Felt Bicycles Debuts New 559 EndurRAD Enduro Specific Wheelsize

Apr 1, 2014 at 9:38
by Charlie Sponsel  
PREPARE TO HAVE YOUR MIND BLOWN
FELT BICYCLES DEBUTS ENDURO
SPECIFIC 559 WHEELSIZE

Faster acceleration
Lower weight
Enduro specific

April 2014: Felt Bicyles Intl. Headquarters Irvine, CA


Felt Bicycles is proud to announce the Spring '14 release of the proprietary 559 EnduRAD Enduro specific wheelsize for 2015 Felt models. With the rise in popularity of 29" and 650b wheels, Felt saw a market segment that was being underserved by the sometimes "too big" existing wheelsizes, and Felt began looking for solutions immediately. Originally a children's bicycle tire standard, 559 has been repurposed to complete Felt's already incredible Enduro-specific lineup. The key to 559 is its size: 559 is only 12.5mm and 4.28% smaller than 650b, making it an easy transition for those accustomed to larger wheels. The slightly smaller 559 wheel can be ideal in many technical riding situations, including tight switchbacks, jumps, bermed corners, and aggressive, loose terrain. Riders of all ages and experience levels will find 559 to be more playful, more intuitive, and less intimidating than 650b or 29" wheels.

Felt is still 100% committed to its 650b and 29" models, but we feel that offering bikes with 559 EnduRAD technology will give Enduro riders every wheelsize they need to make the most of their next Enduro. 2015 will be remembered as the year that Felt Bicycles made their mark with 559 EnduRAD Enduro Specific wheel technology. As a brand, we believe it's time to claim our own wheelsize:



FIVEFIVENINE.

Felt Bicycle's new 559 EnduRAD Enduro Specific Wheelsize. 2015 EnduRAD bikes available early 2014.


STIFFNESS




I could just feel the stiffness of the 559 EnduRAD wheel, and even the fork and frame were less flexy. The added confidence is a night and day difference with EnduRAD technology. The 559 bike felt so calm and collected as I threw it into nasty sections, I felt like I could get away with anything.
- John Clark, Felt Enduro team and longtime test rider

Because of their smaller radius and spoke length, 559 EnduRAD wheels are naturally lighter than comparable 650b and 29" wheels. This opens up the potential for total optimization of spoke, hub, and rim systems for Enduro Specific 559 wheel designs. Tired of denting rims? With 559 you can run rims that are 4% heavier and still have wheels lighter than those of your 650b and 29" riding friends. Thinking about running fewer spokes? 559 allows a 28 hole wheel to have similar stiffness to an equivalent 32 hole 650b wheel. The Enduro performance advantages are palpable. Can you taste them yet?


WEIGHT




Felt's Virtue Nine One is already so light, I thought the limit had been reached. After riding the new 559 EnduRAD bike, I realize Felt has raised the bar again. Or lowered the bar. The weight is definitely lower, so maybe that means the bar is lower now too. In this metaphor I think the "bar" is higher, but literally the bike weighs less now. Either way, going from the Virtue Nine to the new 559 bike was like going from a feather, to an even lighter feather that's also new and different.
- Charlie Sponsel, Felt Enduro Team

If you build three wheels that are 559, 650b, and 29" with exactly the same hubs, spokes, and rims, the 559 EnduRAD wheel will be lighter every time. 559 wheels weigh 4% less than 650b wheels and 10% less than 29" wheels with comparable components. That means 559 can save you up to 200 grams over other, non-Enduro Specific wheel sizes.

Lighter means performance. Lighter means power. Lighter means Enduro. Shed the excess weight of standard Enduro wheel sizes. You'll be riding faster tomorrow when 559 EnduRAD technology lightens up your bike today. Can you smell the weight savings? It smells like Enduro.


