frameset only where I work in Switzerland, are you sure that you can't get it that way in the UK?

[djm]

Djm, can you elaborate why "the Canyon is far better"?

I rode the CAAD9 for a few races through half a season before selling it. Mine was a size 60 and I experienced some wobble at very high speeds on a descent (80-95 kph) and never grew comfortable with it again.

Mine did not have the premium fork, and was a bit heavy. Also it didn't feel as stiff as I would like, and riding over poor surfaces gave a lot of "chatter" to the seat.

My experience of the bike may have been caused by the choice of seat, seat post, fork, wheels etc.. The frame wasn't necessarily bad.

The Canyon however feels wholly different, and I am more at ease with the fit, which of course has a lot to say.

[20wheelspeed]

The F75 is a shockingly fine crit bike for the $$$. It is a shame they do not promote the FA frame anymore. It was in the catalogue in 2011 and is technically available in 2012 (with different paint) if you ask and are lucky.

If you need a full race worthy crit bike the F75 is a great choice, particularly at trade prices. Clearly it is entry level spec at Shimano 105, but very servicable. If you just need the frame/fork, try to find a 2011 FA or ask after the 2012 FA.

The F75 frame is the same as the FA, however the fork in the F75 has an alu steerer and is something of a pig weight-wise. The fork in the FA frameset is the same full carbon version used in the F-series carbon bikes/frames and I'd estimate saves 200g+ over the F75 stock fork.

Just received the 2012 Felt FA as a replacement. Same as the 11 model but as stated, different paint. This time it loses the red and stays flat black, white lettering and a touch of grey on the top tube. They are indeed not promoting it and it you must be specific when asking.

[eordman]

Last year I went from a Felt F75 to a CAAD10. Now, the CAAD fits better so that may have something to do with it, but i like the handling so much more. Feels more balanced and sharp. Also the BB feels slightly stiffer although I'm not terribly powerful so take that with a grain of salt. My Felt started to get wobbly at high speeds (45 mph+). Of course the CAAD has a weight advantage but as this if for crits, the stiffer handling and BB would be more important in my mind. As to whether or now it's worth the extra money, that's up to you. Can you not get the CAAD10 5 (105) in the UK? That might make comparing easier.

Just my two cents