Felt Compulsion 4 2009 Mountain Bike

Product code: 127766

The Felt Compulsion 4 2009 Mountain Bike is the ultimate in all terrain mountain biking. It offers nearly 6 inches of terrain-neutralizing suspension, while maintaining incredible pedaling efficiency, making it a mountain-eating machine.

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Felt Compulsion 4

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For 2009 the Compulsion is lighter, stronger and stiffer. They reduced the weight of every model by nearly 2 pounds. They increased the bikes strength by replacing the forgings, links and bolts with new wider mounts, which also resulted in an increase in stiffness to help the bike track more positively over any terrain. New hydroform tubes also make the front triangle stiffer and stronger. Cartridge bearings keep suspension travel smooth and play-free. They have changed the pivot axles to a new custom thru-shaft for improved durability and strength.

Frame:: Felt Equilink "Aggressive trail/All Mountain" Full Suspension, 7005 Double-Butted Aluminum with Hydroform Toptube & Alloy Seat And Chainstays 150mm travel, 45mm Integrated Head Tube, Replaceable Derailleur Hanger, Disc-Brake Specific Compatible with Felt ISCG Mount
Rear Shock:: Fox Float R XV Air 7.875 x 2.25, Pro Pedal, Rebound Adjust, 220 Grams
Fork:: Marzocchi XC 44 LO 100-120-140mm Lock LO Air PL Lock Out Fix Rebound Air Preload 32 MM XC casting Cromoly steerer tube, Post style disc mount
Front Derailleur:: Shimano Deore FD-M531 Dual pull, Bottom swing
Rear Derailleur:: Shimano SLX RD-M662 "SHADOW" Top-Normal Version
Shifters:: Shimano Deore SL-M530 Rapidfire Plus 27-Speed
Chainset:: Truvativ Blaze 3.0 3-Piece Crank w/Howitzer M15 Axle Interface for External Bearing BB, Cold Forged Aluminum
Chainrings:: 44/32/22 Tooth chainrings
Bottom Bracket:: Truvativ Howitzer M15 Cr-Mo Axle with External Bearings
Cassette:: Sram PC-950(9-Speed) 11-32 tooth range
Chain:: Sram PC-951 (9-Speed)
Front Brake:: Shimano Hydraulic BR-M486 Twin Piston Caliper design, Organic pads, Rotors: 180mm
Rear Brake:: Shimano Hydraulic BR-M486 Twin Piston Caliper design, Organic pads, Rotors: 160mm
Brake Levers:: Shimano Hydraulic BL-M486
Handlebars:: Felt XAM All Mountain Handlebar Butted Oversize 6061 Aluminum, 31.8mm clamp diameter, 25mm Rise, 8 degree bend with 4 degree sweep, Width: 680mm
Stem:: Felt All Mountain stem, 3D Forged Alloy, 4-bolt design, 31.8 Bar Bore. Sizes 100mm
Headset:: Integrated 1-1/8 inch Aheadset--Cane Creek Type 45 Degree Sealed Cartridge Bearing, with Alloy Laser Top Cap, Custom Curved 1 x 15mm + 2 x 5mm Straight Washers
Grips:: Felt AM Grip Custom "Lock-On" Design with Alloy Ends Single-Density Extra-Soft & Sticky Durometer, 130mm Length, 30mm OD
Rims:: WTB Speed-disc All Mountain Disc Doublewall Aluminum, 26 x 1.5 x 32H, 26mm Width, Safety seal bead, Presta Valve, Black Anodized, with Single Eyelets, 505 Grams, with WTB Decal
Front Hub:: Shimano HB-RM65 with CenterLock, 32 hole, with Quick Release
Rear Hub:: Shimano FH-RM65 8/9 Speed Cassette with CenterLock, 32 hole, with Quick Release
Spokes:: Sandblast Black Stainless 14G, Brass Nipples
Front Tyre:: Felt XAM Mountain tire, Aggressive All Mountain High Void tread design, XXX Traction Compound, 60 tpi case with wire bead, 26 x 2.6
Rear Tyre:: Felt XAM Mountain tire, Aggressive All Mountain High Void tread design, XXX Traction Compound, 60 tpi case with wire bead, 26 x 2.6
Tubes:: Presta valve Inner Tubes
Saddle:: Felt XAM Saddle Wide Nose, Broad flat rear with soft tissue relief channel. Rear "Jewel Safe" crush zone, Kevlar protected edges, Stitch free top, smooth leg chafe protection. 7mm Rails
Seatpost:: Felt Alloy All Mountain Micro-Adjust, 100% Black, 6061 Low-Profile Forged Head & Extruded Rail Clamps, 30.9x350mm
Seat Binder:: Felt QR Seat Clamp Cold Forged + CNC, 6061 Aluminum 34.9mm
Weight:: Approx. 32.88lbs (14.91kg) for the 17 Inch Size. (PLEASE NOTE: Weight is approximate and is provided by Evans Cycles as a guide only, actual weight may vary due to manufacturing processes and other factors)

