Felt Bicycles: 2015 - Carbon Fiber Weapons on Wheels

Jul 30, 2014 at 18:55
by Richard Cunningham  

Felt 2015

When Jim Felt left Easton to forge his name as a pro road bike builder, I doubt he would have believed that his name would be plastered on the oversized downtubes of long-travel, carbon fiber, dual-suspension bikes - even if you could have flashed a photograph from the future as evidence. Bill Duehring was vice president of GT bicycles back in 1998, when it was at the top of the charts. No doubt, Duehring would have been equally astounded if you could have shown him evidence of GT's untimely collapse and his subsequent success as co-founder and the president of Felt Bicycles. The synergy of a maverick bike builder who broke every rule to design some off the world's fastest TT and Triathlon bikes and a hard-working exec' who helped turn a BMX brand into a global player in the mountain bike industry attracted a relatively small group of highly motivated like-minded people who crank out an outstanding range of bicycles from Felt's headquarters in Irvine, California.




Mountain bike manager Scott Sharples
ensured Felt's 2015 spec was spot on.



Welcome to Felt Bicycles

We are at Felt's 2015 product launch, which is more like an open house affair - staffed by its entire team and staged in the parking lot in front of the building on 12 Chrysler Way. A walk across the tarmac reveals the depth of talent there. Lined up alongside beautifully painted aluminum balloon-tire retro cruisers are $14,000 time trial and Triathlon bikes with razor-thin frame tubes, electric shifting and integrated data collection. Beyond them are rows of burley, 160-millimeter-travel AM/trailbikes. Beneath a tent are a dozen urban models, styled like they came from Amsterdam, circa-1950. Somewhere between all that is a huge stable of pro road and cyclocross racers. The variety of models present at the launch may lead one to believe that Felt is one of those bike brands that fishes for business by making one of everything, but nothing could be further from the truth. Look closely and it becomes evident that, while Felt offers a wildly diverse range, each model is defined by a purpose and executed to a very high standard of quality.


Felt F24X 2015
  Senior engineer Jeff Soucek stands beside Felt's F24X mini cyclocross racer. When Jeff is not busy pounding out carbon layup schedules or waist-deep in a new carbon frame design, he gets to play on other projects - like CX bikes for kids. The 24-inch-wheel F24X MSRP runs $799 USD.


Felt's team of designers, engineers and marketing people are given the freedom to make the bikes that they are most passionate about. My only caveat, says Bill Duehring, is that if it wears the Felt name, then I insist that it must to be the best in its category. No problem there, everyone seems to live and breathe bikes. Jim Felt jokes that he has spent a significant percentage of his life in a wind tunnel, and when they are not racing, the mountain bike group, thanks to their proximity to three popular trail networks, spend as much time on the dirt as they do staring at their computer displays. The road bike crew can be easily recognized by the distinct farmer's tan that comes from living in Lycra and pounding out miles.

Felt proto Crusier 2015
  Felt's commitment to every bike in its range is evident here. The designer of this prototype bobber-style cruiser got the go-ahead to open an expensive mold for a fatbike tire that duplicates the tread pattern of 1930-era motorcycles.


Variety also lends a hand in honing the technology and designs there, because Felt's small staff of designers and engineers are tasked with any and all projects at hand. After designing a hydro-formed aluminum downtube for a Compulsion AM bike, the same engineer may have to figure out how to form a cruiser top tube to look like a gas tank. This has been a critical factor that has catapulted Felt to the forefront of carbon construction and layup methods. Design engineer Brendan Connors remarked that, once Felt learned how to make a 700-gram road frame that could handle the ProTour guys, it was relatively simple to apply that knowledge to produce a 900-gram 29er hardtail XC racer. The reverse is true, as producing the convoluted shapes and component interfaces required for a carbon dual-suspension chassis can lay the groundwork for solving problems, like integrating brakes inside of TT forks and frames.

