Felt Garage Door

Moving Over to New Blog Site

2011-03-21T08:45:00.000-07:00

Felt is on the move! Our blog will now live on its own dedicated site. We promise to have even more articles, photos, and videos for you. Click on over and check out more recent posts:

http://www.feltbicycles.com/blog/

Speed Thrills

2011-03-18T12:55:00.000-07:00

What kind of effort does a sprinter go through leading into the World Championships? Check out US National Champ Giddeon Massie as he does through a 500 meter paced effort on his TK1 behind National Sprint Coach, Jamie Staff. Giddeon along with Dean Tracy and Michael Blatchford make up the US Team Sprint team at the 2011 UCI World Track Championships in Copenhagen. All three are Felt athletes and race TK1's.

The Armstrong Comeback

2011-03-04T08:44:00.000-08:00

While one Armstrong says goodbye (again), another is back. Have a quick listen as World and Olympic TT Champion Kristin Armstrong of the Peanut Butter & Co./2012 Pro Cycling Team talks about being back in the wind tunnel, new sponsors and what comes with being a new mom. And yes, that is the all (all) new 2011 DA she is on.

Southridge Winter Series III

2011-02-08T08:26:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was the third race of the Southridge Winter Series, and the second race that Felt attended. We showed up in force with five Felt employees racing over the weekend, as well as the SDG/Felt Factory Team racing too.

Eddie manning the Felt Tent

Felt Engineers Nick Ducharme and Anton Petrov were the highlights of the weekend, with Nick winning the Expert 27-34 age group, and Anton winning the Expert 19-26 group. Sadly, Nick missed his XC podium ceremony because he was too busy racing Super D. But, he made up for it by finishing third in that race - not bad for a day’s work! Nick and Anton’s fellow SDG/Felt Factory teammate Eric Christensen also did well, finishing second in the Expert 27-34 age group, right behind Nick.

Nick at the start

Nick racing XC on the Edict

Anton post-race

Felt Purchasing whiz Scott Lampe had his Fontana debut, and finished a respectable third place in Sport 19-26. Scott had to battle with a mechanical, but managed to pedal his way back to the podium.

Scott on his way to a podium finish

Felt's newest employees, Nathan Wright and Eddie McDonald, took on Fontana’s gravity racing, with Nathan racing the Downhill Sunday and Eddie racing the four cross Saturday afternoon. Nathan had an alright run, and finished a respectable eighth place in expert, but was less than a second off the podium! Eddie had issue in his four cross race, popping out of his pedal and falling behind quickly. Thus is four cross racing though; one mistake and you’re off the back!

Overall, the weekend was good! Our booth was a success, and many people read our Twitter and Facebook posts and were rewarded with free shirts! The tent was a very welcome source of shade for all the Felt employees and racers, and we look forward to expanding at the next race! Hope to see you all then!

Southridge Winter Series II

2011-01-24T15:34:00.000-08:00

This weekend was the second round of the Southridge Winter Series mountain bike event. Each of the rounds feature two days of competition - Saturday is XC, Super D, and 4X; Sunday is DH. Now that we have the schedule and accompanying acronyms out of the way, lets get on to the action.

Two Felt employees attended the event. Eddie McDonald, a new hire at Felt, is getting acclimated to the So Cal MTB scene. He was there to get acquainted with the local racers as well as test his fitness in the 4X. Engineer Nick Ducharme competed in the XC race aboard a bike that he helped design - the Edict. Nick went on to win his age group in the Expert Class. It was also his first race as a member of Team SDG (more on them in a later blog post).

SDG Edict Post Race

SDG Edicts are full suspension and under 21 lbs with this setup

At the next Southridge Series (Feb 5 and 6) , look for Eddie, Nick and the rest of the Felt gang under one of our red Felt tents.

Bob - Rock Bassist/Felt Graphic Designer

2011-01-13T14:14:00.000-08:00

Bob Thomson, a Senior Graphic Designer at Felt, works on the graphics for Felt road, TT/tri, and cyclocross bikes. He has designed bikes for professional cycling teams including custom work for Dave Zabriskie, David Millar and Bradley Wiggins. Occasionally after work, Bob will spend time shaping or painting his custom bass guitar - a hint at his not so distant past.

Bob slappin' da bass big time

Prior to working at Felt, Bob was the bassist of Big Drill Car, a melodic hardcore band based out of Costa Mesa, CA. Although not necessarily a mainstream hit, Big Drill Car had a faithful following, and is recognized as a pioneer in its genre. One of Big Drill Car's fans sat down with Bob for an interview. Here is a snippet, along with a link to the full interview:

"Bob Thomson is a Senior Graphic Designer at Felt Bicycles. He designs the graphics for all of Felt's road bikes, TT bikes, as well as their cyclocross and fixed gear bikes. During his time at Felt, he has worked on team bikes for Garmin/Transitions as well as special one-off bikes for specific riders, and for special occasions like grand tours. Before his time at Felt, Bob played in a band called Big Drill Car...but perhaps his most important accomplishment is that he played a large role in me cutting my mullet off in 1991. Before we delve into the interview, allow me to explain." -Cycling Inquisition

http://cyclinginquisition.blogspot.com/2011/01/from-punk-rocker-to-designer-at-felt.html

Amanda Carey's Felt F15X

2010-11-22T09:24:00.000-08:00

Felt rider Amanda Carey is having a terrific 2010 cross season, and just recently won the Iceman Challenge point to point MTB race. Although she is currently recovering from the flu, Carey raced the USGP at Fort Collins aboard her Felt F15X.

Frame: Felt F15X
Fork: Easton EC70X
Stem: FSA SL-K Black
Front Brake: TRP CX-9
Rear Brake: TRP CX-9
Brake Levers: Shimano Ultegra
Front Derailleur: Shimano Ultegra
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Ultegra
Shift Levers: Shimano Ultegra
Crankset: FSA SL-K Light w/Rotor Q-Ring 44/33
Pedals: Crankbrothers Eggbeater
Wheelset: American Classic Carbon 58 Tubular
Saddle: WTB Devo
Seat Post: FSA FR-270

SF Bike Expo Fashion Show

2010-11-12T14:42:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend, Felt traveled to NorCal for the San Francisco Bike Expo. It was an interesting event, synthesizing several distinct cycling cultures. It is pretty surreal to see cyclocross racers right next to a dirt jump competition. We met people interested in buying their first bike, kids looking for BMX rides, seasoned industry vets, custom bike builders, free ride pros, masters road racers, fixed gear trick riders, and everything in between. It was really rewarding to see how many people are interested in Felt Bicycles and to see how diverse those people are.

In addition to vendor booths and competitions, the SF Bike Expo also included the Pedal Savvy Fashion Show which showcases bicycles and bicycle-oriented clothing. Below are some pictures from the show, featuring the Brougham, Cafe 8 W, and Verza City 3.

All Photos are credit to Rebecca Williams.

It was a great event, and we plan on being there next year - so keep an eye out for us!

Another Injury!

2010-11-10T10:46:00.000-08:00

Felt employees have a long, long, long history of documenting their injuries (cycling related or otherwise) here on the Garage Door. Therefore, we welcome the newest member to the Felt injured team, Uwe, Felt's International Marketing Manager.

Uwe went down on his commute from the office to his residence. His front wheel slid out, inducing a hard impact on the tarmac concentrated on his elbow. The damage: dislocation of the elbow, comminuted fracture of the olecranon, and complete ligament rupture.For those of you who don't know medical jargon, Uwe's doctor provided a much simplified characterization of the injury - "a total elbow disaster." Ouch.

Two months, three specialists, four surgeries, five screws, two ligament pins, one prosthesis, and one infection later, Uwe is starting to feel better. X-rays:

Good luck Uwe!

Felt Demo Truck at Orchard Cross in New Hampshire

2010-11-03T09:07:00.000-07:00

This weekend, the Felt Demo Truck stopped by Orchard Cross, the New Hampshire Cyclocross State Championships held at Applecrest Farm. The event was put on by NorEast Cycling, and sponsored by legendary LBS, Gus’ Bike Shop. Felt was there to give mechanical assistance to riders, let people demo our cyclocross lineup, and have a good time. Applecrest Farms insured the latter by providing live music, a petting zoo, apple cider donuts, and a gorgeous landscape on which to race. The former two tasks were left in the capable hands of Sean, one of our East Coast demo truck managers and a total bike nut.

Orchard Cross was probably one of the most well attended cycling events in New England this year, drawing around 450 racers, and about as many spectators. Below are some pictures from the event, enjoy!

Awesome.

The Felt booth was busy all day.

A very well attended event.

Costume races are becoming more and more popular in cyclocross (especially those events that occur near Halloween). Here is someone dressed up as an Avatar character and riding a Felt Breed - way to color coordinate!

Sean seen here tackling one of the barriers.

Sean again on his F75X.

Keep your eyes out for a later post - local TV station WMUR mounted a camera to Sean's bike for the race, and is going to put up a video story of the race. We will post it here when it becomes available.

CicLAvia

2010-10-13T13:58:00.000-07:00

This Sunday (10/10/10), Los Angeles hosted CicLAvia, a ride on closed streets that stretched from Melrose to Boyles Heights in downtown L.A. Although similar events have happened in other cities around the country, Los Angeles had never hosted a cycling event of this magnitude. Los Angeles has historically been a very car-centric city, so getting approval of the event was a great accomplishment by the organizers.

CicLAvia is based on Cicloviá (meaning bike path), a social event that began in Bogotá, Columbia in 1976. The purpose of the event then, as it is now, is to promote community interaction and cycling in urban environments. Since the inaugural event, Bogotá now hosts Cicloviás every Sunday and on every holiday. The event has grown from merely an event for cyclists to a cultural experience, featuring aerobics classes, yoga, performance artists, musicians, and lectures. In addition to growing in scope, the event has also grown geographically, spreading throughout Latin America.

As a company based in Southern California, we really want to stay active in the local and regional cycling community, so we were excited to be part of the event. After picking up some bikes and some companions, we embarked for the corner of Heliotrope and Melrose not really knowing what to expect.

The Route began in the “bicycle district” of L.A., home to several independently owned cycling related or themed businesses. From there, the route went South through MacArthur Park, then City Hall, and ending at Hollenbeck Park.

The Route

Upon arriving, we immediately realized that there were more people in attendance than we had anticipated. I honestly thought that the ride would only be a few thousand strong. However, there were probably about a thousand people just at the bicycle district! At any one time, that street was packed with people talking about bikes, dancing to one of the live DJ’s, getting food from a local restaurant or food truck, or just walking their bike to get to the route.

The view of the Bicycle District. Street View

The only thing more impressive than the number of attendees was the diversity of riders. There were kids riding their first tricycle, octogenarians and every age in between. There were roller bladers, roller skaters, skateboarders, human powered vehicles, food cycles, fixed gears, scooters, tandems, tall bikes, bikes with trailers, bikes with boom boxes, etc.

We rolled down New Hampshire Ave., and I quickly lost track of my duty to take pictures. Before I knew it, I was just smiling, talking with others as we rode, and enjoying the L.A. streets devoid of cars. It was probably the best possible way to see so much of Los Angeles, and we were able to do so in the company of fellow bike enthusiasts. The rest of the ride was a blur, so here are some pictures, and some links to Google Street View so you can check out where we rode:

The bikes are ready to go.

The entrance to CicLAvia. Street View

This is probably the least crowded stretch of road on New Hampshire. Street View

Waiting on traffic. There were several points where car traffic was allowed to cross at red lights. A good compromise considering how long the route was. Street View

Riding by the bowling lanes. Street View

Another light. These were good chances to socialize.

Passing the soccer field on 7th St. Street View

The chalk messages on the road were a nice touch.