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Customer Reviews

FeltFelt Compulsion 4 2009 Mountain Bike

Overall rating

4.5 / 5

6 out of 6(100%)customers recommend this product.

(6 reviews)

6 For 2009 the Compulsion is lighter, stronger and stiffer. They reduced the weight of every model by nearly 2 pounds. They increased the bikes strength by replacing the forgings, links and bolts with new wider mounts, which also resulted in an increase in stiffness to help the bike track more positively over any terrain. New hydroform tubes also make the front triangle stiffer and stronger. Cartridge bearings keep suspension travel smooth and play-free. They have changed the pivot axles to a new custom thru-shaft for improved durability and strength.

Overall rating

4.5 / 5

6 out of 6(100%)customers recommend this product.

(6 reviews)

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Ratings summary

Overall rating

4.5 / 5

6 out of 6(100%)customers recommend this product.

(6 reviews)

Product Reviews

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Overall rating

5 / 5

arpswetman

from Corby

Age:45-54

Style:Mountain Biking

Experience:Regular

Gender:Male

Top 1000 contributor
Social Answering Subscriber

Great bike, great price

PostedJune 10, 2010

Yes, I recommend this product.

Pros: Comfortable, Lightweight, Good value, Good quality

This bike was a replacement for my treasured Claud Butler Spectre and what a great replacement. Nice to ride very light and feels like it could handle everything you should throw at it. The only issue is the gears didn't work correctly on delivery.

+4points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

perks1074

from Scotland, Central Belt

Age:35-44

Style:Mountain Biking

Experience:Expert

Gender:Male

Never FELT Better

PostedApril 11, 2010

Yes, I recommend this product.

Pros: Good value, Good quality, Comfortable, Lightweight, Looks great

I upgraded to the Compulsion in December, after coming from a Scott Yecora which I had had for some years.
I have purposely left the review until now, as I wanted to get a true feel for the bike and its capabilities before putting my conclusions down in writing.
I recently got involved back into MTBing after a couple of years road cycling, and it was a work colleague how had invited me on some local trails with him, and that was it..........I was bitten with the MTB bug.
So for the first two months I was using the Scott, but as my interest and off road capabilities grew, I out grew the Scott. It was time to upgrade.
I had £1000 to spend on a new MTB and it had to be a full suspension type, so as to grow with my newly found capabilities and interest.
After much deliberation on the choice of chariot, I managed to reach a short list of three possible bikes.
1. Pinnacle Cascade 1.0
2. Trek Fuel EX5.5
3. Felt Compulsion 4

With the three bikes short listed, I excitedly ventured down to my nearest store in Glasgow in the hope that I would find my ideal trail mate.
The store luckily had all three models in at my time of visit, so I was delighted with the comparisons that I could make then and there.
At this point I would like to add that its all well and good looking at bikes on the website, but you really need to visit the store to get a proper feel for the bike that you have your eye on, Its also a good idea to call the store first to see if the relevant choices are in stock or if the store will have to ship them in for inspection from other stores or the warehouse.

