Felt Breed 20 - Bike Ideas

17 replies · 7,420 views

djj8
29 posts
#1Aug 27, 2018, 9:19 AMedited
In the market for a new gravel bike and I saw Felt released the new aluminum Breed gravel bike a few days ago. There are only two bikes in the series with the Breed 20 ($2500) being at the top. The 20 is nicely equipped with a SRAM Force drivetrain. Curious if anyone has experience on an aluminum framed Felt or has any thoughts (positive or negative) on Felt in general?

Thanks for any insight!
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brando
47 posts
#2Aug 27, 2018, 6:14 PM
No personal experience with alloy Felt...buuuuut I'm going to comment anyway!

This is the first alloy production frame I have noticed with a T47 bottom bracket. Maybe I'm just not paying attention, but that is cool. Also, double bottle mounts on the inside of the downtube and no mounts on the underside, slightly different than "standard".

Between this and Cannondale Topstone that was just released, there really seem to be lots of options in the entry-mid level aluminum bikes now: Kona Rove NRB, Fuji Jari, Salsa Journeyman, Trek Checkpoint, Specialized Diverge etc. I will say that the Diverge is a little different with the geometry, and maybe there are other important differences I'm overlooking, but it seems the big makers are sort of converging on a central, "standard" gravel road bike (nothing terribly unique or fancy, but checking a lot of the same, important boxes).

Will watch this thread, thanks for pointing out the new bike.

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Noonievut
165 posts
#3Aug 27, 2018, 8:41 PMedited
I previously had an aluminium Felt cx bike. It was very comfortable. I think tires (volume and psi) make the biggest difference in comfort though.
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GOTA
61 posts
#4Sep 3, 2018, 5:32 AMedited
Felt focuses on racing. They even made cruiser bikes designed to race. I know they were bought out about 2 years ago by Rossignol but I don't think that focus has changed. I haven't read about the Breed but if I were to guess it's a gravel racing bike like the Salsa Warbird.

I've owned a carbon Felt endurance road bike in the past. They build quality bikes with great technology. They had a carbon fiber that was beyond my price but I read in Velo News was advanced enough that the airline industry wanted to use it in their products. They were also the first large bike company to use ultra-compact cranks for their endurance bikes. Felt is always pushing interesting tech into their designs.
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Rusty Frame
18 posts
#5Sep 3, 2018, 8:53 PM
Ride a 2014 Felt V-85. (No longer made) Only criticism is the lack of rear tire clearance (40 max). Welds & finish very good. Being an old (71) heavy guy (250), I replaced the 11-32 cogs with a SRAM 11-36 and the compact crankset with a FSA 46-30. The Breed 30 with it's greater tire clearance, lower gears hydraulic brakes is definitely a better gravel bike than the old V series... I prefer the double chainring (and price) over the Breed 20.
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cabopc
17 posts
#6Sep 14, 2018, 8:12 AM
I don’t have experience with the Breed model but I have experience with Felt bikes. I had an alloy Felt road bike and it was fantastic. I’m in the market for a gravel bike, I like the Felt brand and my LBS carries them so I’m very seriously considering purchasing the Breed 30. It checks all the right boxes for me: 650B with big tire clearance, Shimano components, a dual chain ring (I don’t want 1x), and a nice price.
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Niner8807
9 posts
#7Sep 16, 2018, 10:38 AM
For that amount of money, I’d maybe consider looking into a few other options like the Trek Checkpoint, Giant Revolt Advanced, Niner RLT9 Steel or last year’s RDO (carbon), Salsa Warbird. Depends on if you want certain qualities in a bike. I look for comfort and clearance but also a snappy tie if I need it to be, which is why I have a TCX Advanced. Granted, it can fit 43mm tires easy, so I get the best of both worlds.
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cabopc
17 posts
#8Oct 24, 2018, 4:26 PM
Sounds great but for some reason I can't see the photos.
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edub
5 posts
#9Oct 24, 2018, 6:36 PMedited

Breed 20 (61cm frame), Son28-15 Hub, front and rear light, planet bike fenders, axiom rack, candy1 pedals, tubeless

Weight with Candy 1 pedals and fenders is 23.96lb (w/tubes).
Without the pedals and fenders it was 22.13lb (w/tubes). Tubeless makes it like .3lb lighter.