Heading back up 7th. Street View

Like many people on the ride, we dropped by several businesses along the route for snacks and drinks. (What is better than a mid-ride cupcake?) Businesses seemed to enjoy the increased Sunday sales. The estimated 100,000 attendees made such a strong impression that the organizers are already planning 4 to 5 events for 2011 and hope to make it a monthly event in 2012.

Check out CicLAvia's homepage for more details.

OC Gran Fondo

2010-10-11T13:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I attended the Orange County Gran Fondo based out of Irvine, CA. I am a fairly recent addition to the Felt team and California, so the route looked promising. In one trip, I would be able to knock off two of the biggest Orange County cycling milestones: 1) ride on the Pacific Coast Highway and 2) ride Santiago Canyon Rd. While the route was only briefly on PCH, and the climbing on Santiago Canyon was fairly mild in comparison to some of the other local climbs, I was excited nonetheless. There were several route options, and I chose the 63 mile trip over the 100 mile trip in part because I wanted to head home a bit earlier and in part because I didn’t make it there in time for the 100 miler start.

When I got to the start area, I was greeted by Felt’s Demo Truck Manager/Master Mechanic Q. Some of you may remember Q from the Interbike photos. Q hooked me up with a Felt F2 demo bike for the ride. Equipped with Di2 and weighing in at around 16lbs with bottle cage and my ancient MTB pedals, I couldn’t help being a little giddy over the ride. After getting signed in, getting my bike in order, and chatting with the guys from Bike Religion, the whistle blew at 8:00 signaling our start. I quickly grabbed the route cue sheet and headed off a bit behind the main group.

Q manning the Felt Demo Truck Area

Q doing his thing.

Some Felt bikes ready to go.

My bike for the day - a 58cm F2.

For those of you unfamiliar with Gran Fondos, the purpose of the ride isn’t to race; it is kind of like a supported group ride with food stops along the way. The point is to ride, socialize, and generally enjoy yourself for a day. It is also a chance for fairly new riders to experience riding in a group setting. The weather was beautiful, the The ride was a blast, and before I knew it, I was riding along PCH. From there we m ade a turn onto the Santa Ana River Trail and hit the first Sag Station.

Sag Station #1

The Sag Station was nice, featuring sandwiches, fruit, energy bars, cookies, brownies, and many other tasty items. After taking some pictures and talking with several riders, I set off for the second leg of the journey. Up until Sag Station #1, I wasn’t really putting much effort into the bike. I was mainly in groups of riders or cruising by myself at moderate pace. The second leg had more climbing (for my route, there was nearly 2000ft of elevation gain), and would really be the place where I could feel the bike’s characteristics.

Prior to the ride, I knew that there was a timed KOM section set up somewhere along Santiago Canyon. I wasn’t entered into the competition, but I still wanted to put in a decent effort for that stretch of road to test out the bike and get a feel for my own fitness. Unfortunately, about 2/3rds done with the timed section, I got a flat. Up until that point, I was really feeling good and the bike felt extremely efficient. I was able to change the tube and set off again, but my enthusiasm to go hard faded a bit, so I just sort of enjoyed the rest of the ride up.

Almost immediately after the KOM segment, the second Sag Station appeared. Again, this was loaded up with delicious mid-ride treats. The volunteers were amazing, snagging water bottles and filling them so that riders could socialize and rest a bit. While taking pictures, I noticed how arid the climate was up in the hills. It was quite a contrast to start the day in the verdant Irvine area, make it down to the ocean, and then be in a mountainous sandy location all on the same ride.

Sag Station #2

Bike mechanics ready for mechanicals at Sag Station #2.

Descending back into Irvine, I was pretty much on my own for the first time since I had started the climb. The only problem was that I am not very familiar with the area and needed to look at my cue sheet. Unknown to me at the time, the cue sheet for the 63 mile ride was printed on the back side of the 100 mile ride. I just unfolded the cue sheet, saw Santiago Canyon, and began to follow that route. Inevitably, I would stop and look for the next road and would unintentionally alternate between the 63 and 100 mile cue sheet. The result was that I was very lost, and ended up stumbling across some riders who directed me in the correct direction. Back on track, I actually passed right by Felt’s corporate headquarters in Irvine! Within a mile or so of the finish, the Bike Religion riders and a few guys that I had ridden with on the trail joined me, and I was able to finish the ride with some familiar faces.

The Route I was supposed to take.

The Route I ended up taking.

Waiting for the riders at the end was all you can eat spaghetti, which was heavenly. It was also a great place to talk to other riders in the area who participated in the event. All in all, it was a pretty fun day, and a great way to experience Orange County. I can’t wait to see what route they do next year!

Post-ride food and drink.

Kona Booth

2010-10-06T14:16:00.000-07:00

Some of the Felt team made the long journey to Kona this week for the Ironman World Championship. Here are some pictures of their journey so far:

A view from the beach. Not too shabby.

The man, the myth, the legend - Jim Felt discussing tri bikes.

A 2011 Felt DA at the Felt booth. This has been very popular so far.

At least one of the guys in this picture is really, really fast.

Here is Terenzo Bozzone's 2011 Felt DA.

BikeMS Bay to Bay Tour

2010-10-04T09:39:00.000-07:00

Coming up in two weeks (October 16-17) is the BikeMS Bay to Bay Tour. Cyclists of all abilities are encouraged to participate in one of the three options available, the 30 mile one day ride, the 100 mile ride, or the 150 mile Century Challenge. The 30 mile ride begins in Irvine, CA and ends in Carlsbad, CA. The 100 mile ride and century challenge are two day events ending in Carlsbad the first night and San Diego the second night. BikeMS has already raised more than $600 million for researching MS, and this event is your chance to contribute.

Felt and WebAdvanced are sponsoring the event, and every $50 donated enters you in a raffle for a 2010 AR2. We hope to see you there!

For more information:
BikeMS Homepage
Bay to Bay Facebook

CA State XC Championship

2010-09-29T15:39:00.000-07:00

Below is a race report from Nich Ducharme of Mafia Racing covering his race and the race of Anton Petrov. The report is from the CA State XC Championship Cat 1 25-29. Nick and Anton are both engineers here at Felt Bicycles. We apologize for the tardiness of this race report, but the engineers have been pretty busy getting stuff together for the 2012 line and attending Interbike.

After racing all season, I was kinda looking forward to the last big race of the year - the California State Championships at Bonelli Park in San Dimas, CA. I had raced there once already this year and at the time was battling a cold, so I had struggled in my first attempt. I was also racing on my FRD-100 at the time, as the Edict was not ready for the public eye. So now, with the season winding down and legs feeling tired, I wanted revenge on the course that had beaten me earlier this year. However, my expectations were not very high going into the race.

Anton and I met up at the race, got a warm up in, and discussed the course, as we had done at the pair of Rim Nordic races we had contested in the past month. Anton was a new addition to the Felt engineering family. He had only started maybe 6 or so weeks prior to the race. After a short pre-ride session we both started complaining about the heat. Our race time was set for a little before 2 in the afternoon, which meant it was going to be the hottest part of the day. Race time temps were in the mid-high 90’s and tree cover is barely existent on the Bonelli course. Not fun at all.

Team Big Bear, the race coordinators, had changed the course, slightly, from my last visit to Bonelli. This time all racers would use the World Cup style course used only by the Pro athletes in the earlier season race. The Cat 1 racers would do 5 laps of the 4 mile course. The short race meant higher effort (more acute suffering) for shorter time. At least the race times would be fairly short, so we’d be spending less time in the heat.

I was racing on my Edict this time, as I had been since just after the Sea Otter Classic in April, and believe me it’s a fast bike! I had also just built one up for Anton, so it would be the first time he’d raced one and about the 3rd time he’d ridden that bike at all. In our previous 2 races, I had been able to edge him out thanks to the Edict’s light weight and amazingly confident handling on the more technical Rim Nordic courses. This time, with the playing field evened out equipment-wise, things would be different.

After a tough battle against the short, but very punchy and very fast course I figured I had probably finished somewhere just off the podium and I’d be able to get outta there before the traffic got too crazy. As it turns out, the hard work Anton and I had put in during the first lap had caused a lot of the other racers to crack and we either caught a lot of guys who went out harder than we had or we were able to hold any chasers. We had finished first and second, Anton edging me this time by just about 2 minutes when it was all said and done.

I must say that the result was bittersweet. I had finished much better than I expected to, but then I was only one spot off the top step and owning State Champion status. On top of that, there was a little bit of pride for me, in seeing such an improvement in Anton’s speed and time, just by getting him onto one of the new Edicts. I knew I was on a fast bike (no FAST pun intended) but I had no idea what kind of advantage the bike was offering me until the Edict’s (and Anton’s) wrath was dished out on me.

It was a very tough, but very exciting, race to say the least. I was very happy with the results for the new bike. You can’t get a much better finish than having the only 2 Edicts on course get first and second! Congrats to the CA State, Cat 1, 25-29 Champion, Anton Petrov, And the Felt Edict!!

Interbike 2010 Gallery

2010-09-28T16:10:00.001-07:00

Here are some photos from Interbike - Enjoy!

Above are some shots of the Felt Booth. At any point throughout the demo, we had between 30 to 100 people in or around the booth (yes, things got a bit hectic). You can see here a crowd gathering around the bike check in/out area and onlookers viewing the new DA and Cafe series.

Felt's Doug Martin is seen here giving the Felt team an early morning pep talk. For several of us, this was the first time at Outdoor Demo, and we had no idea what to expect.

With so many visitors, we had to bring a lot of bikes. Here is an arsenal of F2's in the morning. These were a huge hit at the show with the Di2 and new F-series frame design.

The Z2 was really popular the second day, as industry insiders checked out the more upright geometry. Many dealers expect that the Z-series will be a popular line in 2011.

The fat tire crowd loves to test ride mountain bikes, and the Nine Team was a hot commodity at Outdoor. By now, most of you have heard the story on 29ers- riders talk about the improved ability to roll over obstructions, reduced rolling resistance, and more stability.

In this photo, one of our Demo Team is working on getting an F2 ready to ride. Between adjusting saddle height, changing out pedals, adjusting tire pressure, adjusting shock pressure, the oppressive heat, and the fast turnover, working on the bikes was a pretty tough job. Fortunately, our Demo guys were up to the task.

All of our Demo Team posing for the camera. These guys were amazing, and in addition to being excellent mechanics, they are also just really good guys. Felt will be releasing a schedule soon that shows where there will be public Demos. That way, those of you who didn't make it to Outdoor will be able to test ride Felt's latest bikes in your own backyard. More details to come...

Felt-Sponsored Josiah Middaugh is New US Champion

2010-09-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

Middaugh aboard Nine Team at EXTERRA Alabama

Ogden, Utah - Josiah Middaugh was crowned the USA National XTERRA Champion after finishing third place in a world class field this weekend. Known as a tenacious competitor, Middaugh has ridden well all season in the XTERRA series, finishing in the top 3 in all 6 races in which he has competed. He has also secured second place in the point series and is the top ranked American for the 6th consecutive year.

Middaugh recorded the third fastest bike split and had the fastest run split in the field. He was able to move into the final podium position within site of the finish line, despite being diagnosed with pneumonia the previous week. "The pro field in Ogden was the strongest I have seen so far this year, and although the race felt like a struggle, I pressed hard the whole way [...]" said Middaugh. "I didn't feel particularly strong, but the proper effort level was there."

Like many in the XTERRA Series, Middaugh races a 29er, and is aboard the Felt Nine Team this year. "I feel very pleased with my performances throughout the series and the Felt Nine Team has proven to be a very versatile bike on a variety of courses."

Congrats, Josiah! Good luck at XTERRA Worlds in Maui!