I'll be quite honest and say, that when I clapped eyes on the Compulsion, I couldn’t see myself leaving the store with anything else in the price range that I was willing to spend.
First impressions were of a sturdy, well built and robust frame with a different, if not somewhat strange suspension set up at the rear, the equilink system.
This system has proved itself untold times on climbs, as it reduces suspension bob at the rear to almost zero, so the frame behaves with great similarity to that of a hard tail on the climbs, but its when you turn around and come back down the hill that the equilink system, shows what it can do by soaking up all that you can throw at it, from table tops to double humps to drop offs, this system has not faltered and I can honestly say I have full confidence in the surefootedness of the ride over varying terrain. To say I am very impressed with it would be an understatement.
The suspension set up on the frame as a whole is well set out and inspires confidence in the rider to push that little bit further on every ride, but also allows for endurance all day riding with no aches or pains at the end of the day.
The marzocchi 44's are a great entry level fork that suits the set up of the frame almost ideally, especially as the forks have the lock out function for climbs. For all mountain riding or extreme cross country, these forks will suffice as there is plenty of travel from the 140mm stanchions and the plushness of the operation is noticeable as you soak up all but the largest of obstacles that a downhill trail can produce, but because this bike is not geared towards that type of riding, the forks are more than suitable and compliment the frame geometry and rear suspension with a feeling of completeness, but when its time for you to move up a stage when drop offs and downhill riding are on the schedule more often than not, then I can only recommend upgrading to a larger fork travel, as I already have. I now run this bike on a set of 888 RC3 World Cups wound down to 160mm for all climbs and most downhill’s. What this has done is raise the front end of the bike and I now feel that the bikes geometry has changed to a more sure footed ride and a more aggressive stanced track bike.
That said though, I will be changing them again soon for a set of Fox 36's with 160mm travel.
I suppose what can be ascertained from my constant changing of components is that the equilink frame can lend itself to most MTB disciplines easily just by changing certain drive and front end components. I cannot see me out growing the frame as I feel that it is a superbly designed piece of engineering which Felt can feel justifiably proud with.

Right, on to components and drive train now then:-
Lets start with the brakes then, after coming from, dare I say it..... 'vee' brakes and dodgy tektro mechanical rotor brakes, these factory fitted brakes are the best stoppers that I have come across thus far, but that said, with my capabilities and confidence growing on each outing I am now running a 203mm front rotor with SLX callipers on the front and rear. Only because I damaged the front calliper on a ride and had to purchase new callipers, and I thought that It would be a good excuse to upgrade the parts being fitted.
The brakes are easy to service and bleed, with the levers providing an ample amount of resistance when the pressure is applied.

The Truvativ drive system is adequate and has posed no problems as yet, the same can also be said of the SRAM cassette and chain. After each ride this year because of the riding/weather conditions I have found myself giving the bike a thorough service after each ride and all I can say is that the drive system is showing no signs of wear up to this point.
The gearing system is adequate with deore shifters and front mech with an SLX rear mech providing sure fire gear changes every time.
I have no inclination to change any of these parts until they are in need of replacement, and that is when I will upgrade them to a higher standard, but as they are at the moment, they will continue to provide a no hassle workable gearing and drive system in all conditions.

The wheel set has held up well and were showing no signs of damage before I replaced them with a set of Bontrager Big Earls, which is a testament to the makers as I have really been pushing the boundaries when riding. Whether it be trail riding, down hilling or concrete fun parks these wheels have seen some hard hits but always came up true.
The only reason that I changed to the Bonty's was because when I fitted the 888's I had to fit a wheel set with a 20mm through axle.
With the fork and wheel set combination fitted this bike feels like it can roll, jump or tackle anything that the trail can throw at it.

If it sounds like I'm singing the bikes praises a bit too much, then wait a minute, as there is one small issue.
The only issue that I have found that required addressed almost immediately, was the FELT tyre choice that came fitted with the bike. Although the tyres were grippy enough on varying terrain on the climbs and downhill’s in a variety of weather conditions, I found that when attacking berms at speed, the tyre walls were not stiff enough to keep the bike planted and I spent a lot of time on berms with the wheels giving way from under me. This is as much to do with my aggressive riding style and the incorrect tyre for what I need the bike for.
I now roll on Maxxis High Roller 2.5 Down hillers for the uplift days and Continental Gravity 2.3's for normal XC and trail riding, which I must say, both sets of tyres keep the bike planted and inspire confidence in the bikes and my own capabilities.

