Hi,
A friend of mine suggested I posted my question to this forum of gurus.
I am ready to move from a crossbike (Giant FCR2 2008) to something a little more swish.
Inside the last year I have done about 8,000km, mostly touring on 2 or 3 day trips with a tent on the back carrier with a couple of friends. Mainly to places like Izu (Numazu to Izukogen) Fuji 5 lakes, Okutama etc. I also use the bike to get around instead of trains, and carry a change of clothes for work each day on the back of the bike.
So, I am caught in a bit of a bind, I don't want a touring bike, I would like a roadbike, preferably carbon, but something that can take the punishment of having a backcarrier with about 5kg of weight on it. I am 170cm, 80kg myself.
I quite like the 2009 felt z25, it sounds like a comfortable ride but has good performance, and the value-cost proposition seems good. I am just a little concerned about using a seat post-positioned back carrier adding about 5kg to the weight on a slightly different forcing against the bike than regular sitting would do - I am hoping someone can tell me that I am just being a little paranoid and all should be good.
Does anyone have experience with the Felt Z25, or their slightly racier counterpart the Felt F3SL? Are there some other options I should look at?
I appreciate any thoughts and advice.
Cheers,
Stuart
p.s. There is a wealth of knowledge in these forums, I will scavenge through them more later - after a quick ride. Thanks for all the efforts on the site.
A friend of mine suggested I posted my question to this forum of gurus.
I am ready to move from a crossbike (Giant FCR2 2008) to something a little more swish.
Inside the last year I have done about 8,000km, mostly touring on 2 or 3 day trips with a tent on the back carrier with a couple of friends. Mainly to places like Izu (Numazu to Izukogen) Fuji 5 lakes, Okutama etc. I also use the bike to get around instead of trains, and carry a change of clothes for work each day on the back of the bike.
So, I am caught in a bit of a bind, I don't want a touring bike, I would like a roadbike, preferably carbon, but something that can take the punishment of having a backcarrier with about 5kg of weight on it. I am 170cm, 80kg myself.
I quite like the 2009 felt z25, it sounds like a comfortable ride but has good performance, and the value-cost proposition seems good. I am just a little concerned about using a seat post-positioned back carrier adding about 5kg to the weight on a slightly different forcing against the bike than regular sitting would do - I am hoping someone can tell me that I am just being a little paranoid and all should be good.
Does anyone have experience with the Felt Z25, or their slightly racier counterpart the Felt F3SL? Are there some other options I should look at?
I appreciate any thoughts and advice.
Cheers,
Stuart
p.s. There is a wealth of knowledge in these forums, I will scavenge through them more later - after a quick ride. Thanks for all the efforts on the site.