Felt Carbon construction 2015
  Felt makes extensive use of high-strength, 'Textreme' carbon material. Textreme begins as thin, fiber-rich unidirectional carbon, which is then woven into the wide checkerboard pattern, seen on this Nine-1 hardtail frame. Lay-ups using the material end up 20-percent stiffer and lighter. Felt's 'inside-out' layup system (top right) uses molded styrene foam mandrels that allow the carbon to be laid up precisely where it will be in the completed part. Inflatable bladders are inserted inside the mandrel to squeeze the carbon uniformly against the mold during the curing process. Previously, the inflatable bladder was slipped around the outside of an EPS foam mandrel (lower right) and the carbon strips were added over the bladder to orient the lay-up before slipping the frame into the mold. Felt still employs both construction methods.



bigquotesFelt's team of designers, engineers, and marketing people are given the freedom to make the bikes that they are most passionate about. My only caveat is that, if it wears the Felt name, then it must to be the best in its category. - Bill Duehring: President, Felt Bicycles




COMPULSION 10: AM/Enduro Racing

Felt Compulsion 10 2015
  Felt's Compulsion has been redesigned to become the latest member of the 27.5-inch-wheel club. The 160-millimeter-travel all-mountain/enduro racer is reported to weigh only 28 pounds in the top-spec version. The Compulsion's aluminum chassis showcases Felt's Equilink suspension, configured to firm up the bike's pedaling feel in its initial travel, without affecting suppleness elsewhere in its stroke. Major pivot locations use a locking collet system similar to Syntace X-12 axles. Geometry looks good, with reasonably short, 17-inch chainstays (436mm) a 66-degree head angle to keep the mid-sized wheel stable on the downs and frisky on the flats, and just enough bottom bracket drop to sharpen up its cornering performance. When asked why the Compulsion is not available in carbon, Felt's answer was, 'coming soon.' The Compulsion 10, shown here sports an MSRP of $4499, in small, medium, large and X-large sizes.


Felt Compulsion 10 2015
  (Clockwise) The Compulsion 10's Equilink rear suspension is powered by a RockShox Monarch Plus RC3 shock and anchored by SRAM's impressive new Guide brakes. The RockShox Pike RC is the right fork for the job. Felt's new product manager and ex DH pro Scott Sharples made sure that the Compulsion's stem was short and its bars were wide - and that every trailbike got a dropper seatpost. The SRAM X01 drivetrain is powered by a Race Face Turbine crankset. Felt got the Compulsion right for 2015.


COMPULSION 30

Felt Compulsion 30 2015
  Felt offers the Compulsion at three price points: the $4499 Compulsion 10, the $3299 Compulsion 30 (shown here) and the $2699 Compulsion 50. All share the same, 160-millimeter-travel, hydroformed 6061-aluminum alloy chassis, in all four sizes. The '30 spots a RockShox Pike RC fork and a Monarch RT shock. The drivetrain is a Shimano 2 x 10, that is a mixture of Deore and Deore XT components. Felt includes a lower chain guide, which shows that there are shredders on staff there. Brakes are Shimano SLX with 180-millimeter rotors and the dropper post is a remote-control KS Drop Zone. At this price point, The Compulsion 30 is a killer value.


Felt Compulsion 30 2015
  (Clockwise) The Compulsion 30 ticks almost all of the boxes: top-range Equilink chassis - check; Pike RC fork - check; Remote KS dropper post - check; powerful Shimano brakes with 180-millimeter rotors - check; chainguide - check; Shimano Deore two-by-ten drivetrain - um ...OK then.




VIRTUE 1: Trailbike

Felt Virtue 1 2015
  Felt was one of the first major brands to commit to 29ers, so it should come as no surprise that is premier trailbike has big wheels. The Virtue FRD and Virtue one (in the above photo) feature Felt's UHC Ultimate Carbon Technology (the Inside-Out molding process and the use of Textreme pre-preg material), which reportedly shaves 100 grams from the frame and boosts its stiffness by over 20 percent. Suspension is a carbon-fiber version of Felt's Equilink system that pumps out 130 millimeters of travel from a RockShox Monarch RT3 Debonair shock. The Virtue's numbers are right out of the 29er-trailbike handbook. The medium model has a 69-degree head angle, a 74.5-degree seat angle, and a 23.3-inch (591mm) top tube, 450-millimeter chainstays (17.7 inches) and a generous, 46-millimeter bottom bracket drop. Sizes are small, medium, large and X-large.


Felt Vrtue 60 2015
  (Clockwise) A look at the Virtue 1's Equilink rear suspension with its pivotless dropout system. Molded chain protecters keep the Virtue running silently. Internal cables and housings populate most of the Felt lineup for 2015. The Virtue 1 features a 140-millimeter-travel RockShox Revelation RLT fork with a PushLoc remote lockout control. The drivetrain is SRAM's X01 eleven speed, with Guide brakes providing the stopping power. MSRP for the Virtue 1 featured here is $5999.


