# My AR review (finally)



## jm3 (Mar 22, 2003)

Okay, I know I promised this a while back, but the holidays took over, and, well, I got busy...deal with it.  So here's a quick review I put together on the AR I had in my hot little hands for over two weeks. The one I rode was a Garmin team bike, but had been built up with SRAM Red after the season (sorry, not a big fan), and had a fantastic Easton EC90 Aero handlebar (great, great bar). Otherwise, here you go (I apologize ahead of time because I wrote this quickly):

Felt’s AR (Aero Road) series of bikes is really a blend of the F-Series and Z-Series as far as geometry, but adds aerodynamics to the equation like no other road bike in the world (not an overstatement!). Obviously, the foundation of the design comes from Felt’s triathlon bike line led by the DA, but it’s not just a copy, they simply used that design as a starting point.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first and talk about the aero properties of the AR. I could probably give you all sorts of mumbo jumbo about the bike, but let me just relay two important pieces of information that should enlighten us all about how aero this bike is (I’m not sure I’m suppose to quote the first numbers, but what the heck, I sell a lot of bikes for Felt!). First, if you take an average road bike into the wind tunnel, it would produce about 1000 grams of drag (I’m simplifying the numbers here because I'm a simple guy). Cervelo makes a fine carbon aero road bike in the SLC, and in the tunnel it reduces drag down to approx 850 grams, which is a very nice reduction. The AR, however, doubles that down to 700 grams! That’s a significant difference. How does that relate to real world applications? Well, that’s tough to answer as there are so many factors involved, but this is the analogy I’ve been shown: in order to negate the aero advantage the AR gives you, approx 2400 grams of weight would have to be added to the bike to slow it down to equal an average road bike – that’s about five pounds ladies and gentlemen. How much would it cost you to take five pounds off your bike?! This is why I think aero is so much more important than weight, and why I think this industry over-sells lightweight everything. I'll take aero over weight any day.

Aero is all good, but how did the bike ride? To answer that, I think we should look at the bike’s geometry, but first a little background noise. Let’s face it, virtually every new bike from every manufacturer is great right out of the box, and of course I really like the ride of the AR. The days of poorly designed and built bikes is a thing of the past for the mainstream manufacturers, and I think all the arguing about which bike is stiffer, lighter, better riding blah, blah, blah is really just nitpicking or personal preference/fanfare. I always tell people who are looking to purchase a bike that they should first narrow their search down to bikes that fit their budget, and, more importantly, fit them. Once those two things are taken care of, you let your heart take over and get the bike you want. Still, there are two things that manufacturers have figured out (or really, rediscovered) over the last few years: there’s such a thing as too light, and there’s such a thing as too stiff. Ride quality and performance is what matters. Now, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that some manufacturers never forgot this important point. Colnago and Look, to name a few of the few, never really gave in to the lightweight or overly stiff bike craze. Both have continued to build high quality bikes that are both light and stiff, but their focus is always on performance and quality of ride – neither are forsaken in the name of weight or stiffness. I’m not saying Felt did forget, in fact their engineers have always been quick to point out to me that there is such a thing as too much lateral stiffness when I say I want the stiffest front triangle I can get, and I’ve found them to be correct (but I still love my F1 Sprint!). What I’m getting at, though, is that the best way to describe the ride of an AR is to say it’s very “Euro” in its geometry and ride.

The AR is not quite as aggressive as the F-Series Felt’s, nor is it as relaxed as the Z-Series. F-Series are long and low up front, sometimes requiring the rider to choose a size smaller than what they think. It’s a quick-steering, very American criterium design that rewards the aggressive rider who likes to accelerate quickly and charge into corners. The Z-Series is a very typical relaxed geometry bike – long wheelbase for sure handling, and a tall head tube for those seeking less aggressive positioning (though you can go low up front if you desire). It’s a highly adaptable bike that many racers prefer in rough road conditions. The AR fits squarely between the two when it comes to fit. The angles are more relaxed than the F bike, but it still offers the rider as aggressive a position as he/she can handle. For me, it rode very comfortably. Fast, for sure, and the bottom bracket really let it accelerate quickly, especially when I got out of the saddle and put in a hard effort. The ride is very smooth, and it's a very sure handler without babying the rider. As I said, very “Euro” in it’s feel on the road, and it’s speed really surprised me because I was used to my F1, which never let’s you forget just how fast you’re going. The AR can really get up and move, but it’s more of a Maserati as opposed to a Lamborghini. In other words, you go fast, but it won’t beat you up doing it. In fact, I really had a hard time with the AR at first because I love my F1 Sprint so much. In the end, I think the Sprint offered me what I need as an overweight rider with a lot of power (I don’t say that in a bragging way, it’s just where I’m at right now. I can hurt you for a few seconds up a short, steep climb, but then I’m toast because I have little fitness), but the AR, I believe, is the better overall bike, and the one I’ll end up with in the end because it’s clearly faster aerodynamically, and a better ride.

