This weeks Bike of the Week is the incredibly stunning Felt AR Advanced. Fitted with a 12 Speed Shimano Ultegra Di2 groupset the bike is designed to deliver aero efficiency and is the perfect carbon road bike or even triathlon bike. We take a deeper look at the design of the bike and how it rides.
Built around Felt’s UHC Advanced + Textreme Carbon frameset, every inch of the frameset is designed with aero in mind. From the deep headtube and fork at the front, to the aero-optimised seatpost at the rear, it is certainly one wind-cheating carbon road bike. Add to this the Pro Vibe Aero bar with neatly integrated cables every watt-saving possibility has been thought about and included. It not only looks a fast bike when stood still, when you swing a leg over and start pedaling, you can feel the eagerness to get up to speed.
Complimenting the bicycle frame design, the wheelset has also been carefully chosen and the Reynolds AR58 DB add an extra element of speed. With a deep-section carbon rim that is both wide and tubeless ready, the wheels easily pick up speed when the pedals start turning and maintain it. They also sound fantastic both when pedaling hard and free-wheeling. The grip is provided by German giants, Continental and the Grand Prix SL tyres are a worthy companion to the whole machine.
Of course, we are hugely familiar with the Shimano Ultegra 12 speed Di2 groupset here at Merlin, and are massive fans of the ergonomics and performance that it offers. It is no wonder that it is the most common groupset used on the staff road bikes here. The gearing on offer matches the performance of the bike, being supplied with a semi-Compact 52/36 chainset and a 11-30T cassette. Most riders will find that this combination of gearing is great for both the flats and hills, giving a wide-range of ratios that are suitable for pretty much all circumstances. Braking of course is fully hydraulic and the rotors are the correct RT-MT800 ones that match the groupset – no cost savings here from Felt. Winner!
Getting out on the bike on the usual circuit around Rivington, the Felt AR Advanced Ultegra Di2 was a dream to ride and whilst not riding with any sort of aero measuring devices or my usual 4iiii power meter, I could definitely feel the difference in terms of acceleration and the ease of being able to hold speed. When the tarmac went up, the bike still performed excellent and climbed with ease.
In all, spending some time with the Felt was fantastic and one that I would fully recommend to anyone looking for a bike that they want to go out and ride quickly. Whilst obviously a bike with racing pedigree, it is also one that you could happily ride for longer rides at a fast pace and head somewhere such as the Alps.
Find out more about the Felt AR Advanced Ultegra Di2 Carbon Road bike here.
Read our blog on why you should choose an Ultegra groupset here.
