Mountain Biking - Felt Mountain Bikes?

I'm a roadie who has a tremendous amount of product devotion to Felt. After tooling around on a low-end Trek for a few years, I upgraded to a mid-performance Felt and have had nothing but good things to say about the bike and the customer support for a year now.

That being said, I wanted to know if Felt's small line of mountain bikes had any "trail" cred. Their low-end bike has an MSRP of $1149, according to the web site. Here are the general specs (taken from http://www.feltracing.com/06/06_mtb/rxc/index.html):

FRAME:
Felt proprietary Superlight 7000 Series Aluminum Tubing / Felt Exclusive Carbon Fiber Seatstays, Cold Forged Dropouts, Replaceable Derailleur Hanger, Semi-Integrated Head Tube

FORK:
RockShox J3 Magnesium w/Lockout, 80mm Travel

GROUP:
Shimano XT Rear Derailleur; LX Front Derailleur, Deore Rapid Fire Shifters, Hubs, Cassette, & V-Brakes

WHEELSET:
Alex Doublewall 32H Rims, Shimano Deore Hubs, 15G Black Stainless Spokes, Hutchinson Bulldog Folding-Bead Tires 26 x 2.1

COMPONENTS:
Truvativ Firex SX Giga-X-Pipe 2-Piece Crankset w/External Bearings, Butted 6061 Aluminum Handlebar, 4-Bolt Cold-Forged Aluminum Stem, Felt Form Sport Saddle

WEIGHT:
25.1 lbs (17.5”)

FINISH:
Red

SIZES:
15.5, 17.5,19.5, 21.5

M.S.R.P.:
$1149

Dear CR,
I actually own a Felt Mountain bike and I have nothing but good things to tell about it. As a matter of fact, I own the 2004 equivalent to the one you posted, mine is called the EPO while the newer models are called RXC (Racing Cross Country?). It is lightweight, great components, great performance... and great value for the money.

Ricardo

my friend has it and it's dam light.

Bang for buck they aren't very good. But in terms of weight, very good.

If you have the cash, and you like the felt, go for it. That said, you could probably get more bike for your dollar with another brand.

Bang for buck they aren't very good. But in terms of weight, very good.

If you have the cash, and you like the felt, go for it. That said, you could probably get more bike for your dollar with another brand.

It actually looks like a pretty good value on an entry level XC racer to me with the exception of the fork. It's set up is not that different than a Gary Fisher Big Sur priced at $1,500. Putting a J3 on an LX/XT equiped bike with a nice frame does seem a little strange, though.

the component group seems to be lacking for $1149.. I would think it would come with some mechanical disc brakes for that.

I would also expect a better wheelset and shifters too.

Its not a bad bike i dont think, just expensive for what you're getting....although the frame sounds interesting with the carbon seat stays.

Thanks for all of the help.

BTW, my original link didn't work...here is the pic of the bike:

http://www.feltracing.com/06/06_mtb/rxc/index.html

as for cred, maybe in europe. not here. carbon/aluminum bikes are heavier than aluminum bikes, and are more suseptible to crash damage. carbon bars, seat post, ok, stays, on a mtn bike, bad

carbon/aluminum bikes are heavier than aluminum bikes, and are more suseptible to crash damage. carbon bars, seat post, ok, stays, on a mtn bike, bad

How's that? I'd feel safer with carbon seat stays than with a carbon bar or seat post. At least they won't impale me when they break. Carbon is a great material when done right. This is an XC race type bike, not a jumper. It would probably hold up very well if ridden within it's intented purposes.

I couldnt disagree more. I think Felt Mountain bikes are among the best bang for buck. I dont know in the US but where I live you get a lot more from Felt than other brands. The real price is usually WAAY below the MSRP. Lightweight components, ultra light frame and great drivetrain.


Ricardo