I did a lot of reading on this site before purchasing my new bike. So I thought I would share my experience with others, in hopes it sheds light on others who are interested in what features are offered on a new entry level bike, such as the Felt f65x.
I wanted a newer road bike, to upgrade from my 2006 caad8 cannondale road bike. It had 9 speed Shimano components. It was an extremely light and well built bike. I also had a mountain bike that I didn't ride too much, due to my lack of interest in difficult single track. I had a Kona Jake the Snake years ago, but it was heavy, too large of frame, and never worked well for me as a road bike. A friend invited me on a gravel ride, which we can do easily around my our town. I went on a gravel ride with my old steel steed and LOVED IT! I loved the back roads and the lack of pressure from high speed vehicles.
The search quickly began for a new bike that I could do a couple 100 mile rides a year on, and do some gravel road riding when I want off the pavement. I also figured I would be selling my mountain bike to make this purchase, so that meant I needed some mud clearance. Due to my positive experience with my Cannondale Caad8 aluminum road bike, I considered the caadx. It as affordable and I thought it would be a great option. But then I stumbled upon the felts. The f85x was what I wanted and thought I could afford, but the frame wasn't my favorite (purple), so I looked at the f65x with Shimano 105 11 speed, and disc brakes. I fell in love with it. I pulled the trigger.
My initial thoughts are very positive. The only negative is the actual weight is 23.5 lbs with spd pedals, and the advertised weight is 21.2 (with no pedals). Other than that I am extremely satisfied. The 55 cm fits me well, and is well built.
2014 or 2015 Felt f65x (I think it is a 2015 model with the Shimano 105. For $1,499 it is a great bike. I also considered the v85 , and may have bought it, but for some reason went with this.
The SHIMANO 105 11 SPEED IS AWESOME!!! I think this was a huge factor for getting a felt. The trek's which I also liked, were much more expensive with the 105 drivetrain. The bike has been a lot of fun. I have only ridden it on the stock vitorio 33c mud tires. I have ridden road for a few miles, and dirt and mild single track. It is awesome!!!! This bike is a great option. I will go on a long road ride and try leaving some feedback for how it does with 23 c tires, and how it feels for 50 miles on gravel.
I would love to hear how the v85 or v100 compares (I couldn't find tire clearance on those models) but would love to hear more about them.
Thanks for the information shared about other bikes. It was very helpful in selecting my bike.
Well, the cool black frame is toast. I laid it over going 30 on pavement. Felt has a 50% off crash replacement program and another frame is on the way. The process has been frustrating and lengthy. It has been three weeks since paying for the replacement frame and yet to see it. My friend had a different shop get his warrantied (Fuji) and they had a new one to him in 2 days without charging him a dime. I initially liked the felt cx bike, but am not so sure about their customer service. I would love to have a felt cx frame to put some miles on it and give some more long term feedback.
Ouch. Sorry to hear about your incident. Hopefully things will be made right asap. Sometimes an email or phone call to corporate can grease the skids, so to speak.
Thank you for letting us know. Sorry to hear of your situation. I was at a shop Saturday that sells Trek and Giant, but went to look at the Defy. The owner told me she sells mostly Trek for that very reason. Any warranty issues are handled immediately with no questions. To me that peace of mind is worth a little extra. So maybe a Damone in my future.
Felt finally got me a replacement frame (over a month ago, I just have been busy). My local bike shop and felt dealer was going through closing their doors for good, and that may have hampered their customer service getting me the bike sooner. It is the f85x color, because they didn't have any f65x frames left. I replaced the crank with a carbon crank, new shifters and bar tape. I am back riding it and love it! I also put a new rear cassette that gives me a 32 rear wheel cog on the cassette (which makes climbing a little easier, and I love to climb).
Now to decide if I want to do cross races this fall?