Front fender mount gave me a bit of trouble, because its low to clear the brake piston, I ended up cutting the fender brace into one piece instead of two to give me the length I needed to mount the fender.

Rear rack mount is integrated into the seatpost. Rear fender mount is a cross piece on the chainstay top tube.

Rear rack eyelet screws in vertically, into the chainstay knuckle. I haven't seen this before. The eyelet ends up supporting the rack and equipment. Generally speaking, screws have a high tensile strength but I'm more concerned that the aluminum threading in the knuckle will hold up to jarring over time. I'm sure this was considered in the design, I just don't know anything about it.

This is a 61cm with a SON28-15 and BluntSS wheel, https://www.axiomgear.com/products/racks/streamliner-racks/streamliner-disc-dlx/ rack, and some lights.

I snapped a couple photos of tire clearance - tbh its hard to snap a good photo with the tire mounted. TLDR is 1cm either side on the rear and 8-9mm up front (my front wheel is a slightly wider (26.6MM Blunt SS) than the stock wheel (21mm).

Not sure what else I can add that isn't objective opinion. I'm happy with the bike and its use so far.

I would have loved a carbon frame, but given my commute - it didn't seem responsible to subject a carbon frame to trains/ferry/bus and other commuter bikes jostling it.
cabopc
17 posts
#10Oct 24, 2018, 7:35 PM
The pictures work now. I love what you did with it. You've really multi-purposed this bike. I checked one out in the shop the other day and now I have to have it. Mine will be mostly a straight gravel rig. I plan to use the same pedals.
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Zurichman
1,526 posts
#11Oct 24, 2018, 10:08 PMedited
Niner8807 wrote:For that amount of money, I’d maybe consider looking into a few other options like the Trek Checkpoint, Giant Revolt Advanced, Niner RLT9 Steel or last year’s RDO (carbon), Salsa Warbird. Depends on if you want certain qualities in a bike. I look for comfort and clearance but also a snappy tie if I need it to be, which is why I have a TCX Advanced. Granted, it can fit 43mm tires easy, so I get the best of both worlds.

Niner8807 What would last year's RDO(CARBON) go for?

Curious
Zman
0
fastonflats
12 posts
#12Oct 25, 2018, 11:28 AM
I noticed on the rear rack mounts that it looks like the eye-bolts that support the rear rack are missing the lock nut. The eye-bolt should be threaded into the dropout, then the lock nut tightened to secure the eye-bolt in place. This will help support the bolt and the threads in the dropout, especially since the bracket design places a lot of load on the bolt.

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jpleclerc
1 posts
#13Oct 31, 2018, 2:07 PMedited
Just bought one...
size 54, just need to slam and cut the stem now

I have a Argon 18 Krypton GF which is an endurance/gravel bike but 2x and max 32mm tires...wanted a pur gravel grinder rig for racing!
Like the frame, the look, components (force 1x, 650b) & price point

cheers
1
fastonflats
12 posts
#14Nov 1, 2018, 3:32 AM
jpleclerc wrote:Just bought one...
size 54, just need to slam and cut the stem now

