Felt’s Verza Speed 10 is a flat bar hybrid with speedy ambitions

Verza is Felt’s name for its range of flat-bar hybrid bikes and this, the Verza Speed 10, is the range-topper at £1,100 / US$1,499. For those who want a speedy commuter but prefer the ride of a flat handlebar it looks just the ticket.

Triple butted tubes and plenty of hydroforming work to create an attractive frame, while a matt-black finish and subtle graphics mean the Felt isn’t plastered in branding like many bikes in this category.

Those graphics are worth a mention for another reason though, as they’re actually reflective, and the same can be said for the strip on the bike’s Vittoria tyres. The result is a machine that’s a fair bit more visible than most black bikes at night – it’s only a small touch but we like it.

There’s nothing particularly unusual about the Felt’s geometry sheet: its 71/74 degree head/seat angles and general sizing is bang on with what we’ve come to expect for this sort of bike. At 10.45kg (23lb) the total weight is impressive rather than outstanding.

At the front of the Verza is a carbon fork with a tapered alloy steerer, which connect to Felt’s own VariableAngle stem – thanks to a clever shim system, this can be configured to six different settings offering a huge 32 degrees of adjustment. Then there’s the Verza’s 600mm flat alloy handlebar, which itself is likely to be a major selling point for people considering this bike.

Glancing at the Verza with its RS500 crankset, you could quite easily be forgiven for thinking it isn’t as well equipped as it is. Look closer and you’ll notice that both derailleurs in the compact transmission are from Shimano’s excellent Ultegra 6800 group. The Shimano SL-RS700 flat bar shifters are another spec highlight – holding plenty in common with Shimano’s mountain bike shifters, they’re particularly nicely executed.

Also at the handlebar are levers for Shimano’s hydraulic disc brakes, they’re of the three-finger trekking variety, and match up to Deore calipers and 160mm rotors at each end. The Felt’s ergonomic grips won’t suit everyone but are quickly and easily replaced.

Own-brand 700c rims feature a 24mm depth and at 17mm wide provide a tubeless-ready seat for the 32mm Vittoria Voyager rubber. That wide footprint combined with the Felt’s 27.2mm carbon seatpost and Selle Royal saddle shows that Felt cares about comfort as well as pace. Practical touches include rack and guard mounts plus fiittings for two water bottles.

The Felt Verza Speed 10 is sold in seven sizes ranging from 45-61cm.