ACCELERATION




559 allowed us to really push the boundaries of what we thought was possible with straight-line acceleration. Early testing numbers were way higher than we expected, and after hearing the feedback from our test riders we knew 559 was the real deal. Preliminary testing has indicated that even riders who don't consider themselves "enduro specific" can benefit from 559. With unrivaled access to wind-tunnels at Felt, we also discovered that 559 EnduRAD wheels present over 4% less cross-directional area than 650b, and over 10% less than 29" wheels. We're really excited to bring 559 EnduRAD to market, and we believe 559's pure bred, Enduro Specific ride quality will make you a believer as well.
- Eddie McDonald, Felt MTB Marketeering and 559 advocate

With a lower weight and smaller radius, 559 EnduRAD wheels can out-accelerate any comparable 650b or 29" wheel. In a scientific double-blind matched pairs head-to-head acceleration calibrated forcometer test, 559 outperformed 650b and 29" every time. Riders could feel their power moving them forward on 559. No hesitation, no waste, no joke. Like a father passes on his saddle-worn wisdom to the children he brought into this world, 559 will allow you to transfer the power in your systematically-trained legs to the undulating trail under your smaller, Enduro Specific tires. If you're tired of wasting your best efforts on a wheelsize that can't deliver the sort of acceleration you demand, 559 is calling... "Enduro." Can you hear it?

Science
The data is in. In a straight line, on a smooth surface, in a laboratory environment, 559 is the fastest. Hands down.



SIZE



Felt team rider Charlie Sponsel testing 559 EnduRAD at Felt's top secret winter training facility in Laguna Beach.


559 EnduRAD wheels have a radius that's only 12mm smaller than 650b; roughly 4.28%. This has two key benefits. First, 559 is almost exactly the same size as 650b; this means that 559 bikes will be easy to adapt to for riders who have already grown accustomed to 650b wheels. No sharp learning curve here, just get onto 559 and get ready to rip. Second, 559 is almost exactly the same size as 650b. This provides a wheelsize for riders who aren't quite ready to step up to 650b. If you're not sure about 650b, you're the perfect candidate for 559.

559 650b and 29

Because the jump in size between 559 EnduRAD and 650b is so small relative to the jump between 650b and 29", 559 is ideally positioned to help 650b riders find that extra edge. 559's size positions it to excel in the aggressive, long-travel enduro market, and when you get on 559 we think you'll feel the difference immediately. Can you feel it yet? It feels like Enduro.

559 Enduro Specific Wheelsize
The all new, completely redesigned 2015 Felt 559 Enduro Specific 160mm travel Compulsion LT3 EnduRAD, complete with Felt's revolutionary 559 EnduRAD Enduro Specific wheelsize.


bigquotesThe constant need to push forward, no matter the cost. The unwavering commitment to bring your best to the game, day in, day out. This is where true innovators live. Never rest, never tire, never stop working to tweak and fix and tinker and rethink. But, in a way, that's where they find their peace. That's where they find their solace. In an ever changing world where nothing is constant, true innovators allow their thinking to flow like water. Never fighting to go backwards, never trying to go uphill and return to the origin, water is always moving, flowing down the stream of life towards the oceanic terminus of total innovation. But the journey never ends: innovation is never complete. Once out to sea, it evaporates on the ocean's surface, leaving behind the excess baggage of salt and sediment, and innovation floats freely, carried by clouds back to the origin of the stream, ready to begin the journey again. - Morgan Freeman

FASTER than 650b and 29".

LIGHTER than any comparable 650b or 29" wheelset.

UNLEASHES untapped possibilities for frame design and rear travel.

ENDURAD offers a ride that 650b simply cannot compete with.



559 Enduro Specific Wheelsize

The 2014 non-Enduro Specific Felt Compulsion LT3 with the existing 26" wheelsize



We at Felt simply are not going to let the wheelsize haters stop us from offering a wheelsize that we believe Enduro riders will benefit from. There has been a lot of angst in the mountain bike world about new wheelsizes and the headaches they introduce. Felt recognizes that 559 will require different tires, forks, and wheels from 650b and 29", but from the riders up through engineering to the highest positions in management, the Felt Bicycles team believes that the benefits of 559 cannot be overlooked.

559 Enduro specific wheelsize

Before moving forward with 559 EnduRAD, Felt made sure that tires, wheels, and suspension from the best manufacturers would be available to support the Enduro Specific wheelsize.