So, a lot of words for a fairly simple review. It’s the fastest thing out there and rides really, really nice. What more could you want? Ah, but wait, I do have one complaint that I just can’t let go. Where is the Bayonette fork?!!!!! Seriously, this bike should have that fork as it would be faster and stiffer up front (there I go again with the front triangle thing), and I happen to know it was a matter of contention when the final decision was made on the AR’s design. In fact, I think there’s still a little grumpiness within the corridors of Felt’s headquarters over the final decision to exclude the fork, but my bet is that 2010 will see a Bayonette model…at least I hope so, I have no inside info on that (I do on some other stuff, though - you know, just to tease you a bit).

Feel free to ask any questions. I left a few things out, I’m sure. Hope this helps now that the AR4's are shipping. By the way, the AR1's have been cancelled for 2009. Felt simply can't get the parts.


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## theychosenone (Mar 3, 2006)

Great review for the AR, been waiting for it to arrive for a while (delays galore) while the other brands' 09 models seem to appear right on schedule. 

I digged the AR1's colour scheme, and am sad to hear about its shelving for this year. But I would think if Felt had already produced the AR1 framesets, wouldn't it make sense to just sell them as such without the DI2 components etc..? Do you know if Felt intends to do so in the near future? Thanks!


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## jm3 (Mar 22, 2003)

theychosenone said:


> Great review for the AR, been waiting for it to arrive for a while (delays galore) while the other brands' 09 models seem to appear right on schedule.
> 
> I digged the AR1's colour scheme, and am sad to hear about its shelving for this year. But I would think if Felt had already produced the AR1 framesets, wouldn't it make sense to just sell them as such without the DI2 components etc..? Do you know if Felt intends to do so in the near future? Thanks!


Unfortunately, production never began on the AR1's because Felt simply had their manufacturer change production schedules based on need and availability of parts. So, once they knew they wouldn't get electronic DA as scheduled, they either ramped up more production on bikes in high demand (i.e. the F4), or they moved scheduled production of certain models and sizes up a bit. Once a model has been delayed long enough, I think it becomes apparent that they won't get it to market on time (Felt, for instance, has an extensive, unyielding, and time consuming quality control process), and so production is cancelled.

This scenario will be replayed throughout '09 in many areas of the industry, and consumers should expect inventory to be very tight. In this economy, no one wants to over-manufacture products and be stuck with inventory, nor do dealers want to be sitting on inventory in their stores. The credit crunch has hit everyone hard, and loans for production, for instance, are harder and harder to come by.

Ironically, a Felt engineer brought an F1SL by the other day with the final production version of the DA electronic installed. Really amazing stuff. I was all smiles putting it through it paces - it was clearly more refined than the already great pre-production stuff I'd ridden. Expensive, but very cool.


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## dougcarraway (Mar 18, 2008)

Man, I was just starting to get over the idea of the AR and now you have me thinking about it again. I had gone back to my original (and cheaper) idea which was to get an F4. I was concerned the AR would ride too stiff. And its a bit much bling honestly. But since you're coming from that F1 Sprint (very stiff, yes?), do you think someone like me might have a different idea of the ride quality of the AR having been on nothing but F75's and F4's?

Thanks for the review.

Doug


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## esenkay (Jan 1, 2006)

Any info on if Felt will be offering the AR as a frame only option this year? Would be interested in prices/colour schemes. Thanks.


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## UpStroke (Oct 12, 2008)

Excellent review ! As an old slow guy it's good to know the AR4
has some Z bike geometry in it. I had thought it was more of a 
TT and F bike mixture. :thumbsup:

Joel


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## leetony (Sep 13, 2008)

Is there a difference between the AR2 and AR4 frame, besides the color? Thanks.


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## mile2424 (Jul 17, 2008)

different carbon layup I believe? HM vs UHM...High Modulus vs. Ultra High Modulus


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## theychosenone (Mar 3, 2006)

Hey Jim any news on the AR1 being back in production or framesets being sold now, since Shimano DI2 is seemingly in full production now?

