The Winter Bike Setup - Felt F25

For this winter I decided to throw together a bike from old parts so that my race bike would not have to deal with all of the wear and tear of winter riding. My goal for this bike was to have a reliable and strong bike that could get me thorough the rough Wisconsin winter and sand coated roads. Last winter I was getting tired of painstakingly cleaning my bike after each ride due to everything be covered in sand, so now I am now as worried for the integrity of the components so I will not have to clean them as much and will be able to enjoy my training without having to deal with the cleaning. So far this bike has had no troubles this winter and has held up great, but I have not brought this bike up to Wisconsin so when I go back up in a few weeks it will really get it's test. I believe that this bike will hold up to the beachy roads of Wisconsin, and I will be able to continue to enjoy my winter training. I do hope to add some fenders onto this bike so I will not have to deal with spray up from the water but have yet to find any fenders that will work with this bike, but maybe with more research I will be able to find a pair and slap them on. Overall, this bike will serves it purpose in the winter and it will be nice to go back to the race bike in April and not have to lug around 20 lbs with me every ride.

Bike Setup

Frame: Felt F25

Fork: Easton Ec70

Headset:FSA Integrated

Stem: ITM 110mm

Handlebar: Zeus Cat

Handlebar Tape: Sram

Saddle: Fizik Arione

Seatpost: Specialized

Seat Binder: Felt

Front Derailleur: Shimano Ultegra

Rear Derailleur: Shimano Ultegra

Shift & Brake Levers: Shimano Ultegra

Crank Set: Sram Force 53/39

Bottom Bracket: Sram BB

Cassette: Shimano Ultegra 12-25

Chain: Shimano Ultegra

Brakes: Shimano Ultegra

Wheelset: Velomax Vista

Inner Tubes: Sram

Tyres: Michelin Pro4 Endurance

Skewers: Velomax

Cables & Housings: Jagwire/Sram

Pedals: Look Keo

Computer: Garmin Edge 705

Power Meter: Stages Power Meter

Light: 3800 Lm 3x Cree XM-L T6 Headlight

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Stages Power Meter Review

Whats in the Box? What you need?

Sram Rival Crank Arm

This is my review of my Stages Power meter, my first power meter that I have ever used. I have currently had this power meter for about 4 months and have truly enjoyed using it every day. Throughout my 4 months of using my Stages i have only come across 2 issues that have now been resolved. The first issue that I had with my power meter is that it was having problems staying connected to my Garmin while riding in an area with a large amount of wireless routers, but after the recent firmware update I have not had an issue with that due to the update. 

Connective Issues

The other problem that I had was a small plastic piece cracking off where the battery is held in. This caused a plethora of issues with my wattage and connective issues, but after a short phone call to Stages. I had  a brand new power meter the next day and ever since then I have not had any other issues. 

Crack in case in the upper corner

I know for a fact that this power meter is doing me nothing but good, and there are results to show that as well. A local cat 3 climb called Chimpmunk Ridge is one of the hardest climbs around, and I was never close to being able to get the best time of that climb. I knew that with my power meter I had a shot at taking the KOM on the climb so I set out that day and took the KOM by almost a minute on a 6 min climb with even slowing down at the end of the climb. That was also they day where I set my 5 min record of 6.12 w/kg. The time before that when I had gone up that climb I was almost a minute and a half slower. This spring when I begin to work on 5- 10 min intervals I plan to take another couple of KOM's from the surrounding area to show that training with power really does make a big difference while on your bike, and I hope that this review helps you see that.

Overall this is a great power meter and would defiantly buy from this company again! Yes, I may have had some minor issues but due to the great customer service at Stages I was able to get them resolved and was back to training again. Many people ask the question of with the power meter only taking number from one leg is their a difference in numbers, and from what I have saw their is a minimal difference in numbers, but what really matters is that your numbers are consistent so that you can continue to train at the same level. Ever since I have gotten this power meter I have only seen my results go up not only by over 10% in wattage but in placing as well. So if your looking to enhance your training and get better results you should head over to  Stages Power and get your self a crank arm!
I would also like to add that Team Sky has now signed with Stages Power and will be using their power meters for the 2014 Season showing that Stages is truly a company that knows what they are doing!

Overall Stats

Performance- 8/10

Quality- 7/10

Customer Service- 10/10

Benefits- 11/10

Leave a comment below if you have any questions or concerns!

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