Special lighter-weight sprint machines for Garmin-Transitions
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Even the 3T ARX-Team stem gets custom team-only graphics.(Image credit: James Huang)
Felt uses one-piece alloy dropouts for its F1, which it says are lighter and stronger than pivoting styles but much more expensive as each frame size requires unique forgings.(Image credit: James Huang)
While consumer F1s get carbon fork tips, team frameset get machined alloy tips with more precise tolerances (and no safety tabs) for quicker wheel changes.(Image credit: James Huang)
Mavic's Cosmic Carbone Ultimate wheels have proven highly versatile with their modest aero profile, excellent stiffness and light weight.(Image credit: James Huang)
Garmin-Transitions sprinter Tyler Farrar has had a rough start to this year's Tour de France but is recovering from early injuries and coudl grab a stage win before Paris.(Image credit: James Huang)
The Felt F1 uses a straight 1 1/8" front end but its successor is set to use a tapered one instead.(Image credit: James Huang)
The rear Mavic Cosmic Carbone Ultimate's carbon fibre spokes feature threaded steel ends on the non-driveside to allow for truing.(Image credit: James Huang)
Farrar's Shimano Dura-Ace pedals bear noticeable scars.(Image credit: James Huang)
As far as we can tell, Farrar is the only rider in the peloton to use fi'zi:k's Pav(Image credit: James Huang)
The offset seat cluster provides the anchor point for the 27.2mm-diameter seatpost.(Image credit: James Huang)
The rear derailleur is mounted to a stout replaceable hanger.(Image credit: James Huang)
Garmin team bikes feature AceCo K-Edge chain watchers.(Image credit: James Huang)
The cranks feature a unique extra-stiff outer chainring that yields noticeably improved shifting over its predecessor.(Image credit: James Huang)
Farrar runs the Shimano Dura-Ace levers high on the ergonomic-bend bars.(Image credit: James Huang)
Carbon fibre barrels adjusters make for quick and convenient on-the-fly adjustments while the rubber frame protectors also provide another place for a logo.(Image credit: James Huang)
Hidden within the seat tube-chain stay joint is a central rib that helps add stiffness.(Image credit: James Huang)
The Dura-Ace calipers are fitted with Shimano's latest carbon-specific blocks.(Image credit: James Huang)
Team mechanics leave a lot of room between the brake pads and rim on Farrar's bike to account for wheel flex when sprinting.(Image credit: James Huang)
Hollow-core Arundel Mandible bottle cages are lightweight yet hold bottles securely.(Image credit: James Huang)
The four largest cogs are titanium to help save weight.(Image credit: James Huang)
Most top-level road mechanics send their riders off with greased chains when there's a chance of wet weather.(Image credit: James Huang)
Farrar's Edge 500 computer displays just the essentials: distance, elapsed time, and speed.(Image credit: James Huang)
The rear end of the Felt F1 is tight and tidy.(Image credit: James Huang)
Felt's consumer catalogue lists two variants for its F1 carbon road racer flagship: the sub-900g F1 SL and the 300g-heavier, but much stiffer, F1 Sprint. For Garmin-Transitions sprinter Tyler Farrar and the rest of the squad, though, there's just the one 'Team Edition' model that blends aspects of both into a single frame.
Felt road product manager Dave Koesel says the team-only frames are built with a "beef/chicken" hybrid lay-up with characteristics taken from both F1 versions. Though company director of research and development Jeff Soucek says the team edition frame "costs a bunch more to make", he says the end result is a frame that weighs just 1,000g but offers the same stiffness as the consumer-edition Sprint, albeit with a little less crash durability.
The other major difference between team bikes and consumer models is the fork. Garmin-Transitions forks use the same carbon blades, crown, and steerer as the standard version but sub in alloy tips instead of the usual carbon fibre ones - not for issues of weight or durability but rather speed (and not in the way you'd think).
"We use alloy dropouts on the team's F1s so we can CNC machine the tips without lawyer tabs and have them all 100 percent exactly the same width so the quick releases can be preset for the fastest possible wheel change," said Koesel.
"The compression moulded carbon dropouts are lighter, but there is a slightly greater tolerance on the width and they have moulded in lawyer tabs. The team puts up with the heavier alloy fork tips as most of them are still at 6.8kg and they'd rather have the two-to five seconds saved on wheel changes.
"They want them perfect, so we machine them to a 0.002" thickness tolerance. We then provide a couple of sets of alloy machined dropouts wired together that the team uses to set up the skewers on the support car. When it's time, they can just slam them in, lock and go."
Otherwise, the rest of Farrar's machine is a decidedly standard setup. Shimano provides most of the running gear with its full Dura-Ace 7900 mechanical drivetrain, brakes, Dual Control levers, and pedals; rolling stock comes courtesy of Mavic's versatile Cosmic Carbone Ultimate wheels and Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubulars; 3T provides its bar, stem, and seatpost; and Farrar continues to soldier on on his preferred fi'zi:k Pavé CX saddle.
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Additional bits include Ceramicspeed bearings in the bottom bracket cups, a pair of Arundel Mandible carbon bottle cages, an AceCo K-Edge chain watcher, and Garmin's latest Edge 500 GPS-enabled computer.
Even under a strong sprinter like Farrar, total bike weight is still just 7.07kg as pictured.
Complete bike specifications
Frame: Felt F1 Team Edition, size 56cm Fork: Felt 1.1 Headset: FSA Orbit integrated Stem: 3T ARX Team, 120mm x -6° Handlebars: 3T Ergonova Pro, 44cm (c-c) Tape/grips: fi'zi:k dual:tape Front brake: Shimano Dura-Ace BR-7900 w/ carbon-specific pads Rear brake: Shimano Dura-Ace BR-7900 w/ carbon-specific pads Brake levers: Shimano Dura-Ace STI Dual Control ST-7900 Front derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace FD-7900-F Rear derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace RD-7900-SS Shift levers: Shimano Dura-Ace STI Dual Control ST-7900 Cassette: Shimano Dura-Ace CS-7900, 11-25T Chain: Shimano Dura-Ace CN-7900 Crankset: Shimano Dura-Ace FC-7900, 175mm, 53/39T Bottom bracket: Shimano SM-BB7900 w/ Ceramicspeed bearings Pedals: Shimano Dura-Ace SPD-SL PD-7810 Wheelset: Mavic Cosmic Carbone Ultimate Front tyre: Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular, 23mm Rear tyre: Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular, 23mm Saddle: fi'zi:k Pavé CX Seat post: 3T Dorico Team Bottle cages: Arundel Mandible (2x) Computer: Garmin Edge 500 Other accessories: AceCo K-Edge chain watcher
Critical measurements
Rider's height: 1.83m (6'0") Rider's weight: 74kg (163lb) Saddle height, from BB (c-t): 760mm Seat tube length, c-t: 560mm Seat tube length, c-c: 522mm Tip of saddle nose to C of bars (next to stem): 587mm Saddle-to-bar drop (vertical): 90mm Head tube length: 140mm Top tube length: 560mm Total bicycle weight: 7.07kg (15.59lb)
