Felt F85 Tiagra Road Bike Review

Does The Felt F85 Tiagra Road Bike Live Up To All The Hype?

With its “superlite” 6061 aluminium frame and talk of it being one of the more capable bikes of its type on the road right now, the Felt F85 Tiagra Road Bike is clearly out to impress. Other, arguably more basic features to this unisex model are the use of twenty gears, high end components from top names like Shimano, double bottle cage mounts, 700c wheels, a compact chainset, caliper brakes and a Felt branded finishing kit.

The extensive specification and appealing descriptions make this bike sound as though it will offer a great performance, while feeling modern and stylish, but are buyers happy with the components and the ride?

What benefits have buyers reported regarding this specification and promised performance of this Felt Tiagra Road Bike ?

Starting with the components, a large majority of buyers are more than happy with the specification of their first road bike, although there are some exceptions to the rule that will be mentioned later. Two highlights that can be picked out from user reviews, based on their frequency, are the quality of the brakes and shifter – again being due to the Shimano name – and the light weight of the bike.

This latter quality is achieved thanks to the carbon fibre fork, light wheels and alloy seat post. In addition to this great set of features, this bike has the benefit of being pretty much ready to go straight away, apart from attaching the pedals and handlebars, and buyers have stated that it needed little more than a few minor adjustments at their local shop to get it 100% roadworthy.

As for the performance, this too has received plenty of praise with specific comments focusing on how well it handles the hills and the way that it almost “floats” along the roads while offering a comfortable ride.

It is interesting that this Felt F85 Tiagra bike is seen by retailers and experts as being for “enthusiast” riders who looking to compete and want to really test it to its limits because the sense from buyers is that this is the ideal introduction to the style of riding, with many claiming this is their first and that they are simply learning on it.

Either way, this has not stopped hoards of reviewers giving five stars and calling it “faultless” or “amazing”.

What disadvantages have been noted and why are some buyers more critical of this Felt F85 Tiagra Road Bike’s components?

There isn’t any major issue with any of the parts that prospective buyers should be worried about, it is more the fact that some of the parts are more susceptible to breakages or are of a lower quality, which means they need to be upgraded.

The road bike comes with the most basic of pedals and Vittoria Zaffiro Slick, 700 x 23c tyres – both of which should be changed – and there are complaints about the poor spoke tension, with a number of spokes being broken after a few rides.

Interestingly, this is acknowledged by some retailers and spun into a positive – with the bike seen as being both a “budget” option and a blank canvas for alterations and personal touches. The only other common complaint regards the style of the bike, which uses a gloss white finish and white tape with black and silver cables and graphics. The white looks great to start with but it gets dirty far too easily.

Summary: do these flaws in any way affect the final verdict on this Felt F85 Tiagra Bike?

There may be some dispute over whether this is an introductory bike or one for enthusiasts but what is clear is that there is plenty to love with this model and not much to criticise, even if it is not quite as “faultless” as some claim.

It may need a slight tune up and some alterations in minor areas, specifically the tyres, but these are general complaints with road bikes of this price range and there are plenty more advantages than disadvantages when the performance is taken into consideration.

It may be difficult to keep clean and there may be issues with the spokes but many buyers believe the the bike more than makes up for these shortcomings with the higher end components and the way it carries itself on the roads and hills. In short, the Felt bike is highly recommended for riders looking for a solid bike that will start them off on the roads without holding them back.

You can check out more customer reviews about this Felt F85 Tiagra Road Bike at Wiggle UK here.