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Felt IA 3 or IA 10? What are the differences?
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Need some help and input here. I have a Felt B2R and like it. Reloading a new bike for IMLP this July and wanted to get into another Felt. Unfortunately my LBS no longer carries Felt so need to go elsewhere for info (they're the best tri shop in town so I'll have to see if they'll assemble and fit it for me).
Didn't win the Powerball Lottery last go around so the higher end IA's aren't in play. The IA 3 is where I was leaning but I also see the IA 10 has Di shifters and seems to be pretty similar to the IA 3; and is $1,000 cheaper. Wondering if someone can help me with the differences (beyond the tech info listed on the site; which doesn't seem to show many differences). Also, wheels are not an issue as I have Zipp 808's.
Interested to hear what people's experiences are with each of these bikes and thoughts on which direction to go. Looking for speed and performance in the $5-$7 price range.
Thanks for your input.
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Re: Felt IA 3 or IA 10? What are the differences? [Dakota] [ In reply to ]
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The IA3 has the integrated front end with covered front brake giving less flexibility in changing out the bar setup and has mechanical shifting.

The IA10 has a standard stem so you can put any bar setup you want on it, exposed brake and Di2 shifting. Per the Felt IA thread, because the IA10 comes with the steer tube pre cut the only other stem that you can switch to is the TriRig sigma X. A nice cheap upgrade for this bike is swapping the front brake for the TriRig Omega X.

I've heard the IA3 is more difficult to travel with but have no first hand experience with it. I ride an IA10 and have travelled with it twice with no issues disassembling and reassembling the front end.
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Re: Felt IA 3 or IA 10? What are the differences? [MOPinCO] [ In reply to ]
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Quote:
A nice cheap upgrade for this bike is swapping the front brake for the TriRig Omega X.

I think you're getting less of an aero benefit than you think you are

Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

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Re: Felt IA 3 or IA 10? What are the differences? [Dakota] [ In reply to ]
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Those two bikes are pretty close in price. All of the integrated brakes have major sex appeal...as well, you get a full carbon front end with the IA3. If you can check your ego, I'd opt for going with the IA10.

Since you already have wheels, I think the question to ask is what else do you need? Power meter? Fit? Coaching? I think if your goal is sub $7K...the IA10 gets you a bike that's almost as fast with a bit of room in the budget to add the things that will help you go faster and/or race better.

Regardless of what bike you choose, if you're on the bubble on size...definitely go with the larger one. It's faster. For real.
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Re: Felt IA 3 or IA 10? What are the differences? [Dakota] [ In reply to ]
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I would go with the integrated front end. It looks better and is not that difficult to mess with. I went with the IA4 with integrated front end and switched to Ultegra di2 and had less than 6k in that setup. I already had an 808/900 disc setup for wheels so like your situation, that was a non issue. Either way you go though, a Felt IA in any mode isn't a bad choice.

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Re: Felt IA 3 or IA 10? What are the differences? [Dakota] [ In reply to ]
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I've sold/fit several of both. Some points above were accurate, but things were missed.

IA3 indeed includes a faired brake. It's not a difficult system to adjust, but more time intensive than an open brake. The stem/cockpit is intengrated as well, but very adjustable and is not a limiter in terms of fit ability. And yes, IA3 is mechanical shifting while IA10 is Di2.
But you pay for the Di2 with frame material. The IA10 is a slightly lower grade of carbon. It's still a great material, but it is a step down from the IA3. That means IA3 is stiffer, lighter. The retail difference were the frames each to sell individually is about $1500. The upgraded carbon stiffness would be noticed by a large rider, a powerhouse, or someone looking to eek every watt in performance.

I've worked with both bikes. Both are excellent. The lower grade carbon IA10 still beats just about other tri bikes I've worked with. No problem packing either in a box, but the standard stem of the -10 is a bit easier. The bottom line comes down to mechanical vs Di2 and the frame material.


Brian Grasky
Grasky Endurance: World Championship Triathlon Coaching; Professional Training Camps
RETUL fitter, Biomechanist, USAT Level 3 Coach, USAC Level 2 Coach
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Re: Felt IA 3 or IA 10? What are the differences? [seebritri] [ In reply to ]
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seebritri wrote:
I've sold/fit several of both. Some points above were accurate, but things were missed.

IA3 indeed includes a faired brake. It's not a difficult system to adjust, but more time intensive than an open brake. The stem/cockpit is intengrated as well, but very adjustable and is not a limiter in terms of fit ability. And yes, IA3 is mechanical shifting while IA10 is Di2.
But you pay for the Di2 with frame material. The IA10 is a slightly lower grade of carbon. It's still a great material, but it is a step down from the IA3. That means IA3 is stiffer, lighter. The retail difference were the frames each to sell individually is about $1500. The upgraded carbon stiffness would be noticed by a large rider, a powerhouse, or someone looking to eek every watt in performance.