Interbike 2010

2010-09-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

Our lips still chapped from the desert, our voices hoarse from interviews and networking, the Felt crew has finally returned from Interbike in Las Vegas. First, we would like to thank all of you that made it to our outdoor booth. Both days, we had a frenzy of activity ranging from team directors to dealers to media correspondents to enthusiasts. This was our most successful Interbike today and it would not have been possible without all of you who attended. Interbike is a culmination of work that began over a year ago, and it was our pleasure to see all of you enjoying the fruits of our labor.

The thermometers nearly touched triple digits both days, and there were extremely strong winds, but that didn’t stop hundreds of riders from trying out our new 2011 line up. Our demo bikes were checked out continually from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. and were met with very positive responses. Particularly popular were the new F2 and Edict which rarely had more than one or two bikes waiting to be tested at any time (the rest were being ridden). We had several riders report back that the "feel" of the F2 was something unparalleled in the industry, with one long time steel rider saying that it was the first carbon frame he is going to buy. The Edict's brand new FAST suspension and light weight was a hit with the fat tire guys and was just recently ridden to victory in the California State XC Championships (more on that in a later entry).

Our showroom area was also quite busy, with puddles of drool collecting around the new DA and Fixie Series. Somehow, we were still able to conduct interviews with several media outlets regarding the 2011 lineup, so keep an eye out on Twitter for links to videos and stories. Additionally, we hope to post some higher res pictures up from our booth soon.

Post outdoor, the crew headed down the road to the Vegas strip for indoor. We were able to get a lot done with vendors and already got the gears moving for the 2012 lineup - trust me, it is already shaping up to be impressive. Additionally, one of Felt's engineers rode a courageous race at CrossVegas, getting pulled with just 2 laps to go in a world class field. Keep in mind, this was after working 9 hours a day on his feet in the desert for the previous two days.

All in all, we had a lot of great exposure to dealers and consumers. Despite the amount of effort exerted during the week, all of us really had a blast interacting with you at the show. I guess we will see you again next year in Anaheim!

See the Gallery HERE

Skull Candy x Felt

2010-08-25T10:57:00.000-07:00

Felt recently teamed up with colorful headphone maker Skull Candy and local So Cal artist Taylor Reeve to make some truly one of a kind Curbside and Brougham bikes. Skull Candy jet-set Taylor to various action sports trade shows , art supplies in tow , to paint the bikes live and in person at their booths.

The process {showcased below} shows the amazing transformation from off-the-shelf bike to a work of art ...

These bikes plus a few more will be making their way to various Skull Candy retailers across the US.

Head on over to Skull Candy for more info on the final destination of the Skull Candy x Felt bikes.

Cycle Chic Sundays goes Global!

2010-08-10T16:19:00.000-07:00

What started as a small group ride based in Southern California has branched out across the state, the country and even across the globe!

Inspired by Copenhagen Cycle Chic - The Original Cycle Chic , the goal of Cycle Chic Sunday is to enjoy time with friends & make new ones while riding bikes & looking chic!

It's not uncommon to see a flurry of interaction between the global Sunday riders on the Cycle Chic Sunday Facebook page. From sharing pictures , style tips , and local events - the steadily growing network of chic cyclists are banding together to promote the mantra of Style over Speed.

Currently 9 lovely ladies in 9 different cities have organized their own local Cycle Chic Sunday group rides. The participating cities are ;

Costa Mesa , CA

Huntington Beach, CA

Long Beach, CA

Los Angeles , CA

Santa Barbara, CA

Sacramento , CA

Columbia, MO

Jacksonville, FLA

Sydney , Australia

To find out about a ride near you? Visit the Facebook fanpage or stop by their blog {www.CycleChicSundays.com}

All are welcomed! The more the merrier!

Back in my Yard

2010-07-28T14:03:00.000-07:00

Have a look at this backyard piece by German-based Felt riders Joscha Forstreuter, Josef Woitella & Simon Bonicel.

Whistler A-Line

2010-07-02T10:55:00.000-07:00

Felt's head of product development, Brian Wilson, and BMX brand manager, Alan Foster, just finished a long weekend up in Whistler where they did a little mountain bike riding. Nothing like a little R&R with a helmet cam.

Fixed-up Broken Parts

2010-06-26T07:02:00.000-07:00

Two weeks later and a little bit of repair work, BK is headed the right direction. At least, his ankle is. Nice looking cuts, buddy! Sorry about getting that other Puma on for a while.

Broken Parts

2010-06-11T11:27:00.000-07:00

Felt rides. And because we ride, accidents are bound to happen from time-to-time. Unfortunately, those get-off's can be pretty painful. Case in point, Felt creative manager Brett King's ankle (and other parts) are in various states of disrepair after a high-speed over-the-bar while doing some local DH run's with colleages Nick and Jeff after work earlier in the week. A bad ankle hurts like a mofo and one broken in four places is particular nasty. Good thing for Brett that Nick (engineering) and Jeff (creative) were able to get him down and to the ER in a timely manner. No e-vac necessary! Here is how Brett tells it in an email to the company yesterday:

All,

So as some of you have heard by now, I broke my ankle pretty bad on Monday evening riding in Laguna with Jeff Heesch and Nick D.

I had my bike swap on me through a really steep and rocky section of the Telonics trail. I broke my Talus bone in half, broke my tibula, and 2 other bones in my ankle, as well as dislocating it. I also cracked my tailbone and chipped a small piece off my T5 vertebrae. Sweet.

I just want to thank Jeff and Nick for helping me get down the trail after the crash. It’s a really gnarly trail to walk down as it’s so steep with little to no traction for shoes. These guys really stepped up and took amazing care of me, and for that I can’t thank you guys enough. I felt pretty defeated, and they really helped me muster up the courage to get off the mountain the way we did.

Anyway, I have an appointment with the surgeon tomorrow to schedule the surgery for my ankle as they have to put some screws in to hold it all together. Hopefully I can get it done on Friday and I’ll try be back in the office early next week.

Attached are examples on how you ankle isn’t supposed to look ;)

-B

Get well soon, little brother!

2011 DA - Part III

2010-05-26T10:08:00.000-07:00

Hot off a world-class stage win and 2nd place finish overall in the 2010 Amgen Tour of CA, Dave Zabriskie went straight back to work. Along with Felt, DZ spent the day reviewing his position on his all-new Felt 2011 DA in the San Diego Wind Tunnel yesterday. Few ever looked so good on a bike while still managing to generate so much power. Of note is that "DZ-Nuts" is already looking into trademarking "DIS-position".

More on the 2011 DA

2010-05-09T07:04:00.000-07:00

VeloNews was doing their homework and grabbed THIS look at David Millar's new 2011 DA the day before the Giro started.

The 2011 DA: The bar just got higher...

2010-05-07T10:36:00.000-07:00

Pity the poor clock. For those of you who saw glimpses of a few Garmin-Transitions boys racing new DA's in the recent Tour of Romandie (check out CVV below), get ready to see a little bit more.

With the Giro d'Italia's prologue tomorrow, and a TTT next week, it will not be unreasonable to expect to catch another peek into Felt's future. The new 2011 Felt DA is a ground-up redesign and pushes bicycle architecture and aerodynamic leadership into a new place. We will have a formal unveiling at the 2010 Amgen Tour of California beginning May 16 where this all-new beauty will be on display in our booth at every stage. We'll also have commemorative stickers, new-design T-shirts for sale and even the company namesake Jim Felt to chit-chat with. Stay tuned for more and looking forward to seeing everybody at the ATOC.

Cycle Chic Sundays

2010-04-29T20:14:00.000-07:00

Cycling doesn't always have to involve spandex or baggies. Around here, we have graphic designer Eva Lewington to remind us of this fact.

Eva, the stylish voice behind the Evoluer blog, loves to observe and share her visions of fashionable cycling. Or is it cycling fashionistas? Point is, she's got style! And it turns out a whole bunch of her friends do too.

Eva's latest project is Cycle Chic Sundays. And if you saw a group of stylish ladies riding around Costa Mesa, California, last weekend, you were witnessing the first ever Cycle Chic Sunday -- which just happened to be a smashing success.

Below are just a few pics from the Sunday's ride. For more information just check out Eva's blog. Better yet, go to the Cycle Chic Sundays Facebook page and join in the fun!

Sneak Peek

2010-04-13T07:54:00.000-07:00

4" Never Looked So Spectacular - SEE IT

Tyler Farrar - Winning in the Spring

2010-04-09T08:09:00.000-07:00

What does it feel like to win a Spring classic? See what super-sprinter Tyler Farrar has to say after taking the 98th edition of Scheldeprijs (BEL). Tyler, who makes Belgium his home during the season, has moved into the very upper echelon of the pro peleton's fast finishers and is racking up the results to stand by it. His rig? A Felt F1 Sprint. Stock, except for a snazzy team paint job.

Keyesville Classic Race Recap

2010-03-23T15:15:00.000-07:00

Felt engineering staffer Nick Ducharme has been a familiar face at the SoCal MTB races the past couple months, mixing it up in just about every discipline there is. Downhill, XC, Super D, Short-track. He's even been known to throw down on the lunchtime road rides.

For the 2010 season, Nick is heading up a West Coast arm of the Felt-sponsored, Colorado-based Mafia Racing Team, so he's extra motivated. One of the big spring events in Southern California is the Keyesville Classic, so Nick and fellow Feltie Greg Hammond packed up the van and headed up to take in the event last week. Oh, and Nick just happened to take the Expert Men All-Mountain category. Sweet! Here's a little recap straight from the source:

The Keyesville Classic is always a good time! Based in a quaint little area along the Kern River, about an hour drive inland from Bakersfield along the 178 freeway, at the Keyesville Recreation area. The BLM owned and operated land offers a ton of amazing riding (the race courses only scratch the surface of the areas ride potential) in some very challenging and fun terrain. Add to that the free (very) basic camping and you have a recipe for an amazing weekend of mountain biking and fat tire festival-type activities!

I’ve been to the event several times in the past, but I missed out last year. Disappointed about that fact and feeling like I had a legit shot at doing well (and possibly beating up on some of my old riding buddies that I haven’t seen in a while) I was determined to go this year. I was fortunate enough to get a day off on Friday so I could fully enjoy the entire experience. Greg Hammond (Felt Event Specialist in charge of Felt’s brand new 2nd Dodge Sprinter Van) and I left on Friday (late) morning for the race. We were both signed up for the All Mountain event, in the Expert (Cat 1 ) Category. The 2 day “All Mountain” stage race included a 25 mile XC race on Saturday morning a Short Track race on Sunday Morning and 2 DH runs on Sunday, right around lunch time. The rules state that for the All Mountain overall classification the racer must race the same bike for all 3 events. There is a weigh in before each race to ensure that no one has made any changes to their bike, to keep things fair. My weapon of choice… The Felt Virtue. I raced a slightly modified Virtue 1, weighing in at just 24.3 pounds and capable of rocking XC courses and tackling the DH course without failure! Let me tell you, the bike is XC race fast, but with 5” of travel and it’s just right geometry, has a lot more confidence than any twitchy race bike on the descents. It is the absolute perfect bike for this race!!!

Everyone was impressed with and/or frightened by the 2010 Felt Virtue I had brought to the race! It really was the best tool for the task at the technical and challenging Keyesville event.

Even the drive out to the Keyesville Rec area is epic. Driving through the canyon with the Kern River flowing off the cliff on one side and the jagged rocks along the cliff walls trying to grab your truck mirrors on the other side. If you drive out at night, you’re missing out on some impressive (if not scary) scenery.

The rocky cliff whizzing by the mirrors of the Felt Sprinter van (top). The Kern River flowing through the rocky terrain alongside the 178 highway to the Keyesville Recreation area (bottom).

Registration and Race Packet pick up happened at the Kern River Brewing Company. This fun establishment houses a ton of personality paired with a bunch of great beers. I owe a fair amount of my successes this past weekend to the “Chicken Ciabatta” sandwich and their “Just Outstanding IPA”. Certainly a worthwhile stop if you’re in the area.

