This is a blog entry I really should have done a long time ago but I keep forgetting. My sponsor Huntteri, which is the importer to Finland for Felt Bicycles has been incredibly generous to set me up with what is perhaps the fastest bike on the roads today. The Felt DA.
In my past cycling teams I have had sponsors including Cannondale, Pinerello, Specialized, and Trek but I can honestly say that Felt has done their homework to make a superior time trial and triathlon bike. While it is obvious I am biased because of my sponsorship by Felt, I will try to keep this review as honest and straight forward as possible.
Historically time trial bikes were not very comfortable and handling was poor at best. The Felt DA set up blows away the previous standards for TT bikes and gives a comfortable and very precise ride. The steering mechanism is perhaps the key and provides a stiff and responsive feel thanks to it's unique design. Also the adjustable stem makes fine tuning the riding position very simple. The bikes all come with three different lengths of stems as well.
Aerodynamically, the bike has all the latest concepts represented with internal cable routing, massive real wheel cutout, hidden rear brake and the lengthened head tube thanks to the external steerer tube. Most importantly in my opinion is the choice of Zipp 1080 (rear) and Zipp 808 (front) wheels that are the best aero wheels available. Just take a look at what the guys are riding in the Tour de France time trials. Even teams not sponsored by Zipp use their wheels after removing the decals. I might not be able to afford wind tunnel testing to back up my opinions on aerodynamics but you can learn a lot from looking and reading about how the top time trial riders set up their bikes and why.
The Zipp 1080 rear wheel out performs any disc wheel because it can handle cross winds much better, which saves energy, plus the aerodynamics are virtually the same as a disc in a straight line. Especially in triathlon where the conditions will always be changing during the day, the combination of the 1080 and 808 is the best option to maximize aerodynamics while still being able to handle varying winds.
The overall setup for the bike including components and design is very well thought out. Shimano Dura-Ace is the best performing component group available and the DA includes the full group. Felt has been very smart in designing the aero frame to accept normal brake calipers and bottom bracket, where as you see many other current tt bikes requiring custom or special components just to fit within the frame.
The Devox (Felt's own brand) aero bar is surprisingly well designed for a first generation product. The bars include special rubber grips that are very comfortable and safe even when in wet conditions. The extensions come extra long in an 'S bend' style to allow for cutting down to either 'ski bend' or 'straight' style. Personally I cut them to the short ski bend for my ideal hand position. Only down side I see to these bars is the lack of adjust ability for the extensions to move narrower or wider. The arm rests are able to move side to side but the actual bars are in a fixed position. It works fine for me but some people might want more range there.
Perhaps the only other thing that could be improved is the seat post clamp design that is very tightly built and can make pulling the seat post out very difficult if it has been in place for a long time.
The Felt DA is the flag ship of Felt's time trial and triathlon series of bikes and they spare no expense in making the fastest possible bike. Its 9000€ retail price tag is steep but considering the wheels, components and design, I feel its a valid price. Its notable that their cheaper bikes are similarly designed and use almost the same frame but smartly chosen components to help reduce the price. If you are in the market for tt bike, Felt is definitely at the front of the pack and worth considering. http://www.feltracing.com/09-catalog-international/time-trial-triathlon.aspx
My Felt DA will be available for purchase at the end of the 2009 season in November after Ironman 70.3 world championships. If you are looking for the fastest possible bike and want to save a little money, my DA has only 700kms on it and is guaranteed to make you faster! Offers are now being accepted at darby1kenobi at yahoo dot comm.
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