The FELT family takes pride in making the most powerful and renowned racing bikes, and the moment that FELT bike rode Chris Horner to the victory in the 1996 Tour DuPont, we know our mission is to bring the championship to all FELT riders. The F1 is the pioneer in racing bikes, and we will tell you why.
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The history of bike racing
31 May 1868 marked the first bike race ever when a 1200-meter race was held in Paris. Since then, it gradually became a widely loved sport, called cycle sport. On 14 April 1900, a number of big countries joined hands to found Union Cycliste Internationale, regulating this kind of interesting sport until now.
As its name indicated, cycle sport uses bikes to compete against each other and may include different types of races. Road bike, cyclo-cross, time trial, mountain bike, track bike, BMX, and cycle speedways are the most popular kinds of bicycle racing. Bike racing is now officially an Olympics sport with thousands of riders cycling to victory.
Type of bike racing
Bike racing is simple, but there are a lot of types for this sport. The three most popular types include single-day, time trial, and stage race. Each kind has its own charm and is loved by a lot of amateur and pro riders alike.
Single-day race
A professional single-day race can be around 180 miles, and various kinds of courses are available. The course can have one or several laps, and the race can be in the circuit or from one place to another. The race, as its name indicated, happens in one day, suitable for a wide range of rider groups.
If the race features a different rider group with different abilities or age, a handicap can be given. Criteriums are the name for races over short circuits, more popular in towns or city centers.
Time-trial race
The second type is time-trial, with the forms of individual and team time trial. The time taken to complete the race is what decides the winner in this type. In individual time trials, one cyclist participates in the race, riding on either flat or rolling surfaces to complete the ride in a certain amount of time.
For team time trials, a team of several cyclists takes turns to race against the clock. The team can decide the tactics to win the game, for example, the team can let members take turns at the front, and some sit behind.
The total distance for time trials can be different. For an individual time trial, the race should be shorter than 5 miles, but team time trials can go from 20 miles to 60 miles or more.
Stage race
Stage races are the ones with the most complicated setting. A stage race is actually a few races combined and consecutively taking place. The rider who spends the least time in total to complete all the stages is the winner.
Besides the main prize, other awards can be given in the race for certain riders who do best in one classification. Or time trials can be incorporated to be a stage, and be awarded separately.
Stage races are officially one of the most frequently completed bike racing all over the world. The Grand Tours are stage races taking around 3 weeks to complete, and the big three of Grand Tours are the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a Espana.
Apart from those three types of bike racing, other races are hosted all over the world too. For example, Ultra-distance racing is a super long race with only one stage, making all the riders cycle from the start until the very end. The winner of ultra-distance races is the first rider to cross the finish line.
Conquer the speed with F1
The F1 is created with the best performance for all racers in mind, a suitable choice for speed and efficient cycling. The priority of F1 design is to optimize the experience with it, to include all the achievements of FELT’s previous bikes, and to mend all the shortcomings of those predecessors.
The proof for the success of F1 is painted with victories. From the U.S. national championships to Paris Nice and Paris-Roubaix, the name of F1 has gone through all the borders. The lightweight frame along with geometrical fit and comfortable design is what makes the ride with F1 significant.
The design of the championship
Furthermore, the changes in the design of this model come from the real feedback and experience of FELT’s staff and all the well-known riders who tried out FELT’s bikes before. This means that the brand is willing to take in all the constructive comments to make a bike that everyone desires.
Some of the most reliable sources of feedback for the F line is from the pro racers of the Wiesenhof-Felt and Slipstream Powered by Chipotle teams, veterans in the bicycle racing fields. From their precious experience and ideas, the design of F1 has been polished and even the new F1 Sprint was introduced to the road.
The secret of F1 is a little bit more investment into the materials. Keeping the highest quality of all spec of the traditional materials and adding more carbon fiber is the way FELTS creates an F1 that can adapt to an 1800-watt sprint.
