Felt Bicycles

Felt Racing is an American bicycle brand based in Irvine, California. Felt produces road, mountain, track, cyclocross, electric bicycles, and cruiser bikes. All design is completed in the USA and the majority of production comes from Asia.[1] The company also has a strong reputation in the time trial/triathlon bike area[2] and for several years provided bicycles to UCI teams in the Tour de France. Felt still supports several professional level race teams including Hincapie Racing and Team Twenty 16.

Felt Racing, LLC
TypeLimited Liability Company
IndustryBicycles
Founded1991 (1991)
HeadquartersRancho Santa Margarita, California, United States
Key people
Jim Felt
ProductsBicycles
ParentPart of Group Rossignol, a worldwide leader in outdoor sports.
Websitehttps://feltbicycles.com
Felt head badge

History

Felt was founded by Jim Felt in early 1994[3] when Felt products were distributed by Answer Products. Felt nearly disappeared from the domestic market following a fallout with Answer after a 7-year relationship.[4] The brand was relaunched in 2001 as an independent company.

On February 3, 2017, Rossignol Group announced the acquisition of Felt Bicycles.[5] The announcement noted that Felt had grown to $60 million in revenue at the time of sale, though terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Technology

Felt has developed several unique bicycle technologies. For its time trial/triathlon bikes, Felt has developed the Bayonet Fork, which utilizes an external steerer in front of the head tube for additional stiffness and aerodynamic efficiency.[6] Felt has also developed the Equilink suspension system for its full-suspension mountain bikes.

Felt extensively utilizes wind tunnel and computational fluid dynamics modeling in its frame design process.[7]

Recall

Felt has issued a recall of 2009 Felt model B12, B16 and S32 road bicycles because the fork steer tube can break, causing the rider to lose control, fall and suffer injuries.[8][9]

Sponsorships
The Felt bicycles used by the NFTO team at the Edinburgh round of the Tour Series in May 2016

In 2007 Felt sponsored the Slipstream–Chipotle bicycle team. In 2009, Felt signed a three-year agreement to supply frames to the Garmin–Slipstream team.[10] On August 28, 2010, Garmin–Transitions announced it was switching working agreements from Felt Bicycles to Cervelo bikes and change its name to Garmin–Cervélo for the 2011 season. Felt chose not to exercise its option with the Boulder-based cycling team after a four-year working agreement. The Cervélo TestTeam folded and some riders moved to Garmin–Cervélo.[11] From 2012 to 2013 Felt Bicycles was the bicycle sponsor for Argos–Shimano with team rider Marcel Kittel winning four stages of the 2013 Tour de France. In 2014 Felt became the bike sponsor to the US Continental team, Hincapie Sportswear Development Team.

The US Women’s track cycling team won a silver medal riding Felt bicycles at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

Athletes sponsored by Felt
  • Felt Beachcruiser ZERO SEN
  • Felt Q650
  • Felt Verza QX75 (2011 model)
  • Felt B2 Pro with Felt edition Zipp wheels
  • Felt BS road bicycle with Aluminium frame

References
  1. "Where was my bicycle made?". Aushiker.com. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  2. Jez Loftus, tech ed (16 Nov 2007). "Felt Slipstream Chipotle Team Bikes". Bike Radar. Retrieved 2010-08-04. The American Slipstream/Chipotle pro cycling team has started to gear up for the 2008 season with new team bikes and colours. [They] will be racing Felt's top of the line production models. This comprises DA, F1, F1 Sprint and Z1 frame and forks.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  3. Gary Boulanger (Aug 9, 2008). "Interview: Jim Felt, aerodynamic guru". BikeRadar. Retrieved 2012-07-17. Jim Felt founded his bicycle company in 1994.
  4. "Felt History". Retrieved 2010-08-04.
  5. "Felt Bicycles Acquired by Rossignol Group". PinkBike. Feb 3, 2017. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
  6. James Huang (May 11, 2008). "Pro Bike: David Millar's Garmin-Transitions Felt DA". Cycling News. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
  7. Gary Boulanger, US editor (9 Aug 2008). "Interview with Jim Felt". Bike Radar. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
  8. "Felt Bicycles Recalls Bicycles Due to Fall Hazard". U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Archived from the original on 2010-07-10. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
  9. "Felt Bicycles recalls road bikes due to aluminum steerer tube failures". Velo News. Jul 3, 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
  10. James Huang (September 5, 2008). "More team sponsorship news for the 2009 season, Garmin/Chipotle-H3O extends with Felt". Cycling News. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
  11. "New agreement for garmin". The Denver Post. August 28, 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-28.


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