If you shave wet with a blade like a barber, you need to know what you're doing. It's a similar story with the Felt FRD. It is a razor blade that needs to be guided with precision. The short wheelbase and steep head angle make the 29er an extremely agile, hook-happy racing machine. A bike for winding CC World Cups or hunting down single trails. After all, FRD stands for Felt Racing Development. All testers agreed: the Felt looks damn fast even when stationary. Thanks to special carbon fibres, the bike is said to be stiffer and lighter than any other in the Edict range.
At 2.5 kilos, the chassis is nevertheless the heaviest in the group. The riding position and acceleration lead to maximum points for uphill handling, while the double lockout (Rock Shox X-Loc Full Sprint) transforms the bike into a racing bike in a flash. If you let the suspension work, the rear end reacts noticeably under load, but responds finely and comfortably. On the rocky downhill section of the test loop, the steep steering angle makes the bike unsteady and forces the rider to take their foot off the gas. On the other hand, you can manoeuvre around the tight switchbacks with ease. We could very well imagine the Felt with a 120 mm fork - for more reserves at the front and a slacker steering angle at the same time.
Conclusion The Felt is a very fast, almost poisonous race bike with a narrow limit range. Experts will love it for that, beginners will be thrown off.
PLUS Great frame finish, perfect cockpit with Gripshift
MINUS Statutory warranty only (crash replacement only after registration)
The alternative
The model below the FRD is also expensive fun, the Edict 1 with Shimano XT groupset and Rock Shox SID RL fork is available for € 5499. However, the shock comes without a lockout remote.
