A bike so ugly only the designer could love it.

 It even fulling integrated like most of the other new super bikes.

Yikes. I feel some crazy superbikes still look good, but it's easy to go over the line. This one seems like it went over the line...

what race was this at?

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https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

IM 70.3 Switzerland. Check IM Europe IG stories... it is still up. She won.

Here's another shot...damn that thing is ugly. It better be fast.

Everything old is new again


QR 1999 Redstone

I’m getting some ceepo vibes in the ass end of that thing

The only thing about the design that is really out there is the top tube, but it certainly has a huge impact on the overall impression of the bike. Other than that, it's not that radical.

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Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
Instagram • Facebook

Someone has to have drawn a fast-ugly graph... and this definitely doesn't sit on the correct side of it, unless it travels mach 7 on 200 watts

New concept tri bike that looks nuts…annnnnddddd and afterthought torpedo BTA bottle tacked on the front that makes it look a little less modern.

Not radical, just exceptionally fugly.

like a ventum with a downtube.

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https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

And apparently without the integrated hydration? It has the looks without the hydration. The worst of both worlds!

good point. if you're going to have that huge harley-style 'gas tank,' put a 2L bladder in there!

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https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

The dogpiling is most impressive. I like that it does away with the draft box and simply has storage integrated into the fairing. Way better design solution. The white triangle in the top tube storage area makes it look like multiple tubes. I wonder if they have a better paint scheme in mind for the final product. That top tube design offers huge storage potential. This looks like a win and potential speedy design that checks a lot of boxes.

Now we know why Rinny left Felt.......

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Let food be thy medicine...

OMG, I LOVE IT!!!

Jeroen

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Owner at TRIPRO, The Netherlands

Top tube got so much scoliosis, it's practically a step-through.

If the top tube and rear fairing made a continuous line like the Omni, it would look 100x better. That and get rid of the raised seat collar. It looks terrible on every bike that has it.

That was exactly my thought process... like one of those easy rider bikes.... It is just odd looking. I really don't understand how some bike companies cannot fuse together form, function and aesthetics... it really isn't that hard.

Reminds me a bit of the old Spesh Transition.

Man, that thing IS ugly. Will be interesting to see who goes out to get one since I'd hope they wouldn't produce something that looks like that unless it tests well.

Replying to another poster...
no it DOES NOT look like the old specialized transition. Don't insult that bike! Haha.

I think I could get over that goofy looking bento box, but that seat post and portion over the rear wheel is just deal breaking ugly. I suppose I should be more appreciative since I'm having fits getting everything packed into my BTSPAC storage box, but I'm not sure it's worth the ugly fee.

Ha, yeah I know, fond memories of the spesh transition which shouldn't be sullied by comparison with this foul lovechild of bike, hyena and that traitor from 300.

Just the curve along the upper part of the top tube (top fuselage?) that caught my eye.



Cheers, Rich.

Fugly? Hells yes.

But it looks like it has some potential to be pretty fast. First Felt bike in probably a decade that made me think hmmmmm it might have some top tier potential.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

Is that really anything new, for any tri bike produced in the past 10 years? Thought it was already shown that aero-wise, all these frames are pretty much splitting hairs.

Functionally I'm sure its fine, like every other frame. Its just ugly as hell.

More pics:

https://www.finisherpix.com/en/photos/3884/1

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blog

the IA was quite quick

Is the current IA not top tier? Rinny and Ryf won a bunch of titles on one.

Though as someone else noted - aren’t we already approaching the asymptote of peak aero?

I pray it looks better in person......I have an IA-10 from 2015 and I love that bike. I was looking at new bikes and I really like the PX series (which tbh grew on me) this bike ...I can't..I just can't....

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"see the world as it is not as you want it to be"

be nice! it was my best effort at the time ;-)

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

The front end looks less like a transition, and more like a beach cruiser to me.

Well, since it's out there...

This bike was supposed to be released in 2020 as a 2021 model. I believe it will be officially released at Kona in October. I've heard, though could be mistaken, that the camel hump is, well, a camel's hump...integrated hydration. Don't forget, Ryf is an Xlab athlete, so would be using the Torpedo anyway. Interesting that there are two aerobar pedestals instead of one monopost. I guess it was about 2 years ago that I first heard of this bike, and was told there was quite a bit of tilt adjustment built in. We'll see, though I notice Daniella has some tilt now.

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Jim Manton / ERO Sports

1. Jan and Ryf could win a race on any bike. Doesn't mean it's faster than something else. They would've won by a larger margin on a PX. Their wins just mean the bike isn't a parachute.

2. Peak aero means gains are hard but losses are easy. Brands can still very easily make slow bikes.

Don’t disagree with #1. Was more just illustrating that the current IA isn’t a parachute.

And agreed. Which means that frame is probably pretty fast. I’m just not convinced it’s more than marginally faster, than at all.

Funny how the default response to anything slightly different in the triathlon world is 'Omg that thing is ugly'..

