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Home > Forum > Triathlon Forum > Ryan DeCook wins '05 X-Terra National on a Felt we built!

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Ryan DeCook wins '05 X-Terra National on a Felt we built!
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Tom Demerly
Oct 11, 05 13:15
Post #1 of 14 (2660 views)
Truthfully, Ryan is an impressive athlete who could win on any properly fitted bike. We were very excited that he won the '05 X-Terra National Championship on a Felt mountain bike that we built. It's a big deal for us.

Ryan said that he actually considered quitting after the difficult swim in Lake Tahoe. That goes to show you how important it can be to carry on in a race when you are demoralized and you feel slow: Chances are your competitors feel the same.

The course favored Ryan since he is such a strong cyclist, and the run at Lake Tahoe X-Terra was so technical with a lot of tough obstacles.

Anyway, our customers seem to have a lot of success on the road so we were pretty excited about this. Also, it was exciting to watch Ryan racing all the local races this season where he was always a dominante force overall. The guy is only 23- this might be a name to watch: Ryan DeCook.
Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com
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Re: Ryan DeCook wins '05 X-Terra National on a Felt we built! [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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cmetri
Oct 11, 05 13:17
Post #2 of 14 (2642 views)
pictures or it isn't real. ;-)
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Re: Ryan DeCook wins '05 X-Terra National on a Felt we built! [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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dustytri
Oct 11, 05 13:21
Post #3 of 14 (2627 views)
Congrats Tom, Sometimes Preperation and perspiration meet expectations!
Push your Passion!
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Re: Ryan DeCook wins '05 X-Terra National on a Felt we built! [cmetri] [ In reply to ]
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Tom Demerly
Oct 11, 05 13:21
Post #4 of 14 (2627 views)
Man, I just heard about it, like, 5 minutes ago from Superdave at Felt Headquarters.
Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com
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Re: Ryan DeCook wins '05 X-Terra National on a Felt we built! [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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dirtrunr
Oct 11, 05 13:22
Post #5 of 14 (2623 views)
Tom, I'm hoping you can help explain this. From what it looks like is advertised, the felt bike that he (and jamie whitmore ) race, is considered an "xterra geometry"? what's the difference between this "special" geometry and a standard mountain bike geometry that you would see on something like a trek or specialized (ignoring bikes like the scott scale, or a gary fisher)?

on a side note, i met ryan decook at the race, and he seemed like a super nice and friendly guy. he certainly kicked my ass out there that day!
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Re: Ryan DeCook wins '05 X-Terra National on a Felt we built! [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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JustJulian
Oct 11, 05 13:26
Post #6 of 14 (2602 views)
Tom, which Felt model was it? Can you explain the "xterra geometry" that was alluded to by the other poster? It seems a very interesting concept.

"How bad can it be?" - SimpleS
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Re: Ryan DeCook wins '05 X-Terra National on a Felt we built! [JulianInEngland] [ In reply to ]
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Tom Demerly
Oct 11, 05 13:35
Post #7 of 14 (2570 views)
I'll be honest with you guys- when you are asking about mountain bike fit, I am not your man. I simply do not know enough about it to offer an informed opinion.

Ryan effectively did his own fitting and tweeked it. A big part of MTB fit is suspension tuning. WE do have a dedicated employee for MTB suspension tuning we call in when we need him. He works full time in the summer.

As for the "X-Terra geometry", soory to disappoint you- but I don't know enough about it to speak knowledgably about it.
Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com
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Re: Ryan DeCook wins '05 X-Terra National on a Felt we built! [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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JustJulian
Oct 11, 05 13:39
Post #8 of 14 (2560 views)
Would that be Seth, you allude to? What model Felt did Ryan ride?

On another issue, I thought you might be pleased to hear that AM Classics replacement freehub body and clutch arrived today.

"How bad can it be?" - SimpleS
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Re: Ryan DeCook wins '05 X-Terra National on a Felt we built! [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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Tai
Oct 11, 05 14:12
Post #9 of 14 (2488 views)
Yeah, Ryan blasted by me on the first long uphill, he needs to work on his swim;) I was hoping to get him on the run but never saw him thanks to me lazy bike. Didn't realize he won his ag, cool, he's a cool guy.
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Re: Ryan DeCook wins '05 X-Terra National on a Felt we built! [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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dirtrunr
Oct 11, 05 14:37
Post #10 of 14 (2427 views)
to satisfy my curiosity, i looked into it a bit more. compared to a trek 8500 (comparable high end aluminum hardtail), the felt frame (the geometries are the same all around) has a shorter top tube, and a shorter wheelbase (these are simply the main measurements i look at with frame sizes)

the shorter wheelbase gives a bike quicker handling, while the shorter top tube will get a rider sitting up a little higher. the head tube angle on both is the same.
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Re: Ryan DeCook wins '05 X-Terra National on a Felt we built! [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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Record10Carbon
Oct 11, 05 14:48
Post #11 of 14 (2403 views)
No disrespect Tom but that title is in tune with the gas stations that have "LUCKY LOTTO SELLER" banners in their windows cause someone got a winning ticket there once.
----------------------------------------------------------

What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?
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Re: Ryan DeCook wins '05 X-Terra National on a Felt we built! [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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Trevor S
Oct 11, 05 15:42
Post #12 of 14 (2324 views)
Ryan is a cool guy. I met him at the Little Smokies HIM in '04! Dude is dedicated! Drove from Michigan to Ohio overnight and slept in the front seat of his car the night before the race. :-) Students. :-) I stayed in the comfortable State Park Lodge. :-) Thankfully he didn't study the bike course map and went off course. Otherwise he would have placed higher. I think he came back this year and won it.
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Re: Ryan DeCook wins '05 X-Terra National on a Felt we built! [Trevor S] [ In reply to ]
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SuperDave
Oct 21, 05 0:45
Post #13 of 14 (2210 views)
Yes he did. He won it on very little run training.

He is truly a nice guy. Honestly he has ruined the opportunity for many other athletes to get sponsorship support from a grass roots level. His countless emails of thanks and race reports are unmatched. He has taken time to talk with other athletes about his Felt. Results notwithstanding, he is the perfect ambassador for a product. Throw in his performances and the bar is set very very high.

Thank you Ryan,

-SD
https://www.kickstarter.com/...bike-for-the-new-era
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Re: Ryan DeCook wins '05 X-Terra National on a Felt we built! [Record10Carbon] [ In reply to ]
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reggiedog
Oct 21, 05 3:12
Post #14 of 14 (2167 views)
Yeah, classic shill post...can't/won't answer question on what model, doesn't mention that it was an AG win (great but not "the" win, rather one of 20 winners), admits that they did little other than supply the parts with a consultant doing the suspension work....wonder if it ws even done anywhere near the time of the race?
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