At the start of 2017, van Aert’s team sponsors changed to Crelan-Charles and his bike sponsor from Colnago to Felt. Felt is also providing bikes for the Verandas Willems-Crelan pro continental team on the road this year.
F1x frame has front and rear thru-axles and a BB386 bottom bracket shell. At 1.89m tall, van Aert rides a size 55cm frame.
(Image credit: Martin Ohliger)
Van Aert rides Felt’s new F1x frameset. It uses a proprietary carbon fibre called TeXtreme in its construction. Made by a Swedish company, this uses flat carbon fibre tapes instead of round threads, which Felt says allows a higher ratio of fibres to resin for increased stiffness at lower weight.
Frame is designed in California. Van Aert uses SRAM's top spec Red eTap HRD groupset
Van Aert’s F1x has a custom spec including a double ring SRAM Red eTap HRD wireless electronic groupset. Over the last couple of years, almost all pro cyclocross racers have switched to hydraulic disc brakes from cantilevers and van Aert’s bike is no exception.
Zipp 202 Firecrest tubular wheel are shod with A Dugast handmade tubulars
Van Aert uses a Zipp 202 Firecrest tubular wheelset, from another of SRAM’s brands. The wheels are shod with A Dugast handmade tyres. The F1x frameset includes front 15x100mm and rear 12x142mm thru-axles and there’s a press fit BB386 bottom bracket.
Seatpost and cockpit are from Zipp too, while van Aert continues to use a Prologo Scratch 2 saddle, as he did last season. He also continues to use Time’s titanium spindled, carbon bodied ATAC XC12 pedals.
Van Aert won the Belgian national championships in Ostend by almost a minute
(Image credit: Felt Bicycles / Martin Ohliger)
Van Aert claims that his new Felt bike weighs 1.5kg less than his previous ride and he has already notched up some impressive wins, including the Belgian national championship, where he distanced second place Kevin Pawels by almost a minute.
All photos courtesy of Felt Bikes
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Paul started writing for Cycling Weekly in 2015, covering cycling tech, new bikes and product testing. Since then, he’s reviewed hundreds of bikes and thousands of other pieces of cycling equipment for the magazine and the Cycling Weekly website.
He’s been cycling for a lot longer than that though and his travels by bike have taken him all around Europe and to California. He’s been riding gravel since before gravel bikes existed too, riding a cyclocross bike through the Chilterns and along the South Downs.
