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Felt AR5 or Boardman Road Pro Carbon for Olympic/70.3
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Hi,

After 4 years of honourable service I think it's time to sell my B'Twin Triban 3 and move to a better bike. I've been doing triathlon for over a year now and so I was thinking to get something which would fit the purpose. I've recently completed the London triathlon with a bike leg at an average speed of 30.7km/h, which I think is not too bad considering the bike I'm using and the fact I couldn't stay on the drops after 10km due to some pain on my back.

Anyway, I'm looking at two bikes currently prices at around £1,500: the Boardman Road Pro Carbon and the Felt AR5. They seem to be both great bikes but my question is, which one should I buy considering I want to:

* Train and race for triathlon events, mainly Olympic distance but I want to do try a 70.3 perhaps next in 2017
* Do around 3-4 long (~120km) and 4 short rides (~40/50km) each month
* Do some proper climbing
* Commute to work (~15km/day)

I'm not interested on a proper TT bike since at the moment I can't afford to have two bikes. However I would love a bike which could have the best compromise for using in both road and tri events. I know TT bikes allow you to open up the hip angle and that helps preserving your muscles for the running leg. Is that something I can achieve with any of the bikes mentioned above fitting some aero bars and getting a proper bike fit?

The Boardman should weight slightly less (~7kg vs 8.1kg) has a better groupset (SRAM Force vs Shimano 105). On the other hand the Felt should have a better aero position thanks to the seatpost that can be flipped to move the saddle a bit more forward. In terms of wheels, I'll use the Campagnolo Zonda I purchased early this year, which I think are better than the stock wheels of both Boardman and Felt.

Which do you think I should buy?

Boardman Road Pro Carbon SLR: http://www.boardmanbikes.com/...-pro-carbon-slr.html

Felt AR5: http://feltbicycles.com/...s/road/aero/ar5.aspx
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Re: Felt AR5 or Boardman Road Pro Carbon for Olympic/70.3 [iamgianluca] [ In reply to ]
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I've got a soft spot for the AR myself. Having said that, I think you will be disappointed by how much the frame is going to make you go faster. Weight is not very important. Sure the frame is more aero but frame aerodynamics are pretty low on the list of upgrades. Maybe I missed it inyour post but did you use clip on aerobars on your btwin? Sticking those on will do more for your speed. You can get a different seatpost if you want to open up your hip angle and bob's your uncle. Use the savings for a good aerosuit, a fit session and some wheels and tires.

But the temptation and justification for upgrading is ever lurking so, when choosing between the two, pick the one fits best and looks best.
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Re: Felt AR5 or Boardman Road Pro Carbon for Olympic/70.3 [snaaijert] [ In reply to ]
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Hi snaaijert,

To answer your question, I haven't got clip-on aerobars on my B'Twin yet. It is next in my list of upgrades along with a professional bike fit since I've always felt a bit uncomfortable on the Triban 3 during long workouts. I can't afford some deep rim carbon wheelset at the moment but the Campagnolo Zonda (with Continental Gran Prix 4 Seasons) do the job and are not excessively heavy (1550g). To be honest I also think I can get way more out of my current setup if I start training properly on the bike. This year I had to travel a lot and thus missed lots of long and technical workouts on the bike.

The B'Twin weights around 11kg (maybe a little less now that I've changed the stock wheels with the Zondas), so I don't know if it's worth investing the money on it. A Boardman or Felt weight considerably less and could be better platforms in the long term (?).

Just for reference, this is the B'Twin Triban 3: http://www.decathlon.co.uk/...bike-id_8274036.html

I admittedly have a soft spot for the Felt AR5. As you said, the aero advantages are probably insignificant unless I start riding closer to 40km/h. On the other hand flipping the seatpost and adding clip-on aerobars I think I could achieve a more tri oriented position than simply adding aerobars on the Triban or Boardman.

Do you still recommend to go for a bike fit instead of investing money on a new bike?
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Re: Felt AR5 or Boardman Road Pro Carbon for Olympic/70.3 [iamgianluca] [ In reply to ]
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Quote:
Do you still recommend to go for a bike fit instead of investing money on a new bike?

Based off some of the bike fit photos on here it seems like that is a gamble and money better invested elsewhere. I own a 14 AR1 and I absolutely love the bike. Aero always matters and yes it is a better platform to work from/upgrade than your current rig or the Boardman, IMO. The aero gains from a frame might not be the best ROI, but at some point you will address the frame, so why not now. Any how, I am biased but running the same wheels/tires and saddle it is hard for me to tell a comfort difference between my AR and Seven; however, handling and speed, are much improved on the AR1 vs the Seven. Both bikes are great but given the choice of only one bike (and the Seven does have sentimental value) I would choose the AR1 every time.

