“FELT”ing around on the FELT FR 50 road bike

It was an usual day at work when I was about to leave office, that I got a call from Krish Basu @ The Bike Affair offering me to test one of their newly launched performance bikes from FELT. I was excited as I had heard a lot about the brand and was eager to compare it out with my bike, the Specialized Allez.

So I went to the store to pick up the bike and boy, the snazzy orange bike with black highlights instantly caught my eye.

An Eye-Candy!

Casual Ride by the Country Side on the FR50:I set up the bike and geared up for a ride along the local country side roads the next morning. The moment I clipped into the pedals and the first few strokes itself I could feel the bike moving fast and responding. From the very first few minutes itself gives you a performance bike feeling. The bike just drives itself so smoothly without much demand on power. You can satisfy it without getting off the saddle unless you wanted to sprint aggressively for a strava KOM or being chased by a dog (which is very common in India!).

I was really impressed by now. This was nothing like any of the performance bikes I had ridden in the past and was waiting to see if it had any more surprises to reveal. The route I had taken had some gravel sections (thanks to the never ending road constructions going on) which could beat even some of Europe’s cobbles. As usual I slowed down as I would on any road bike, but to my surprise the FR50 handled it pretty well. The next time I hit another one and it just cruised along one after the other.The first ride on the FELT,felt amazing!

Climbing and Descending Whisper Valley on the FR50: Since the bike amazed me on the first ride I decided to put it on a climbing fest on our usual training ride. Even though I am not a good climber my current bike, the Specialized allez would happily cope up with me. I was waiting to see if the FR50 offered me something way better, aaaaaand it did! First few meters into the climb itself I could feel how stiff the frame was enjoying it. I loved it so much that I kept on doing more reps from different positions (hoods, tops and drops).

When descending I was more confident on the allez frame(may be because I was more used to it) but nevertheless the FR50 did a decent job as well.

The ride on Strava:

https://www.strava.com/activities/937031110

A Non Stop solo century on the FR50: By now I had gained some confidence on the bike and was ready for a long ride. This time I flipped the stem and titled the handlebar a bit for a more aggressive fit. Mentally I was prepared to cover a century, so I took off with an easy start enjoying the feel of the bike. The stock wheels of the bike roll so well, making it feel very zippy on the saddle itself. Fifty Kilometers, a bottle of water, a gel and an energy bar down, I was still enjoying the ride and had got into a rhythm with the bike.

A few kilometers later the headwinds started bothering me, but I decided to keep calm and keep the same rhythm. Usually on the allez, I would get out of the saddle and push myself on such a situation, but when I did the same on the FR50, I noticed it did not sustain the power for long when out the saddle . Thereofre, I decided to keep the same rhythm.

It was almost 90 Kilometers and it was one of those rare rides where you are still enjoying with some minor fatigue. I was still riding merrily thinking of a sumptuous breakfast which I found at the 102 km mark,where I ended the ride.

The ride on Strava:

https://www.strava.com/activities/941135659

Small Perks and Details: There are always some small and minor details that make a big impression on a rider which even the big and well-known brands ignore, especially at the entry level. This is where the FELT FR50 has all of them ticked off.

      ·         The tubeless ready stock wheels are light and are very responsive.Even the stock tires are of a             well-known brand.

·         The bar tape is very comfortable and is dotted with a reflective material for visibility.

·         The FR series saddle is very well designed and adapts the sit bones very quickly (at least for me!)

·         The logo and graphic detailing is impressive. FELT even went through the trouble of engraving the brand logo on the headset cap and the bottle cage screws!

Tubeless Ready Light Weight Wheels

                                                                                

The comfy FR series saddle.

The Reflective Bar-Tape.

Logos and Graphics:

Areas Of Improvement:

• Sprinting could have been more aggressive.
• Responsiveness when descending could have been better.

Pricing and Value for money:
The bike is priced slightly higher than the other manufacturers like Scott,Merida and Trek in the same entry level segment but the overall ride experience and quality makes the FR50 an absolute value for money. The Bike Affair has some cool introductory launch discount offers going on right now.

Final Verdict

An entry level road bike form FELT that does not feel entry level at all.
RIDE IT ,TO FEEL IT !!