559 EnduRAD tires are available from Maxxis and Schwalbe, among others. Fox and Rockshox both offer a wide range of 559 EnduRAD compatible forks. 559 EnduRAD Enduro Specific wheels are available from Easton, Mavic, WTB, and DT Swiss. 559 is about no compromises, no excuses, and no hesitation. Felt's industry partners believe in 559 EnduRAD technology. They can see the Enduro capabilities. Why can't you?

559 Enduro Specific Wheelsize

bigquotesFelt developed 559 EnduRAD as an Enduro Specific wheelsize, but that hasn't stopped World class riders in other non-Enduro disciplines from exploring the benefits of the 559 wheelsize. Rumors indicate that Greg Minnaar, Josh Bryceland, and Steve Peat have been suspension testing on 559 downhill bikes over the winter, and that Minnaar will be racing a 559 bike at the upcoming Pietermaritzburg World Cup in mid-April. Far from the world of Enduro, trials sensation Chris Akrigg has also been seen using 559 wheels on his trials bike, utilizing their increased stability and wide tire patch over standard 24" trials wheels. EnduRAD can help these riders find the edge.

-Scott Sharples, Former World Cup rider and Felt Mountain Bike Product Manager



The polls are in. The world's best have tried 559, and they believe the hype. It's time to get off the couch. It's time to stop wasting your rides on a wheelsize that can't handle your Enduroness. It's time to get:

EnduRAD
ENDURAD


Author Info:
csponsel avatar

Member since Nov 25, 2012
6 articles

132 Comments
  • 196 15
 Everyone realises that 559, is 26" right?
  • 86 1
 Epic win felt. I just might have to go buy one of your bikes now.
  • 205 10
 Um no its not, 26 has 2 digits, and 559 has 3, so it has to be at least 10 times better. You can't argue with logic
  • 37 0
 Felt you made my day
  • 41 4
 26 x 559 = 14,534..
14,534 - 13,975 = 559.

IT ALL MAkES PeRFEcT SeNSe PeOpLE! ChECk YOuR MAtH!
  • 16 8
 Everyone realizes that its april fools day right?

Gotta love this day Smile PB has brought us several things to giggle about. First the man purse (sachet) and then the new 559 wheel size. Haha, this community is great!
  • 8 4
 Yes, please say it's an April fools... Because if the internet blows up the world will blame angry mountain bikers
  • 9 0
 Ooooooooh.....i thought the joke was Charlie Sponsel.
  • 4 0
 I love it when companies raise/lower the bar
  • 6 1
 Acceleration units are wrong this whole thing is flawed, Bro.
  • 11 0
 Felt wins pinkbike. 559 for life.
  • 2 2
 in one of the pics you can see the size on the tier
  • 4 0
 @cmkneeland this shall be the new pink bike spam comment
  • 83 3
 Felt are the new champions of the internet...
  • 17 2
 damn! if they are this committed to a joke I may need to take a closer look to their bicycles.
  • 9 2
 Haaa April Fool, s' 559 4 life
  • 14 8
 "Pick a wheel size and be a dick about it"
  • 46 1
 I would buy these wheels and immediately add the SWITCHINCH 650b conversion kit.
  • 24 0
 I'm already ahead of everyone on this. I just checked my wheels, 559!! BOOM!!
  • 13 0
 "Originally a children's bicycle tire standard..." lol Smile
  • 20 1
 Best one yet. Well played Pinkbike.
  • 7 0
 If I had to choose between the enduro-specific Felt Compulsion LT3 or the non-enduro-specific Felt Compulsion LT3 I would definitely go with the enduro-specific one!!!
Let´s face it: non-enduro-specific wheelsizes are a turn-off ... :-)
  • 11 2
 mathematically 558 would be faster/ smoother / lighter/ better/ radder/ rooster/ #urmutha
  • 1 0
 Mathematically clown bikes are the best.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTcRU_Z9QDw
  • 5 2
 i like the two main benefits "First, 559 is almost exactly the same size as 650b; this means that 559 bikes will be easy to adapt to for riders who have already grown accustomed to 650b wheels. No sharp learning curve here, just get onto 559 and get ready to rip. Second, 559 is almost exactly the same size as 650b. This provides a wheelsize for riders who aren't quite ready to step up to 650b. If you're not sure about 650b, you're the perfect candidate for 559."

