Felt vs Cervelo vs Giant

I am somewhat new to the biking community and would like some advice and input on a new bike purchase i would like to make. I currently have a 2008 Trek Madone 5.2 and am looking to get a new bike as this one feels heavy and sluggish. I am looking to buy either a Felt AR4, a Cervel S2, or a Giant TCR Advanced. Any siggestions or input from anyone who has owned or ridden these? I appreciate it alot !

I ride a felt so I guess Im a little biased, but I have had no complaints what so ever with mine. I have 1000's of miles on it and other than normal wear and tear, nothing has broken on me. I got a great deal on it so thats why I went with Felt over another brand.

Honestly of the 3 bikes you mentioned, they are all really good. I know guys that ride on all 3 of the mentioned brands and they all seem to love their rigs a lot. Your best bet is to see which fits the best size wise and into your price range and go for it

Your trek should weigh about 16lbs, the others will be similar. The cervelo S2 frame looks the best IMO. Is it possible for you to take all three for a test ride?

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Steve
CyclingForums.com

yes i can, but one store does not carry all 3 brands, so with the time between rides travelling to different stores, its hard to remember the good and bad of each one, so i was hoping for some info from people who have owned some of these bikes for some insight...

If your 2008 Trek Madone 5.2 feels "heavy and sluggish", why would you expect any new bike to feel any better? It's not like you're riding an old steel flexy clunker now

Heavy and sluggish? Why don't you do something else to spice things up? After all, you're going to take a bath on that Madone if you sell it. Maybe try different tires or different wheels or summat. While the performance difference will be negligible, it might be just the thing to put that spark back in the Madone relationship.......and it will be a lot cheaper.

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What makes the most difference is how sexy the name sounds to you, and whose advertising you like the best. Heavy names and dull advertising really make a bicycle feel sluggish.

Like fresh handlebar wrap.

Or a good night's sleep. If an '08 Madone 5 feels sluggish the problem is most likely with the motor.

I don't want to get radical here, but there's this technique I've heard of called "taking notes."

Not the same as riding them 1-2-3 but it should jog the memory.

Very good advise!!

I'm a bit biased myself, my rig is Felt F3SL w/ Red. I've oogled over the AR2/4 for the longest time but the TT is a bit far for me. I was tossing up the S2 and the F3SL but wanted something other then Shimano / Campy..I really wanted to ride SRAM so I went with the F3SL. I would go with a Cervelo for my tri-rig, road would be all Felt.

I like Felts. I like Madones. I ride a Giant, mainly because it fits and I got a great deal on it. Unless there is something wrong in the way the Madone fits, I don't see any point in switching.

After about 2 weeks of riding on Felt ('09 Z45), I must say that I love every bit of it with no problems (knock on wood). Although I'm sure that if I got a Cervelo or a Giant, I would be just as happy. As long as it FITS you perfectly, that's #1, the looks of it should be last priority.

-Greg

Nice! felt make good bikes

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Steve
CyclingForums.com

Yes sir, I keep mine right in front of my bed, so when I wake up it's the first thing I see, and my day starts off great