As you enter the dirt demo day at Las Vegas's Interbike trade show you walk right past the Felt camp. We stopped to take a closer look at their 2011 city, fixed gear and cyclo-cross bikes, having already reported on their new road and mountain models.
Felt showed two interesting fixed gear models at the dirt demo, one of which offered three gears at your fingertips, while the other stole looks with its faux wooden rims.
Brougham
The Brougham has a TIG welded frame made from butted 4130 chromoly and is equipped with a Sturmey-Archer SX3 three-speed hub operated by a thumb shifter.
Designed specifically for fixed gear bikes, this internally geared hub is designed to give the bike a bit more range in rolling terrain. Five sizes are available and the Brougham costs US$700.
Felt's Brougham features a fixed drivetrain with a three-speed internally geared Sturmey-Archer hub
TK4130
The TK4130 (main image) uses the same 4130 chromoly track tubeset as the Brougham but is finished with replica throwback components, including a 3D forged threadless (faux quill) stem that’s meant to offer the brazed look and a leather saddle. A final touch, which may be just a little too tacky, is the wood graphics on the Felt TkR FB track rims.
The TK4130 comes with Felt's TkR FB track rims disguised with a faux wood finish
Verza
Felt’s latest take on the city bike comes in the form of the three-model Verza line. These are flat bar road bikes that are made to get from point A to B, safely, conveniently and easily.
All three models are built from a simple, hydroformed 6061 alloy tubeset. The base model – Verza Three – comes with a standard bottom bracket shell and cantilever brake mounts, while the two upper models feature eccentric bottom brackets and disc brake mounts.
Felt's flagship Verza One
All three Verzas are built with an upright geometry that Felt city product manager Andy Holmes describes as comfortable and safe, due to the fact that the taller head tube puts the rider in a position to see over cars more easily.
The bikes all come with colour matched mudguards (US: fenders), rack mounts and mounts for Basta style locks. These are common in mainland Europe and mount permanently to the underside of the seatstays. Shaped like an upside down horseshoe when open, the lock bolts through the wheel to prevent it from spinning.
The threaded mounts next to the mudguards accept a Basta style lock
Verza Two ($699) and Three ($529) come with basic eight-speed conventional drivetrains and are equipped with mechanical disc brakes and linear pull rim brakes, respectively. The top Verza One model comes with a Shimano Alfine internally geared hub for $1,099.
Holmes explained that the Verza line – the name derives from the bikes' versatility – is "much less about performance and more about being commuter friendly". "They’re cool, understated, very functional bikes that come at a fairly good pricepoint,” he said.
Verza One comes with a tubus style alloy rack featuring a spring loaded top cage and a narrower than normal profile for a unique look
F15x and F75x
Felt’s road brand manager, Dave Koesel, walked us through the changes to the company's two cyclo-cross models: the flagship F15x with Ultra Hybrid Carbon rear end and SRAM Red ($2,799), and the F75x with full-alloy frame and Shimano 105 ($1,699).
The main change for 2011 is the addition of a BB30 bottom bracket. Koesel said Felt decided to stick with this standard due to its tight tolerances when compared to PressFit 30 and the other PressFit standards.
BB30 is standard on many of Felt's 2011 models including both of their cyclo-cross bikes
When BB30-equipped bikes are specced with Shimano drivetrains, Felt use a Wheels Manufacturing BB30 adaptor or their own branded adaptor, which is made by Enduro, instead of a press-fit threaded cup style adaptor to preserve the weight savings BB30 affords.
Garmin’s 2009 U23 cyclo-cross US national champion Danny Summerhill will again be aboard the F15x racing the national circuit this autumn.
Felt's 2011 F15x cyclo-cross bike