I also raced the Vintage Class (one of the classes this is event is best known for) Cross Country on an old ProFlex 855. It was a bunch of fun to roll up on the start line to, what seemed to be, a time capsule. Lots of old steel hardtails and full rigid rigs, a few elevated chain stay bikes, and oh the old suspension forks. I was the only one on a Fully Suspended rig. The race was only 1 lap of the 8.5 mile course, and my legs and bike were good enough for 3rd overall in the Vintage class. Not bad considering it was my 3rd ride on that bike ,and that I knew I had another 25 mile race to do in just a couple hours. It was really funny to see all the old bikes battling it out, just like they would have 15+ years ago!

Me posing with my ProFlex 855 post Vintage race. Yes I raced with a Garmin 305 on my 15 year old MTB…

The Expert XC race was something I was really looking forward to. I’ve been feeling good lately and a bunch of my old riding buddies from the Central Valley had come down to race as well. These were guys who always beat me so I was extremely motivated to do well. I was able to roll across the line in 2 hours and 5 minutes, good enough to beat all my old riding buddies and walk away with 2nd in my age group, and 3rd in the All Mountain competition.

Leading the way out of the gate at the XC (top). Discussing the beat down I had just handed to him with long time friend Jon Stewart (not the Comedian) after the XC race (bottom).

With 2 races done on Saturday morning it was time to chill. So, like any Mafia Racing member I cracked an ice cold Pabst Blue Ribbon, and enjoyed the rest of the day with my friends and my dad who had come to watch the races.Sunday Morning came, entirely too soon, and I was once again chamois-ing up to race. The short track was shortened to a mere 12 minutes. That doesn’t mean it’s any easier than the scheduled 20 or 25, just that the same amount of pain is condensed into a shorter period. I almost missed the start whilst warming up, so I had to start at the back of the pack. I quickly worked my way forward and was battling for the lead in my age group the whole time. Eventually my legs and brain told me to slow down a bit, and save some for the DH, where I knew I would do well. I settled in and took another 2nd in my age group, and another 3rd in the All Mountain standings.

No these aren’t pics from the DH race… There was actually a jump over a rock garden (top) and boulder/wall ride (bottom) in the Short Track course.

The downhill was the final event of the weekend, and I knew that of all the contenders in the all mountain category, I had the best bike for the challenging DH event. The Keyesville DH race combines your times from 2 different courses. After the first run, I was 2 seconds behind the leader in my age group, but he wasn’t entered in the All Mountain competition, so I was firmly planted in the 1st of all of the AM contestants. After run 2, I ran an almost identical time (.08 seconds slower) than the winner of my age group but still well ahead of anyone else in the AM overall standings. So I took yet another 2nd in my age group, but this time that was still good enough to get a win in the All Mountain points!!

Navigating (unsuccessfully) the Snake Pit portion of the DH course (top). Discussing the weekends activities after the DH race with a proud Papa (bottom).

At the end of it all, when all the points were tallied, I came out on top of the Expert Category All Mountain Classification! My nearest competitor was ahead of me going into the DH events, he had finished 2nd in the XC, 1nd 1st in the ST events, so I knew I had to do something big in the DH. Unfortunately for him, he had raced on a lightweight carbon hard tail, so he could only manage 6th place in the DH. That was more than enough to hand me the overall. My 3-3-1 beat his 2-1-6. It was a surprise to me for sure, and I was extremely excited! I had collected a similar award a few years ago, but there were only 2 of us in the contest that year. This year, with 12 guys fighting for the overall, and a lot more people racing in total, I feel this is a much greater achievement. I owe a lot to my Felt Virtue. As I said it was the perfect bike for this type of event, and it didn’t disappoint! I also need to thank my team, Mafia Racing, and all of the teams supporters/sponsors. Special thanks to my dad, as well, for being my bottle hander, photographer, manager, motivator and biggest fan out there!

Expert AM podium! Yes that’s a PBR in my hand!! Throughout the entire weekend, if I wasn’t hanging on to the bars, I was probably holding an ice cold Pabst Blue Ribbon (top). The coolest award on the planet, the Keyesville AM award, as it sits on my desk at the Felt Office. Awards created by John M. Stallone (bottom)

Photo credits – Mike Ducharme, Stephanie DuBurg, Greg Hammond, Chris DuBurg, self

Murcia with DZ

2010-03-07T07:19:00.000-08:00

Listen up as Dave Zabriskie (aka: Captain America) delivers a snapshot as only he can on his glasses, his bikes, his teammates, winning and babies.

Funtucky

2010-02-21T12:02:00.000-08:00

There's a reason everyone refers to Fontana as Fontucky, deep in the heart of the 951, its neck is a little redder than the rest of SoCal. But it is home to Southridge park, home to some of the most fun racing within striking distance of the Felt Irvine office.

Felt boys, Brett King, Nick Ducharme and Greg Hammond made the trip from the OC to the Southridge Shimano Winter series in Fontana, Ca. for a Saturday of XC 4 Cross and Super D racing. A damp few days leading up to the weekend had people thinking twice about making the trip, but the rain cleared, the moisture helped pave the trails in hero dirt, temps in the mid 60's.... Perfection

Felt's fastest MTB'er (Self proclaimed but no one is arguing) Nick Ducharme, ripped the mornings XC course to win the Expert race a few spots ahead of Greg. Nick then going on in the afternoon to win the Expert Super D in the same fashion

Thats Nicks bbrapp face....

Yeah Nick...we know... the little guy on the right was third place, but too short to climb the podium

Modeling the latest addition to his stripper wardrobe

DJ BK (Brett) as well as being an above average graphic designer, golfer, car racer, BMX'er and Canadian, is a passable 4 Cross racer as well, managing to grab bronze in the Expert 4 Cross, his first race in a few months

This was despite racers behind him trying to take him out by usung the famed over the bar flying tackle manouver...

Not a bad result considering most of the rest of the competition were still in high school...

Mmmm medal flavor!

Next event at Southridge is the Shimano Winter series finals on March 6/7th, details here Southridge

Bikes and Art

2010-02-17T17:26:00.000-08:00

To say Felt staffer Eva Lewington is a gal of many talents is an understatement. Graphic designer by day, artist by eve, weekend road racer when inspiration strikes. And cyclist, always.

We're stoked to see Eva's work on display next week at the Femme de la Closet art show in Costa Mesa. That's her portrait on the window above.

Here's a closer look, too...

And one sneak peek of Eva's display...

Here's the poster for the February 25 art show, Femme de la Closet.

For more information, check out the event web site, or The Closet Boutique web site.

And for behind-the-scenes look at Eva's work, check out her blog.

February 25 at The Closet Boutique. Be there!

Wintertime blues

2010-01-26T15:41:00.000-08:00

Pretty picture, huh?

If you live someplace that requires layering up like a Taco Bell burrito before heading outside—or worse yet, you’re forced to ride inside—well, um, sorry. Here in Southern California, we’re already a couple races into the 2010 season.

Oh, don’t worry. Months from now, when your creeks are flowing and flowers blooming, our stressed out Smokey Bear signs will be pointed right to the red zone. We’ll deal with that when the time comes. For now, however, we’re hitting the trails.

That's Nick Ducharme of the Felt engineering team tearing it up at Round 2 of the Southridge Winter Series. Nick doubled it up over the weekend, racing the XC and Super D events at the five-race series in Fontana.

Nick rode pretty fast, too: He won the Expert Class Super D on his Felt Virtue (that's the photo above) and also finished third in the Expert XC race on a Felt FRD 100. Our friend Chris Wood took the bitchin’ photo. If you happened to be racing at Southridge and are interested in checking out your rad self in a photo, visit Chris's site.

Let the season begin!

2010-01-18T11:40:00.000-08:00

New co-sponsor, new team kits, new Felt bikes, and Phil Liggett on the microphone. It can only mean one thing: The 2010 race season has arrived! Some of the Garmin-Transitions boys are in Oz for the Tour Down Under, here's a snippet from the team intro. Check out the Felt website for updates throughout the week.

Completing the Sweep

2010-01-07T10:05:00.000-08:00

You’ve probably already heard about the first big win of the year for Felt and the Garmin-Slipstream squad. But Cam Meyer wasn’t the only one laying down a sizzling time at the Aussie Time Trial Nationals on a Felt DA.

The biggest surprise of the day belonged to Amber Halliday, a woman who never raced a bike until last year. Amber stormed to victory in the 28-kilometer elite women’s race, beating the 2008 champion, Bridie O’Donnell, by 4 seconds.

While Amber may be a cycling newbie, she’s no stranger to top-level sport. The 30-year-old from Adelaide is a former Olympic rower with a handful of sculling world championships to her name. After the 2008 Olympics, she traded the oars for wheels.

“I was pretty much always going to retire after Beijing and I’ve always enjoyed riding my bike,” Amber told CyclingNews.com after her win. “It’s a big part of cross training for rowing, and I started to enjoy it a little bit too much towards the end of my rowing career.”

Here’s a shot of Amber, moments before rolling out of the start gate on her Felt DA. Good on ya, Amber!

A road trip to remember

2009-12-31T10:10:00.000-08:00

This is old news, but as 2009 winds down we thought it appropriate to post a few images from one of the more ambitious adventures taken by fellow Felties this year. When Jake and Eva announced they would be riding from home in Orange County to a Thanksgiving dinner in San Francisco, we thought: You're nuts.

When they added the small detail they would do so on a tandem, with just five days to make the 500-mile trip, we thought: Pshh—good luck!

Well, they did it. Here are a few pics from the road, followed by 5 nuggets of wisdom gained along the way.

5 things we learned while riding 500 miles in 5 days

1. We are crazy for riding up the coast! There was a head wind the whole way!!
2. Keep a tube of chamois butter close at hand
3. Riding on the 101 is not as sketchy as it seems
4. Stopping to stretch is always a good idea
5. How beautiful the California coast is & how lucky we are to live here!

Mafia Racing, West Coast style

2009-12-21T09:37:00.000-08:00

The "Family," aka Mafia Racing, has made its way to the West Coast. The Colorado-based, Felt-sponsored team is assembling a West Coast roster to storm the West Coast mountain bike races in 2010.

Felt's own Nick D (above) will be managing Managing Mafia's West Coast joint and would like to hear from anyone interested in joining the team.

Check out the Facebook page, or e-mail Nick at nick@mafiaracing.com.

Commander on the mend

2009-12-18T10:16:00.001-08:00

Felt company namesake Jim Felt, aka The Commander, is spending this holiday season recovering from hip surgery. He pulled through surgery with flying colors and is currently dreaming up new ways to make the riders and triathletes who ride Felt bikes even faster in 2010. Those dreams are pretty vivid at the moment, what with the painkillers and all.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery, Commander!

Your new National Champ!

2009-12-14T09:40:00.000-08:00

Garmin-Felt rider Danny Summerhill won the Under-23 CX National Championship race in muddy, snowy Bend, Oregon, Saturday. Cyclingdirt.com interviewed Danny after the race, check it out:

Cycling Videos on CyclingDirt

Beardy Weirdies!

2009-12-10T11:51:00.000-08:00

It’s holiday season at Felt, which means one thing: Holiday Beard Growing Contest!

Pretty burly lineup, right? Looks like the second line for the Ottawa Senators, but that’s actually (left to right): Jake representing marketing; Nick and Rich from engineering; Greg from marketing; and graphic designer Jeff.

Hard to say who’s leading here, what do you think? Rich gets extra points for the black eye, which was reportedly sustained in a mosh pit. As far as usefulness, Greg is probably making the most of the facial fur—he’s currently standing in sub-zero temperatures in Bend, Oregon, where he’s manning the Felt booth at cyclo-cross nationals. That thing’s probably pretty gnarly right now, all iced up with snotcicles and such.

