There are a lot of bike companies in the marketplace these days. It makes it hard for a consumer to choose what they want, and just as tough for a dealer to choose what to carry.
Some things come a little easier though.
With the popularity of triathlon and time trials around Central Illinois, Felt bicycles are a perfect fit. The company has one of the strongest triathlon lines on the market.
Felt started out different than many other bike companies. Jim Felt was a top motocross mechanic, and while supporting a rider made his first frame, a triathlon bike, for the rider, who had some good success on it while cross-training for motocross.
Word spread of his success on the Felt-designed frame and Jim Felt soon got a call from Easton Sports, a company new to the bike industry and in need of a product engineer for its bike program. One of Felt's first projects was to design a frame for Easton-sponsored triathlon legend Paula Newby Fraser who had already won three Hawaiian Ironman World Championships. Felt delivered with a bike that Newby Fraser rode to a fourth World Championship.
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Felt worked with Easton until 1994 then launched his brand in conjunction with Answer Products. They sponsored the Nutra-Fig Team which had some great results, despite being a relatively small team and the brand continued to grow. In 2000 Felt parted ways with Answer.
In 2001 Felt re-launched his company with a broader offering of bikes, other than just higher-end road bikes and triathlon bikes. It now offered a full range of bikes, as well as BMX, mountain, cruisers and commuters. Despite the broad range the company's mission is simple: To design, develop, and deliver the best bicycles in the world.
Felt is probably still best known for cutting edge triathlon bikes. There are a lot of bikes that might look fast, but Felt actually designs its bikes in a wind tunnel to make them as aerodynamic as possible. The company makes workable models that they can put a rider on and move material around to change airflow. That way, the bike can be literally designed around the rider and make the bike fast.
Until a couple of years ago most of Felts bikes were made out of aluminum, which considering the company's background with Easton, was a good fit. In 2007 the company introduced the DA, a cutting-edge, full carbon bike. Carbon fiber can be formed in just about any shape, making it a perfect material to use for aerodynamic designs, while still making a bike that is light and has a good ride.
The DA brings several new ideas to triathlon bike design. The cable routing runs inside the frame and enters behind the stem on the top of the frame, so there is hardly any wind hitting the cables. The downtube drops close to the front tire smoothing air flow over the frame. The seat tube forms a faring over the rear tire and lets you tuck it in close to the frame. Another wind-cheating feature is that Felt bikes have moved the rear brake from the back of the frame to behind the bottom bracket, out of the wind. To round out the design the company developed the Bayonet front fork. It is built very narrow and has most of the material on the outside front, making a deeper aero section and a really stiff front end. All of these wind cheating features make the DA one of the fastest bikes in the world. And it has the results to prove it.
The great thing is all the features of the frame that are found on the top-of-the-line, $9,400, DA, are also found on the $2,300, B16. It's a true example of trickle-down technology.
The B16 is the best value for a full carbon triathlon/time trial bike for the 2009 season. It uses the same mold as the DA, but is made with a different carbon fiber. It comes with a quality parts group and some very adjustable aero bars so you can tweak your position until it's just right. It's sure to be popular this year.
Felt has brought another interesting bike to the market for 2009, the AR. It's a new category of road bike called Aero Road.
Living in Illinois, there aren't a lot of big hills to climb. So, while having a light bike is nice, having something that will cut through the wind better usually makes the most sense. And while you can ride a triathlon bike every day, a road bike will ride smoother and is better in a group.
The AR was developed for riders who want a road bike, but want one that cuts through the wind better. The AR accomplishes that with its aerodynamic-shaped tubes, internal cables and rear wheel faring. It looks like a mix between a standard road bike and a triathlon bike. It's a great bike, and fills a need that not many companies have embraced yet.
Stop by Spin City Cycles to find the Felt bike that best suites your riding style and needs. You're sure to make 2009 the fastest year ever.
