In any economy - down or not - only someone VERY WEALTHY buys such an expensive bike.
It appears to me this is the highest priced frame of the new “Superbikes” You’re right, take $5,000, add cranks, bars, brakes, you are well in the range of $6,000. So as I’ve said before (and many others here), if they want me to spend that amount on a bike, better start to bring some data to justify that price point besides ‘trust me it’s the fastest’.
I think you nailed it. Take the Felt DA at $5000 add carbon aerobars at $700-800, a crank at $500-600, brakes at $150 (only need a front) and you are well over $6000 and are approaching $6500 (well over Shiv $$$ for something similarly spec’d). Get rid of the crank price and you are close to $6000, **a good +$1500 OVER a Trek SC that is similarly priced. **I personally like spending my money wisely when buying things for my sporting hobbies and the Felt DA just doesn’t even seem to make the first cut. Unless there is something special about it that I am missing?
Yes even though it is more expensive Felt is the only one (out of specialized and trek) that you do not have to jump through hoops to make the frame UCI legal (for those that have to deal with that.)
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In any economy - down or not - only someone VERY WEALTHY buys such an expensive bike.
The $12,500 built bike? Then yes. But to spend $4000-4500 on a frameset, I don’t think you need to be very wealthy. I’m not. However I already have my race wheels and components from my old frame that I sold. So from what I sold my old frame for, the move up to a new superbike isn’t that big.
Yes even though it is more expensive Felt is the only one (out of specialized and trek) that you do not have to jump through hoops to make the frame UCI legal (for those that have to deal with that.)
What is UCI legal? I thought we are on a tri forum? Trek= UCI legal. Scott Plasma3= UCI legal. Cervelo P4= UCI legal.
SuperDave,
Clearly you know better then anyone else about these bikes.
Trust me if I had the money I would be on the 2011 DA as soon as I could get my hands on one! With my old team I feel in love with the 2008 F2, and next year I am really looking forward to riding the new F1 and FC framesets!
The one thing I do want to question is that you said “Our TT/Tri bikes need to consider that the end user is sometimes “casual”, often “recreational” and occasionally “novice”.” What is the world is a “casual” rider going to do with a $12,500 TT/TRI bike? (I guess it must be nice to have nearly $13000 laying around!)
As I do love Felt Bikes I don’t mean to come off as an ass so I apologize if I do.
Have you been to a triathlon? There are many times that the novice triathlete opts for a premium model (and wetsuit and shoes and destination and…) for their first or second model. Felt typically will take that $12,500 chassis and trickle those frame shapes down the line, bringing those exact molds/shapes to more affordable options in the future. We do not open new “dumbed down” molds that are less aero, less developed or less desirable from a performance standpoint.
So the ~$8000 DA that was introduced in 2006 needed to fit the novice triathlete because that is the same frame shape/mold they are getting on the $1995 2011 Ultegra equipped B16.
I’m not suggesting this is how other brands do it or should do it. This is the model we’ve followed for our product line.
This is a very similar path that lead to the development of the <$1500 FC frame that is 90% of the performance of the $3500 F1.
-SD
i don’t believe a uci legal of the trek is available yet, and they don’t sell a shiv version that is, so…
the price for the B2 frame, with fork added, kills the resale value of any pre 2011 framesets as well
Too Much! I’ll be sticking with my P4 now for sure.
53X12-What is UCI legal? I thought we are on a tri forum? Trek= UCI legal. Scott Plasma3= UCI legal. Cervelo P4= UCI legal.
To be honest I don’t even think the UCI still knows knows what is completely legal…It is a tri forum but such roadies as my self are on here as well (9 times out of 10 trying to sell stuff.)
If I remember correctly on the trek SC you have to change the seat post, bars and stem, on the Cervelo P3 and P4 you just have to get a UCI legal seat post and remove the aero bottle from the p4, Shiv the nose cone and the “wings” on the downtube are illegal, and I have no idea about the Scott so I can rag on that. Over the past two years since they have started to “enforce” the 3:1 rule I have seen a number of people forced to ride their road bike at the last second for a TT (usually because of the bars but a few because of the frames.)
What do you mean? I’m almost sure you can run it with a traditional stem and a UCI legal 3:1 aerobar on the SC ala like Team RadioShack did.
I think $12500 is too expensive, and for a complete bike with Di2 I would rather take the Giant Trinity Advanced SL 0 or the Shiv (even though not Di2 optimized).
