FELT FR FRD

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mythical
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by mythical

Needless to say, BR-9010s weigh 150 grams and EE direct mount brakes 74 grams. This is WW! Of course there's a need to replace them! :mrgreen:

Giving into that need is something else though...
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Hubert
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by Hubert

Stalkan wrote: However, I too was annoyed that they choose to go that route with the new bike.


Having spent the last six months riding an FR prototype with a 9010 rear brake, I can say with confidence that brake power and performance is on par with other bike that I ride with standard brake mounting. Nonetheless, in our case the rear brake placement was the result of pursuing the optimal chain stay design and not a cosmetic feature. Removing the brake bridge allows for more freedom in designing and shaping the chain stays and the most logical place to mount the brake is the most overbuilt, and structurally sound part of the bicycle, which in our case is the BB/chain stay junction. Function led form on this.

Oh well, maybe time to go disc on the road?


Happily, you'll have three FR Disc models to choose from! :)
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mpulsiv
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by mpulsiv

loudtiger wrote:only thing is they extended the headtube compared to the previous F series bikes. it's still pretty low though.


Geometry is up on www.feltbicycles.com/USA/2016/Bikes/roa ... -Disc.aspx
Head tube was increased by 15cm. 135mm head tube on 54cm frame is still lower than competition.
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istigatrice
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by istigatrice

Yes but look at the stack, compared to the competition it's same/higher. Their BB are quite low (72mm drop vs 68~70mm drop) and longer forks (most other brands are 368mm vs 380mm). On that alone you should add 14~16mm to make it more comparable. I think you'd find 150mm head tube does compare with the competition.
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zappafile123
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by zappafile123

Hubert wrote:Having spent the last six months riding an FR prototype with a 9010 rear brake


How does it ride?! Looks like a weenie wet dream to me
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Stalkan
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by Stalkan

Hubert wrote:Having spent the last six months riding an FR prototype with a 9010 rear brake, I can say with confidence that brake power and performance is on par with other bike that I ride with standard brake mounting. Nonetheless, in our case the rear brake placement was the result of pursuing the optimal chain stay design and not a cosmetic feature. Removing the brake bridge allows for more freedom in designing and shaping the chain stays and the most logical place to mount the brake is the most overbuilt, and structurally sound part of the bicycle, which in our case is the BB/chain stay junction. Function led form on this.


Sell it however you want, but there are pros and cons to both setups. For me the Cons are such that I prefer the seat stay mounted brake. On my Felt Aero Road I have zero issues with power, in fact when I throw my weight back it's everything I could ever want. However, fitting the rear wheel, especially with wider tires, is difficult as the brake gets in the way (Tektro T750R); the cable feel is markedly "harder/stiffer" even though I'm running jag wire link; the placement means when the chain drops (even with a chain catcher) it is impossible to get back on as it gets caught between the brake and the chainring.

Now, my last two points you can blame on setup and or parts, but place the brake on the seats stays and I don't have either of those issues. I like the look, I like the feel, but having to pull the skewer to mount my 28 tubies in the drops is a little silly. Maybe I just need the EE brake to make it all work flawless....FWIW I didn't go DA/shimano originally with the brake as I was trying to run SRAM Red and I know better than mixing brake and lever there.

Great bike, good job, it's only a niggle and I get why you did it. For my money, though, if I were to buy a version of the FR it won't be the BB brake mount versions. ;)

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mythical
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by mythical

mpulsiv wrote:
loudtiger wrote:only thing is they extended the headtube compared to the previous F series bikes. it's still pretty low though.

Head tube was increased by 15cm. 135mm head tube on 54cm frame is still lower than competition.
Don't forget that the fork length also increased by a few mm, which puts the stem even higher. Felt said the total increase is about 19mm over the F-series. What I'm curious about is the handling of a 73º head tube angle with a 47mm fork rake.
“I always find it amazing that a material can actually sell a product when it’s really the engineering that creates and dictates how well that material will behave or perform.” — Chuck Teixeira

cobrakai
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by cobrakai

Interesting, they actually made it higher in stack than the AR in the same size by about 5 mm but very close in reach. I would have expected them to match more closely.

Danza
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by Danza

Geometry seems pretty close to Cannondale CAAD/Evo, at least in 56. Might be an interesting comparison

mrlobber
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by mrlobber

cobrakai wrote:Interesting, they actually made it higher in stack than the AR in the same size by about 5 mm but very close in reach. I would have expected them to match more closely.


Obviously following the trend where aero bikes for each manufacturer are lower stack (and possibly longer reach) while light/climbing bikes grow on stack to accommodate more relaxed riding positions.
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mythical
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by mythical

Not quite. It has to be said that the Felt F-series frames had rather short HT lengths compared to the equivalent sizes of pretty much every other bike brand. The 19mm increase in stack height on the Felt FR still puts it about 1mm lower than the nearest all of its competitors. Off the top of my head, I can't actually think of any who are still this low in terms of HT length.
“I always find it amazing that a material can actually sell a product when it’s really the engineering that creates and dictates how well that material will behave or perform.” — Chuck Teixeira

bungis
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by bungis

Not digging the checked paint style, looks like dirt from a distance. Also much preferred their old logo.

I've never worked on a bike with BB brake but I think it causes clearance issues with crank-based power meters in addition to other potential headaches.

cobrakai
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by cobrakai

The checks are not paint, it is the Textreme carbon fiber that is used in the construction. Depending on the brake used it can cause issues with pod type meters that go on the crank arm like stages. I know there are issues with shimano direct mount but I don't think that is the case if you use eebrakes or the TRP direct mount brakes.

mrlobber
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by mrlobber

Mystical, the F series was indeed quite aggressive with 536 stack in size 54 while AR series had 544.

Now, the new FR has stack of 550 (I'm comparing the M/54 sizes here), the Supersix Evo has 544, AX has 554, Giant TCR had 554 (have not checked if they changed anything for MY 2017).

For aero bikes comparison, AR remains at 544, Cervelo has 542 for the S5, Canyon Aeroad for size 53 is low at 533 (and still with longer reach than other aero bikes).

That's what I meant by saying the "light" bikes move to higher stacks (usually 550+), while aero remain at 54x territory, sometimes even lower.
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mythical
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by mythical

Even so, what do you call that a ‘relaxed’ riding position? As you indicated, the FR is still more aggressive than other brands. BTW, Cannondale specifies a stack of 551mm for a 54cm SuperSix Evo, still higher than the 550mm given for a 54cm Felt FR.

I already liked the F FRD, a 54cm fits my 1m83 frame perfectly, but now I'm even more interested in the FR FRD. It would make an excellent platform for a sub-4kg/8.8lbs bike.

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cobrakai wrote:
bungis wrote:Not digging the checked paint style, looks like dirt from a distance.
The checks are not paint, it is the Textreme carbon fiber that is used in the construction.
What he said! Textreme gets its aesthetics through its spread tow fiber weave and makes for some of the most high-end carbon fabric available. For example, it's used by pretty much every F1 team pretty much anywhere.

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(I thought this tread could use some more pix)
“I always find it amazing that a material can actually sell a product when it’s really the engineering that creates and dictates how well that material will behave or perform.” — Chuck Teixeira

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