its perfect for everyone!!!! also if you didnt get it in that paragraph 559 is almost exactly the same size as 650b

that was a fun read, i think everyone was expecting it though
  • 2 11
flag tdoyle1995 (Apr 1, 2014 at 10:25) (Below Threshold)
 just so you all know, 650B/584 wheels when mounted up with a 2.35 (60c) tire fall pretty well exactly between a 26" and 29" with the same tire size. so no the 26 and 27.5 are not negligibly similar.. in my opinion at least..
  • 6 1
 559 is the ERD of 26", you realize this?
  • 1 6
flag tdoyle1995 (Apr 1, 2014 at 10:31) (Below Threshold)
 i do hahha, the bead to bead measurements of the three sizes are 559mm, 584mm, and 622mm. so yes when your looking at strictly bead diameters they are all pretty close in size. when a tire is added though there becomes almost exactly a 1.5 inch difference between each size
  • 2 5
 Also, ERD refers to the effective rim diameter. Which measures the spoke nipple seat point to corresponding spoke nipple seat point on the other side of the rim. ERD Is used strictly for wheel building. ETRTO is the what you meant to say.. which is the beadseat to beadseat diameter of a wheel. All 26" wheels will have the same ETRTO of 559 however not all rims will have the same ERD as it changes corresponding to the rim profile (deep v vs. non ect..). most 26" wheels will have an of about 550mm
  • 8 0
 Clearly a #wheelchamp over here. Congrats
  • 3 8
flag tdoyle1995 (Apr 1, 2014 at 12:09) (Below Threshold)
 just tired of hearing misinformed pb warriors yelling about how 650 is nothing but a aload of marketing bullshit because its basically the same as a 26"

when it aint
  • 2 0
 yeah, the article agrees with you, as do all of us.
  • 3 0
 I love the massively divergent opinions on this piece.
Those who love it are either well-studied on tire sizing, or are familiar with that "google" thing. And are probably also stoked to see FELT ripping on the whole wheel-size debate.
Those who hate it...
  • 5 0
 Although someone really needs to tell the FELT riders that sunglasses go OVER helmet straps.
www.velominati.com/the-rules/#37
  • 3 0
 1. You're wrong about glasses under straps! (glasses fit flush against the sides of your head, straps don't!)
2. Your link mentions nothing to back up your statement. (only says to "wear glasses")
  • 1 2
 @FaastEddie.... Check rule 37 - Rule #37 // The arms of the eyewear shall always be placed over the helmet straps.
  • 2 0
 In Eddie's defence, them rules is for roadies like me. Perhaps MTB folk aren't all fashionistas like roadies. ... heh, right.
  • 7 2
 I kind of take this as felt announcing they are staying with 26" wheels a bit longer. Good on them!
  • 3 0
 After finding out 559 is now enduro, The specialized enduro was enduro before there was enduro, making it an enduro enduro, before enduro was enduro.
  • 2 1
 Hey funky marketing guys at FELT! You guys rock and the fact that you spent the morning putting this ad together is evidence that working for FELT must be a real cool trip! But on a more sober note, readers need to take note that this is marketing 101! Just ride what feels good and train a little harder when you are not riding. 559 may be more twitchy than 650b but that's where your skill comes in. staying loose on my 559 Glory!
  • 5 0
 Already got my pair! Love them so far!
  • 1 0
 I've had mine for a long time! Awesome until somebody kicks 'em. :-(
  • 4 0
 Hey everyone its not a joke, 559 is way better than 650b, felt have just proven what we all knew anyway,
  • 3 0
 I look forward to april fools on pinkbike.. there's always some pretty funny stuff
  • 2 1
 Haha that's so funny! The sad part is that if 26in wheels were marketed as being Enduro Specific people would probably buy it!
  • 3 0
 Dazzling me with logic. Thanks Felt. Good oneSmile
  • 1 0
 Haha this is priceless. It's a huge article so I feel bad for the people who read through it all believing this was real lol it's just a 26 inch wheel relabelled!
  • 1 0
 This was actually a joke from Felt, they are teasing us, right? O_o
I hope it was indeed a joke, because I want one of their new hot bikes, wither 650B or 29 Wink
  • 2 0
 Smells like more April foolishness to me
  • 2 0
 isnt 559 just 26in wheels?
  • 1 0
 Someone had some time on there hands. I wonder what the BMX guys pulled for April.
  • 1 0
 I know these are 26 inch wheel. And I love them. Looks like a Trek with the right size wheels on it. I'll take it!!!
  • 2 0
 Best April fool ever. Just epic.
  • 2 0
 This is amazing hahaha Felt win big time
  • 2 0
 you've been killed by TeamRobot!
  • 1 0
 Really? I must pop over to the website and have a little peep then....heh, heh, heh
  • 2 1
 Can't tell if this is a joke or just Felt laughing at how dumb mountain bikers are.
  • 3 0
 Both!
  • 1 0
 You just hot a bunch of people posting their bike for sale because you said it was better......only slightly though....haha
  • 2 0
 Best April 1st post Charlie!
  • 2 0
 The thing is that this will probably happen for real in the future.
  • 2 0
 Was just thinking the same! Give it a couple years and it maybe will be Smile Fun read, although it is true facts about the wheelsizes.
  • 1 0
 All bike related April fools I found on different websites today are Enduro specific....
  • 2 0
 Best day ever on PB! Well done!!!
  • 1 0
 That's PB's apology for all the 650b articles published. Welcome back endurad!!!!
  • 1 0
 Just in case you have not seen this...

sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html
  • 3 0
 Thanks Mark.
  • 9 11
 U f*cking me other company's r just started producing 650b and now they make a new wheel size which is basically a 26 but it's probably April fools but it's a look of effort 4 a joke?
  • 58 2
 i remember my first day on pinkbike
  • 1 1
 Once I realized that was a Morgan Freeman quote, I just had to go back and re-read it in his voice
  • 1 0
 Is this an April's Fish???
  • 1 0
 Well played Felt, well played...
  • 1 0
 I want a t-shirt that says "559 4 L1F3"
  • 1 0
 Bitter truth in April Fool's...
  • 1 0
 559 Endurad, the decimal version of 26.
  • 1 1
 I love the effort they seem to have put into this article. Best one of the day!
  • 2 1
 Had this got RC's name at the top it would have been completely believable
  • 1 0
 Felt wins by a landslide in the 4/1 competition.
  • 2 1
 How do you favorite articles... seriously though.
  • 3 1
 559er for life :-)
  • 1 1
 Working its way back to 26... excellent work
  • 1 1
 morgan freeman..... haha good one (wouldn't actually surprise me)
  • 1 1
 awesome job PB and Felt. classic April fools
  • 2 2
 April fools today, serious stuff in less than 5 years.
  • 2 1
 Im in! 559 for life!
  • 2 1
 Lmao this is good
  • 1 1
 I wish it wasn't just an aprils fool. Keep them 26ers coming
  • 1 1
 Mind blown...if they stay with 26.
  • 1 1
 Thanks Felt, I'm getting one of your bikes now.
  • 1 1
 Im sticking with my imperial rims. Metric is so enduro!
  • 2 3
 This is a joke right? April fools? Please?
  • 1 2
 Trek remedy... nice joke BTW
  • 1 1
 it had to be said
  • 1 2
 Wow, top of the world sure did grow! Earthquake related?
  • 1 2
 I really like this 559 idea. i think it could catch on.
  • 1 2
 Can I fit a 559 tube in my enduring sash?
  • 1 2
 Enduro*
  • 2 5
 No joke, it's actually happening
  • 1 4
 This must be for April fools................................
  • 1 4
 BY BY 26
  • 1 4
 april foooools
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