Over the past six months, I鈥檝e been in charge of听testing 56 bicycles, with the goal of picking the听best bikes on the market for 2011. I鈥檝e plowed road bikes to 10,000 feet in swirling New Mexico snowstorms, spun down back roads and dusty singletrack in Tucson with dozens of enthusiastic bike testers, and steered bikes鈥攎uch to my back's displeasure鈥攐ver the听. And I鈥檝e ridden some damn good bikes.听Sadly, my legs (and my garage) have more capacity than a magazine, and we couldn鈥檛 find space for a handful of notable bicycles. So over the next days and weeks, I鈥檒l be reviewing a few more of this season鈥檚 noteworthy bikes.
Felt F4
$3,300
THE SELL:听Sprint-worthy stiffness with an impressive pedigree.
THE TEST:听Having sponsored Garmin-Chipotle in previous years, Felt amassed feedback from the team to redesign the popular F-Series line, with straighter tubing for increased rigidity and an even lighter build. We liked the F4 because it鈥檚 laid up in the same molds as the top-end models, though the slightly lower grade carbon weave means the price won鈥檛 make you see argyle. What you get is the stiffest bike we tested, which some praised for 鈥渋ncredible power transfer,鈥 while others rued as 鈥渂racing鈥 and 鈥渢oo stiff for a full day in the saddle.鈥 The rigid, workhorse Ksyrium Elite wheels and silky Ultegra shifting will keep you in the mix in the bunch gallops, though if you鈥檙e not a sprinter we鈥檇 suggest switching to carbon bars, stem, and seatpost to take off the harsh edge.听
THE VERDICT:听Don鈥檛 ask if this mid-level racer is tough enough for a criterium series; ask whether you鈥檙e tough enough for this bike. 16.7lbs (56);
HANDLING:听4.0
RESPONSIVENESS:听4.7
–Aaron Gulley
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