Jul 28, 2015
article & images by Nick Salazar
Engineers » Felt engineer Anton Petrov is one of Felt's top modelers, shown here with the CAD file of the new IA. Petrov tells us that the CAD model for the frame alone is built from over 2500 surface features. It would be fewer, but the inside surface is modeled separately (so Felt can finely control wall thickness everywhere on the frame). And that's just for the first size - much of that work must be repeated for the other sizes.
We've written before about Felt's headquarters in Irvine, California. But the company continues to impress with the real depth of their engineering and design prowess. This year at their annual media presentation, they worked hard to communicate a bit more about exactly how they design bikes, and the brain power that goes into that process. What they had to say wasn't just something I think my readers will enjoy; it's stuff that I think is important to this industry. Felt is a company doing things right. They're pushing our industry forward to ever-higher echelons of performance, and it's a beautiful thing to see firsthand. Enjoy this gallery of the inside scoop at Felt HQ.
Engineers 
Felt engineer Anton Petrov is one of Felt's top modelers, shown here with the CAD file of the new IA. Petrov tells us that the CAD model for the frame alone is built from over 2500 surface features. It would be fewer, but the inside surface is modeled separately (so Felt can finely control wall thickness everywhere on the frame). And that's just for the first size - much of that work must be repeated for the other sizes.
Prototypes 
From 3D prints to CNC machined parts, to full carbon models, Felt does a huge amount of prototyping work in-house
Testing 
Felt has a robust testing facility in house, with customized tools and fixtures to ensure standards compliance during development of a product.
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Three years ago, Felt launched an all-new platform in the IA that has become a huge success. We finally got the chance to build up one of our own, and this is the result.
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Many readers have asked us about the compatibility of our Alpha X bars with the Felt IA bike. Yes, it fits like a glove, for both the new IAx and original IA frames!
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The latest version of Felt's Kona-winning superbike now comes at an even lower cost, with standard interfaces on the brakes, bars, and stem.
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Felt HQ is always a cool place to visit, with little gems everywhere. Here, we detail Mirinda Carfrae's Kona-winning ride and two Felt employees' unique IA's.
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