Felt Bicycles designs, manufactures and distributes its own line of premium quality bicycles, framesets, components, and accessories.
The Felt Bicycles-sponsored Argos-Shimano team began racing its new TeXtreme® carbon fibre composite F-Series FRD frames at the UCI WorldTour race, Tour of Qatar, in February. Following that event the team went straight to the Tour of Oman where Argos-Shimano rider Marcel Kittel won the opening stage.
“The material is so advanced you can, in the simplest terms, use less than what we previously had before,” says Felt engineer Anton Petrov of the TexTreme product.
“It delivers all of the characteristics everyone wants in a bicycle frame; lower weight with greater strength and stiffness.”
TeXtreme is already available in Felt Bicycles’ Nine FRD hard tail, the company’s premier 29″ wheel mountain bike frame.
“We started with a mountain bike to prove the performance of TeXtreme," explains Felt’s Director of R&D, Jeff Soucek.
TeXtreme® spread tow reinforcements are available as 0/90 fabrics, +45/-45 fabrics and unidirectional (UD) tapes that can be supplied dry or as prepreg. The amount of TeXtreme used in a given frame model varies according to the performance qualities desired in each case. The Felt Nine FRD uses a substantial amount of TeXtreme in its lay-up; the Argos-Shimano team frames use less. The combination of TeXtreme with other hand laid-up carbon fibres all centres on producing an optimal ride quality given the frame's anticipated conditions and circumstances.
TeXtreme Spread Tow fabric pattern also has a unique 'checkerboard' appearance which differentiates a TeXtreme bike from other carbon fibre bikes.
Team Argos-Shimano will continue to use the F-Series FRD frames throughout the racing year, including at such high profiles events as the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, Vuelta a'Espana and World Championships.
