First Ride: Felt’s new VR variable road machine

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Felt’s new VR “Variable Road” platform isn’t really a gravel bike but doesn’t fit the typical endurance mold either. It’s as though Felt wanted us to be scratching our heads, wondering where we should be riding this bike — while encouraging us to ride it just about anywhere. The VR frame dimensions are similar to Felt’s previous endurance road platform – the Z Series – but the full bike comes with an adventure-minded component spec that nudges you enthusiastically toward the gravel. We were happy to oblige.

Felt explains the FR as a shift in how cyclists ride: getting off pavement to avoid cars and searching out lesser-traveled dirt and gravel segments. Felt aimed to create a bike that’s just as responsive on the road as it is comfortable off road. And this became clear as we hopped on and took the VR out for a spin through Southern California’s diverse roads through Black Star Canyon.

Hitting the pavement to start, the Shimano Ultegra Di2 equipped VR2 felt comfortable over cracked asphalt and on harsh cement bike paths. The frame itself was engineered to soak up road vibrations through optimal tube shapes like the VR’s seatstays that change from round at the top to flair in the middle and then finned flat at the bottom. These shapes allow for vertical buckling and compliance over rough roads without sacrificing a responsive ride when you want to get up and go.

The VR’s top-tube-chainstay junction is lower on the seatpost than on Felt’s Z Series bikes and this, Felt says, moves the moment of flex in the seatpost above the junction rather than below, thus providing even more vibration absorption. As we left the pavement and hit loose dirt and rocky roads, the VR’s smooth ride was even more noticeable. It wasn’t like riding suspension, but some of …

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