CYCLING AND THE HEALTHY HEART

Of the more than two million Americans who die every year heart disease remains the leading cause of death in men and women. The coronary heart disease epidemic began in the 1920s / 1930s in the United States and the United Kingdom. Although the 20^th century saw big strides in the fight against heart disease, it remains the number one killer for people of all races, colors and ethnic backgrounds. Most people know bicycling is a great exercise but few realize how effective it is in the fight against heart disease. Cycling is one of the three activities meeting the three criteria of physical exercise; moderation, habit and a life time activity. 
 

CYCLING is one of the most easily adapted forms of exercise. It can be adapted to ones’ level of fitness, age, community and environment. You don’t have to be a professional rider, mountain bike aficionado or commuter cyclist to reap the benefits. The level of intensity achieved by a novice riding two to four hours a week meets the recommendation for improvement of cardio-respiratory fitness, and evidence shows people who bike as teens and young adults keep cycling throughout their lives.  

Is cycling a strenuous exercise? Yes, it can be for the professional Olympian or athlete. This is why they have USA Cycling Certified Coaches, are monitored regularly and include health and wellness in their training programs. Riding a couple of times a week for exercise, fun or comradery provides considerable health benefits. It’s more than a slogan or propaganda – it’s true: Mild to moderate cycling improves brainpower and sleep, boosts immune systems, boosts sex drive and contributes directly to a healthier heart. “Studies from Purdue University in the United States have shown that regular cycling can cut your risk of heart disease by 50 percent.” “Other studies have found that women who cycle frequently reduce their risk of breast cancer by 34% (bikeradar, Matthew Barbour, May 22, 2016).
 

Using the major muscle groups; blood vessels, heart and lungs, cycling can reduce or control weight, stress and anxiety. Increasing the metabolism, burning fat and strengthening muscles, regular cycling as exercise lowers the risk of high blood pressure and of cardiovascular disease. Will everyone reap the same benefits from cycling? No. Genetics, smoking, drinking, environment and lifestyle play a role in the effectiveness of any exercise program.

Research in the United States has found cycling lowers the risk of diabetes, reduces the chance of certain cancers, helps to protect from strokes, heart attacks, depression and arthritis as it improves strength, coordination and balance. As with any exercise or fitness program you must listen to your body and to your primary care physician. If you are new to cycling, new to training, or need help in putting together a cycling exercise program doing a one-on-one with a cycling coach can help. Technology for cyclist has come a long way. From BIKEFIT that ensures a perfect fit to gadgets that monitor pulse, breathing, heart-rate, burn and more. It’s never too late to begin a healthy cycling program. Your heart will love you for it.

To learn more about the benefits of cycling, our BIKEFIT program, cycling computer, monitoring devices, group rides, training sessions and specialized coaching, contact me, Buster Brown at Bixby

Bicycles & Accessories.  

BUSTER BROWN

USA Cycling Certified Coach

Welcome To BIKEFIT

Bixby Bicycles is excited to bring you BIKEFIT. Whether you are a seasoned rider, competitive rider or you ride for exercise and comradery, for performance and safety “the foundation for every good bicycle fit” is BIKEFIT. Let’s begin with the benefits of Cleat Wedges.

 

 

Research conducted on cyclist’s feet showed that 96% of us have forefeet that are canted or tilted up to the inside inward (“varus“) or outward toward the outside (“valgus“).  The vast majority (87%) of cyclist’s feet tilt up to the inside.  Unfortunately, almost all cycling shoes, cleats and pedals take this natural tilt and force it flat.  This can generate knee pain, create a foot “hotspot” (where the inner or outer side of the foot feels hot) and diminish your ability to generate power. Cleat Wedges® enable the cycling shoe to connect with the pedal naturally, by acknowledging the foot’s inherent angle.  This creates a neutral foot position throughout the pedaling cycle, resulting in greater comfort and power.   An illustration depicting foot and knee alignment before and after applying Cleat Wedges can be seen here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cleat Wedges are often used in conjunction with ITS Wedges® (in-the-shoe) which provide 1.5 degree of inward canting in cycling shoes that have ample room in the forefoot area. ITS Wedges can also be used to quickly determine if inward or outward forefoot tilt or canting exists. For a 1mm leg length discrepancy (one leg is shorter than the other), we recommend “stacking” two (2) Cleat Wedges, placing two wedges on top of the each other with the thicker edges of the wedges opposite each other.