FELT uses a 20mm nylon cone spacer in addition to the 1-10mm and 2-5mm spacers below the stem. You can remove just the spacers, or remove the cone spacer to really slam the stem. There is a 4.5mm headset top cap below the cone spacer, so you can get pretty low if you want.
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cabopc
17 posts
#15Nov 10, 2018, 1:28 PM
I gave my new Felt Breed 30 a shakedown ride yesterday and in a word - fun! I went with the Breed 30 instead of the 20 because I wanted a double crank, I trust and know Shimano 105, and $2000 was what I wanted to spend. I rode it 33 miles through a flat area that had a mix of pavement, fine gravel, chunky gravel, dirt, grass, rooty doubletrack, and sand. On pavement this bike feels like a road bike, albeit a road bike that you can bunny hop and ride over parking stops. Yes I have to put forth more effort to hold the Breed at the speeds of my road bike but it was smooth and impressive nonetheless. I definitely see myself using this bike on the road more than I thought I would. It will replace my townie and also be used for rambling, goof-off road rides where I’m simply out for fun. But I bought the Breed for fast gravel rides and that’s where it shines. It was surprisingly plush on the gravel, dirt and grass. The 47c tires pumped to 30-35 psi provide a lot of suspension. The super cushy handlebar tape helps too. I wasn’t expecting such a comfortable ride. On the rooty double track I definitely felt the hits and I had to get out of the saddle a lot. But Palmetto roots are rough on a mountain bike too so no disappointment there. In the sugar sand the going was rough. But only a fat bike is “good” in sugar sand. In addition to providing a lot of cushion, the WTB Byways were stable. They gripped really well except on dry, loose turns where I had to slow down and be a little more cautious. Every tire is going to be a compromise in certain conditions but these tires do a admirable job of being a do-it-all tire.
My mtb is 27.5 so I’m used to that size wheel and along with the cross-compatibility, that was part of the appeal of the Breed. On gravel I think this is the way to go. With 650b I have more stability and control so I don’t see myself changing to 700c on this bike. So far I haven’t made any changes except to set it up tubeless and install Crank Brothers Candy 1 pedals. However, I am considering some changes but want to test the bike out a while longer. I might swap out the more mtb-oriented Prologo Nago X10 T2.0 saddle for my road saddle the Fizik Antares. Also, the spacer stack is pretty high and it has a 100mm stem which puts me more upright than I’m used to. It’s kind of nice that way and I like the added control but I might remove a spacer and try a 110mm stem and see how it feels to be more stretched out.
The Breed comes with all sorts of mounts for racks, fenders, bottle cages, and a direct mount top tube bag. This is all very cool but to be honest I’ll probably never use any of it except for the top tube bag. I’m eyeing a Oveja Negra Snack Pack. That being said, it’s nice to know that if I ever wanted to try bikepacking the Breed 30 would be more than suitable.
I’ll update this post after I’ve owned and ridden the bike some more but my initial impressions are obviously very favorable. I think Felt has a winner with the Breed. It checked all the right boxes for me; 650b with massive tire clearance, Shimano components, a T47 BB (very cool to see a major brand spec’ng this). Sure I’d like a carbon frame but for a bike I won’t ride that often I didn’t want to move up to the carbon price point. And last but not least this bike just looks cool. The glossy black and glittery green paint pops in the sun.
https://www.strava.com/activities/1955558566
Th1126
1 posts
#16Oct 8, 2019, 9:58 PMedited
Hi! I was wondering where could I find these?

Thanks
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fastonflats
12 posts
#17Oct 11, 2019, 10:54 AM
Th1126 wrote:Hi! I was wondering where could I find these?

Thanks

The eye-bolts should have come in the small parts box, so I would ask your dealer for them. If you are looking for the bolts for another application, google fender eye-bolts and you should find a number of online stores that sell them.
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edub
5 posts
#18Jun 8, 2020, 2:09 PM
Funny, I was here for something else and happened across these updates.
Yeh that would make total sense to have a locknut there! I should have thought about it when I put it together. Hopefully the threads are alright. I put quite a few miles on the bike since this post and haven't had any issues that I've noticed, but I'll go find if the locknuts were included in my parts and put them on. Derp.

Thanks for the heads up
fastonflats wrote:

The eye-bolts should have come in the small parts box, so I would ask your dealer for them. If you are looking for the bolts for another application, google fender eye-bolts and you should find a number of online stores that sell them.
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