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Hi. I am looking into getting a new, and my first road bike. I have been riding a hybrid for the last decade or so. I typically ride 20-40 miles on an average ride. The bikes that have been recommended for me are the Felt ZW75 and ZW6 and the Trek LEXA SLX. Any input or direction. I do understand general differences in the aluminum/carbon fiber combo vs the full carbon fiber. Not sure the direction to take. Thanks for any info!
No real help here as I don't know much at all about the Felt bikes. I have tested a Lexa, but not the SLX. The Trek store in Raleigh that I most likely will be buying my new bike from started carrying Felt last year and were still learning about them at that time. (I have a good 2 hour drive to that store so don't visit it too often.) Basically since I do not like my local LBS it's get bike in Raleigh (2 hrs away), Charlotte (5 hrs away, but our old LBS that is awesome), or my hometown in Ohio (12 hrs away, but they will sell it to me at cost, I just have to let them know ahead so they can order it and have it there when we visit my family. They are my old, old LBS, grew up riding bikes we bought from them).
My husband was a big trek fan for years and that was pretty much all he looked at. Last year, kind of on a whim he bought a Felt z85 and fell in love with riding again. His other bike was a OLCV 5200 that he lovingly rebuilt over the years but wasn't a good fit for him because of his lower back issues. The Alu z85 was a better ride for him then the carbon trek.
He missed the feel of carbon though, so this year he started looking at the Madones that have the more upright H3 geometry. He liked them and was getting ready to buy one but then we went to the felt dealer and he road the Z5 and there was no contest. The Z5 rode just as nice as the Madone and was considerably cheaper.
I rode a wz6 and didn't care for the micro shifters but liked the frame a lot. I am not looking to buy right now but when I am I will seriously consider the wz5.
I'm a Trek fan. I haven't ridden the Lexa, but our store had quite a selection. Apparently, Health magazine just did a write up.
Ride them both and see which one wants to go home with you ;) Ask questions--i did a lot of homework, but found the people at the various LBS's very helpful. Be honest--"i'm also looking at a Felt. What are the differences?". You may hear a little trash talk, but a good LBS is knowledgeable about other brands (poor manufacturer support, poor quality, poor wsd r&d).
I would test ride as many different brands as you can. Felt and Trek are both good, so it really comes down to feel. For me, Felt's geometry wasn't quite right; the top tube was too short and that was that.
Other bikes to look at might include:
Scott Contessa, Fuji Finest, Specialized Dolce (all aluminum, generally with carbon forks), and Trek Madone, Specialized Ruby, etc. (all carbon).
As far as aluminum vs. carbon, they have their pro's and con's.
Aluminum is more reasonably priced. That's probably its biggest asset. On the down side it tends to transmit more vibration up to the rider, so it's less smooth.
Carbon's more expensive, and a little more fragile. A crash can crack it fairly easily. But it's lightweight, and dampens the vibration making for a smoother ride.
Ride both, and see how you feel about them, relative to your budget.
Thanks everyone for your input! Keep up the good advise!
I have been riding a Felt Z85 for the past year, I am 5'9" and the WSB were to small. I bought her on a whim for stress and relief, and I lover her, I do wish that I bought carbon though. I broke the rules and did not test ride anything else, I guess I lucked out.
I have a 2011 Felt ZW6 and LOVE it. I bought it a year ago (1st road bike) and enjoy it immensely. I bought a Yakima stand up rack just so that when I travel for work, my bike goes with me.
Trouble free, very smooth ride, and looks great!!! :D
My Roadie is a Felt ZW25 - (Fit Womens range)
I love her to bits :D
Take them for a ride - just make it a good ride - a good 20 minutes or so, you don't need to work up a sweat to know if the geometry is right for you, but it can take time to settle into a new position
a 20 minute ride will tell you if your body can cope with the change - both bikes put you in a very different position than your current hybrid
Ride everything you can. You just never know. I had my heart set on a Cervelo. But it felt...I dunno...off. LBS handed me a Felt....and that felt...well, really bad for me. Tried Bianchi, Specialized, Fuji, Trek and then...happy day...an Orbea.
Ding! Winner!
Fit like a GLOVE. Made for me I swear. No idea who or what Orbea was, just knew she fit and felt like riding a Formula 1 race car.
So no matter how much research you do, don't go by text and names and numbers. Go by feel, fit and comfort. Than make things work by text, names and numbers. Ultegra vs Red isn't going to make the bike feel better or worse. So once you find the fit, then find the other things that make it even more awesome.
Denise
I tried out both the Lexa and a Felt ZW6 last weekend. I liked both, but the Felt just felt right (haha). Ride them both. See what seems right to you.