For comfort, safety and performance, make your appointment today. Call Buster Brown, Certified USA Cycling Coach at Bixby Bicycles & Accessories,  918-943-6700   

MEET CYCLIST BUSTER BROWN

As a child I experienced the freedom you get when you are perched on a leather shell, astride a metal frame, pumping pedals gripped by a pair of my favorite shoes. With the sun in my face and the wind at my back, balanced on two wheels, steering uphill and downhill, leaning left then right, on paved streets and old dirt roads, there was a childlike exhilaration, an unexplainable devotion that continues every time I climb aboard a bicycle.

 

 

At sixteen I knew my education would not come from books, that high school graduation would be a premium and there would be no college; no long-term employment, no XYZ company and no retirement plans. Leaving home and finding my way I had two things: An enthusiasm for health and fitness and a passion for bicycles and bicycling. A series of “highs and low” were to come – and they did.

     Success starts with a desire, a vision, a dream and the certainty of adversity. Faced on a regular basis adversity fought me, threw up road blocks, stopped me in my tracks and brought me to my knees. It made me question my goals and objectives, wonder if it’s worth it and if I should quit or keep going. It crushed my ambitions and shattered my motivation yet it was the driving force that kept me cycling, kept me competing and kept me winning again and again. When you make the decision to allow adversity into your dreams, to be one of your goals, to be built into your plans, trust me -your mission will be accomplished, your goals will be achieved and your cycling dreams will soar,  

     These are the opening lines to my story, what are the opening lines to yours? Most cyclist began as a child, however today more and more adults who have never bicycled are appreciating the benefits and enjoying the ride. Bicycling has become the sport of choice for men and women nationwide. Looking for a sport with health benefits that’s easy to adapt to, bicycling offers improved balance, agility, durability and cardiovascular fitness. It builds muscle, releases stress, makes daily activities easier to accomplish and improves physical and cognitive function – and let’s not forget it’s fun! Whether you believe in global warming or not, bicycling is great for the environment. You can cycle indoors or outdoors, alone or in a group, in the city or in the country, for sport or for play. There’s road bikes, mountain bikes, cruiser bikes and BMX; Hybrid bikes, city bikes, tandem bikes and adult tricycles. You can see the world, make friends and burn calories as you achieve health and wellness.

      Joining a bicycle or riding club keeps you connected to the world of cycling; to bike trails, group rides, weekend rides, State Road Races, Time Trials, and bicycle and accessory discounts. You’ll meet people from all walks of life, build camaraderie and see and experience the world in a way you never could in a car - and the financial benefits are many. Other than savings from servicing and gassing up, most insurance companies will reduce your premiums if you’re commuting by bicycle on a daily basis.  

     As a boy I began on a yellow two-wheeler from my father’s general store. It was a means of transportation and a source of joy. At ten I would find old bicycles, stripe the good parts and make one new bicycle. I would sell it and use the money to buy slotted race cars for our TYCO Race Track. Riding to the mall and to the movies was as rewarding as racing my Mongoose around the neighborhood.  I was a kid teaching kids to ride; to adjust seats, adjust pedals, change tires, and win races. Bicycles became my world and I loved every minute of it; I love it even more today.

     We each have a story, a reason for riding. If you’re new to the sport, come see us. Bixby Bicycles and Accessories mission is to create new cyclist, and to coach and support existing and mature cyclist and racers providing quality bicycles and cutting edge products in an honest, fair, friendly and courteous buying and training environment. Educating and fostering a healthy fun method of exercise and sustainable fitness, Bixby Bicycles and Accessories promotes “One Stop, One Vision”. Learn more about me and my career in cycling at: http://www.cyclingforsuccess.net/, then visit our website and like us on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/Bixbybicycleworks/, but most of all “enjoy the ride.”