I've worked with both bikes. Both are excellent. The lower grade carbon IA10 still beats just about other tri bikes I've worked with. No problem packing either in a box, but the standard stem of the -10 is a bit easier. The bottom line comes down to mechanical vs Di2 and the frame material.

Can you elaborate on this? What do you mean by a "lower grade" of carbon? In what way will that tangibly change the ride performance of the bike vs. the "higher grade" carbon? Do you legitimately believe that a 200lb rider will notice the difference over a 150lb rider?
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Re: Felt IA 3 or IA 10? What are the differences? [seebritri] [ In reply to ]
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I have the 2015 FELT IA3 and I confirm what seebritri said (carbon frame quality/ weight/ integrated brakes easy to deal with....) + adamo saddle fits really great.
Last edited by: FlorianNYC: Apr 11, 16 6:18
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Re: Felt IA 3 or IA 10? What are the differences? [Dakota] [ In reply to ]
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Lower stack height on the IA10 could allow a faster position.

---------------------------
''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law
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Re: Felt IA 3 or IA 10? What are the differences? [James Haycraft] [ In reply to ]
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James Haycraft wrote:
Can you elaborate on this? What do you mean by a "lower grade" of carbon? In what way will that tangibly change the ride performance of the bike vs. the "higher grade" carbon? Do you legitimately believe that a 200lb rider will notice the difference over a 150lb rider?

I believe that he does legitimately believes this, but I believe that both IAs have the same stiffness. The IA10 frame is a bit heavier.
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Re: Felt IA 3 or IA 10? What are the differences? [Dakota] [ In reply to ]
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The IA10 has longer and lower geometry, an aero bar that's far more adjustable, and an additional mounting option for the some of the new storage systems that will soon be released. The Trimax front brake on that bike is fantastic and, as Brian pointed out, is testing more aero than the TriRig. Overall, the IAx series bikes are "faster" options than the integrated front end models. It's a no-brainier decision. Hell, I've talked several people out of FRD's in favor of the IA10. It's just a better bike all things considered. Quality of carbon isn't making anyone go faster.

Jim Manton / ERO Sports
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Re: Felt IA 3 or IA 10? What are the differences? [Jim@EROsports] [ In reply to ]
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Jim@EROsports wrote:
The IA10 has longer and lower geometry, an aero bar that's far more adjustable, and an additional mounting option for the some of the new storage systems that will soon be released. The Trimax front brake on that bike is fantastic and, as Brian pointed out, is testing more aero than the TriRig. Overall, the IAx series bikes are "faster" options than the integrated front end models. It's a no-brainier decision. Hell, I've talked several people out of FRD's in favor of the IA10. It's just a better bike all things considered. Quality of carbon isn't making anyone go faster.
All good to hear! I've been riding my IA14 for a couple of weeks now and I'm very happy so far. The only niggle is the Calpac and that's similar on both bikes, in fact IIRC it's had a slight update which makes the version on the IAx bikes better - though I still think it's not good enough.
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Re: Felt IA 3 or IA 10? What are the differences? [Jim@EROsports] [ In reply to ]
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Jim@EROsports wrote:
The Trimax front brake on that bike is fantastic and, as Brian pointed out, is testing more aero than the TriRig. .


Wow, that's a pretty bold statement. I have the Trimax brake on my IA16. I got it from someone who "upgraded" to the Tririg on their IA10. How much difference is there?

---------------------------
''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law
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Re: Felt IA 3 or IA 10? What are the differences? [Sweeney] [ In reply to ]
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I want to test them both out on more frames before releasing numbers. It's not huge, and they're both good brakes, but for $90 msrp, that Vision is a good deal.

Jim Manton / ERO Sports
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Re: Felt IA 3 or IA 10? What are the differences? [Ai_1] [ In reply to ]
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Ai_1 wrote:
The only niggle is the Calpac and that's similar on both bikes, in fact IIRC it's had a slight update which makes the version on the IAx bikes better - though I still think it's not good enough.

