Moving Over to New Blog Site

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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.