 

Bicycle Rage By Motorist

The weather has warmed and school is out. For cyclist and runners alike it is the season of purposeful battery, from water bottles to bear bottles, from rocks, bricks and food to stretched arms for body slaps. The crazies are out there and cyclist need to beware. The Australian Capital Territory has made it illegal to toss objects at riders, an action that is majorly overdue in the United States. Riders of all ages have been cut off by motorists, had ice thrown at them, or had drivers laying on their horns when passing. Why? The internet is full of cyclist using language which many would find inappropriate; I’ll just say “it is a cruel, cold hearted, mean act which cyclist worldwide are forced to endure.

 Cyclist have reported being harassed by business executives, taxi-drivers, mothers with children in the car and seniors driving 15 miles per hour in a 45 mile per hour zone. Getting results from the police has been challenging. Most cars take off before you can secure the license plate number, and even then little action is taken against the driver. In one incident in 1999 the drunk motorist who strayed into a bike lane was free to go, however the cyclist who hit the motorist when he strayed into the bike lane was arrested. At times it seems even the authorities are against the cyclist. More than 20 states have laws requiring drivers to allow at least three feet of clearance when passing cyclist, yet these laws are rarely enforced.  

However, in Chattanooga things are changing. “Officer Simmons (a Cycling Cop) spends chunks of his day chasing down lawbreakers on his bike, showing them just how close they came to him on his bar-mounted GoPro camera and explaining the law.  Thanks to a device called the Bicyclist and Safe Monitoring Applied Radar Technology (BSMART), developed by Codaxus, LLC, Simmons knows to the inch exactly how close drivers come to him. All of the drivers who he pulls over are given educational pamphlets, and those who haven’t learned their lesson get tickets and can be sent to a 90-minute Cycling 101 class with Outdoor Chattanooga for re-education. Chattanooga’s use of the BSMART is the first for this purpose in the US, and reports indicate that the device will be making other appearances worldwide soon. ¹”

Road rage from 2004 to 2016 has doubled for drivers, motorcyclist, cyclist, runners and walkers; some cities now have Bike Accident Attorneys. Many blame it on technology and the “hurry up and get there” climate of the 21st century. Others blame it on the divisive political environment, the increase in divisive organizations and hate groups and a society of people who feel the world owes them something. “Tara Goddard at Portland State University studied the attitudes of drivers toward bicyclists and found bicycling is relatively unsafe in the United States because of drivers. Attitudes of drivers play a key role in roadway interactions between bicycles and vehicle” Reading further she like so many other researchers found that motorists think bicyclist break the law and cyclist feel that motorist break the law, when in fact, most motorist and the average solo cyclists know very little about bicycling laws. This is something we are doing our part to fix – through informative Facebook posts, Twitter posts, and our blogs.

Although a riding group recently suffered a horrible accident (while obeying the law), most riding groups know the rules, regulations and guidelines and stick to them. Riding in a group is educational, safe and lots of fun. Bixby Bicycles’ USA Certified Cycling Coach Buster Brown teaches classes on Oklahoma Bicycle Laws, Bicycle Safety and Group Riding. Until the issue of rage against cyclist is brought to the fore, groups, like single riders, like bicycle patrols, like runners and walkers, need to be careful out there.

ADDITIONAL SOURCES

CAUSES OF ROAD RAGE, WIKIPEDIA

A bike rage incident can start because a cyclist, driver, or pedestrian believes that another road user was being discourteous, breaking traffic rules, or in many cases because someone felt that their safety was being compromised by the actions of another road user. According to University of Hawaii professor of psychology Leon James, "bike rage is a common occurrence, and quite predictable", because urban commuting causes "tension, anxiety, and anger – in drivers as well as cyclists. Bike rage may also be caused by confusion about how the rules of the road apply to cyclists. In some jurisdictions, cyclists can ride on the sidewalk, whereas in other places, this is against the law. As well, in some states or provinces, cyclists have many of the same rights and responsibilities as cars; that is cyclists can ride on the road with cars (e.g., the Canadian province of Ontario, where the Highway Traffic Act classifies bikes as "vehicles"). In other places, there are restrictions on where bikes can ride. These differences in rules may lead drivers to believe that a cyclist is violating the law by cycling on a roadway, even if local laws require cyclists to be on the road.