Thank goodness the rest of the world isn't so boring

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My goodness, they sure plastered their name all over that bike.

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The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.

It was cool back in the day to remove the IZ on your helmet so it said “Special Ed”

Fun times! I always marvel (shakes head) at the things I used to find amusing.

Maurice

Yeah, seems a bit inspired by the kids chopper bike with fuel tank

Today I got to see the pictures amd to be honest it looks much better then at it did at first glance at pics with Ryf.
Might be quite fast since we did some tests on closing the gap between top tube and riders body last year when I was working for Ku Cycle. I’m not sure if the camel hump is still hydration, will hear tomorrow. On the pics I got to see it looked like a storage unit niw.

I think this is one of those bikes that you have to see more and need to grow on a lot of people, like what happened with the P3X/PX.P5X models.

Jeroen

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Owner at TRIPRO, The Netherlands

Josh Amberger left too. Felt is F*ct.
Their sale will plunge and I bet other bike manufacturers are like ‘Hell yeah!!’ when they saw this bike. It’s one of the ugliest out there. Companies learn hard way. For example, BMW is not selling ones with Hitler mustache front end. People’s money goes somewhere else, not to you. Companies make stupid decisions and this is a big one.

I doubt Rinny and Josh ‘left’ Felt…..I think it is Felt that chose to part from them:-).

Really, this nike has to grow on you. I have seen pics today, different paint jobs and actually looks awesome.
And your reaction was as we saw many off when the P5X was released and now we see quite a bit of those P5X/P3X/PX in transition areas.

Jeroen

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Owner at TRIPRO, The Netherlands

Agreed, although the rest of the world is sometimes just as boring....sometimes.
To be honest, a good percentage of the time, after these initial "Ugh, it's so fugly!" responses as people get used to an appearance, their views change. That's the problem with fashion - it's rooted in fickle subjectivity and consensus without basis. Not a good place to find objective improvements.
More often than not elegant functionality is where enduring "beauty" is born. When the aesthetics are not the result of some functional purpose, they tend not to age so well.

I don't see anything terribly offensive about this bike. From an aesthetic point of view, I would rather the top of the top tube were aligned with the rear wheel fairing to produce a sweeping line across the top of the bike from front to back, interrupted only by the seat tube, however, I would not put form ahead of function, and if the structure and/or aerodynamics are better as shown, then so be it.

Perception is also based on retail price.

I am a P3X owner. It wasn't on my radar and didn't really appeal looks wise until it was reduced by 30% at my local shop. I now love it. It's a phenomenal bike and I appreciate the design that went into it, and it only ever gets compliments at races.

If Felt undercut some of the other top brands in price then it will be a lot more appealing to a lot of people.

I own a elderly Felt DA and love it but I have to say if someone gave me one of those I would literally just give it back.

If someone gave you one of this new bike?
Why?

And why do you love the DA?

i'm wondering whether the polarising looks are specific to ryf's smaller size.
Braden Currie is no giant but his doesn't look much different. on the whole though i think a bit more normal version of the PXs, whatever you think of them...

this shot also clarifies that the camel's hump is just that with a straw visible. i wouldn't rule it off my list based on the little we know, though that huge seatpost looks like it would make for a rough ride, especially compared to the shiv disc which looks much like the tarmac seatpost

It looks awful. Like a whale, or something, I dunno.

I just don't get how a design team can come up with something like that. It surely is -not- some newly designed shape that magically trumped everything else in the wind tunnel....

Felt had already updated their IA's with discs, they didn't really need a new design. They could have simply taken the IA disc and added internal storage instead of the box, and maybe an easier to adjust handlebar.

I don't know. I had a negative initial reaction to the cosmetics, but this thing is growing on me.

I like where Felt's heads are at. Attempting something, just like they did with the first IA.

Looks like batman ordered a bike.

It really all comes down to the paint job. I’ve seen the paint jobs where they are going to launch it in and you will see that is is really a cool looking bike with the right paint job. It changes the whole dynamic of the bike looks.

Jeroen

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Owner at TRIPRO, The Netherlands

I'll be honest, watching Daniela yesterday, I just had the feeling in my bones that it was slow.

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

Should have named it the Felt Qustimodo.

And just like quasimodo, it'll still NOT be considered good looking in 200 years time - sometimes ugly really is just ugly, irrespective of fashion.

(Can't quite decide if it's worse than the Ku or not. I've seen that in the flesh with a distractingly gopping paint job... Still looked it was drawn by a 6 year old with no sense of proportion or perspective.

 


That i can’t tell/ haven’t seem anything on data yet.

Jeroen

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Owner at TRIPRO, The Netherlands

I wouldn't worry about the comfort aspect based on that seat post. It's been used in da, IA and ad models for almost a decade now. It's 2 'legs' of carbon joined at the top where the saddle rail clamp assembly is and there are rubber inserts that sit between the two legs. The idea is that they can move and flex independently and deal with road buzz. Works well on the current IA and my old ar.