Auburn man cycles biking know-how to international success

When the Olympic triathlon competitors began the rush from the turquoise waters of the Aegean to the gleaming racing bikes parked nearby, it was a special moment for Auburn?s Jim Felt. Four of those athletes were riding bikes he designed.The self-taught engineer and founder of Felt Racing began building bikes for close friends a little more than 14 years go. Today Felt is an internationally respected brand selling about 40,000 bikes annually in 35 countries, and used by world-class athletes at the highest levels of competition. Felt, 49, a longtime cyclist and triathlete, saw the wheels of success begin to turn in 1990 when, as a motocross mechanic for Easton Aluminum in Southern California, he was tapped for a special project. It was to design and build a bike for triathlon competitor Paula Newby Fraser who was being sponsored by Easton.Felt jumped at the chance, creating a racing dynamo that Fraser rode to victory in the Hawaii Ironman world championship. ?From that point on, the phone started ringing,? Felt said Thursday.Fraser subsequently won the world title seven more times, each of them riding a Felt Racing bike.In fact, it was Fraser who helped name the company.She was visiting Felt and his wife, Diane, during a fitting for the Ironman-competition bike when he began tossing around ideas for a name for his newly formed company, none of which seemed quite right.?Finally my wife looked at Paula and said ?I?m sick of this. It?s going to be Felt. The bike is going to be black with Felt in white decals. It?s going to look like a Stealth bomber,? And Paula added, ?right, let?s call it the B2,?? Felt said with a smile.The rest is a downhill ride with a good tail wind into biking history. The matte black B2 is still a popular seller. In fact, Felt has one hanging in his workshop. The Felts moved to Auburn in 1994 to be nearer to Diane Felt?s twin sister. In the meantime he took on two partners and moved the company?s headquarters to Bremen, Germany. The U.S. headquarters, Felt USA, is in Lake Forest, Calif. These days, the only bikes Felt personally builds are prototypes and custom products for the athletes his company sponsors. ?We?re known for our athletes,? he said. ?The top two athletes in the world have wanted to ride Felt bikes. We have 140 models sold all over the world. We do everything from training bikes up to $7,000 triathlon bikes.?Among those star cyclists was Australian triathlete Michellie Jones, who took a silver medal in the Sydney Olympic Games. In Athens, Felt riders included ninth-placer triathlon finisher Barb Lindquist as well as Andy Potts, Victor Plata and Doug Freeman; and mountain biker Josh Fleming. ?Right now we sponsor the top road-racing bike team for the United States, the Colavita olive oil professional cycling team,? Felt said. Then there is X-terra circuit star Jamie Whitmore of Elk Grove as well as top-ranked triathletes Craig Walton and Emma Snowsill.Many of them find their way to Auburn, visiting Felt?s residence to be personally fitted for a bike. And they frequently are impressed with what they find here.?A lot of athletes start looking at housing,? he said. ?The climate is ideal. They like to train in elevations. Here, they can train in Auburn at 2,000 feet up to 9,000 in Tahoe.?In fact, this month Felt is building a bike for Snowsill who will compete with it at the Los Angeles Triathlon.He also is looking ahead to some day putting a team into the Tour de France.To keep that competitive marketing edge, he is constantly working to create a faster, stronger, lighter product. ?The bike industry is a lifestyle. You have to love it to be in it,? he said. ?It?s a fast-moving industry. What is out now, six months from now will be replaced by something even better.?He steers clear of the relatively heavy titanium and steel frames, preferring to work with exotic alloys and carbon fiber. He also creates biking gadgetry, such as a carbon fiber water bottle holder that weighs less than 30 grams or about an ounce. It feels like plastic but rivals steel in strength.Felt travels frequently as the company?s marketing spokesman, visiting places all over the world that sell his bikes and most recently going to Japan. Back home, he is working on a prototype time-trial bike, a bar-no-expense project to make it as aerodynamic as possible. But there also are plenty of Felt options for the neighborhood cycling enthusiast. The company has plans to introduce a mountain bike into the U.S. market and soon will offer a new Cruiser line. ?They are the really cool looking bikes they ride at the beach,? Felt said. ?They are one speed, comfortable.?Felt will have 14 models ranging in price from $300 to $600. Locally, a Felt bike is one of two on display outside the Cambria Bicycle Emporium on Highway 49, the official area dealer for the company.Curtis Christiansen, who has worked at Bicycle Emporium for two years, has high regard for the brand.?He gives you a lot of quality product for a low price,? Christiansen said. ?He has the very best geometry for all-around riding. He is the only one who designs and builds his own bike at mass production levels.?Bicycle Emporium?s CBE-Rocknasium cycling team used Felt bikes in competition for two years, with winning results. And having the owner of the company living close by is another plus.?We?re his personal store,? Christiansen said. ?When he needs something, he comes to us.? The Felts, including children JT, 23 and Lauren, 20, enjoy cycling and archery, although these days Jim Felt said he spends more time running. Diane Felt works in marketing for Placer Title and is a member of Rotary.For more information on Felt bikes, visit Web site www.feltracing.com. The Journal?s Gloria Young can be reached at gloriay @goldcountrymedia.com.