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Felt Curbside (09) | $857.34
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The Curbside has more than just looks to its name

BikeRadar verdict

4 out of 5 stars

"Flat-barred city slicker for the style conscious"

By Cycling Plus

If George Orwell had set Animal Farm in the 21st century cycling community, would he have come up with the phrase ‘one gear good, more gears bad’? Probably not. What is clear, though, is that the popularity of fixies and singlespeeds shows no sign of decline, and US company Felt has three in its range.

The Curbside is the straight-barred sibling of the Dispatch we gave four stars. It sends out a signal by being one of the most distinctive fixies we’ve seen, though whether the Burberry-esque riveted saddle and top-tube pad will appeal to everyone is questionable. That said, they’re easy enough to replace – and the pad’ll probably be swiped if you leave it on the bike anyway.

Totally straight 31.8mm felt meat stick bars add to the bikes urban agility:

Ride & handling: Light and nippy, great for short urban bursts

This is a pretty aggressive machine on the road, the unyielding frame and totally straight 31.8mm Felt Meat Stick bars making it fast handling and very responsive, one for nipping through the gaps in traffic before trackstanding at the lights if you’ve got the skill. This is aided by its sub 19lb weight. As such, it’s more one for short, fast urban journeys than longer trips.

Frame: Neatly welded aluminium, with the option to go singlespeed

The frame is neatly welded, hydroformed 7005 series ‘Superlite’ aluminium with an internally routed rear brake cable, and the fork is carbon fibre with an aluminium steerer. 

For those who don’t fancy riding fixed all the time, the flip-flop hub gives you the option of freewheelin’ singlespeed action. Both are 66in gear. 

Whether the burberry-esque riveted saddle and top tube pad will appeal to everyone is questionable, but there's no denying the curbside is a looker:

Equipment: Plenty of 'bling', along with some practical touches

Wheels are large flanged with 28 spokes each, the front radially spoked. Radially spoked wheels are marginally less torsionally rigid, but they look the part on this bike and shouldn’t require any more maintenance than a more standard-spoked wheel. 

Both the hubs and chain are gold coloured, for even more bling on this style-conscious machine. Its front and rear dual pivot brakes stop you pretty niftily too.

Rack mounts and clearance and mounts for mudguards all add to the Curbside's versatility and practicality. Not everyone wants to arrive at work covered in road grime.

The frame-mounted Beer-Nuts hub spanner-cum-bottle opener is a neat touch, but we’re just not sure about all the Burberry. And of course the spelling really should be kerbside.

Burberry-esque riveted saddle caused divided opinion:

Manufacturers description

Featuring hydroformed, butted and shaped aluminium Superlite tubing, the Curbside frame is a special-purpose single-speed road frame thanks to the eccentric bottom bracket shell and horizontal stainless steel dropouts. The flip-flop rear hub gives you the choice to run single-speed or fixie depending on your mood. Dual pivot brakes offer incredible stopping power for emergencies and skids alike and the flat bar is perfect for negotiating the urban landscape. The matching top tube pad and saddle makes a stylish statement any time you ride.

User Reviews

Post your review

  • User review of Felt Curbside (09)

    Brings back memories of my Whitcombe fixed from the 80's. The best bike I ever owned, I still can't believe I sold it..when I moved to the country!

    You just can't beat the connectedness of a fixed wheel.

    0.3
  • User review of Felt Curbside (09)

    If you want to be pedantic about the spelling then perhaps i could also point out that it is in fact a dogtooth check pattern rather than the more familiar plaid pattern of Burberry.

    0.3
  • User review of Felt Curbside (09)

    £200 cheaper and it might sell... hell, I might even buy one, but at the price of '09 SRAM Rival groupset even before discount? No way Jose'!

    0.3
  • User review of Felt Curbside (09)

    Yeah got to agree with crabstix that bike is way over priced for what you get, specialy designed for the" I saw you coming" types.

