Back in the 80’s, a guy by the name of Jim Felt had been on the Motocross race circuit using his mechanical expertise on several top riders’ motorcycles. MX Racing was his calling, but the hectic lifestyle on the road began to take its physical toll. One day Jim woke up and realized just how out of shape he was, and he soon discovered how bicycles could improve his fitness. Before long, Jim was racing bikes and by 1991 he was hand-crafting his own high-end frames out of his garage. This was the dawn of Felt Bicycles.
Jim continued producing top-quality framesets in small volume over the next several years, always dreaming of taking his brand to the next level. As luck would have it, in 1999 the stars aligned when he teamed-up with Bill Duehring and Michael Muellmann, both bicycle industry veterans, who could help re-launched Felt as the global brand of complete bicycles known today.
Bill Duehring, former VP of GT Bicycles, was then responsible for all product development in the formative years of BMX and the mountain biking/full suspension explosion. Known for his ability to create the finest bikes in the world with the best quality components, and armed with years of experience of building solid and lasting relationships in Asia, he brought his expertise to the table as well as a small group of key employees to join the new team. Michael, his international partner and owner of Sport Import, a top worldwide distribution powerhouse for hugely successful brands like GT and RockShox; completed the triangle by launching the Felt brand into Europe’s largest market, Germany, now our international sales headquarters, handling the needs of nearly 25 countries selling Felt bikes worldwide.
2000 was the first model year for Felt BMX bikes, selling throughout Europe and in other major BMX markets worldwide. In 2003 Felt hired ex-BMX rider Alan Foster to assemble a team to help promote and launch the 2004 BMX line in the USA. Fast forward to 2009, Alan is the Product Manager and today Felt has a solid group of Factory Team, Flow Team and Grass Roots level riders. The USA Factory Team is lead by Park shredder Scotty Cranmer, an amazingly fast AA Pro racer Phil Delizia and a street shredder Josh Betley.
The Felt guys pride themselves in designing their own components and even when it is not a Felt item, it is the best part available on the market. No, we are not a rider-owned company, but our product/design team has more experience making kick-ass bikes than just about anyone.
Felt USA’s main office is located in Irvine, Southern California, and is where the designers, engineers and product managers take on their goal:
“To design, develop, and deliver the best bicycles in the world. Period.” |
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