On Friday I went over to R and A Cycles (racycles.com) and got fitted on my new Felt DA 700. I wanted the frame because the geometry fits me perfectly (in size 54) and I liked the stiffness of the bottom bracket, the aero seat post and the Reynolds Ouzo Aero Fork that come with it and the fact that it’s painted a simple sexy and punk rock matte-black. Because I splurged on the frame, I went for a full Ultegra set-up, Syntace C2 aerobars, Deda Newton stem and my new favorite saddle: the Fizik Arione (very comfy and “fast”). Felix did a supreme job of getting me dialed in just right and really took the time (2.5 hours!) to find my sweet spot from adjusting my cleats to multiple micro-adjustments to the stem, post and saddle, etc.
I was able to do two 60-milers on the DA this weekend and the thing screams on the road. My average speed was a good 2.5 miles per hour faster than on my road bike and I had no trouble at all maintaining 26 mph on the flats for extended periods. On out of seat climbs I felt like the energy I put into it wasn’t wasted with any flexing, just pure energy transfer. It also handles (almost) better than my road bike–it keeps a straight line very easily without the front end “nervousness” of certain tri-bikes. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m on a new bike, but this thing is way beyond what I ever imagined and worth every penny, so far, because I smiled the whole time I was on it (bugs in teeth and all).
1 bad thing: my wife wouldn’t let me sleep with it next to our bed the first night I got it, so I had to go into my study and stare at it a few times throughout the night. I felt like such a kid.
have a great season!