Vision F1 vs Vision F1x — Do You Need the Extra X?

By Bill Ryan · Founder of Supercross BMX · Former Technical Editor, BMX Plus Magazine · Designer of 8× Bike of the Year race frames · 37+ years in BMX

Two carbon frames sit next to each other in our lineup. The Vision F1 is $1,995.95. The Vision F1x is $2,399.95. That is $404 between them, and I get asked about that $404 almost every week.

So let me answer it up front. Most riders should buy the F1. A smaller group should buy the F1x, and for that group the $404 is some of the best money they will spend on a bike. Neither one of those statements is a sales pitch. I would rather you be right than upsold, because a rider who buys the correct frame comes back in three years and buys another one.

What the extra $404 actually buys

It is not paint, it is not a decal package, and it is not a different set of features. What changes between the F1 and the F1x is the carbon fiber itself.

The Vision F1 is built with Toray T1100-KS, alongside T700S Nano Alloy Resin in the family. T1100-KS is a next-generation ultra-high-modulus fiber, the same material trusted in Formula 1 chassis. It has phenomenal tensile strength and extreme impact resistance. In plain English: you can pull very hard on it before anything gives, and it takes a hit without letting go.

The Vision F1x is built with Toray M40X and M46X high-modulus fibers, laid up as pre-preg with Nanoalloy resin. Those are the same fibers used by the Red Bull Formula 1 team. The frame is a monocoque, and it is built with a three-times safety margin over the EN BMX standard.

Modulus and tensile strength, without the engineering degree

Two numbers matter with any carbon fiber. Tensile strength is how hard you can pull on the fiber before it breaks. Modulus is how much the fiber resists stretching and bending in the first place. Strength is about surviving the load. Modulus is about not moving under it.

For most of the history of carbon, those two things fought each other. Push modulus up and the fiber got stiffer but more brittle. Push strength up and you gave away stiffness. That trade-off is why so much carbon in the bike world ended up in the middle of the road.

M40X and M46X, paired with Nanoalloy resin, are where that old trade-off stops being a trade-off. You get a frame that is ridiculously stiff and extremely strong at the same time. Maximum power transfer, no wasted weight. That is what your $404 pays for, and it is why the F1x costs what it costs. If you want the full engineering breakdown, it is all in our Carbon Engineering Whitepaper.

What it means at the gate

A frame flexes when a rider loads it. Every frame does. The question is how much load it takes before the flex starts costing you, and whether you personally generate that much load.

The first three cranks out of the gate are where you would feel it. A rider who can put down enough power to work a frame gets that power back on an F1x instead of losing a fraction of it into the structure. Over a 35-second moto that shows up as less energy spent for the same speed. Over a season it shows up as a rider who is not as cooked in the main.

Here is the part nobody wants to say out loud: if you are not generating that kind of load, you are not going to feel the difference, and you are not losing anything by not feeling it. The F1 is already stiffer than the vast majority of frames lined up next to you. It is not the lesser frame. It is a phenomenal race frame that wins races, and I would put my name on it in front of anybody.

The other half of my reasoning on the F1x is longevity. I spent significantly more to build that frame in M40X and M46X, and people questioned it. My answer then is my answer now: the rider goes faster for less energy, and the frame lasts longer for the person who bought it. That may mean we sell fewer replacement frames over a customer's lifetime. I will take that trade every day.

What is identical on both frames

The shared list is longer than the different list. Both frames run internal cable routing, our Flip Chips ($69.95), the Supercross Idler system, and V-brake mounts. Both come out of the same design program and the same 35-year cycling-manufacturing partner. If you are moving from one to the other, your parts move with you.

Sizing works the same way across both, so pick your size the way you always would. Our BMX Frame Sizing Chart walks you through it by rider height and class.

Side by side

When the F1 is the smarter buy

Buy the F1 if you are a novice, intermediate, or expert-class racer. Buy it if you are a strong adult racer who wants a serious carbon bike and races locally and regionally. Buy it if you are stepping off aluminum for the first time, because the jump you are about to feel is the jump from aluminum to carbon, and that is a much bigger step than F1 to F1x.

Buy it if your rider is still growing. A frame they will size out of in two seasons is not where the top-tier fiber belongs.

And buy it if that $404 has somewhere better to be. Race entries, gas money to a national, a set of wheels that are actually round, or a coach for a weekend will all make you faster than a fiber upgrade you cannot yet load. That is not me talking you down to a cheaper product. That is 45 years of watching what actually moves riders up the results sheet.

When the F1x earns its money

Buy the F1x if you are racing elite or pro, or you are an amateur putting down pro-level power in the first three pedal strokes. Buy it if you are chasing tenths at nationals and worlds, where the field is close enough that energy saved on the hill is energy available in the third turn.

Buy it if you are the kind of rider who can get on two bikes back to back and tell me which one is stiffer. Some riders can. If that is you, you already know it, and you will feel the M40X and M46X immediately.

And buy it if you ride a lot and you want the longest service life you can get out of a frame. The F1x is engineered to stay at its best for a long time under a hard rider.

My recommendation

Buy the Vision F1, and put the $404 into a training program, more races, extra practice at your track. Once you are ready for the world of the Elites and are training to be the best, THEN step up to the Vision F1x, as there is not a single BMX frame better on the market. 

That is my honest pick for the large majority of riders reading this. The delta between the two frames is almost exactly the price of the fork, and going full carbon front to back does more for the bike you actually ride than moving up one fiber grade in the frame while leaving the front end alone. You end up with a lighter, better-tracking race bike for effectively the same money.

The exception is the elite and pro rider. If you are racing at that level, buy the F1x and buy the fork. At that point you are not shopping for value, you are shopping for the fastest equipment that exists, and that is the frame I built it to be.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Vision F1 the "entry-level" carbon frame?

No. The F1 is a full carbon racing chassis built with Toray T1100-KS, the same material trusted in Formula 1 chassis. It has phenomenal tensile strength and extreme impact resistance, and it wins races at every level of the sport. We do not build an entry-level carbon frame. The F1 is the frame, and the F1x is the top of the sport.

Will I actually feel the difference between them?

It depends entirely on how much power you put into the frame. Riders with elite-level output will feel the F1x return more of that power out of the gate. Riders who are not yet generating that load usually cannot tell the two apart in a back-to-back test, which is exactly why the F1 is the right frame for most people.

Is the F1x more fragile because it is stiffer?

No. That was true of high-modulus carbon a generation ago, and it is the main reason the industry stayed away from it. M40X and M46X with Nanoalloy resin give you the stiffness without the brittleness, and the F1x is built to a three-times safety margin over the EN BMX standard.

Can I move my parts from one frame to the other?

Yes. Both frames use internal cable routing, our Flip Chips, the Supercross Idler system, and V-brake mounts. Cranks, wheels, bars, and brakes carry straight over.

Which size should I get?

Size the same way on either frame. Start with our BMX Frame Sizing Chart, match it to rider height and race class, and call us if you are between sizes. Getting the size right matters far more than getting the fiber grade right.

My kid is moving up to their first carbon frame. F1 or F1x?

F1. A junior rider gains more from correct sizing, good wheels, and gate time than from a fiber upgrade they are years away from loading. Save the F1x for when they are winning and outgrowing the equipment, not the other way around.

Where can I read the technical detail?

Our Carbon Engineering Whitepaper covers fiber grades, layup, resin systems, and how we test. It is written for people who want the real numbers.

Still not sure? Compare them yourself: Vision F1 and Vision F1x. Or email me and tell me what class you race and what you are riding now, and I will tell you straight which one you need.