Fezzari Designs Bikes in Lindon, Utah

By Tyler Servoss —

You may be aware that Specialized and some of the larger bicycle companies have strong Utah ties, but did you know that Lindon, Utah boasts a company that creates a brand of high end bikes as well?

Fezzari is a unique brand and company that has been created by cyclists for cyclists. The bicycles are value priced, designed and tested here in Utah, and then custom fit to each rider with a 23 point fit system. Virtually all bicycle manufactures have an Asian connection and Fezzari is no different. When the bikes are dialed-in, they are manufactured in Taiwan, in a factory devoted exclusively to Fezzari.

Fezzari marketing manager Tyler Cloward says “All of our engineering, designing, final assembly, graphics, anything that has to do with the business end of it takes place right here. We do all of our final assembly, we bring all of our bikes in and we go through and custom build every bike right here. We do all of our engineering and designing here and we have our factory in Taiwan, it’s our guys, our factory that we build all of our bikes in. “

“90% of what we do is through the internet. We sell all over the world. People will get on our website. We are a bicycle manufacturer who sells online, instead of an online company who sells bikes. We have opened up the show room for Utah customers and for others that are passing through and want to come see what we are about. “

The vision for the company began over eight years ago when the company founder was seeking to create a high quality bicycle option at a lower price point, by cutting out the middle man and becoming a manufacturer.

Bikes started popping up in Costco’s around the country, light years ahead of the typical big box store Schwinns and Mongoose’s. They offered both road and mountain bikes off the rack as well at special Fezzari shows that traveled from Costco to Costco. The business model eventually evolved away from Costco to a direct to consumer approach via fezzari.com. The next progression in the model came about when an opportunity arose to renovate a former feed store in Lindon into an in-house bike shop, with space for offices and warehousing. The current location gives Fezzari owners, as well as owners of other brands, another option for repairs and service in Utah County. The shop has a full range of accessories you would expect in a bike shop, such as clothing, helmets, tubes, energy food, etc.

An added bonus for local buyers of Fezzari bicycles is the ability to bring their machines in for 1 full year of free tune-ups. This service is also available for customers outside Utah, but requires that the client ship the bike to Fezzari.

The Fezzari bicycle lineup features the carbon framed Fore CR5 road bike ($4495 MSRP), full-suspension Abajo Peak mountain bike ($1,395 MSRP) and 801 freeride bike ($899 MSRP). The full line can be seen at fezzari.com

Bike Review

I recently had the opportunity to review Fezzari’s best road machine-the Fore CR5. The bicycle features the proprietary Fezzari Racing Design XR5 3K monocoque carbon frame at a claimed frame weight of 900 grams.  The Fezzari website describes the frame this way; “We used the highest grade of carbon available on the market. We made it even stiffer laterally by enlarging the bottom bracket shell and strengthening the headtube. But it’s even softer vertically for a smooth ride even on cobblestones”. The frame’s finish is a combination of clear gloss, showing off the carbon beneath, crisp paint and unique graphics including a Fezzari logo running up the fork and onto the head tube.

The component package features the flawless Shimano Dura-Ace 7900 drive train, FSA K-Force Light carbon crankset, Fezzari XrT 3K carbon fork with carbon steerer tube, FSA K-Force shallow drop carbon bars, and 3K carbon seat post.

At 15.1 pounds the Fezzari felt incredibly light and nimble. The frame is stiff under high torque such as climbing in a low gear or sprinting, with a small amount of side-to-side bottom bracket flex.  I tested a small with a 53 cm seat tube and 53.5 top tube. I found the cockpit to be a bit short for my liking. This was easily remedied by switching the standard 90 mm stem for a 100 mm which Fezzari graciously provided. This issue would have certainly been avoided had I taken advantage of Fezzari’s free 23 point Custom Setup service which fits the stem, bars and other components to rider.

My test bike was well built, perfectly tuned and ready to ride. From the first ride I was impressed with how crisp the shifting was. The Fezzari shifted with zero hesitation. The 10 speed cassette and compact gearing (50/34T up front 12-27T rear cassette) always left me with a gear or two to drop into on the big climbs. The new Dura-Ace hoods and canted levers are a great improvement, offering a wider variety of hand positions and a firm grip.

The Mavic Ksyrium SL wheels are light and stayed true after several hundred miles of riding. I did have an issue with the cones loosening on the front wheel after a few hundred miles, but was easily remedied with a cone wrench.

The bike cornered very nicely. I was able to dive into and pedal through tight corners with a decent amount of clearance and hold a line with ease.  The frame was comfortable over over long rides. It was supple and dampened the road vibration significantly.

The CR5 is on the level with other high end carbon bikes and provides a great value for the price and a great option for a bicycle that is a product of Utah.