Ok so is it “margin per manufacterer” I.E. Felt ha a larger margin than Giant? Or does each individual bike have a different margin?
I can see the different margin per bike, I.E. Higher end bikes have a higher margin, I just don’t really see why you’d essential “Price yourself out of the market”. I coudl understand it if you were the only game in town or had a significant spec advantage, but I just don’t see it in this case.
I guess what I’m really wondering is you mentioned “Real selling price”. So do you actually "mark these Felts down, like a sale everyday, or do you only “sell at the real price” if someone pushes you?
I guess if I was in your position I’d be in a quandry.
Tom, is it possible to buy a bike from a store like yours with just my measurements? I would have to drive a half day to LA or SF to find high end bike dealers. I foresee a measurement and order, then another half day trip for fitting. Is it not recomended to buy somewhere else, ship it, then fit it at a LBS.
I’ve been riding a TCR 2 for a few years and I’ve ridden it in everything from normal training rides to sprint/Olympic distance races to 1/2 IM distance. I had a set of Profile clip-ons and it was just fine. i really like the compact geometry. When i bought mine, they were selling it with an adjustable stem that you could adjust the angle of drop up or down. Don’t know what they’ve got on it now.
Truthfully, I think it is worth the 1/2 day trip to a good bike fitter in your area. Not that we don;t want the sale- we do. However, you are considering putting a lot of cash into a nice bike. The single most important determining factor in the bike’s performance is fit. Nothing will have a greater affect on how much/little you like it.
With that in mind and $1500+ on the line I really think it makes a lot of sense to spend the extra time to drive to a good bike fitter whom you trust in your area and get set up that way. That really is the best possible solution.
yes, absolutely. I think the fact that they say ‘105’ and everything but the headset and seatpost is Shimano 105 says a lot - hubs, cranks, derailleur, brakes, shifters, the works. (Anyone who tells you that Shimano 105 will slow you down vs. Ultegra is delusional, btw).
on to the frame: No problems yet, and I am 6’4", 185 lbs. I put a LOT of torque on that puppy (L frame). It has a replacable dropout which is nice to have on any frame. Welds look ok to the layperson’s eye.
Where they save $$ is a) the wheels (heavy w/ bottom of the pack Mavic rims, but bombproof - this spec has since changed), b) heavy stem/bar/seatpost. I never bothered to change it, and think that the next year’s version had threadless headset (mine is still threaded which works fine).
IOW, it’s hard to go wrong with it if, yes IF, the size works for you. The problems with the XS, S, M, L, are pretty well discussed on this forum, but I think a little overplayed. I think some reason why dealers hesitate to pick them up is b/c they ruin their pricing structure to some degree, and Giants are sold through Performance (which ruins the Giant’s profit margins of the dealer).
I know nothing about the Felts (other than I find their top tubes to be strange looking), but agree with Tom Demerly that the seat angle on the OCR (different on the TCR) is a bit slack.
bottom line: would I buy the same bike again for $1000? Absolutely.
I bought the first TCR available in 1997 (it was a hideous yellow/green color they called haze yellow, looked like a cheap highlighter), with 105.
Bought it to learn to ride, it was a great road bike and I was on for my first two years of tri. Then upgraded to a Roark TT bike.
I literally rode the components off it in five years, so I stripped it to the frame and let it sit in my garage for a few years then slowly started to buy new components to rebuild it.
Last Saturday I bought a pair of 105 shifter/levers to complete the project (it took two+ years). They should arrive tomorrow or Wednesday. I can’t wait to slap them on and ride my Giant again (this time with a flat black paint job). I will use it as a road-only training bike for the next year to get myself back in shape to race in 2006. Flight school has kept me away for three years.
I it fits you, buy it, you won’t be disapointed. Great value, great fun.
I have an OCR for training a a recently rebuilt carbon TCR for hilly technical courses (when i’m not using my Kalibur). They’re nice frames but fit is critical. If you’re relatively big like me you’ll flex the seatpost like crazy and I can really move my BB around. That said the reason I haven’t sold it is because I like the ride and the handling. The front fork is a little too laterally flexy and can’t handle tri spokes on the front on the larger sizes but its worth considering…along with half a dozen other brands !!!
A half day to LA or SF? Where are you at? I live between the two in the central valley. There’s Tri-Sport in Fresno and Mike Weathers lurks on this post daily and is quite proficient at bike fit. True they have much more road than tri on the floor but Mike has raced tris since the 80’s and they do stock some Felt tri. He understands the nuances between multisport (running off the bike), road tt (like the ITT at the Madera Stage Race), and road riding.
If you’re more on the central coast former top AG’er Scott Smith owns Art’s Cyclery in San Luis Obispo. They do a lot of tri and Scotty also knows about position.
Feel free to shoot me a PM if you have a question. IMO Giants offer a lot of value for the money and if you get a zero offset post you may be able to get a good fit depending on your body dimensions. I have a TCR and did 3 1/2 IM and 1 full on it.
Since you’re just down the road in H-town I would definitely recommend calling Tri-Sport (take the 41N and take the Friant ave exit and turn left off the exit ramp. it’s on the corner of Blackstone & Nees) and making an appointment with Mike. Call and talk to him 432-0800. He can guesstimate what size you’d need and tell you what they have in stock.
FTR, Performance Bike down the street carries Giant but they have no one who does multi-sport much less anyone who knows anything about fit so unless you’re absolutely certain of what you need, I’d stay away.
I remember those stems. It its the one I remember it was a 1" quill style and very heavy. Now they’re using 1 1/8 threadless so the trick would be to get a Specialized Team flip flop stem. They can be use in four positions - -8, -16, +8, +16.