conpared to the giant defy3 and such It is my experience that the Felt outclass those in its bracket. I've read amny reviews that trash the Shimano Sora's on other bikes, but for this bike they are great, yes shimano 105's and such would be lighter and tougher( I have shimano 105's on my hybrid bike)but they have not let me down yet and I have no forseeable need to change them out, i've used felt f95, but switched out to the z100 because of my body measurements, I have long lims but a shorter torsso for someone my hight, which bade the the f95 have the right for me but at times caused lower back pain, so I perffer the use of my back later in life than arodynamics and speed and higher level components, the z100 offers a slightly higer position in the front end and when really needed i shift to the lower area on the drop bars instead of the break hoods. another plus was the second set of breaks alone the straight of the handlebars whic comes in handy when riding through the neighborhood with the crazy taxis and the nuts that like to crack people over the head for thier bikes when not paying attention. I've manage 30-37mph on the z100 (avrg?)so its still fast if that is a concers of yours when it comes to felts f's vs z's. I'm not a competitor cyclist, I'm just into fitness & recreational riding,local cycle groups and such, i've been on the road with professionals and local/city competitiors and manage well with them or in the group. so its all in all a cool and functional bike for what ever type/purpose of riding. (i've managed to burn a couple of prof's. cyclist and when they catch up' their snickering changes to comments about being amazed. sometimes what you get what you pay for, but for the z100, you get more than what you were expection! truthat! plus it a sweet color and allows for serveral tire colors that'll match and make others feel envious and angry that they spent more than they needed for the type of riding they do. this is just my opinion and some!