FELT

S32

There is a reason tri bike companies have largely abandoned the $1400 price point.  Nobody can compete with Felt.  The S32 is simply too much bike for too little price.

The frame is made with the #7005 alloy Jim Felt helped pioneer during his days with Easton.  The geometry is full-blown race, and the round seat post actually helps a bit, allowing for more wiggle room in the set-up and positioning than would be the case with an aero post and seat tube complex.  The fork is carbon.

This is a largely 105/Ultegra bike, witih Profile Aerolite clip-ons, Felt’s proprietary saddle that works reasonably well while in the aero position, and Shimano WH-R500 wheels.  Unlike so many value-priced complete bikes, no parts need to be replaced to make it rideable.  This is the least you can spend to get a functional full tri set up out of the box.

One other element of note:  This bike’s geometry in its 650c sizes (48cm, 50cm) is perfect, and other bike makers ought to take notice.  Jim Felt’s work with Paula Newby Fraser in years past has helped him dial in the geometry on these sizes, and this knowledge base transfers up to Felt’s higher-end tri bikes.

S22

Last year’s S25 is gone, and the Felt line jumps to the $2500 S22.  Yes, this year’s hot category is the $3000 to $4500 carbon tri bike.  Lost in this are the formidable values offered by mid-priced aluminum.  Cervelo’s P2 SL, QR's Tequilo, and this bike, the S22, are representative of bikes atop which you anyone can win any race, if he or she is prepared to win it anyway.  In other words, if you don’t make it onto the dais, don’t blame your S22.  It’s enough bike.

The frame is still made of Jim Felt’s Easton-pioneered #7005 alloy, but with a carbon wishbone seat stay.  With its carbon fork and post, you get carbon fore, mid and aft, for those manic about carbon’s vibration absorption.  The frames other tubes undergo machining to relieve it of excess weight, and the seat post and tube are integrated into one aero shape.

Spec is what sets Felt apart.  This bike is Dura Ace in its shift system, with FSA’s SLK carbon crankset and Easton Vista SL wheels.  The bike is also spec’d with Visiontech’s Carbon PRO Clip-ons, and you’ll almost certainly want to ride these bars with the riser kit included.  Don’t even try to ride them without it.  Felt’s head tubes are short, and this bar’s low-profile armrest is not a thematic fit without the riser.  Since Vision’s excellent pursuit bar is flat, installing this riser does not make the vertical distance between the armrest and the pursuit positions overly great.

This bike’s geometries in 48cm, 50cm, and 52cm will easily accommodate any rider seeking a true tri bike.  At 54cm and up, the bike turns slightly shallower in its seat angle, and because of the bike’s integrated aero seat post and tube, you can’t swap out a seat post to steepen it up (as you can in Felt’s S32).  Therefore, be certain that this bike’s 76° seat angle (at 54cm and larger) is what you want.

B2

The problem with this bike is that the S22 is such a crushingly good value, it takes a bit of wind out of the lungs of the B2.  Since the B2 is geometrically the same as the S22, and is probably its aerodynamic equivalent, what can the extra $1800 possibly by you?

Let’s start with the frame.  The B2 is in point of fact the same as that in the S22, which speaks well for the latter. But as this price point, one hopes for more out of the B2, and smart money says an freshened-up B2 frameset for 2007 is in the works.

Otherwise, the difference is largely in spec. You get Easton’s truly great EC90 fork, and then you get an almost entirely Dura Ace bike, including Dura Ace crankset and brake calipers.  And then there’s Zipp’s Carbon 404 wheels with ceramic bearings.