VIRTUE 60

Felt Vrtue 60 2015
  Virtue trailbikes are offered in five models, ranging from $9499 USD for the top drawer UHC carbon Virtue FRD that is decked out with Shimano XTR components, to the aluminum-framed Virtue 60 pictured above that sells for a very affordable, $1999. Virtue 60s share the same Equilink configuration, travel and geometry, but the aluminum rear suspension requires a conventional dropout pivot. The '60 can't make its price-point with a dropper post, which is sad, but understandable. Its drivetrain is a Shimano Deore three by ten and its suspension introduces Suntour's capable 140-millimeter-stroke, Aion LO-R fork. The Shock is a RockShox Monarch R. The weight of the medium size Virtue 60 is pegged at 31.5 pounds.


Felt Vrtue 60 2015
  Felt chose a Shimano Deore triple crankset for the entry-level Virtue 60. Until an affordable OEM dropper post appears on the horizon, those searching for a well-spec'ed trailbike with an affordable sticker-price will have to do without, as their present cost would force Felt to downgrade more critical performance items like suspension and wheel components. Shimano's non-series M355 disc brakes are reported to be surprisingly good stoppers by test riders.




EDICT FRD: XC Racer

Felt Edict FRD 2015
  FRD stands for Felt Racing Development, and the 22-pound (10kg), 29-inch-wheel, Edict FRD is the brand's expression of what a competitive dual-suspension cross-country racing bike should look like. The 100-millimeter-travel Edict chassis is constructed with Felt's UHC Ultimate carbon system, and it introduces their 'FAST' single-pivot rear suspension. The Edict has no rear dropout pivot, relying instead on designed-in vertical flex of the carbon swingarm. The seatstays drive a simple rocker and the suspension is powered a Rockshox Monarch XX shock. Felt is one of the few brands that has taken delivery on the new RockShox RS1 inverted fork, and both the fork and shock are simultaneously controlled with a handlebar-mounted Full Sprint button. Components are nearly all carbon and the drivetrain is SRAM's XX1. The Edict's frame numbers are classic XC, beginning with a 71.5-degree head angle and a 73-degree seat angle. If you are a bib-wearing spandex-clad racer boy with $8999 burning a hole in your jersey pocket for a Felt Edict FRD, you will probably be to recite the rest of its numbers by heart.


Felt Edict FRD 2015
  Felt's FAST rear suspension is further simplified by the lack of a dropout pivot. The rear stays are molded so that there is no tension on them when the suspension is resting at its sag position. RockShox RS1 inverted XC fork, accented with SRAM XX brakes and a CLX 180-millimeter rotor. A look at the dual-action Full Sprint button that locks out the fork and shock. The Edict is one of the few production bikes that sports GripShift.




NINE 1: XC Racer

Felt Nine 1 2015
  Carbon, when executed to its potential, can turn the simple profile of a hardtail into a work of art. Felt's 29-inch-wheel Nine 1 is a beautiful example of how that miracle is worked. Seamless junctions between frame tubes, internal cable routing and the visual impact of the checkerboard pattern of its UHC Ultimate carbon construction sets the Nine1 apart from the sea of carbon cross country hardtails that it will be competing against on race circuits and on showroom floors next year. The 900-gram frame is available separately, as is the case with all of Felt's top-drawer bikes. If you are looking for a racing hardtail that weighs in at 20.5 pounds, the Nine 1 will run you $4999. Considering that the price of a competitive road bike - essentially a weak carbon hardtail, sans suspension and disc brakes - would set you back almost twice that price, The Nine 1 is a fair deal.


Felt Nine 1 2015
  (Clockwise) A full-width downtube and bottom bracket structure keeps Felt's Nine 1 rigid under power. The bolt-on carbon plate prevents a derailed chain from damaging the frame. The shift housings are internally routed. A second look at the Nine 1's elegant seat tube/top tube junction. Lightweight foam grips are the choice of World Cup champions, as is the RockShox PushLoc remote that locks out the Nine 1's SID fork.