Of course the bylaws mandate that any proper Beard Contest will be followed by a Mustache Contest. Gross.

Ball Park Cranks!

2009-12-10T09:18:00.000-08:00

Ball Park Cranks Commercial - Felt Bikes from Felt BMX on Vimeo.

Crush It!

2009-12-02T16:27:00.000-08:00

The inhabitants of Felt Cubicle Land were both happy and a bit concerned to receive an e-mail this afternoon with the enthusiastic subject line: “Hardcore Bob back on a bike!”

You see, Hardcore Bob (aka Felt graphic designer Bob Thomson) has been out of commission since eating it on a lunch ride a few weeks back. That’s a whole other story in itself, which Bob really ought to tell, but the result was a busted femur, some gnarly metal rods and some screws needed to put Bob back together again. And an empty desk over there where Bob is supposed to sit.

After a few weeks of being laid up at home, Bob dragged his busted body back to the office, sporting a pretty dope pimp cane. His colleagues were both happy to see him and somewhat relieved to know it would be at least a little while before Bob would be back to his usual self, crushing it on the lunch ride.

Then, this.

It looks like Bob might be back sooner than we thought. Crush it!

Jeff Castelaz: ABC News Person of the Week

2009-12-01T09:34:00.000-08:00

The story of Jeff Castelaz riding across America to raise money and awareness to fight children's cancer captured a lot of hearts from coast to coast. When Jeff finished his Pablove Across America tour last week, riding home to Los Angeles on his Felt F1, ABC News chose to highlight him as its Person of the Week.

Bravo, Jeff.

Check out the clip right here.

Pablove Comes Home

2009-11-23T10:05:00.000-08:00

After 43 days on the road, Pablove Across America finished the ride. On Saturday Jeff Castelaz pedaled the final miles of his cross-country mission to raise awareness and money to fight children’s cancer. Though in many ways it was a personal journey — a way for Jeff to grieve and cope with the recent loss of his son Pablo — Pablove Across America was also a public effort that touched countless people along the way.

From Florida to California, Jeff delivered his message by riding his bike and sharing his experiences through personal connections, Twitter posts and daily video blogs like this one that Jeff posted Sunday morning:

Jeff also conducted countless interviews and drummed up interest in his cause by capturing media attention everywhere he went. Last week our friend Neal Rogers, managing editor at VeloNews, wrote about Jeff's mission is this nice piece.

Felt is proud to have been with Jeff every step of the way. And we were beyond stoked when we finally got a chance to see Jeff and his sweet Felt F1 in action Friday, when the Pablove tour rolled into Felt’s headquarters in Irvine, California. A bunch of us joined Pablove on the penultimate day of the tour, which rolled up the coast from San Diego to Orange County before finishing here at Felt.

Jeff and Co. arrived to a huge welcoming and then hung around to meet the Felt family and do a few hot laps on a new DA TT bike. Here are a few pics from the ride….

That's former Ironman World Champ Michellie Jones on the left (above), and the special Pablove Felt F1 bikes ridden by Jeff Castelaz and his coach Rik Babington. After finishing here at Felt, there was just one more day to go before the finish in Los Angeles.

Jeff and the crew had a stellar day of warm, sunny weather for Friday's ride up the coast from San Diego to Irvine.

The Pablove crew stopped in Dana Point for double espressos and a rendezvous with Felt employees who rode the final leg.

This is what it's all about. All along the route, Jeff was joined by people who had been through similar experiences. Jeff rode side-by-side with hundreds, including this Pablove supporter who joined the ride to Irvine.

Mud whompin' with Mafia

2009-11-17T09:50:00.000-08:00

Cyclo-cross season is in full swing and like many of you, the Felt-sponsored Mafia Racing squad is out there mixing it up every weekend. Check out the action from the Boulder CX finals in Longmont, Colorado last weekend. You'll see lots of Mafia riders flying the Felt colors, including the team's elite riders Jake Wells, Lianna Miller and Kate Schneider. Those snazzy Mafia kits took a beating out there in the elements, but hey, that's what's 'cross is all about.

Guiding Light

2009-11-06T10:30:00.001-08:00

Jared Berg (above, right), one of the elite athletes on the Felt-sponsored Mafia Racing Team, competes as a guide for a visually challenged off-road triathlete. Last weekend Jared and Michael Stone raced at the XTERRA World Championships in Maui, and Jared checked in with this recap of the event.

Last Sunday I had the privilege of guiding Michael Stone, a brand new off-road triathlete with a visual challenge, at the XTERRA World Championships in Maui. Michael has Cone-Rod Dystrophy, which greatly disrupts his capacity to filter light and his ability to see low-contrast fields of vision. Con-Rod Dystrophy also leaves Michael with increasing blind spots. In many cases individuals suffering with Cone-Rod Dystrophy go blind but are left in a constant state of lightness rather than darkness.

Though Michael can see a large tree on the side of a trail, it’s the rocks or roots that are similar to the trail color, or hidden by grass, that are impossible for him to see. Sometimes even an entire trail can disappear in the shadows as it curves or switches back in another direction.

Imagine looking through a pair of safety glasses smeared with Vaseline while someone is shining a flashlight in your direction and you’ll have some understanding of what Michael must deal with. The objects or obstacles he is able to see on the trail are usually seen at the last minute, giving him little or no time to react.

So Michael relies on the sounds of my bike or my foot strikes or my voice commands, combined with what he sees of me navigating the trail while I ride or run ahead of him.

In the water we found that if I swim next to Michael I can naturally guide him one direction or the other. For instance, if I am on his right side he subtly moves to the left. However, if Michael starts moving too far to the left, I’ll quickly dive about 6-8 feet down and swim under him to his left side. During the race, it was pretty comical swimming under all the other competitors but it allowed me to quickly get to Michael’s other side without misguiding him. The only problem was that Michael would get water up his nose from laughing whenever I swam underneath him and a dozen other swimmers at the same time!

The swim portion of the competition is fairly enjoyable for us but the bike and the run present a real challenge. We raced the XTERRA Nationals in Ogden, Utah, and had a good experience because Ogden was mostly uphill and there was fairly good visual contrast between the darker trail and the surrounding grass, brush and trees. The trail in Maui, however, was a reddish tint and did not stand out from the dry orange, tan and sometimes red tint to the brush and trees. The ground in Maui never lets you hold a smooth line; it almost feels like you are constantly being floated around with little ability to control your own direction.

All these adverse trail conditions made for a pretty scary riding experience for Michael. It is definitely worth mentioning that the 2008 XTERRA World Champion and UCI pro-mountain biker crashed and broke a couple ribs while training on the course before the race.

As a guide, my most important mission is to get Michael through the course safely with as few mishaps as possible. The next goal is to provide a racing environment where Michael can capitalize on his fitness and minimize the hindrance of his vision impairment. I’m happy to say we made it through safely with only a couple little bobbles on the bike and run. On one occasion on the run I called out “stay left” on a corner when I actually meant to say “turn left.” Michael stayed left on the corner and caught some barbwire that I did not see. He went down to his hands on sharp lava rock. Luckily, he escaped with only little thorns in his palm but I felt horrible about making a bad call. It really drove home how much he depends on my commands.

I feel the race was a complete success because Michael says he wants to come back next year! We have progress to make in order to provide Michael a better opportunity to use his strong fitness on the bike, but we are confident and hopeful his trail-riding learning curve will stay ahead of the degeneration of his sight.

New Cam Zink Mavic video

2009-11-06T09:42:00.000-08:00

Check out this new Mavic video from Felt factory pro, Cam Zink. Cam really puts his products - Felt and Mavic included - through it's paces.

Pablove Benefit Concert will be held in LA

2009-11-03T09:45:00.000-08:00

Have you been following Pablove Across America? Jeff Castelaz’s inspiring coast-to-coast ride began October 10 in St. Augustine, Florida, and will finish later this month in Los Angeles. Currently Jeff is riding his Felt F1 somewhere in Texas.

In case you don’t know the story, Jeff’s son Pablo lost his battle to cancer in June. The Pablove Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to child life programs as well as children’s cancer research and treatment. Pablove Across America is a 3,100-mile ride across the country, which Jeff is doing to honor and remember Pablo and to raise awareness and funds to improve the treatment process for children.

Jeff, the co-founder of the Dangerbird record label, has a ton of friends who are following him online and looking forward to welcoming him home to Los Angeles in a few weeks. Felt is proud to be one of Jeff’s supporters and stoked to see him hammering that F1 on this challenging ride that includes some serious daily mileage.

To welcome Jeff home, there will be a Pablove Foundation benefit concert November 21 at the Avalon in LA. A bitchin’ lineup of Jeff’s friends—including Tom Morello, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Shirley Manson and others—will perform acoustic and semi-acoustic sets.

Tickets are on sale now. Don’t miss it!

Multi-talented

2009-10-27T15:38:00.000-07:00

Felt BMX team rider Josh Betley spends most of his time blowing people’s minds with tricks like the ones seen here:

But Josh is multi-talented and digs all sorts of bikes. Case in point: check out this new ride, a Felt Brougham fixie that Josh lovingly modified into this dead sexy rig.

Nice work, don't you think?

Trick or treat

2009-10-26T09:32:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows cyclo-cross and cross-dressing go hand in hand. Especially around Halloween, at events like the Spooky Cross Night Race, held over the weekend in Felt's local stomping grounds of Irvine, California.

With that in mind, engineering staffer Rich Bell embraced the spirit of the season and got in touch with his feminine side. Rich probably didn't foresee an unnamed colleague snapping a cell-phone photo and tossing it under the Garage Door, but as Hunter S. Thompson used to say, "Buy the ticket, take the ride."

We're told this photo was taken sometime before Rich taco'd a wheel while attempting to bunny hop a pumpkin.

Trick or treat.

Winter Racin'

2009-10-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

SoCal dirt riders, are you ready for the 2010 race season?

Here are some dates to remember. Write ’em down and alert your spouse, dog or significant other that you won’t be around these weekends.

Southridge Winter Series:
Jan 9-10, 23-24
Feb 6-7, 20-21
Mar 6-7 (Finals)

Fontana City National
Mar 27-28

Coincidentally, some of the Felt boys were out sampling the goods in Fontucky just the other day. Here’s a little clip of engineering dude and all-around shredder Nick Ducharme doing his thing on a 2010 Felt Compulsion 2. Oh yeah.

Stylin' and profilin'

2009-10-21T15:42:00.001-07:00

Boulder, Colorado-based Elephant Journal covers what it calls “the mindful life.” Yoga, organics, politics, spirituality—you know, Boulder stuff. Sometimes Elephant chooses a “Bike of the Day,” showcasing a particular Boulderite and his or her ride. We like today’s BotD...

Nice ride, Kaitlyn!

For more, go to ElephantJournal.com.

Calling all mechanics

2009-10-20T09:12:00.001-07:00

Our friends at Mafia Racing just alerted us to this little shindig near Boulder, Colorado this Sunday. Cornhole, Pabst and serious displays of wrenching skillz—what better way to spend a Sunday afternoon?

Word to the wise: The Rocky Flats Lounge is a serious Packers bar, so whatever you do, don't show up in purple and gold.

Felt: The smart choice at MIT

2009-10-15T10:33:00.000-07:00

Any team comprised of aspiring nuclear engineers and other whiz-kid college majors knows a thing or two about technology. So it makes perfect sense that the MIT Cycling Team chose Felt to go after the title at last month's USA Cycling Track National Championships.

Sure enough, MIT brought home the gold. Racing at Trexlertown, Pennsylvania, MIT won the Division II Omnium, which recognizes the best overall results throughout the competition. It was the second consecutive year MIT won stars and stripes in the Omnium, which is pretty incredible considering that this was only the third time the team competed at the event. Riders from MIT also won the Division I and II Collegiate Sprint, a co-ed team sprint.