Would love the AR1's frameset but even AR2s and AR4s are taking a long time to arrive in Singapore. 



jm3 said:


> Unfortunately, production never began on the AR1's because Felt simply had their manufacturer change production schedules based on need and availability of parts. So, once they knew they wouldn't get electronic DA as scheduled, they either ramped up more production on bikes in high demand (i.e. the F4), or they moved scheduled production of certain models and sizes up a bit. Once a model has been delayed long enough, I think it becomes apparent that they won't get it to market on time (Felt, for instance, has an extensive, unyielding, and time consuming quality control process), and so production is cancelled.
> 
> This scenario will be replayed throughout '09 in many areas of the industry, and consumers should expect inventory to be very tight. In this economy, no one wants to over-manufacture products and be stuck with inventory, nor do dealers want to be sitting on inventory in their stores. The credit crunch has hit everyone hard, and loans for production, for instance, are harder and harder to come by.
> 
> Ironically, a Felt engineer brought an F1SL by the other day with the final production version of the DA electronic installed. Really amazing stuff. I was all smiles putting it through it paces - it was clearly more refined than the already great pre-production stuff I'd ridden. Expensive, but very cool.


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## Ovid77 (Sep 16, 2009)

HI

i am deciding between the AR4 and F3, any pointers for consideration?


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## Icm76 (Jul 21, 2009)

jm3 said:


> in order to negate the aero advantage the AR gives you, approx 2400 grams of weight would have to be added to the bike to slow it down to equal an average road bike


Question for the Felt rep: the wind tunnel numbers sound really good, but what happens when you put a rider on the bike? The rider must generate a huge amount of turbulence that disrupts the ideal airflow over the frame, so did the wind tunnel test already include a rider in the drag measurement?


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## UpStroke (Oct 12, 2008)

Ovid77 said:


> HI
> 
> i am deciding between the AR4 and F3, any pointers for consideration?



What type of riding do you usually do ?


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## Superdave3T (May 11, 2009)

Icm76 said:


> Question for the Felt rep: the wind tunnel numbers sound really good, but what happens when you put a rider on the bike? The rider must generate a huge amount of turbulence that disrupts the ideal airflow over the frame, so did the wind tunnel test already include a rider in the drag measurement?


In these cases the rider + bike equation is equal to the bike alone. Basically, this means that while the rider provides additional drag, the same rider in the same position adds the same drag to different frames the same amount.

We did do quite a bit of testing with the bike with a rider on it, and the Garmin guys have also used the road frames in their aero testing as well to maximize their performance.


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## Ovid77 (Sep 16, 2009)

UpStroke said:


> What type of riding do you usually do ?


only road cycling. 60-70 miles. i was also evaluating Cervelo S2 (price consideration for the cervelo). so now i am stuck.


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## UpStroke (Oct 12, 2008)

What is your max budget?


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## Ovid77 (Sep 16, 2009)

UpStroke said:


> What is your max budget?


USD3000-USD4000

Currently i am in Singapore. Will be getting the bike in Singapore.


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## colinip (Dec 8, 2008)

Just got my 2009 Felt F1SL and took it for its first spin around Singapore this morning. It has been a lengthly discussion with Bikehaus, the Felt dealer in Singapore and mates as to whether we get an AR or F frame? 

Usual considerations, type of cycling, how often, rider's weight, fitness and size and where one does most of the cycling etc... F is stiffer than the AR and while climbing capabilities are not a decisive issue for Singapore it will be if you cycle elsewhere where there are more significant climbs. We came to the conclusion that with my size and riding position there was very little advantage gained with an AR. Let's face it, a Ferrari no matter how sleek is going to be have the aerodynamics of a brick if it was towing a caravan at the back; which is the case with me. However, due to my weight (104kg) and power (ex-front row rugby player), stiffness and lightness were major criteria and as such F edged the AR.

I have only been cycling for a year and my previous bike was a Malvern Star Oppy Le Mauco (with Dura Ace groupo, FSA seat posts/handle bar, Mavics SL Premiums etc.) The Oppy was a great entry into cycling (a bike that had top end components but a great entry value). Basically we upgraded the Oppy frame to a Felt F1SL and moved the components over. For a newbie like me who is getting more and more addicted to cycling, it is incredible who one notices the huge differences in frames and I for one now appreciate why you guys spend so much time analysing frames and the importance of design, structure and geometry. The same frame spec as the one used by Bradley Wiggins and the Garmin team, money well spent because I would be unlikely to look for or find another frame that would be better for me.


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