Author Info:
RichardCunningham avatar

Member since Mar 23, 2011
974 articles

56 Comments
  • 146 2
 These bikes look pretty badass, but...I had a shitty Virtue Three a few years ago and that thing was as flexy and loose at the bottom bracket as a boneless hooker on Percocet. That thing forever ruined Felt bikes for me.
  • 19 1
 "Boneless hooker on Percocet"...How do you not have more props?
  • 14 1
 how do you even know what a boneless hooker on percocet feels like lol
  • 5 0
 Felt Virtue MSRP $3,600.00 big ones. Boneless hooker on percocet, Priceless!!!!!
  • 5 0
 @Motoracer31 - It's either expensive bikes or expensive hookers. You can't have both.
  • 4 0
 I just spit my coffee all over my work computer. You win the internetz for today.
  • 23 1
 That's a fat bike I would actually ride
  • 13 0
 man, that Edict FRD is awesome
  • 6 0
 I was pleasantly surprised by the price. I fully expected 5 figures.
  • 1 0
 Even the shox is USD!
  • 12 0
 This is the first time I've Felt like this about their bikes. Good stuff.
  • 4 7
 Ya mean you've never Felt this kinda vibe before?
  • 9 2
 I had a Compulsion 1 2009 bought in 2011 used but the bike still had the price tag on it. A weld gave up around the main pivot and it was a factory defect. Felt did not even budge to reply to my claim and the dealership could not do anything either... Felt? Only if you give me one for free.
  • 5 3
 So you're bitching cause you bought a used frame and they didn't warranty it- cry somewhere else. None of the manufactures warranty second owner frame. Not even Devinci- they used to but stopped that practice.
  • 1 1
 Trek does. My friend bought a used fuel from craigslist. The frame cracked and trek replaced it with the latest model frame cause they didn't have the old one anymore. Didn't ask for receipt of purchase.
  • 2 0
 Call your friend luck and it was a fluke- straight from Trek's warranty page:
Every new Trek bicycle comes with our industry's best warranty and loyalty program - Trek Care. Once your Trek Bicycle is registered the Trek Bicycle Corporation provides each original retail purchaser of a Trek bicycle a warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, as stated below:

LIFETIME
Frames for the lifetime of the original owner (except forks, the Session, Scratch, Slash, and Ticket model frames, and the swing arms on all full suspension bicycles)
  • 3 0
 The crack on my Compulsion 1 seemed to be a known issue and it was a manufacturing defect. Moreover, I could not even buy a triangle to replace it as they were already discontinued. Stuck with a cracked frame.
I am not bitching about a used frame, just that if you own a 2 years old bike that retailed for almost $5K with an obvious defect, the manufacturer should at least offer a decent reply and/or options to fix the frame (not free, of course)
  • 5 0
 That compulsion 30 sure is nice. Pike, XT and SLX, dropper post, and chain guide for 3299...doesn't get better than this.
  • 1 0
 It's good to see that old school brands are trying to make their mark again on the mountain bike market. I really hope that attitudes will change towards some companies particularly Saracen and as they've had so much success over the past 3 years
  • 3 1
 I feel almost let down after all the shenanigans on the main page in the last couple of days. definite laack of 650b carbon fibre dh race machine of epic argument inducing proportions
  • 1 0
 I like the Felt brand. I worked at a Felt shop down in TX, and they were good people. Their road bikes are great. Solid bikes, nice specs, good prices. I'd definitely ride a Felt roadbike. Their hard tail mountain bikes were decent too. The Nine is a pretty rad bike, light as hell. They made nice Alu bikes for beginners too, which is refreshing. But when it comes to their suspension, I don't really like it... It doesn't pedal all that well, and I never felt like it was particularly good at soaking up the trail. To me it felt like it was good at nothing, sad to say. I'll check them out again when they move away from the Equilink, but until then, no thanks.
  • 1 0
 I'm with you. I think their road bikes are excellent and their hardtails look pretty mean. I had a 2008 virtue and I have to agree that the Equilink suspension is terrible. I had to tighten the super small pivot bolts before every ride and the 5" of travel felt like 3". I thought it pedalled fine, but when I snapped the chain stay in a rockgarden I swore off Felt and carbon.
  • 1 0
 We always had problems with torquing those small pivots up at the shop. You put it best on the ride feel of the suspension, "felt" like 3 when you should feel 5. That's what I was trying to say!
  • 3 0
 I hate when you call weapons to bikes! It reminds me of misery and famine and today it reminds me of the war in the middle east. Not good!!!
  • 2 0
 I had a felt redemption for years with the whole equal link rear and I got to say it pedals like crap. My new evil uprising 1000X better
  • 3 1
 The tires on that fatbike chopper are amazing. Please make those in 29x2.4! Would make an awesome city cruiser/bar hopper bike tire!
  • 4 1
 This VIRTUE 1 looks sick !
  • 3 0
 Felt eh, dare I say sexy ?!
  • 1 0
 $5000 for a 20lb bike seems pretty good to me. That's one pony I might just saddle up.
  • 3 0
 weapons....
  • 3 2
 I Felt like their need to release an enduro bike forced them to move out of Compulsion on the design.
  • 6 6
 Dude, anyone liking on Felt. Check this out and tell me you don't feel disgusted:

www.feltbicycles.com/USA/2014/Bikes/Electric/All-Terrain/LEBOWSKe.aspx
  • 2 0
 almost every brand is making an Ebike now doesn't mean they can't be liked. though i do agree with bikes them being disgusting
  • 6 1
 Oh no! Theyre doing things bike companies have been doing for about 150 years. Trying something new and keeping up with times!!
  • 3 1
 earlier I posted my little pun and got all butt hurt b/c some pp grabbers on here neg'd propped my pun. I assume they either hate puns (impossible) or love Felt.
Obviously feeling all emo I decided to lash out. Isn't that the point of PB?

Sure E-bikes exist. But on this article on new Felts for 2015, the 50 lb e fat bike got no mention, while people are drooling on some beach cruiser.

@ Paul, what are you talking about? something new? E-bikes? How about the fact that all of todays motorcycles are based off some crazy idea to put a gas motor on a bike a hundred years ago? This is nothing new my friend. They basically re-released the idea of mopeds 100 years after the fact. The deal is now we have dope motorcycles that can be bought new for the price of a Felt Ebike. Marketing Grossness.
  • 1 0
 All I'm saying is electric bikes are bigger than ever because of the technology of today and many brands are wanting a piece of the pie, even if its not a HUGE market right now. What is wrong with that? Just like every industry they keep doing new things and certain ideas always catch on and some don't.

People on this site are narrow minded and think mtb are the only bikes worth even looking at. Ive got a CCM cruiser from the 40's that is almost fully rebuilt and I would be lying if I said it wasn't one of the coolest bikes I've ever ridden.
  • 1 1
 @paulclarke

Yeah I guess if shimano can make quality bike parts and quality fishing reels, good for them. Can't be sour on that. And if a bike company can make e-mopeds...

Again I initially posted an innocent little pun (if you'll look back up), and within an hour had gotten way neg propped for it.
Admittedly I shouldn't of cared about internet points, but I assumed a few Felt fans were like, "ZOMG! sweet cruiser bike! And finally a tiny road bike to escape my life's tiny problems. who is trying to pun away this rad post? down vote!" and then I was pretty much F*ck F*lt, and the Felt fans.
Personally I always thought Felt sucked, but sure, you are allowed to like them.

Lastly, again what are you talking about? I ride bmx, road bikes, beach cruisers, and yes, even an electric beach cruiser. It's all good, Paul. You like cruisers? So do I. Whats up with calling people narrow minded?

Just upvote my pun, and walk away. It's all I ever wanted from you stranger.
  • 3 0
 FELT COMPULSION RIPS !
  • 3 0
 EDICT FRD is sex
  • 3 1
 Felt should have a bike model named "Up".
  • 1 3
 No pivot in the rear ... So basically deliberately putting extra stress and fatiguing into the rear carbon triangle. Stuff gets used fair enough, but doing it deliberately. Hmm not my cup of tea. Other than that nice looking stuff
  • 4 0
 Lots of XC race full sussers use that design actually. Like the Cannondale Scalpel, the Canyon Lux, and quite a few more. It keeps weight down, limits the number of pivots that need maintenance, and actually helps with efficient and progressive suspension action.
As carbon has no fatigue limit (it can be stressed under it's elastic limit an infinite number of times without failure through fatigue) as metals do, there shouldn't be any problems with fatigue.
  • 2 0
 That linkage confuses me, can't say I quite understand its purpose
  • 1 0
 Seeing the EDICT FRD: XC Racer for the first time I think, "What can I do on a bike like that?"
  • 2 1
 and you think demo 2015 looks ugly?
  • 1 0
 do Felt have enduro riders in EWS?
  • 1 0
 Casey Coffman is their Enduro guy but I think he mostly races in the U.S.
  • 1 0
 meh That bobber cruiser on the other hand......
  • 1 1
 I felt like crap looking at these rigs....
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