 

Letting Your Child Ride A Bicycle Alone

The world around us is changing. Parents are more concerned about their children than ever. From bullies at school to social media, from unsafe parks to dangerous looking strangers, allowing a minor on the streets alone has become a hot topic of discussion. This discussion becomes especially challenging when children want to ride a bicycle to school or spend summer vacation exploring local neighborhoods.

Why have a bicycle if you can’t ride it, and why limit riding to the sidewalk or street in front of your house or a preapproved safe route around the block? A question every child, limited by parental fears is up against. The answer is a simple one for some and more challenging for others.

It makes for a pretty picture, but in reality most parents aren’t bicycling with their children.  However, many have provided safe bicycle routes by working with local bicycle shops, city planners, schools and community centers. Even police departments have gotten involved. Many cities, states and localities require a child be a certain age before being out without a parent – including riding a bicycle, yet children of all ages nationwide want the independence of riding to a local library, park, swimming pool, or to a friend’s house – especially during summer break.

Know your neighborhood and your neighbors.  Although abduction is a fear, bigger fears surround traffic and safety.  It’s easy for families living on streets with lots of children and all-knowing stay-at-home moms. Permitting young children to ride up and down the street in front of their house or to a neighbor on the same street is allowed. Children who live in high traffic areas or in neighborhoods where children are scarce and most houses empty during the day, in the eyes of the parent are more at risk.

Irrespective of the “subject matter experts” whose opinions you read in books and scan on the internet, you know your child and your community; the decision is yours to make. Keeping local ordinances and laws in mind, equip your child with guidelines, a time limit, a watch, money, identification, a list of emergency phone numbers and a cell phone if possible.  Make sure the bicycle is appropriate for the child’s age and size. A fitted helmet, proper clothing, emergency outerwear and a bottle of water is highly suggested. Bicycles break down and have flat tires. Kids get labored, overheated, distracted, challenged by a hill they thought they could conquer or the actual distance to a friend’s house.

Bixby Bicycles carries accessories, safety equipment, replacement parts and maps of bicycle trails and biking routes.  We offer introductory and advanced classes and coaching at all levels.  Whether your child is riding on sidewalks, on country roads or on busy city streets, there are rules, regulations and guidelines, for children and for adults. If they know the rules, follow the laws, are acquainted with their equipment and prepared for mishaps or emergencies they’ll enjoy the summer, enjoy the ride and you’ll feel better about letting your child ride a bicycle alone. 

2016 CYCLING GOALS AND RESOLUTIONS



With each new year comes New Year’s Resolutions. Cyclists nationwide make promises, set goals, and chart road maps toward physical fitness, resilience, and a much longed for podium finish. The equipment is checked, unhealthy food is replaced with fruits, vegetables and protein drinks, and the clock is set for an early morning workout. Ambitions run high and this time will be different, or will it.

Over 85% of cyclist fail within the first 30 days, and 50% fail within the first 5-7 days. Setting unrealistic goals based on idealistic or guilt driven motivations leads to a lack of willpower and the mental fuel needed to succeed. A fear of failure, a lack of discipline and listening to naysayers contributes to making excuses, a defeatist attitude and eventually giving up.

These are a few ways to stay on course, remain inspired and achieve your goals. The first, and one of the most effective is investing in a coach. The right coach helps you set realistic goals based on where you are and what you want to achieve. A coach charts your strengths and weaknesses and takes into consideration the multiple aspects of your overall health, flexibility, nutrition, strength, and endurance as well as the technical and tactical aspects of cycling.  

Now your limitations. Family, home life, work schedules and lifestyle all “affect” and “effect” goals and goal setting. Poor time management is a major obstacle and obstruction to a training program. Missing training sessions, skipping rides, arriving late and leaving early indicates a lack of dedication – to your goals, your training program, your coach and most importantly to yourself. Low self-esteem, poor self-worth and an inability to prioritize often leads to poor time management. Resolutions and goals must fit into the life you’re living day to day.