That's the team pictured above with one of their Felt TK2 bikes. The champions are, left to right:

(back row): Guo-Liang Chew, Matt Blackburn, Martha Buckley, Nick Loomis
(middle row): Mike Garrett, Yuri Matsumoto, Laura Ralston
(front): Zach Labry, Tim Humpton

Also on the team but not pictured are Jose Soltren and Spencer Schaber.

Here is some more info and photos of the team in action.

Congrats!

(Cyclocross) School is in session

2009-10-08T10:35:00.000-07:00

A group of kids in Boulder, Colorado, got a thrill last weekend when Danny Summerhill, one of America's top cyclocross racers and a silver medalist at the 2007 Cyclocross World Championships, showed up at their camp.

The Garmin-Slipstream rider reported that he had as much fun as the kids attending the skills camp.

"While I was there I had a lot of time on the stage to take questions and give advice to all of the young riders," Danny said. "In one specific seminar I brought my bike up and started to explain all the ins and outs of my Felt and told them all the advantages and benefits of having a one."

Here's a shot of Danny, his 2010 Felt F15X, and, just perhaps, a future cyclocross great!

Record-breaking night at Track Natz

2009-10-02T12:05:00.001-07:00

It was another successful night for Felt at Day 2 of the USA Cycling National Track Championships in Los Angeles on Thursday. Felt-sponsored Sarah Hammer was part of a record-setting women's team pursuit squad, and our own Jake Duehring followed up his silver-medal omnium performance with a fourth-place finish in the Scratch Race.

Here's a nice shot of Jake (center, black Felt kit) banging bars in the Scratch Race...

And another of Sarah pulling her team to a new U.S. record in the Team Pursuit...

For more, check out CyclingNews.com.

Crushing it at Track Natz!

2009-10-01T09:50:00.000-07:00

Our fellow Felt cubicle dweller Jake Duehring (above) made us proud last night with an impressive performance at the 2009 USA Cycling Track Nationals in Los Angeles. Jake scored a silver medal in the Omnium, an overall competition combining five different events—both sprint and endurance—in one night of competition at the Home Depot Center.

Here’s the thing: It was Jake’s first time competing at nationals. He killed it in the 3km individual pursuit, winning with a time of 3:32.775, and also finished second in the flying 200-meter TT (his first time racing the event); fifth in the Scratch Race; third in the Kilo; and eighth in the Points Race. Jake finished the night with 19 points, just 3 behind national champion Cody O’Reilly.

Felt bikes were out in force at the opening night of the Track National Championships. Three of the top-five Omnium finishers rode Felt.

Here’s a link to cyclingnews.com’s coverage of the event.

And some more photos of Jake:

Pablove auction happening right now!

2009-09-28T12:28:00.000-07:00

The rock-n-roll world is stepping up big time for the Pablove Foundation and its fight against children’s cancer. Our friend Jeff Castelaz is less than two weeks away from swinging a leg over his new Felt F1 and riding across the country for his Pablove Across America tour. Now you can do your part for the Foundation by bidding on these hot items.

You can score rare signed items from Shirley Manson, Silversun Pickups, Eagles of Death Metal and Ziggy Marley. Or how about this: Have legendary Green Day and Nirvana producer Butch Vig record your band!

Go to the auction now. And when you’re done there, check out Pablove.org to find out more details about the ride and the Pablo Foundation.

British Bike Toss

2009-09-26T08:41:00.000-07:00

Ouch. This hurts. Two different Garmin pros, two different Brit's, two different drivetrain problems at the worst possible moment(s) and, at over a year apart, each potentially costing a place on the podium.

Two different tossed bikes.

Bradley Wiggins and David Millar - two icons of the sport. Two guys we admire and respect. The heat of the moment is often tough to manage, especially when things go wrong. Rather than sweep it under the rug or treat it like the elephant in the room, we're putting it out there.

While it pains us to know how each race might have ended sans these mechanicals, our further observations include: Wiggo has a long way to go before he can huck a bike like DM, and a Felt F1 would appear to be even more aero than a Felt DA under some circumstances.

Riding for Pablo

2009-09-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

Perhaps you’ve already heard the story of Pablo. Many cyclists have. It’s a moving story, and it’s one that Pablo’s father, Jeff Castelaz (pictured above), wants to tell. It’s a story Jeff needs to tell.

In May 2008, Jeff’s son Pablo was diagnosed with bilateral Wilms’ Tumor, a rare form of children’s cancer. A little more than a year later—on June 27, 2009—Pablo’s battle with the disease came to end. Pablo was 6.

For Jeff, the pain of losing his son is still raw. It’s in his life, every day.

There are also many other things in Jeff’s life that help him get through the days. One is music—Jeff is the co-founder of Dangerbird Records, a Los Angeles label that’s home to Silversun Pickups and a host of other influential rock bands.

Another is cycling. Jeff is a competitive rider and a member of Southern California’s Velo Pasadena club. He likes to ride time trials and has done many century rides and a double century from Seattle to Portland.

Lately Jeff has been trying to ride more miles than ever before, and on October 10 he will embark on the ride of his life. Pablo’s ride. It’s called Pablove across America. It starts in St. Augustine, Florida, and finishes in L.A.

More than 3,000 miles in 30 days—it’s an ambitious schedule that works out to more than 150 miles per day, six days per week. Jeff will be accompanied by his friend and coach Rich Babington the entire time.

There are a number of reasons Jeff decided to do this ride. One is simply to help him deal. “Turning the pedals is something I need to do,” he says. “It’s part of my grieving process.”

Beyond that, Jeff’s ride—or rather, Pablo’s ride—has grown into a movement. The mission is to raise awareness and money for the Pablove Foundation and its fight against children’s cancer. As the Pablove Mission states, “We wave a flag for anyone to see. On it are these words: Kids get cancer too. They need your help. It’s not somebody else’s problem.”

Jeff has been joined by many friends in the past few months—powerful friends like Lance Armstrong and celebrity friends from the music industry who are supporting the ride and the Pablove Foundation.

Jeff has also gained some new friends. Friends like Felt. That sweet carbon fiber Felt F1 SL you see in the photo above is the bike Jeff will ride across America. We’re proud to sponsor the Pablove Foundation and look forward to bringing you reports from the road as Jeff embarks on this incredible journey.

Check out Pablove.org to find out more details about the ride and the Pablove Foundation.

Rolling with the Garmin-Slipstream team

2009-09-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

A group of about 70 lucky cyclists and fans of Garmin-Slipstream joined the team for a ride that departed from Garmin's British headquarters in Southampton, England, the day before the start of the Tour of Britain.

Journalist Luke Webber of British Cycling was also along for the ride. Check it out.

How it feels to win a grand tour stage

2009-09-11T16:44:00.000-07:00

Garmin-Slipstream's Ryder Hesjedal gave Garmin-Slipstream its second consecutive stage win at the Vuelta a España on Friday. He also became the first Canadian to win a stage at the Vuelta. Afterward, he spoke with Bicycling.com's Joe Lindsey. Here's what Ryder had to say.

Felt F4 vs. Beer

2009-09-08T10:36:00.000-07:00

Stuff Magazine checks out the Felt F4:

http://bit.ly/Suq0r

Cam's Compulsion at Crankworx

2009-08-27T10:22:00.000-07:00

Video Bike Check: Cam Zink's Felt Compulsion - More Mountain Bike Videos

Hollywood Hangout

2009-08-26T08:58:00.000-07:00

Things you can find in the Garage Door on any given day: double top secret prototype bikes, hacksaws, torque wrenches, crazy old forgotten bikes hanging from the rafters, dudes in Lycra, Hollywood elite.

Yeah, we’re kind of a big deal.

OK, maybe not, but some A-list celebs do seek us out once in a while. Today we were paid a visit by film and TV actor Greg Ellis—a super-nice British chap who played Chief Engineer Olsen in the latest “Star Trek” film and who has been in scores of movies from “Titanic” to “Pirates of the Caribbean.” He stopped by to pick up a Felt AR2 road bike.

Greg is getting ready for the upcoming Malibu Triathlon and came to Felt because he thought our bikes looked like “works of art.”

So Greg stepped into the Garage Door to get fit and tell us how excited he is about racing his first triathlon on a bitchin’ new bike. We just wanted to tell him how we were totally into “Trust Me,” a pretty brilliant TV show he recently starred in (as Simon the smarmy Brit) that was inexplicably cancelled after just one season. What’s the deal?

“Yeah, I don’t know,” he said. “It was a great cast and great show, I think it was just a matter of bad timing.”

Greg’s pretty busy; he’s moved on.

OK fine, we'll get over it.

Anyway, Greg and his 5-year-old son were super-stoked on the AR2. “I’m like a kid in the candy store looking at these bikes,” Greg said. “It’s amazing how lightweight and beautiful looking they are.”

It’s safe to say the AR will be the fastest bike Greg has ever ridden but even though he’s new to triathlon he’s a sharp athlete and stays fit these days by playing lots of soccer.

“I feel pretty good about the bike riding and running,” he said. “I think the swimming will probably be the toughest part.”

The Malibu Triathlon is scheduled for September 12, and Greg is competing to raise money for the Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. The Malibu course consists of a half-mile swim in the Pacific Ocean, an 18-mile bike ride along the beautiful Pacific Coast Highway and a 4-mile run along the sands of Zuma Beach.

Best of luck to Greg, we’ll keep you posted on how things go at Malibu.

So Fast You Can Barely See Him

2009-08-18T15:38:00.000-07:00

What’s with the fuzzy photo?

Legitimate question. You’re looking at an image of Felt sales rep EJ Inigo tearing it up at the Ladera Ranch Grand Prix in Orange County, California, last weekend—and in case you can’t tell, EJ is rocking a blindingly white kit with hot neon accents. We’re afraid a crisp hi-res photo of EJ in this blingy get-up would be too much for this modest blog to handle. Plus the Garage Door's 2002 camera phone ain't what it used to be.

EJ wasn't the only Felt staffer representing at Ladera Ranch. A handful made it out there. Joining EJ in the Cat V men’s race was engineer Ty Buckenberger. Ty does about two crit races a year, but that didn’t stop him from winning this one. Not too shabby, huh? Watch out for Ty come ’cross season.

As for EJ, well, besides looking stylish, he was right there in the mix with Ty. He finished 11th.

Felt marketing dude Jake Duehring, on a tear this summer after winning a couple district championships on the track, raced the Cat. III event at Ladera Ranch. After an untimely flat, Jake got back in it and won the final sprint pretty convincingly but officials later relegated him for missing a lap. Jake was bummed he didn’t score the points, but with that finishing kick it’s pretty easy to see that he’ll be moving up to race with the big boys soon enough.

And finally, Felt road product manager Super Dave Koesel did about a million laps at Ladera, racing the Masters 30+, Masters 35+ and Pro I-II events. Because that’s how he rolls. Today is Tuesday and last we heard Dave was on his way to racking up about 200k with a pre-work morning ride, quick lunch ride and evening circuit race. Just another Tuesday.

Danielson talks about his return to form

2009-08-13T08:46:00.000-07:00

Following his big stage win in the time trial and third-place overall finish at the Vuelta a Burgos in Spain this week, Garmin-Slipstream's Tom Danielson was interviewed by VeloNews European correspondent Andy Hood. Check out the interview to see how Danielson feels about being back on top after injuries and illness.

Best Wishes to The Joker

2009-08-12T17:13:00.000-07:00

When the news came across the wires Tuesday night that Michael “The Joker” Guymon, a champion Mixed Martial Arts fighter from Irvine, California, was undergoing psychiatric evaluation after an episode with police that was labeled “attempted suicide” by the local paper, lots of his friends, including us, were surprised.