    0.3
  • User review of Felt Curbside (09)

    Not great value.

    At best it looks like it's trying to hard; at worst it's just plain ugly!

    0.3
  • User review of Felt Curbside (09)

    Saw one on the road the other day, truly hideous. Trying way too hard to fit in with the hipster scene, and ends up looking like the chav fixie.

    0.3
  • User review of Felt Curbside (09)

    Yep, too much! The beauty of fixies is their simplicity. And what is that bloke wearing in the photo? He looks more like a burglar than a trendy Shoreditch type.

    0.3
  • User review of Felt Curbside (09)

    bought one of these things 20 days ago, and have nothing but problems with it. 1st off the wheels are wet painted including the breaking surface and no amount of adjusting nor new kool stops has stopped the squealing. Second the break levels are held together by a pin that can work lose and fall out and did which meant a new set of break levers. Brake pads are crap had to be replaced in 2 weeks from time of purchase. Break cable guides keep falling out of the frame, Freewheel blew-up after 7 days had to be replaced. 18 days in and the BB gave up the ghost.

    I've never had such problems with a bike after only having it 20 days, Paint finish is crap chips easily Seat looks great but is really heavy bolt together plastic with a vinyl cover type that comes on wal-mart bikes. Funky drop outs means you need a socket wrench, or the little wrench the bike comes with. I thought bike radar rode this bike but I'm guessing not more than a few minutes. Because if they had they wouldn't gave given it four stars. So much for the pro reviews.

    Really I hate to say it but the Pista is a far better bike.

    0.3

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Specification

Name:
Curbside (09)
Built by:
Felt
Price:
$857.34

Available Sizes:
51, 54, 56, 58cm, 61cm
Weight (kg):
8.52
Weight (lb):
18.75
Year:
2009

Frame & Fork:

 
Frame Material:
Felt Single Speed Urban Design, 7005 Super-lite Aluminum Hydroformed and Butted Tubes with rack and fender mounts, Hidden and removable rear brake cable routing, CNC machined Track Dropouts with steel inserts, Custom Top Tube Pad/Protector
Fork Model:
Felt 1 1/8" 700c Threadless Carbon Fork with Aluminum Steerer Tube and clearance for fenders
Headset Type:
Cane Creek type 1 1/8" Integrated with 20mm Cone and 2 X 7.5mm Spacer Stack

Brakes:

 
Brakes Model:
Long Tektro Reach Dual Pivot Caliper for Fender Clearance with removable cartridge brake pads, Stainless Hardware, Teflon Bushings

Transmission:

 
Cranks Model:
FSA VERO Single, 3 piece, Forged Aluminum, 130mm B.C.D., 39T x 3/32" with alloy guard; 51cm-54cm=170mm, 56cm-58cm=172.5mm, 61cm=175mm
Cassette:
Road: 16T x 1/2" pitch x 3/32" width Chrome Freewheel Track: 16T x 1/2" pitch x 3/32" width fixed sprocket with lockring
Pedals Model:
Platform with Color Matched cages

Wheels:

 
Rims Model:
Felt Aluminum 30mm deep V-section Aero Rim with Machined Braking Surface and Wear Indicator and Custom Curbside graphic
Tyres Brand:
Vittoria
Front Tyre Model:
Zaffiro
Front Tyre Size:
700x25
Rear Tyre Model:
Zaffiro
Rear Tyre Size:
700x25C

Contact Points:

 
Saddle Model:
Felt Urban Classic Road Saddle with Riveted Custom Cover and steel rails
Seatpost Model:
Felt 6061 Aluminum Ø27.2mm, 350mm
Stem Model:
Felt 6061 Aluminum 3D Forged Ø31.8mm, : wtih +/-10° Rise, 51cm-54cm = 90mm, 56cm-61cm = 110mm
Handlebar Model:
Felt Meat Stick 6061 Aluminum Ø31.8mm constant diameter from end to end, flat bar, no taper, 0 degree, 540mm wide

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