Poor diets and bad nutritional choices lead to poor health. If you don’t have the stamina or energy to follow a training schedule you will fail. Listening to your body is key to fulfilling the requirements of a successful training program. If you’re pushing too hard, ignoring the signals your body is sending or putting yourself in danger you will fail. Yes, pushing yourself is a good thing. Feeling the burn is a good thing. Failure to stop or adjust in painful situations is irresponsible; the challenge is knowing when enough is enough. It is better and wiser to adjust your training program than to sustain physical damage from over-training.

You’ve set your goals, mapped your objectives, filled the refrigerator with health food and planned and scheduled your workout. You show up on time, push yourself, listen to your body and pain kicks in. The last obstacle I’ll cover is wrong or ill-fitted equipment. Training daily or two or three times a week on a bicycle that is ill-fitted to your body and body type can lead to stress, pain and injuries. The frame size, cleat placement, saddle position and handlebar reach are required measurements. Road bike fitting and bike sizing are two different things. You can use your bicycle for outdoor and indoor training, however when transitioning from outdoor elements and roadways to indoor training, consider saddle selection, saddle fit, tilt and height; handlebar positioning, height, reach, drop and rotation; Crank length, crank position, crank tilt and pedal connection. Like so many other things, bicycle gear is important. You might want to wear lighter weight clothes and different shoes for indoor training.   

Setting Goals and making resolutions is great. With dedication, responsibility discipline, patience and persistence, success can be yours. For more information on cycling, training and goal setting contact me, Buster Brown, Cycling Coach at Bixby Bicycles and Accessories.

BUSTER BROWN,

Certified USA Cycling Coach

Email:  busterbrown2004@gmail.com

918-943-6700 / 479.530.9491

 

 

BIXBY BICYCLES CHOSES TWO BICYCLE LINES

Deciding to just carry two major lines of bicycles Felt and Fuji, might sound challenging to some, however being in the business of providing the best product to our customers, I feel it was a good decision. With the holidays fast approaching, a new Felt bicycle from a bicycle shop that specializes in Felt bicycles would make the perfect gift for the cyclist in your family – or for yourself. Below is a repost of that article. To learn more and see the newest Felt bicycles, buy parts or have your Felt bicycle serviced, stop by Bixby Bicycles and Accessories. Your Felt bicycle specialist.  



 

VeloNews published an updated article December 19, 2014 by Lennard Zinn highlighting the six reasons Felt is making one of the world’s best bicycles.

  

 

SIX REASONS WHY FELT IS MAKING SOME OF THE WORLD'S BEST BIKES

By:  Lennard Zinn, Published Aug.5, 2014, Updated Dec.19,2014

1. Seatpost clamping

You may think that how a seatpost is clamped to the bike is a yawner. However, with a material like carbon that only works well in tension and not in compression, it’s a significant issue. A seat binder generally works by compressing both the top of the seat tube and the seatpost. But to optimize stiffness of both the frame and the post, both are built with stiff fibers that can’t tolerate being pinched; the fibers will crack if deflected very far over a short distance by the seat binder clamp. Felt’s solution for clamping aero seatposts is unique and game-changing, and its solution for clamping round posts puts reliability above weight and style considerations.

 Because it isn’t round, an aero seatpost cannot be clamped inside an aero-shaped seat tube with a constricting band clamp. Instead, the clamp has to push on the trailing or leading edge of the post to wedge the opposite edge tightly against the inner wall of the seat tube or clamp. Felt uses a completely different seatpost-clamping system that also cuts the weight and the vertical rigidity of its aero posts. (And its aero posts can be huge, from the UCI-legal (3-to-1 depth-to-width ratio) aero seatposts on its AR-series aero road bikes and DA-series time trial bikes, to the extremely huge UCI-illegal (more like 8-to-1) aero seatposts on its IA triathlon bikes.)

Instead of clamping around the post or wedging it from the front or back, Felt clamps each wall of the aero seatpost against each inner wall of the seat tube by means of a vertical slot running down each side of the post. On each side, a bolt extending out of a thickened area at the top edge of the seat tube passes through the seatpost slot and threads into a separate aluminum plate conforming to the inner shape of the seatpost wall. Tightening each bolt simply clamps each wall of the seatpost flat between each aluminum plate and the wall of the seat tube.  To illustrate the concept, consider driving over a flat carbon-fiber sheet on a smooth concrete floor versus driving over a carbon seatpost. Obviously, the car tire will not crush the sheet of carbon, because there is no air space to compress it into, but it will crush both a round and an aero carbon seatpost.

