I am considering taking the plunge on a new bike this coming year and I have considered many, such as the TM01, Plasma, Felt IA, and Speed Concept. I currently ride an Argon e-118, which I like, but I am looking for a change and the wife is ok with a new toy (it will probably mean she gets an upgrade in the bike department too, if I do). I expect to ride primarily in the 22 / 20 mph range for HIM’s and IM’s, and don’t expect to be pushing the 22mph mark in the IM. I have been pretty much set on a 2014+ Speed Concept (7 or 9 series depending on the deal), but I have recently let the Felt IA creep into the picture. I’ve seen windtunnel data for both, but not side by side. Both seem to be good for the relatively high-yaw rider (I consider that under 22mph).
That being said, which would you choose - SC or Felt IA? Advantage/disadvantages? Other considerations?
(I am kind of lumping the different models as whole since aero-wise the model doesn’t seem to matter much - at least as far as I know, but if the model makes a difference, let’s say a SC 9 vs. Felt IA FRD…Also, I am build it kind of person, so I am planning to get a frame-set and build it up, if that makes any difference)
Both are great bikes. Whichever fits best will probably work the best. From my reading the Felt may be a tiny bit faster, but the Speed Concept has much better storage. Being able to tilt the SC bullhorns is a plus. All in all very minor differences. My wife is on the SC, I’m picking up my Felt on Monday.
cldtx - I’m not going to answer your question because they are both fine bikes and because they are so similar to each other and to your existing geometry that if one of these is right for you then all of them are right for you:
The Argon E-118 that you have now has a stack and reach of 540 and 425 respectively.
The IA in size 56 has a stack and reach of 546 and 425 respectively.
The SC in a Lg has a stack and reach of 541 and 426 respectively.
I have elected to respond because I’m worried some lurker might click in, scroll down and believe that they should also decide between these bikes without any discussion on fit. There’s my bias and I want to cop to that right up front: I’m a bike fitter, I come from a fit bias. I don’t care so much about brands, I don’t care about color, I don’t care about Cda - Yeezus! this obsession with wind tunnel talk - I just can’t prioritize that when I stand at the 40mi mark of my local long course and half the folks rollin’ by aren’t in aero cause it’s too uncomfortable - I’m deeply frustrated by that. Between the IA and the SC I wonder which bike has better drag coefficient when you’re sitting upright with hands on the arm pads?
Based on that my advice to future bike buyers is this: those of you whom want to choose between bikes like the Argon E 118, Trek SC and the Felt IA (super bikes for sure, but really any tri bike) - I beg you, go and get pre-fitted first by a knowledge fitter who has a dynamic fit bike (Guru, Purely Custom, Muve, Exit MkII or the like). Pay them what ever they want: $200, $400, it doesn’t matter* and after you go through the entire process take the stack and reach from that pre-fit and compare them to every beautiful, sexy, tri bike to see which ones are really right for you.
Ian
*It doesn’t matter because when you amortize the cost of your fit out over thousands of miles, over the 5+ years you’ll own the bike, over the hundreds of hours away from family/work, over the dollar/mile race entry fee, over the shame/pride of your result, over all of it - the comfort & control you’ll have from being in the right position with be so worth it that you’ll have been willing to pay double what the fitter was asking.
Thanks guys - and, ianpeace, thanks for adding the fit into the equation. Not to worry too much on my end - I’ve gone the professional fit route on my bikes over the last year with a guy here in Austin that just about everyone recommended, and I have been pretty happy. I should be able to transfer my coordinates over pretty quickly, and ultimately have a tweak on the new bike - that being said, I did not explicitly state “fit” as a potential advantage/disadvantage, but I should have — Also, the stack/reach looks good, but do you happen to know if one has more adjust-ability over the other?
Also, regarding the integrated storage for the IA - Do some/all of the models have an internal hydration bladder? My understanding was that it was removed, at least on some.
I don’t care so much about brands, I don’t care about color, I don’t care about Cda - Yeezus! this obsession with wind tunnel talk - I just can’t prioritize that when I stand at the 40mi mark of my local long course and half the folks rollin’ by aren’t in aero cause it’s too uncomfortable - I’m deeply frustrated by that. Between the IA and the SC I wonder which bike has better drag coefficient when you’re sitting upright with hands on the arm pads?
While your point about the importance of fit is well taken, these days for most people there’s no real reason to sacrifice CdA for fit given there is now a good choice of very aero bikes with similar aero performance. If someone can’t stay in aero for a mere 40 miles there’s such a high level of incompetence in their fit (or their complete lack of self discipline in adapting to aero) and bikes are so adjustable that I bet their problems go far beyond picking the wrong brand or size of bike. Only a tiny percentage of the population really has to sacrifice CdA for fit. And the two particular bikes in consideration are not a good example for your fit discussion since they fit almost exactly the same.
I’m sure you’re not of them, but unfortunately there are some fitters out there that use small differences in fit numbers to sell perfectly normal people overpriced, un-aero custom boutique brands.
I think a lot of folks don’t give a new, more aggressive position enough time before declaring it’s not comfortable. There’s definitely an adjustment period. If I had been put into my current position 4 years ago… I would have thought you were crazy.
Just went through the process and fit was indeed a primary consideration. Came down to the IA and SC 9. Was pre fit and the SC was the better choice for me. They are both beautiful fast bikes.
oh yeea oops but it has a spot for spares and food according to rinny at the end of this vid. so almost as good as hydration. bta is pretty great while finding a spot for spares can be hard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_riP1LJ2tSU
Bar tilt can be very important if you want to try a Levi/Landis Praying Mantis position. An ERO session would cover the fit and aero questions.
Resale on the SC might be a bit better because the SC can be ridden in all bike races (UCI legal), so you have a bigger market.
If I were only doing Tri-s and didn’t need bar tilt, I would pick the Felt. All the engineers I know seem to rave about what a great execution Felt did on the bike.
I think an important factor in choosing between those bikes (along with many other superbikes) is how easily the bike can be broken down for travel. It may not seem like a huge deal to some people, but if there’s a chance that you would fly with your bike to do a bucket list race (i.e. Roth, Kona, etc.) the ease of breaking down/ putting together a bike for travel is a factor.