Seems to be somewhat more useful if you put a Shiv hydration bladder in it.
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Re: Felt IA 3 or IA 10? What are the differences? [desert dude] [ In reply to ]
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Can you point me to where the Vision brake was tested against the Omega X?
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Re: Felt IA 3 or IA 10? What are the differences? [Jim@EROsports] [ In reply to ]
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How much does the brake cable stick out into the wind, if one uses a brake that isn't a center pull? The Trimax looks to go out to the side somewhat vs. the tririg. I'm considering both of these frames at the moment too and was leaning towards the integrated front end, vs. tririg bar, stem and brakes to keep it tidy. not sure what other bar options there are to keep it that clean.
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Re: Felt IA 3 or IA 10? What are the differences? [jeremyebrock] [ In reply to ]
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jeremyebrock wrote:
How much does the brake cable stick out into the wind, if one uses a brake that isn't a center pull? The Trimax looks to go out to the side somewhat vs. the tririg. I'm considering both of these frames at the moment too and was leaning towards the integrated front end, vs. tririg bar, stem and brakes to keep it tidy. not sure what other bar options there are to keep it that clean.

Funny you should mention this as we just did some specific testing of the TriRig vs. the Trimax over the weekend, but before I address that, the reason I would lean toward an IAx series bike over the other IA's is the adjustability of the front end. On average, your position stands to be more aero on the IAx bikes over the original IA design because you can angle your forearms, and I suspect that would make a larger difference than the integrated front end. You can always install a Dagger stem and your own aero bar on the original IA and achieve the same position. We're also coming up with a "fix" for the stock Felt Bayonette bar to achieve angle on that as well.

For front brakes, I had seen a few tests where the Trimax brake tested a little better than the TriRig, but only by a watt or two at most. Recently, I looked deeper at the test runs, and saw some flaws in the protocols and questioned the results. I'm still not finished, and need to test the brakes on one more bike, but I think you're safe with the TriRig. Both are better than a "standard" brake (we used an FSA), but the results we're seeing are repeatable and noteworthy. I'll put something together in the next two weeks and publish the data for everyone. We'll also be doing some tests in the wind tunnel for yaw. So far, we've tested on an IA10 and a Cervelo P3. JShanney, who has posted on this thread, was one of our test riders and did an amazing job repeating multiple runs.

To me, the above shows why there should be a standardized method of testing and reporting of aero data. We'll be addressing this in the coming weeks with an idea we have that we believe will have a significant impact on the industry.

Jim Manton / ERO Sports
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Re: Felt IA 3 or IA 10? What are the differences? [Jim@EROsports] [ In reply to ]
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Does the 110/-16 deg Dagger stem work on the IAx frames as well?
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Re: Felt IA 3 or IA 10? What are the differences? [jeremyebrock] [ In reply to ]
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It works (and is just as heavy!).
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Re: Felt IA 3 or IA 10? What are the differences? [Jim@EROsports] [ In reply to ]
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Jim@EROsports wrote:
Both are better than a "standard" brake (we used an FSA), but the results we're seeing are repeatable and noteworthy...
You wouldn't happen to know how the Magura RT8 calipers compare with the Trimax or OmegaX would you?
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Re: Felt IA 3 or IA 10? What are the differences? [gtstang02] [ In reply to ]
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that......is sweet.

I shall never misuse Rex Kwon Do
I shall be a champion of freedom and justice
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Re: Felt IA 3 or IA 10? What are the differences? [MOPinCO] [ In reply to ]
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Sorry for bumping this but as I'm looking for an IA frame I'm forced to ask you this: How is the weight between both frames different? They're all sames as far as I know, perhaps there may be 100gr difference depending on which brake integration you own.
The frameset itself (without handlebar) is 3.1/3.2 kg. Add the handlebar and the aerobars and it's up to 3.8/4.05 kg.

It's mentioned in FeltBicycle.

Perhaps the former IA frames come with lighter handlebar and stem, but in term of compatibility you're quite limited, and you can't just swap the stem/caliper of your choice.

I mean I love the brake cover feature that the FRD has for example, but if I can't even exchange some of the parts installed on my IA14, there is no point for me to afford this frame. I think going an IA10 sounds like a wise choice since it's has bigger upgrade options, like the tririg stuff.

Regards
Last edited by: MrBuli: Nov 19, 19 3:00
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Re: Felt IA 3 or IA 10? What are the differences? [MrBuli] [ In reply to ]
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The IAxx cockpit does weight a freakin' ton. I replaced mine with an Alpha X and carbon extensions, and that cut just the cockpit weight by 424g.
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Re: Felt IA 3 or IA 10? What are the differences? [exxxviii] [ In reply to ]
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That is what I plan to do with my Felt IA. I'm first going to upgrade the wheels because mines weight 3.4 kg which is crazy heavy :D
If you bought the IA 10/14/16 with basic Devox 30A wheels then we have the same issue!
Anyways yes, my handlebar is quite heavy, it's the also Devox one, steel.

The bike alone weights 6.5 kg without the wheels, so I believe I can easily gain 1.5 kg, but I don't want to go very low on weight for inertia...
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