[reply]Felt's S25 has Ultegra derailleurs/carbon cranks @ $1700
The S22 has Dura Ace derailleurs and a CarbonX aerobar for $2100
If Cervelo raised the bar, Felt grabbed it from them and beat them soundly with it.
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Dave:
You're a bit selective. If you switch those derailleurs and CarbonX bars you're talking about onto the Dual you will spend less than $2100, and you have a frame with a full aero seattube, full aero seatpost, internal cables, etc. You don't get the carbon seatstays (and not getting those is a positive in my books but obviously some people may think differently about that). Of course there are more differences than these, and they go both ways, so the overly simple approach is not the right one.
The S25 according to the Felt website only has one Ultegra derailleur, it does have a carbon crank but it has a simple round seattube and simple seatpost, so nowhere near a Dual frame. It is also $100 more expensive than the Dual.
As for the frame-only price of the S22 frame, that's one of the oldest trick in the book. Do you really think that is a $1400 frame which with a $400 crank and $300 aerobar sells for $2100 with the drivetrain and wheels thrown in for free?
Of course not, no dealer will expect to sell a single frame but it gives a perceived value to the complete bike to list a frame price like that. It would be the same if we list the Dual frame at $1400. It's not unreasonable, there are frames similar to the Dual that sell for as much as $2000, but it is a bit of a canard.
Look, Jim's a nice guy, he puts together nice bikes but when you compare spec and prices the differences aren't that big. Then it comes down to comparing frame features.
Gerard Vroomen
3T.bike OPEN cycle