I suppose what I’m trying to say is that this is a fantastic entry level full susser with dependable, well engineered and robust frame to upgrade as and when required.
It is light enough to ride all day on the ups and is a dependable player on the way back down.
I had used felt bikes before when I was road riding, but wasn’t' 100% sure if they could make the transition over to mountain bikes, what I can say on this matter is that FELT have made a tremendous chariot which can cope with every thing that you can give it and still want more.
The frame is a great building block to upgrade and modify the riding discipline as and when the rider sees fit.
As a complete unit, the purchaser should be more than happy with the purchase, especially as it is on sale for less than the RRP.

All in all, great bike, comfy ride, sure footed, light enough to ride all day, inspires confidence whatever your MTB riding discipline and looks good too.

+14points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

BikeDoggs

from South East

Age:25-34

Style:Mountain Biking

Experience:Regular

Gender:Male

New toy, new Joy

PostedMarch 23, 2010

Yes, I recommend this product.

Pros: Good value, Good quality, Comfortable, Looks great

Cons: Heavy, cheap thin inner tubes, prester valves

Since I bought the bike 4 weeks ago I have done almost 100 Miles, mostly along the South downs. I have been very impressed with the bike so far, as soon as I got on it I felt (no pun intended) comfortable and in complete control, on the first ride I went down a decent faster than I ever did on my old Kona Kikapu.

The ride is very smooth, the suspension absorbs pretty much anything you throw at it, only downside it takes quite a bit to tweaking with pressures to get the feel right, but that might just be me!

The gears & shifters are great, as with any new bike they do what they are supposed to! But the shifters are the same as I had on my old Kikapu, after 5 years of neglect they were still going strong, so I will expect these on the new bike to do the same service.

The frame and the general build of the bike feels very good, I don't think I would ever have to worry about the strength of the frame, but you do pay for this strength, this bike is not light, but that is to be expected for a full suspension bike, with this amount of travel. The extra wide handle bars also contribute to the extra feel of control.

This bike has renewed my love of cycling, I have been out at every chance I could, and shall carry on doing so.

+5points

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Overall rating

4 / 5

randolph

from Berkshire

Age:35-44

Style:Mountain Biking

Experience:Regular

Gender:Male

Great value but a few flaws!

PostedFebruary 1, 2010

Yes, I recommend this product.

Pros: Comfortable, Looks great, Good value

I've had my bike since may last year and after a few teething troubles I think it's pretty sorted now.
I experienced regular chainsuck problems with the bike. I returned it to Evans and they were unable to fix the problem. I contacted Felt tech in California who contacted the importer, Saddleback. The bike was taken back and a new bottom bracket and crank fitted. Fixed.

For XC and trail riding the standard setup is fine. The standard shock will be found wanting if you take on bigger jumps and drops. Bottoming out was a regular problem and increasing the psi just made it rebound too hard. A Fox DHX 4.0 Air fixed that issue. Also, the standard stem is a bit too long for more aggressive riding. I found it difficult to shift my weight far enough back on jumps and drops (5.9ft on a medium frame) to stop the bike from landing nose first. A shorter stem was a cheap fix. As was 2 inches off the seat post.

The brakes are adequate and reqular bleeding/topping up keeps them fresh.

Standard tyres have been good in all conditions with no punctures, though a faster rolling tyre may suite more trail focussed riders.
I've had one session of truing up my wheels, which, after a summer of aggressive trail, short downhill runs and a few jumps and drops is pretty good going.

Shifters and mechs have performed flawlessly with cleanlyness and regular lubing is a must.

+4points

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Ref	Option	Availability	Price
127766-21-BLU	Blue, 21 Inch	Discontinued – This size/colour is now sold out and obsolete. We cannot obtain any more from the supplier and it won't return to stock. Discontinued

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Felt Compulsion 4 2009 Mountain Bike

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