At the heart of Felt is a genuine love of speed. The man behind the name, Jim Felt, made a name for himself in motocross as one of the ace mechanics for Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha. It was in supporting one of the stars of motocross, Johnny OMara The O-Show that Felt built his first frame, a time trial/triathlon frame for OMara. Felt's first successes in cycling came before he had a name for his company. OMara was racing in triathlons to stay fit for motocross. Today the training makes great sense, but back in 1989 the idea seemed crazy. That year Felt built a frame for OMara who, in 1990, won the California State Championship in the time trial. Felt was a pretty decent age grouper and finished third at the Budlight Triathlon in Barstow.