The benefit to Felt’s clamping system is not just reliable clamping; it is also reduced weight, increased comfort, and increased frame durability. Since it does not have to withstand crushing forces to hold it in place, the seatpost walls can be very thin (you can easily flex the side walls of Felt AR, DA, and IA seatposts with your fingers) and hence lightweight. This also provides a slight amount of vertical compliance to a seatpost shape with which comfort is hard to come by. Finally, it prevents tearing the frame apart by tightening the seatpost, which is what wedge clamps are doing.

Clamps that wedge the seatpost from the back are effectively trying to tear the back of the seat tube off (so it has to be overbuilt and heavier to withstand it), and systems that wedge the seatpost from the front are effectively working to tear the top tube away from the seat tube. This may be part of the reason that you sometimes see bikes of pro riders tear apart in a crash at the wedge clamp inside the top tube that pushes against the seatpost; the rider standing out of the saddle is twisting at this area stuffed with carbon in a much less effective layup than throughout the rest of the frame.

Beyond a great clamping system, Felt builds a little suspension into its big “Vibration Reducing Aero” seatposts by encasing 3T’s “Difflock Comfort Module” saddle clamp in them. This 3T system fits into the large cross-hole in the top of the post. It surrounds the rail-clamping core with an elastic polymer allowing the cylindrical clamping module to twist and return when the rider hits a bump. The clamp also will accept all of the different available shapes of saddle rails without interchanging clamp parts. Finally, the seatposts are flip-position with different offsets available.

 Even Felt’s round seatpost-clamping systems are different from the run of the mill. In its carbon F-series road racing, Z-series endurance road, and ZW-series women’s road bikes, Felt doesn’t chop weight by using a thin, single-bolt clamp. Instead, F, Z, and ZW frames all have taller two-bolt aluminum seat binder clamps, despite the battle to get frames below target weights, like the magical sub-700-gram weight. The 700-gram Felt F FRD frame does have a pair of titanium bolts threading into a scandium nut bar in the tall clamp; do does the F1. And rather than using a single slot, Felt has two slots on opposite sides of the seat tube, to reduce the amount that any individual fiber is forced to bend.

2. Materials

Carbon frames and forks used to have a woven top layer for aesthetic purposes that provided little additional strength or stiffness, while adding weight. Perhaps you assumed, as I did, that the checkerboard-weave top layer of Felt’s top frames is like this, but it isn’t. Instead, that layer of TeXtreme fabric actually saves weight and adds toughness to Felt frames, but it costs around 10 times as much as the unidirectional fabric it replaces.

TeXtreme Spread Tow Fabric offers the strength and toughness of two layers of unidirectional carbon in a single layer of the same weight as one of those unidirectional layers. Unidirectional carbon layers cannot stand alone for the same reason that a bulletproof vest made out of fibers all running the same direction could not stop a bullet; an impact can split the fibers if crossing ones are not there to hold them together.

Since the broad packets (“tows”) of TeXtreme fibers cross at 90 degrees, forming the checkerboard pattern, they provide the toughness of two crossing layers of unidirectional fabric with a single layer. Furthermore, the weaving allows thinner fibers to be used in the fabric without it being too delicate for human hands to wrap around a frame shape.

 For added security, Felt uses a TeXtreme layer on the inside of the frame as well — the first layer workers put down. This can prevent “mystery” carbon frame failures by preventing fibers from imploding inward on impact. If a carbon frame takes an impact, it is often difficult to tell that there has been damage on the surface. But the sharp application of force can break internal fiber layers, which can splay out inside of the frame. Cracks can then propagate from there, and a rider’s frame may suddenly fail while JRA (“just riding along”), but the failure was actually due to a prior crash. Felt’s layer of woven TeXtreme inside can prevent severed unidirectional fabric fibers from splaying into the interior of the frame tube on impact, and can therefore stop the propagation of a crack.

