There have been a number of posts concerning these bikes individually, but not the up front comparison I guess I need. Hopefully you can help me out somewhat.
I am about to get a new TT bike for this season, and now I am down to three contenders.
Fuji Norcom Straight 2.1. Ultegra 6800 build. I can get this not locally, but almost, at approx 4000 $ (in Sweden that is, bikes are more expensive here). Oval carbon/alu 45 mm clinchers.
Felt DA4 2013. Ultegra 6700. This one will cost med probably 500 $ less than the Fuji. Felt TTR wheels.
Chinese. Build it up myself with Ultegra or Force 22. Most likely cheaper than both the above alternatives.
Wheels are not that important when considering these actually, as I will use my FFWD disc with Reynolds Strike front wheel. I have been on a Felt B2 for the last three years, but the seatpost clamp cracked. A great bike, but I did not really get any support from Felt when it cracked, which kind of makes me doubt if I need another Felt.
The Fuji seems quite interesting, but not as race proven as the DA4.
The Chinese build would be around the same frame as the Stevens Super Trofeo/ Fondriest/Olmo Kronos. I guess it is not that race proven either, but it could be an interesting bike.
Which one should I go for? I think I can get a pretty good fit on all of them, even if the Chinese frame might be close to small.
I appreciate all input I can get…
well, if you are concerned about “support” i’m sure you’ll get no support for the Chinese bike, correct? if it’s an open mold & you’re buying it from the bay or a similar source, there isn’t really a warranty, right?
i’m interested as to why you didn’t get the support you want from Felt, because it seems that they are well represented in this forum.
anyway, i don’t have the white papers for the DA or the Norcom, but I can’t imagine you’d be disappointed with either.
you have already said you “think” you can get a similar fit on both, which is what ultimately matters. so, at that point it comes down to which bike you actually like better.
p.s. - i wonder if you inquired at local shops about last year’s stock you might be able to find a higher-end frame possibly with Di2 for a price similar to what you are quoting above; it’s that time of year for shops to be clearing out last years stock…
If I go the Chinese direction, support is not the key issue. I guess cost is However, they claim they offer two years warranty on their product, but I have no idea if that equals what we usually know as two years warranty.
The Felt issue was that my frame was more than 2 years old and could not be replaced under warranty.
I wish I could go to the local shop and get a deal. The problem is that northern Sweden is not actually full of bike shops, and practically none of them stock TT bikes. The Fuji is actually “just” 400 km away, while I would get the Felt from a good German shop I have been dealing with throughout the years.
i see. well, if cost factors in i would buy the Felt. (but i think i would go that direction even if cost wasn’t an option)
you’ll save yourself about $500 & get a really solid bike.
you already have wheels, so that isn’t an issue.
i just couldn’t bring myself to buy Chinese ( i know, i know - most carbon bikes from the big companies are made in China).
i’m just wary of where it’s coming from, the quality of the carbon & the craftsmanship.
Well, I did get an offer to buy a 2013 frame with 10% discount on retail price… I am the original owner of the frame. Not sure if the shop I bought it from was an authorized Felt dealer though (and the shop was closed before my frame went broken).
I agree that Felt, judging to what I have seen here on ST, seem to honor warranties (my frame was three years old, and the warranty extended for two years).
i’m interested as to why you didn’t get the support you want from Felt, because it seems that they are well represented in this forum.
+1. Felt generally has a pretty good reputation for customer service. I’d be shocked you if you couldn’t get another seat post… as an aside, if you’re otherwise happy with your bike, you might consider getting a seat/seatpost combo from Dash Cycles
The problem with the earlier B2’s is when the seat post clamp crack, the whole frame is unusable. That is because the clamp itself is non-removable and non-fixable. Just a broken clamp or post wouldn’t have made me run for a new frame/bike
Assuming you get it to fit without any wackiness. … The Fuji is the faster of the bikes listed (in aiming your open mold is the fm098).
I’d like to see any data you have on that…
I dont have it, nor have I even seen it. But I’m basing this off of comments from two of the most respected minds I know when it comes to aero on bikes - and they both have said that there are only a small handful of bikes faster than the Norcom if its in the right configuration.
I’m skeptical because the Norcom just doesn’t look anything special to me. And Fuji’s previous frame was pretty bad. Did these people have WT data to back it up?
Not WT data but I have the Norcom in my frame tubing measurements list
It’s much closer to the UCI limits than the D6 was (that frame is much further down the list which is sorted by DT aspect ratio) so I would expect it to be much faster.
I don’t have a feeling for how it would compare to the DA, though it’s noteworthy that the IA testing showed the DA to not measure up all that well against superbike standards.
I have no doubt that the Norcom would beat the D6… but that isn’t saying much.
The headtube is fat and not very deep, the seat tube and post are not very deep, and I don’t like the seatstay-seattube junction. It isn’t as bad as the D6 which was horrible, but it looks like the airflow is directed outward and then has nothing to do but get dumped behind it.
However, they claim they offer two years warranty on their product, but I have no idea if that equals what we usually know as two years warranty.