The New Felt Custom-Designed Modular Monocoque Frame with Ultra Hybrid Carbon set F1 apart from other racing bikes. Although barely reaching the mark of 900g, the frame is sturdy and has less air resistance compared to other road bikes.
The perfect balance of stiffness and comfort for a race bike is quite tricky, you will need to have the level of stiffness that allows the saddle and fork handle well under load, and still hug your body and eliminate the shock completely. That is what F1 can achieve, this model can last long enough for you to do all the rounds without rattling their teeth.
The quality of torsional stiffness is not an easy thing. The frame must be lightweight, but also hard enough to avoid frame twisting. At the same time, the frame needs to manage the flexibility too. The comfort can be compromised when focusing on torsional stiffness, but it is not the case with F1.
The modular monocoque design makes it possible to increase and decrease the amount of carbon fiber across the frame, thus customize the local flexibility and stiffness as wished. By placement of tubes following the I-beam design, the front end is reinforced and as stiff as needed. For the down tube, the oval design at the bottom bracket with precise molding work yields good results.
The feeling on the ride
For a good racing bike, it must always be in sync with the riders, keeping the riders to be in the most natural position on the race. Stability is important for turning and pedaling, quick handling and response to an input are the quality of a good racing bike.
As fast as you can go, the frame of F1 can cope well. Even under high speed, steering and turning pose no problem with this model. The precision and stability of steering at top speed allow cyclists to enter and exit turns effortless.
All the parts of the F1 are guaranteed with the highest craftsmanship and quality, no inferior part is let to be included in your FELT bikes. The fork of this model is exclusively designed to make sure that the stiffness is on point, and twisting resistance, as well as sideways flex resistance, are on the same levels.
Compatibility of the component
But it does not end there. The compatibility of fork rakes and head tube angle can be different depending on the lines and models, it would be a big problem if the rack could not go with the bike’s design. So, the fork rack of F1 is available in three sizes to accommodate all the possibilities.
Another good thing about F1 is the size. No size can be versatile for all body builds, so FELT offers you F1 with 7 sizes to get the best fit-out. A properly fit bicycle is an indispensable tool for an athlete delivering their best possible performance.
A properly fitted bike makes the greatest champions when you feel your bike is a rightful part of you. The broad size spectrum is the promise of FELT to let all the riders be accompanied by the best quality.
The experience with F1
Many riders have fallen in love with F1 at first rides, but others may take more times to be conquered. When you go with F1 at first, stealthy is what can be used to describe the ride. The feel of the ride is a bit nimble and taut, but riders will get used to the mechanism eventually.
When speeding up, the F1 is truly a power horse. The response of this model is efficient, allowing power to be transferred wholly from the pedal to the miles at once. The planted feel from the chainstay and bottom brackets truly make the ride enjoyable.
For racers that favor stiffness and calmness, you can expect flat sprints from the F1 with the rigid cockpit, even when going uphill.
Talking about hill climbing is the go-for model. Excellent power transfer and fast acceleration are for such steep terrain, and this bike can handle the difficulty with smoothness and control. You will feel like dancing to the top of the hill with F1.
Real-life feedback from the pro racers
Designed to be a racing road bike, performance and top speed do not matter the most with F1, but the ability to cushion the impact from a long brutal ride. from the handlebar position to light-touch electronic control, all are for your best experience.
As praised by many racers, the handling of F1 is top-notch. It is predictable and super easy, friendly to even newbies in bike racing. The response is lightning-fast, the moment you point the handlebar, the wheel will turn specifically at that angle and direction. No delay, no hesitation whatsoever.
Endurance of F1 allows the ride to be forgiving and less impact on the car even on harsh terrain. When the bike jumps off the road, it quickly regains the momentum and back at high speed in just a few seconds. The stability of F1’s geometry works well with the stiff bottom bracket to produce such a result.
For shock filtering, hands down F1 is the best choice. Road chatter and debris are no longer a problem when this bike absorbs it all and keeps the ride as smooth as butter. Although the weight of this model is added up a bit with all the gearing for this, it’s worth it when you get to enjoy your race to the fullest.