 TeXtreme fabric is made in Sweden, and due to laws intended to prevent strategic materials from falling into the hands of the Chinese military, Felt had to import it to the United States, have it impregnated with resin certified as being non-weapons-grade, and then send the pre-preg fabric, refrigerated, to China for use in its frames. You can imagine the added costs. Once Felt bought enough of it, TeXtreme went through a certification process with the U.S. government so that it sends the fabric to China directly, and it is pre-pregged there; this cost savings has made it possible for Felt to now use TeXtreme in a second model from the top in each frame series.

3. Molding methods

 Carbon bikes are no longer made by laying fabric pieces into mold cavities because the layers can’t overlap properly at the seam, and the molds are too hot from the previous frame to lay pre-preg fabric in without becoming sticky. Instead, workers (in a cool room) drape cold carbon pre-preg fabric pieces around a mandrel shaped like a smaller version of the finished piece. Heat and pressure make the resin flow like water; computers calculate the resin viscosity with temperature to optimize flow through the layers. Mold channels let resin and air escape. For premium frames, the mandrel is often EPS foam (Styrofoam) dipped in latex. Once the clamshell mold closes around it, air is pumped into the latex bladder, applying pressure against the carbon layers.

Felt’s top models, by contrast, are done with “inside-out” molding. Rather than molding a solid mandrel out of EPS in a clamshell mold with two female halves, Felt molds two separate “coffee-cup”-like mandrel halves, which, when put together, form a hollow version of the frame made out of a thin and tougher, denser foam. This takes two male-female clamshell mold halves for each clamshell “coffee-cup” mandrel half, or four molds total for just the mandrel.

The hollow mandrel halves are taped together, and, rather than dipping the resulting mandrel in latex repeatedly to get the desired thickness, it is coated with silicone. Jeff Soucek, Felt’s director of R&D, said the silicone layer is smoother and more uniform than multiple layers of latex, which can form drips and be uneven in thickness and surface finish, and it has higher a heat resistance. Soucek said the precision of the shape of this mandrel means the layup moves very little during molding, so he can reduce the frame weight by minimizing overlap of layers. He said with an EPS foam mandrel, overlap must be around 5mm, whereas 1mm overlap is possible with the clamshell mandrel.

Air is pumped into a nylon bladder inside of the clamshell mandrel, which is uniform and tough and can’t blow out with temperature or due to uneven thickness the way Soucek said a latex bladder can, causing a section of the frame to not be compacted properly. On Felt’s second-tier frames, which are done with a solid EPS-foam mandrel, it is encased in a nylon bladder rather than a latex one.

4. Bottom bracket shells

Many of today’s carbon frames are “net-molded;” nothing is machined or bonded in afterward to make the bearings in the bottom bracket or headset fit. Thing is, there is no shortage of riders complaining about their carbon bikes creaking, caused by movement of the bearings or bearing cups in the frame.

     As a bike mechanic, especially if you are installing internal electric wires for electronic shifting, it may be beautiful to look inside the bottom bracket shell of a top end carbon frame and see that it is completely hollow; you can look right up inside the seat tube, down tube and chainstays. It’s obviously very light, and it’s easy to route cables and wires through. However, you can imagine that the bottom bracket bearings of, say, a press-in BB30 bottom bracket may be more free to move around relative to each other if there is nothing but a big hollow space between them.

     By contrast, even on the 700-gram F FRD frame, Felt molds a separate carbon cross-tube — a bottom bracket shell — and then bonds and molds it into the frame. This keeps the bearings lined up with each other so they don’t creak and to extend their life. Of course, you don’t have such easy access to the big hollow tubes to stuff the rat’s nest of internal electronic wires and junction box into them.

5. Head tubes

Again, veering from the “ideal” of a net-molded frame, Felt does not depend on molded carbon seats to hold the headset bearings. Rather, it bonds in thin aluminum bearing seats to ensure precision of the bearing function.