Guymon had been hanging out at Felt just a few days earlier to pick up his new Z35 road bike. You see, in addition to being the defending King of the Cage Welterweight Champ, Guymon is also an avid road cyclist and a fan of the Garmin-Slipstream squad.

Guymon, who says he gets his name “The Joker” because he’s “a big goofball,” has competed in Martial Arts for 15 years and has been a professional since 2000. He started his career in kickboxing, then switched his focus to Jiu Jitsu, and later to wrestling. He has stand-up game plus the wrestling skills essential to becoming a top-notch cage fighter.

And one of the keys to Guymon’s success is his endurance, which he builds by training on a Felt road bike.

“Cycling plays an intricate role in me getting ready for a fight,” Guymon says. “I walk around at almost 200 pounds but I fight at 170. How do I lose that weight in a healthy way without injuring my body? Cycling. I used to run for my fights but my knees hurt. All my joints hurt—my back, my ankles. Now, when I ride I don’t have any impact on my back, knees or ankles.”

Guymon rides a Felt Z35 Team edition. Made with Felt’s HM carbon fiber, it’s lightweight and stiff enough to perform perfectly in what we imagine is a pretty powerful sprint. Guymon trains by going on two-hour rides in the rolling hills near his home in Irvine. He does intervals and loves going fast through the flats.

“I’m also learning to keep my cadence up on the climbs and I’m starting to like uphills a little more,” he says.

The training on the bike is critical to getting down to fighting weight—Guymon recently dropped close to 10 pounds after just a few days of long rides and dieting—but it also helps build strength.

“It really helps out my cardio and my overall muscle strength in my legs,” he says. “So in the later rounds of my fights, I have a lot of pop.”

Guymon says he’s stoked to ride the Z35 and fly the colors of the Garmin-Slipstream squad. “Yeah, I followed the Tour de France this year and saw the Garmin-Slipstream team riding their Felts. They were kicking some butt. I like learning about the tactics—watching the Tour helped teach me about things like how when the wind is coming from the side, you don’t want to be directly on the wheel, but off to the side a little bit.”

Guymon is scheduled to defend his King of the Cage Welterweight Championship Title against Quinn Mulhern on October 1 at San Manuel Casino. Judging by all the support he has received through online comments accompanying Tuesday’s news story, he has lots of people pulling for him to get through a tough situation.

We’re hoping The Joker is able to bounce back and get back to riding and training soon.

Ryder Hesjedal Gets Ready for Vuelta

2009-08-07T09:11:00.000-07:00

Garmin-Slipstream's Ryder Hesjedal has had a busy summer. He finished his second Tour de France in July, was an impressive fifth at last week's Clasica San Sebastian classic in Spain, and is now preparing to race another three-week grand tour, the Vuelta a España, starting August 29. The Canadian, who called his team time trial ride on his Felt DA his top accomplishment from this year's Tour de France, was featured in an interview with VeloNews European correspondent Andrew Hood.

Check it out:

http://www.velonews.com/article/96415/velonews-qa-with-ryder-hesjedal--happy-with

Weekend Warriors

2009-07-31T08:24:00.001-07:00

The good people responsible for designing, engineering, marketing and selling Felt products know one thing for certain: You can only accomplish so much from the confines of the cubicle. Because we’re a fairly small crew, there’s never a shortage of work that needs to get done, but staying connected to cycling—the activity that brought us together in the first place—is just as important as making a dent in that teetering mountain of paperwork.

Riding breeds inspiration. It creates some questions and answers others. It spurs on dialogue about making better products. It doesn’t really matter if it’s a cruiser ride to the café or a lunchtime hammerfest—riding bikes generates ideas.

Competitive riding can be especially instructive for guiding product development. Before any performance product from Felt hits the market, it has been tested and retested not only by our sponsored pro athletes, but also by engineers, product managers and other Felt cubicle dwellers who morph into weekend warriors just like so many of the people who buy our bikes.

Case in point: Two weekends ago three of the Felt fast guys competed at the District Track Championships in San Diego. Marketing staffers Pete Coulson and Jake Duehring, along with Road Brand Manager Dave Koesel, traveled south to San Diego to compete against other top track athletes in the Southern California and Nevada regions. They came home with a nice collection of titles.

Jake crushed it in several events and won both the individual pursuit and the kilo championships. He also won the team sprint but was ineligible for the title because one of his teammates wasn’t a resident.

The Felt crew scored several other podium finishes during the weekend, too. Dave and Jake powered their team pursuit squad to second, even though they had only three riders (instead of the usual four). And Dave just missed out on winning the scratch race, finishing second, with Pete right behind him in third. In the Madison, Pete and Dave were on their way to winning until Pete flatted late in the race. The duo still managed to finish third.

It was clearly a successful weekend, and just one example of the cycling passion that exists within the walls of the Felt USA headquarters. It’s the experiences of riders like Jake, Dave and Pete that help make Felt products better.

Unfortunately our usual Tour de France-quality pro photographers were busy shooting the ,um, Tour de France that weekend, but we did get a couple of snapshots from San Diego.

Here’s one of Jake taking gold on the podium…

And another of Dave K leading the team pursuit squad to second place.

Swiss Vacation

2009-07-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

It seems a certain Felt AR-2 took a little European holiday while we weren't looking. Gear guru Jay Prasuhn of Triathlete recently blogged about a sweet ride on an AR-2 through the Swiss Alps.

Check it out:

http://triathlon.competitor.com/photos/jay-prasuhn-photo-gallery-of-my-european-summer-vacation/

From the Rumor Mill...

2009-07-28T08:46:00.000-07:00

It appears that BikeRumor.com infiltrated our national sales meeting and obtained some spy shots of 2010 bikes. The buzz has begun.

http://www.bikerumor.com/2009/07/17/2010-felt-bicycles-spy-shots/

Dave Z's Aero Advantage

2009-07-21T09:24:00.000-07:00

CyclingNews.com took a close look at the sleek Felt AR bike that Garmin-Slipstream rider Dave Zabriskie has chosen to ride during this year's Tour de France. As the author James Huang points out, DZ is something of an expert when it comes to aerodynamics. Check out his form here as he rides the AR in Stage 6 of the Tour. And check out the link to get the full scoop.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/david-zabriskies-garmin-slipstream-felt-ar

The evolution of the details

2009-07-17T10:43:00.000-07:00

Attention to detail is something that we always pride ourselves on at Felt. However, sometimes the engineering behind the scenes on a product, goes far above what would normally be expected. Take for instance our “Dingle guard” that protects the downtube on our carbon frames from rocks and impacts.

Most companies would be happy to just make a down tube rock guard that does just that, and protect the down tube. But here at Felt we like to envision the needs of the consumers and account for their individual needs.

First and foremost we use it to protect the down tube of the Carbon Six and Nine series mountain bikes,

Here is the guard on our frames in its intended position

But what happens if you play soccer? Here you see the old and new versions in testing, it was determined that both version provided adequate protection from errant tackles.

In place ready to protect

What if you were trying to protect the anonymity of the head of Felt Engineering? You will see that the older black/red weave version draws less attention to the subject, and therefore the new version fails in this role

Old Version

New version

Finally, with the popularity of small dogs, many owners find that their animals undercarriages are rather close to the ground. Therefore we have found that with the new color matched “Dingle guards” work perfectly with Bichon Frise’s, miniature poodles, and Dachshunds.

So when you pick up your new Nine or Six carbon bike or frame, get an extra “Dingle Guard” you never know when you may need it.

Fast forward to 2010

2009-07-14T15:01:00.001-07:00

Felt invited the whole sales gang to its U.S. headquarters in Irvine over the weekend, and all those in attendance got a nice look at what's in store for 2010. Ooohs and ahhhs were plentiful as Felt's engineers, product managers and marketing folks opened the curtain to reveal a collection of insanely beautiful new bikes and components just itchin' to hit the roads and trails.

As with any sales meeting, there were power point presentations and some numbers talk...

...but there was also lots of eye candy to scope out:

Most importantly, the three-day get-together went way beyond the typical meeting or show-and-tell session. It was a chance for a sales rep to have a beer with an engineer. A chance to share stories and experiences about Felt bikes and components, and the people who ride them.

It was a chance for the eggheads to school us on the latest, greatest tech developments in carbon fiber, suspension and aerodynamics, and also a chance for the people who interact with customers to get some hands-on experience with the new technology.

It all went down with an informative yet casual format--sales reps went from one station to the next, learning about all the different categories of new products with focused presentations and discussions. After an hour or so, the bell rang and it was off to the next class.

With an avalanche of hot new stuff ranging from super-affordable carbon road machines, to the fastest 29-inch-wheel MTBs on the market, to exquisitely crafted new cruisers and high-end Devox components, it's impossible to narrow it down to just a few highlights.

Just keep your eyes peeled. It will all be showing up at your local Felt dealer soon enough.

Pearl Izumi's Clothing Woes

2009-06-28T10:01:00.001-07:00

Our friends at Pearl Izumi would appear to have some concerns over their latest technical gear. Stay tuned as this story develops. (ha, ha)

B-Cool out there!

2009-06-28T08:29:00.000-07:00

So, in one 1-hr road bike ride last weekend I remembered what it is I love so much about riding and what it is that drives me nuts - and it's not cars.

We all know the love part. The wind, the terrain, the cadence, the sound, the invigoration, the listening of your own heart and lungs pumping (assuming you can hear anything over your iPod) - those are sensations that never get old.

Here is the scene: It's a beautiful Saturday morning and during a short coastal ride when a dude (on a Felt F1, no less!) rolls past me. "Morning" from me. Not a thing in return. Not a grunt, motion, nod, elbow, hand-still-on-the-bar wave, nothing. Whatever. Hey, maybe he had headphones on, maybe he didn't hear me. He hits a red light that turns back green just as I roll past him. "Morning." This time I look over. No headphones. Nada back - straight ahead cold stone stare. Whoa. Because he is going a little faster than me he eventually passes me again. This time I am crystal clear, "Good Morning". Deadpan straight-up-the-road. I might have just as well been an orange cone. Jeez. Anyway, after peeling off and doing a little loop through HB, Joe Cool is nothing more than a distant memory. That is until, on my way back home, he passes me again. I can't believe it. 12 inches apart, going no more that 2MPH faster than me, cars whizzing by us on PCH at 50MPH(+) I say "GOOD MORNING" for the 4th time. Not even an "on your left" much less anything civil. Wow. I have to chuckle at this point. Is it because I am on a mere F3? Is it because my legs are hairy? Or, does everybody get this kind of special treatment? Yikes, man - life is too short.

So, to all you roadies who are still wrapped up in this nonsense, take a page from the fat tire playbook. We are all on the same team. And, to the dude on the Felt F1 who is too cool to say howdy, well, you're not.

Be cool out there!

2010

2009-05-21T08:55:00.000-07:00

The team at Felt just finished wrapping up the 2010 model year. Frames, components and other parts are being collected and readied for production, catalogs and videos are being developed, created, and shot. The fruit of all the hard work is ready for harvest. We'll be collecting and editing photos for the next month or so, from all points of the globe, check back here often and I'll see about getting a preview of some of the exciting new things to come.

-SD

Alan's back

2009-04-29T08:08:00.000-07:00

Figured you'd all like to know Alan is back. To every one's surprise he walked through the door at Felt on Monday - turtle shell and all - and worked all day. It was awesome. He was tired of sitting around and no doubt felt the need to come in to check on Felt's BMX category. And, to have lunch at Chipotle with the boys.

30 seconds after walking in we got to see what it all boiled down to - 304.8mm of cut-and-sew underneath which is plenty of screw, glue, pin and hardware holding together the T-section of his spine. Besides how he is going to get through airport security in the future the last unknown is how long he will have to stay with the protective shell, but it now looks like a lot closer to six weeks vs. six months. So much for the contortionist career, but ask him if he feels like the luckiest man on earth and we are sure he will tell you, yes.