My YouTubes

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Re: Felt AR5 or Boardman Road Pro Carbon for Olympic/70.3 [iamgianluca] [ In reply to ]
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I'm biased but the reason I bought my ar5 is to have the ability to throw some clip ons on and reverse the seat post. You can get into a great TT position (seat swaps from 73 to 78*) and while you don't have the aero benefits of a full tt cockpit you're most of the way there. It doesn't look like the boardman offers that seat post option although there are aftermarket ones available.

I know that the argon nitrogen also has the added adjustability with their seat post but I think its higher priced?

One early upgrade I would consider is a wheelset. The stock ones are okay but I made a jump this year and it made the bike another beast altogether.

To help with the cost if you can track down an ar from 2014 onwards it's the same frame. You might even be able to scoop a previous ar3/4 at a similar price.

Disclosure: I do not believe there are any boardman distributors here in Canada so besides internet shopping I really don't know much about them.
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Re: Felt AR5 or Boardman Road Pro Carbon for Olympic/70.3 [iamgianluca] [ In reply to ]
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iamgianluca wrote:
Hi,

After 4 years of honourable service I think it's time to sell my B'Twin Triban 3 and move to a better bike. I've been doing triathlon for over a year now and so I was thinking to get something which would fit the purpose. I've recently completed the London triathlon with a bike leg at an average speed of 30.7km/h, which I think is not too bad considering the bike I'm using and the fact I couldn't stay on the drops after 10km due to some pain on my back.

Anyway, I'm looking at two bikes currently prices at around £1,500: the Boardman Road Pro Carbon and the Felt AR5. They seem to be both great bikes but my question is, which one should I buy considering I want to:

* Train and race for triathlon events, mainly Olympic distance but I want to do try a 70.3 perhaps next in 2017
* Do around 3-4 long (~120km) and 4 short rides (~40/50km) each month
* Do some proper climbing
* Commute to work (~15km/day)

I'm not interested on a proper TT bike since at the moment I can't afford to have two bikes. However I would love a bike which could have the best compromise for using in both road and tri events. I know TT bikes allow you to open up the hip angle and that helps preserving your muscles for the running leg. Is that something I can achieve with any of the bikes mentioned above fitting some aero bars and getting a proper bike fit?

The Boardman should weight slightly less (~7kg vs 8.1kg) has a better groupset (SRAM Force vs Shimano 105). On the other hand the Felt should have a better aero position thanks to the seatpost that can be flipped to move the saddle a bit more forward. In terms of wheels, I'll use the Campagnolo Zonda I purchased early this year, which I think are better than the stock wheels of both Boardman and Felt.

Which do you think I should buy?

Boardman Road Pro Carbon SLR: http://www.boardmanbikes.com/...-pro-carbon-slr.html

Felt AR5: http://feltbicycles.com/...s/road/aero/ar5.aspx
The AR 5 is faster and offers a friendlier position for triathlon. The Boardman will climb better and is more versatile.

You need to decide whether your priority is racing and long riding, or climbing and commuting.

Trent Nix
Owned and operated Tri Shop
F.I.S.T. Advanced Certified Fitter | Retul Master Certified Fitter (back when those were things)
Last edited by: trentnix: Aug 27, 16 6:44
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Re: Felt AR5 or Boardman Road Pro Carbon for Olympic/70.3 [trentnix] [ In reply to ]
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Trentnix, definitely my focus is on long rides and triathlon racing. I'll commute in it to get extra training and save some money I can then spend racing :-)
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Re: Felt AR5 or Boardman Road Pro Carbon for Olympic/70.3 [iamgianluca] [ In reply to ]
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One last question to the AR5 owners. Can you move into an optimised tri position just flipping he seatpost and adding the aerobars or more details need to be adjusted? I'm asking because I would like to use the bike as a road bike for commuting. However for training I would like to use the tri geometry since I'll be using different muscles. I'm just trying to evaluate how quick I can change geometry. Thanks!

Ps.: I'll get a bike fit as soon as I get the bike as you guys suggested
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Re: Felt AR5 or Boardman Road Pro Carbon for Olympic/70.3 [iamgianluca] [ In reply to ]
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After you determine your ideal positioning I'd say the swap takes 10 minutes.

Remove/reinstall seat post
Remove/reinstall saddle
Attach clip ons
Add/adjust miscellaneous (computer mount, etc) if necessary.
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Re: Felt AR5 or Boardman Road Pro Carbon for Olympic/70.3 [iamgianluca] [ In reply to ]
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iamgianluca wrote:
One last question to the AR5 owners. Can you move into an optimised tri position just flipping he seatpost and adding the aerobars or more details need to be adjusted? I'm asking because I would like to use the bike as a road bike for commuting. However for training I would like to use the tri geometry since I'll be using different muscles. I'm just trying to evaluate how quick I can change geometry. Thanks!

Ps.: I'll get a bike fit as soon as I get the bike as you guys suggested

If you go with the AR5, you may want to consider buying a second post and saddle. Mark the post for height and you'll more easily (and faster) replicate your tri position.
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