6. Aerodynamics

No, Felt does not have its own wind tunnel. However, it has a legacy in aerodynamics that started with Jim Felt, while he worked at Easton, making custom aero frames for triathletes out of special aero Easton aluminum tubes. Furthermore, Felt does not restrain itself from making no-holds-barred aero bikes that the UCI does not allow. While other manufacturers tend to sell their UCI-approved time trial bike as a triathlon bike and make some changes in components to speed it up a bit, Felt just went ahead and made the fastest bike it could, with some parts of the frame being over twice the 3-to-1 aspect ratio mandated by the UCI. Felt claims its IA frame has net lift in crosswinds (negative drag, so an aerodynamic propulsive force rather than a drag force) and that the AR road bike and DA time trial bike also have an exceptionally “high yaw profile,” meaning they can go to high yaw (sidewind) angles before the bike “stalls” (the point where the drag force suddenly increases dramatically).

Felt claims its “soft airfoil” shape on many of its aero-bike frame tubes performs better in crosswinds by improving reattachment of air after passing the tube, has a higher frame stiffness, and interacts better with a water bottle than sharper or truncated airfoil shapes. It’s also lighter than a sharp airfoil because added material is required to form the sharp edge, as carbon cannot make a sharp bend like that. The company says other shapes have a place; it uses sharp airfoils for the trailing edges of handlebars and truncated airfoils (Kammtails) on vertical tubes that don’t have a wheel or any other parts behind them. Judging by our test of the Felt AR3 against other aero road bikes in the wind tunnel (August 2014 issue of Velo) Felt’s tube shapes work, as the AR3 was the clear winner in any kind of crosswind.

Felt claims its UCI-legal time trial bike, the DA, is the fastest UCI-legal bike straight out of the box (i.e., with no changes in component spec). However, it claims that its UCI-illegal IA triathlon bike is faster yet: 4.5 minutes faster over an Ironman than the DA — a full 100 watts of power savings over a road bike! Felt’s road product manager Dave Koesel recommends that triathletes NOT buy bikes with the UCI-approved sticker, saying, “that thing is a parachute” (in order to get the UCI certification, a manufacturer must make the bike slower than it otherwise could).

There are other items to mention as well – things that Felt has quietly been doing for some time that now others are trumpeting loudly about doing. Hollow dropouts are one example — where the chainstay and seatstay form a continuous hollow loop past the dropout area, and only the last small bit where the wheel clamps is compression-molded. This allows Felt to make the F1 PR frame — the frame Thor Hushovd and Magnus Bäckstedt used at Paris-Roubaix — that has become more relevant due to the surge in popularity of racing road bikes on gravel. By bonding custom aluminum dropouts into the hollow chainstay/seatstay loop (in place of compression-molded carbon ones) of the top-end F1 road frame, raising its brake bridge, and lengthening its fork (with bonded-in compression-molded carbon dropouts), Felt has lengthened the rear end and wheelbase and kicked the seat and head angles back by 1.2 degrees. This allows it to easily accept 28mm (and even bigger tires) and increases the bottom bracket drop (so that the bottom bracket is lower with a 25mm tire and about the same with 28mm or 30mm tires as the F1). This amounts to a super light, confident-handling bike for cobbles and gravel roads.

The hollow dropouts forming a loop can also be used as a leaf spring; this feature is incorporated into the Edict 4-inch-travel cross-country race 29er. The Edict is a single-pivot bike that behaves like a linkage bike because of this flex at the dropouts. When you remove the Edict’s shock, the shock-actuation lever snaps down (you have to pull up on it to fit the shock back in) because the spring formed by the hollow stays at the dropout springs open. This means the bike springs to its sagged position, even without the rider on it, so the frame is doing more of the work and the shock less, similar to the anti-squat built into a linkage frame.

Another example of something Felt has been quietly doing for a long time that is now being touted by major brands is size-specific tube diameters and layups. Just like it did to Jim Felt when he was making custom aluminum frames, Felt always made carbon tubes smaller in diameter and with different wall thickness for small bikes than for big ones. The only area where this doesn’t hold true is for specific aerodynamic shapes for aero frames, but the wall thicknesses are still thinner on the smaller frames.

Felt has invested heavily in its product — in its engineers and the designs, tools, and materials they come up with — and not much in marketing. So consumers just may be surprised at how light, fast, snappy, and tough a bike they’ve barely heard of can be.

Read more at http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/08/bikes-and-tech/6-reasons-felt-making-worlds-best-bikes_339460#Gx0FTIdeSsCHhkgw.99