In fact I did and have both bikes (from my friends at RA Cycles).
My view on Felt is that they have some fantastic value bikes in their range, but the 2011 DA is too expensive compared to the competition and the drag numbers.
If the option was for a frameset then I would rather have a Shiv or a Trek SC. The Trek SC has more lust factor for me than a DA.
Ultimately the consumers view is the one that matters and my feedback for SD is that it is too expensive. Also the aero numbers for the DA compared to the competition “appear” to not be as good and they have not released anything unlike Specialized and Trek except against the old DA.
i seem to recall somewhere on this forum, that the bars were a large part of the reduced drag and if you replaced them with uci legal stuff, well, no concensus cuz there was no data
again, this was speculation, i believe, on this forum.
that would be what i mean. I wouldn’t get an SC with that bar set up over the old DA necessarily, and then there is still the seatpost issue. has that been taken care of other than for the pros?
As both my ST name and tone announce I am a roadie and not likely to try a tri very soon (unless I can do a relay.) Also I forgot that the avg. income of a USAT card holder is around the six figures. Point blank I just could not imagine what I would do if I passed a “weekend warrior” on one of my current dream TT bikes…I might fall off my bike in disbelief.
Also with the F1 and the FC, I could only dream of having two F1s but gaining about 100 grams while save $2000 is a pretty clear move to me. Not to mention they are both leaps about bounds above the 2008 F2, so I think I am set for the road season!
P.S. Thanks for making such great products
Anyone know when the bike is going to hit dealers floors? Another thread mentioned it might not be until February.
yes but after buying the frameset which comes with the UCI Illegal bars and required stem what in the world are you going to do with a good $600 worth of carbon? I doubt there are going to be many people out there looking to buy them… also not to mention that that requires you to buy (if you do not already have) a stem of the proper length and UCI legal bars. Not to mention the seat post…It would be smart if they had 2 options: a tri versions (more aero) and a TT version (UCI legal.)
But wow that bike is sexy even though I like to see the carbon (like on the Felts.)
I thought we are on a tri forum?<<
Ah, but you think wrong! 
It’s bike forum!
SuperDave: I really need the Tk1. Really!
yes but after buying the frameset which comes with the UCI Illegal bars and required stem what in the world are you going to do with a good $600 worth of carbon? I doubt there are going to be many people out there looking to buy them… also not to mention that that requires you to buy (if you do not already have) a stem of the proper length and UCI legal bars. Not to mention the seat post…It would be smart if they had 2 options: a tri versions (more aero) and a TT version (UCI legal.)
But wow that bike is sexy even though I like to see the carbon (like on the Felts.)
Once again as this being a tri forum what percentage of the members do you think care about UCI legal? What about those that lineup at IM events, how many do you think care about UCI rules?
Since the vast majority of us on here don’t need to worry about the UCI rules, that reasoning is a wash. No matter how you dice it, the Felt DA is priced above its main competitors. Even if you want to do UCI-legal vs. not, just match the Felt DA up against the Scott Plasma3 then. $1000 difference between the two. Do you have any reasons for why that would be?
As I wrote earlier, if you want to spend the same amount of money as the DA you have the Shiv with everything included in the module that the DA doesn’t have. If you want to spend little bit less you have the Trek SC which gives you more with it than the Felt DA. If you want to spend even less you can drop down to a Scott or Giant. Math wise, the DA is just pricey.
Yes, Felt has priced the DA higher than the competition.
No, it’s not just you, I think it is expensive too.
As insane as I think it is, Felt will sell out of these bikes and will laugh all the way to the bank.
i agree it is pricey, but if you are one of the few(not really so few) that abide(didn’t say care)by the uci requirements, then the SC isn’t going to work currently and the shiv is a no go, plasma 3?? don’t know, has anyone checked?
but, as I said, I agree, the DA is pricey, so is a P4
triforum…so, you never listen to the sage advice of the roadies on here? or will you listen to valid points, but dismiss their concerns who says roadies are the snobby ones?
Considering that the P2 Ultegra is only $2400, it makes the pricing of the “superbikes” that much more insane. Though it is a ton of fun to listen to someone attempt to justify the purchase of a $10,000+ bike over something like the P2 who is unwilling to admit “I just wanted one and had the money.”
$12k for a bike… That’s 6% of the gross annual income of someone making $200k!