Felt's custom paint program was previously limited to its top-end F1 flagship. For 2013, though, Felt has extended the option to the more reasonably priced FC, bringing the appeal of a personalized finish to a much greater swathe of consumers.
While the cost of a custom painted F1 frameset ranged from US$3,749 to US$3,999 depending on options, a custom finished FC will be roughly half that, at US$1,999 – a premium of just US$349 over the inline FC. This includes your choice of 14 base colors and 14 logo/accent shades.
Despite the far lower price tag, the FC looks to be an admirably close cousin to the F1, with an identical external shape but more conventional modular monocoque construction, an aluminum BB30 bottom bracket shell insert. It also has a less expensive UHC Performance blend of carbon fiber in the frame and UHC Advanced material in the fork.
Felt contends the static stiffness measurements between the two chassis are identical but the changes will still yield a slight weight gain – about 900g for a raw 56cm frame compared to 800g for the F1. Plus, we expect a slightly less lively ride quality.
Carrying over wholly intact, however, are the same molded carbon fiber dropouts, the cleverly convertible internal/external, electronic/mechanical cable routing, and the use of internal molds to produce more consistent and precise interior tube shapes. Lead time is quoted at 30 days.
In other Felt news, BikeRadar got a firsthand Interbike look at some of the new 2013 mountain bikes that were described – but not all on show – at the company's launch back in July. These included mid-range Edict full-suspension 29ers and a complete sample build of the ultralight Nine FRD. Check out more of the bikes in the gallery above right.
The Edict Nine 60's aluminum frame looks like carbon from a distance