Felt Launches the Edict XC Race Bike

The 2011 Felt Bicycles MTB lineup is headlined by the all-new full carbon XC machine, the Edict. With the goal of making the world’s fastest and most efficient XC-racer, Felt engineers went back to the drawing board to fill this gap in their bike lineup.

At the heart of the Edict is the new Felt Active Stay Technology (FAST) suspension platform with 100mm of travel. Instead of adapting the proven Equilink system, Felt believes the FAST system will provide the right ride characteristics that XC-racers demand. While many will say it’s just another single-pivot design, digging into the details reveals more than that.

The unified seat and chainstays are built to be neutral while the suspension is in its proper sag point. So, unlike other designs, the stays act like leaf springs to keep the suspension at that critical spot — instead of fully open. The resulting design helps the rider tackle tough terrain while maintaining efficiency. Here’s a little more detail on the FAST rear triangle design:

The stays are designed to be neutral (in their natural shape) at the “sag point” because that’s where the bike typically rests under rider weight. The shock spring is supplemented by the design and material of the rear stay, which acts as a leaf spring, stiffening the latter part of the suspension travel. The slight additional spring provided by the carbon stay helps keep the suspension sitting at the proper sag point, which reduces small inputs from the rider that would cause unwanted bobbing from the suspension. So in other words, when a rider (of average weight for “X” size bike) is sitting on the bike the rear triangle is resting neutral, un-sprung.

While the Edict is Felt’s first carbon fiber full-suspension frame, there’s little doubt that they have serious expertise in the material. That being said, I’m going to have to reserve judgment on the FAST system until I get some ride time, but on paper it looks phenomenal. With a decidedly-racy 71-degree head angle, the Edict looks to carve up XC race courses with abandon.

This full-carbon beauty will be available in two trim-levels for 2011 — both with fairly hefty price tags. The high-zoot Edict LTD comes with full SRAM XX and Mavic Crossmax SLR wheels ($8999) while the Edict Pro sports a full Shimano XT group and wheels ($5499).