Welcome back, brother.

Alan Foster update - 4/18

2009-04-18T21:00:00.000-07:00

The Alan Foster weekend update as told by Brian Wilson, PD honch at Felt who went to visit Alan. Below also includes a little from Mrs. Alan.

Alan is doing really well. Constant stream of old BMX friends visiting. Hospital checkout hopefully this weekend, but there is a possibility that he will be going to a re-habilitation hospital. He is looking very good now, his color is back and much of the swelling gone.

Alan says thanks for all the emails, the support, and for covering for him at work. His goal is riding a road bike at lunch in six months and one day, contraption free. Neck brace coming off in a week or so. Wearing his turtle shell. This will likely be part of his daily attire for next several months. Too bad it’s not offered in Ninja green.

Alan Foster update - 4/15

2009-04-15T07:14:00.000-07:00

This is the latest from Alan's wife as of Wed morning:

Hi everybody,

I apologize for not sending an update last night. I think it all caught up with me and I was so exhausted, I went to bed at 6 o'clock and woke up this morning at 6:20. Hooray for TV, the girls watched a movie and went to sleep.

Alan is progressing well, he got his back brace yesterday and the physical therapy has already started. He stood up twice with assistance and is now out of the ICU. I believe that visits are now much more manageable. If you would rather not go see him at the hospital, we will have an "Open House" when he comes home.

Thanks,
Cristiane

Alan Foster update - 4/14

2009-04-14T05:07:00.000-07:00

Alan wife's sent this update Monday night after his surgery:

Hi everybody,

Sorry for taking so long on the update. The hospital does not have a strong enough wireless signal that we can pick up and We cannot use the phone in the ICU/CCU.

His surgery took 6 hours to be completed, he is still moving his limbs (which is good), but he looks rougher than he did yesterday. Tonight he was very tired and swollen.

The recovery process will be a lot more challenging than we thought. He will have two braces, one on his neck and one on his back 24/7 until the Dr. tells him he is done with them (it could take anywhere between 6 weeks to one year). He will have routine visits to the Dr.'s office until his vertebrae are fused.

We do not know yet when he is coming home, tomorrow he will probably leave the ICU if all goes well. I will keep you updated on visitation possibilities after he leaves the ICU.

Thank you for all your wonderful words and actions of support, positive thought and prayers.

Rider Down - Felt's own Alan Foster

2009-04-13T08:44:00.000-07:00

Felt BMX Brand Manager and BMX racing legend Alan Foster was involved in a bike crash at SoCal's Sheep Hills over the weekend and is in the hospital. He did injure several vertebra but there appears to be no spinal cord damage and he is moving all limbs. He is currently scheduled for surgery on Monday morning at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana/Tustin. We will keep everybody posted as we look for Alan to make a full and speedy recovery!

Below is what Alan’s wife wrote in an email yesterday late Sun morning:

Hi everybody.

I would like to start by apologizing for the generic message, but this is the best way for me to get the message to everybody and still be able to take care of our girls and Alan.

On Saturday April 11th Alan had a bicycle crash at his local riding trails. He was taken to the Trauma center by the ambulance. Some of his BMX friends were there and helped us out. Thank you so much Mr. Miranda!

Alan has fractured 3 vertebrae and two ribs and a few other "minor" damages to his face. At this point he is coherent, moving limbs and talking with a little difficulty. The doctor said he was very lucky, it could have been much worse. He will have to have surgery on Monday or Tuesday. Today he will have a MRI done to be able to assess if there are any other internal injuries.

I would like to let you know that the girls and I are being very well cared for by wonderful local neighbors and friends. And for those of you that know me, also know that I will have no problem calling and asking for your help if I need it.

I would like to ask you to refrain from calling because the girls are always nearby when the phone rings and I don't want them to keep hearing everything. We can keep our communication via e-mail.

Thank you so much for the caring words, thoughts and actions.

MASH(in) on a TK2

2009-02-08T11:30:00.000-08:00

NorCal based MASH, those dudes who eptipomize the collision between fixed gear core culture, art, phototography and everything great about the three have a new steed in their stable. Check out the attached TK2 pic from co-captain MASHer, Mike Martin. PS - Word is these guys are planning on riding the entire 2009 Tour of CA on their fixed gear rigs. Sick.

Doing The Right Thing

2009-01-28T09:14:00.000-08:00

This winter Christian Vande Velde called about some getting some bikes for the Chicago-area school system and a program designed to encourage all the values brought by bike riding and reward students for their hard work. The Vande Velde's are a cycling family and know well all the positives that come from riding. CVV's pop, John, - a former Olympian and elite cyclist himself for those too young to remember - was also a major proponent of the plan. This is how John describes it:

"The program is Principal for a Day (POD). It's one of Mayor Daley's pet projects. I think it's about 8 years old and the idea is that POD is supposed to build a lasting relationship with the school. There a lot of major corporations from Chicago that participate and give thousands of dollar's back to the school(s).

"Last year was our first year with POD and we were really moved by the whole experience. We do our thing at the University of Chicago Charter school. These kids have nothing going for them except their hard work ethics in school. The curriculum calls for a school day that goes from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. because they want to keep the kids off the street. The first year the kids didn't know who Christian or Lance Armstrong were and asked us "how do you play the game of cycling?"

"At the luncheon that followed, Mayor Daley was saying how proud he was of the individuals and corporations that were donating their efforts to the cause and that the POD's have to figure out how to get the kids out of their neighborhoods and see the rest of the beautiful city of ours.

"On the way home we decided to give bikes away to the kids so they could enjoy the sport that we love. We didn't know how to choose (which children received) them so we let the principle do it. This first time the parameters were that they had to be on the honor roll and they had to have perfect attendance. I think they had 14 kids that met that standard and we put their names into a hat and picked one girl and one boy. It was quite dramatic and the entire school loved the idea and their new bikes. This March there will another standard set I have just asked them to donate more bikes."

Great work, VV's. We are proud to be associated with you and your efforts.

Ho, Ho, Ho!!!

2008-12-23T06:34:00.000-08:00

As we finish up one most interesting and exciting year and look towards another, we wish all of you a very Happy Holiday season. One thing seems certain - it won't be dull!

(Illustration: Dave Brinton)

Cam Zink's Mavic Video

2008-12-18T15:48:00.000-08:00

Stoked!!

2008-12-17T08:06:00.000-08:00

From time-to-time we enter into promotional and marketing efforts with some of our friends and affiliates and in most cases what we bring to the table is a bike. Depending on the nature of the promotion, it may be a road bike, such as the Team Issue F1 we gave away with the Versus Channel and the AR frame we gave away with CyclingNews.com, or it may be a cruiser, such as the many we have given away in conjunction with the Tour of CA, Tour of MO and more. This summer we worked with our pals down at Triathlete Magazine and and gave away one of our TT/Tri models, the B12. After 3 months of build-up local Dave Davis was the lucky winner and was absolutely stoked to have his named pulled. It is particularly cool when someone gets called up and is as grateful and unassuming as Dave. It completes the circle.

Just before picking up his new ride, Dave wrote us:

"I AM SOOO STOKED! Thank you...I am HUGE Felt Fan!!! Zabriskie, Vande Velde; Taylor Phinney’s Track bike is INSANE!!! Sarah Hammer! Andy Potts! and Emma Snowsill, are Rock Stars! Awsome athletes! Killer rides!!!!"

Right on, Dave.

Got Something New

2008-10-26T07:51:00.000-07:00

Tim, new dad and one of the many talented engineers we have at Felt, ran into Felt's all-around-good-guy and smack-dab ace wrench, Michael Queliza - aka: Q (shown above) - while he was building a particularly swift looking bike the other day. Turns out it is a special Felt DA we put together for Kozo Shimano, another all-around-good-guy who happens to be Shimano no. 1 son and is now enjoying a little free time after running Shimano USA for years. What is particularly cool about Kozo's new DA is it is sporting Shimano's "Lance Edition" Dura-Ace components including polished black & yellow graphics and carbon cranks. Apparently there are only two such groups in existence, Kozo's and you-know-who's.

If you think about the relationship that Kozo has with virtually every bicycle company in the world, it is pretty flattering that he choose a DA to hang such a distinct one-off group from. Plus, now he's got a Felt TT bike to go with his Felt road bike, a SC1.

So there you go - everybody has something new! Kozo has a new bike, Tim has a new baby, and Q has his picture on this blog!

"Mile-a-Minute" Murphy and MPG

2008-10-16T19:06:00.000-07:00

There is a loose rivalry between bicycles and automobiles that dates back almost to the inception of the motor driven vehicle. Over 100 years ago non-horse driven transportation was in its infancy with railroads being the preferred mechanized method for travelling from point A to B. Railways had their limitations and automobiles looked poised to be able to expand points A and B to all points in between. Like today's speed demons, as soon as a type of vehicle was invented, some had to see how fast they could make it go. Automobiles were terribly inefficient at the time and the ride was far from thrilling.

In this era, when automotive races were conducted at 2-6 mph, Charles Murphy claimed there was no limit to how fast you could travel on a bicycle, provided something just ahead of you was moving at the same speed. Basically put, a cyclists' speed on the bicycle was determined by the gear, surface, and a pacesetter, but not limited. Charles Murphy was an amateur cyclist and his bold claim in 1887 was somewhat substantiated when he pedaled a bike in a 64" gear almost 46 miles per hour - on a stationary trainer. He reasoned that if the air was still; sheltered by a moving vehicle, reaching that same speed in motion would be just as easy as it was when stationary. He became the laughingstock of the world, but continued riding and became an accomplished competitive cyclist. In 1895 he held seven world records; seventeen American records; and twenty-nine state records. Finally in 1899 he had his chance to prove his claims behind a specially crafted shelter on a Long Island Railroad passenger train and some covered railroad ties. The goal was to be the first to clock 1 mile in under 60 seconds. Cars hadn't yet attained this mile-a-minute speed. Airplanes hadn't yet left the ground. A frist attempt proved even the locomotive could not reach the needed speed and Charles rolled comfortably covering 1 mile in 1:04.8. A new machine and a new attempt finally netted the result: 57.8 seconds elapsed to cover a measured mile. It would be three years later, when another daredevil cyclist climbed in a automobile, one of Henry Ford's early machines and was able to reach a similar speed over the same distance. Berna Eli "Barney" Oldfield and Charles "Mile-a-minute" Murphy became two famous cases of thrill seekers accomplishing the impossible and claiming their moments in history. It would be about 40 years before anyone was able to eclipse Murphy's record bicycling speed, while the automobile raced faster and faster with each passing year. The torch had passed.

As our rising gas costs and environmental concern build interest in alternative means of transportation, we rekindle the rivalry between car and bike; encouraged that everyone will rediscover the joy, efficiency and responsibility in two wheeled transportation and the original speed demon and thrill seeker machine.

The global market meets the local market

2008-10-16T03:18:00.000-07:00

So the last 4 months we've been travelling the globe, from Spain to Taiwan back to the USA. From California to Missouri with stops in Utah; along the way shows in Eurobike in Germany and Interbike in Las Vegas, our schedule has taken the Felt team around the world. During these travels it is amazing to see the impact cycling has all over the world. In some arenas bicycles have remained unchanged as daily transportation for decades, and elsewhere, the very pinnacle of technology is used by professional athletes to gain an advantage over their rivals.

The 2010 product development has begun in earnest, the 2009 models are filling the stores and we are looking again at all of the latest innovations to incorporate. Some of the ideas are used on the aforementioned utility bikes that have undergone few changes over the past couple decades others will need the latest composites, shaped with wind tunnel development advanced nano resins and materials and radical assembly methods. What remains unchanged is the bicycles' place in our world. It is a wonderful constant.