SPECIALIZED V.S FELT. WHICH IS BETTER AND DON'T YOU DARE SAY FELT! PRO'S AND CONS OF EACH PLEASE!!!

Do you ever hit it?

I have a question for you, how old are you?

Do you ever hit it?

- Diet is the same as normal, though with some modifications from being on the road and not being able to make as much food, though I always get a suite with a kitchen in Tempe so I can still cook stuff. Make sure no gluten, "real" food, etc.

You have to pee on the course at all?

About two miles into the run. I grab and sponge and just pee. One of the few times I wish for a two-piece suit...

First...congrats on a great finish.
I see you follow a "gluten-free" diet and you have told us what you ate on and before raceday, but would you mind telling us what you normally eat on a typical day. Thanks.

SPECIALIZED V.S FELT. WHICH IS BETTER AND DON'T YOU DARE SAY FELT! PRO'S AND CONS OF EACH PLEASE!!!

Do you ever get tired of talking about yourself?

Congratulations on a great race and a race plan very well executed!

What shoes did you wear for the marathon? And why?

Cheers

please don't make me Mork and Mindy you yet once again... ;)

i'll be back after Kona 2004 on uvsports.

You are asking me to split hairs on bikes that can - and do - win at the highest level.

Best common feature:
both have internal cable guides, which are really nice. Push the housing in, and it pops out the other side. Makes building a bike much easier.


Specialized thoughts:
- The brakes are a pain in the butt to set-up, but once set-up they work very well. There is an aerodynamic benefit, but they do require more work than just slapping on a typical pair of dual-pivot calipers.
- The bike is very stiff. I think it could be lighter and a bit less stiff. You do pay a price for the stiffness in terms of decreased vertical compliance. So it's a tradeoff. I don't know that the bike needs to be as stiff as it is. But you pedal and the bike goes. That is for sure.
- Handles better than the Felt. I really like the extra front center and longer trail. I find it is very stable, but also very maneuverable. I find I more easily pedal through corners and avoid potholes, bumps, etc.
- I HATE single bolt posts. I don't like "tapping" to make angular adjustments to saddle pitch.
- I Love BB30. It's a superior system. It's clearly an upgrade. Not unique to this bike, but it's still a positive
- Tighten bolts and they stay in place. The bike does not rattle or creak. It is very solid.
- This is THE steepest bike you can buy. You can run a saddle 8+cm in front of the BB. There is no other bike that you can get as steep as this one. That's not a necessity for me, but I was amazed at how steep you can get the bike.


Felt thoughts:
- I don't like that the bike is designed around a Shimano drivetrain. Yes, other parts work, but there can be a bit of hassle, such as when I wanted to use Zipp cranks and I had to use the "scissor" brake, which I don't think works very well. When I set the bike up with Shimano, it was very simple. But once I got parts from SRAM, I had to work around some things. You can see this even with some of the changes made between 7800 -> 7900. For instance, you need to replace the barrel adjuster on the 7900 rear brake. I think it was foolish to design a bike to work optimally with parts made by someone else.
- I prefer the two-bolt seatpost of the Felt.
- If you wrench yourself, the Bayonet is more of a hassle than a traditional front end. I got so that it wasn't issue, but you have to take care. I'd equate the Bayonet with the Transitions brakes - more work than "normal," but worth the hassle.
- Even at proper torque, I found the seatpost would slip a couple mm, even using the stainless steel clamp.
- Ditto for the bayonet. Loctite and grease are necessities if you own a Felt.


Summary:
If you ride the two bikes back to back, the Specialized is stiffer than the Felt. That's not a plus or a minus in my book. They are both stiff enough. But that's the difference you'll feel immediately.

Area where I think the Specialized is definitely better than the Felt - handling (more front-center and trail). Area where I think the Felt is definitely better than the Specialized - seatclamp is better (two bolts).


Notes:
I only ever rode a 2008 Felt DA. I know a lot of improvements were made with the new Bayonet on the 2009+ DAs.

Do you ever get tired of talking about yourself?

Nike Lunar Mariah. Roomier toebox than the LunarRacer, but still with the Lunar sole, which I think is great for running on very tired legs.

Lots of questions about power and pace for training.

In races and training do you where a HR belt as an additional number to see and weigh - or just pace/power + feel + demands of the day?

never use hr. perceived exertion to supplement power & bike in training.

To how many places have you memorized Pi? Did you feel if you had rode a minute slower you would have had time to solve the Riemann Hypothesis, or determined the question to the answer 42? ;-)

Kevin