Best decision of your life to switch to an IA ! You are going to be one happy camper on that, especially with that setup!

My 2 cents:

I am just slightly bigger than you and can say the only negatives I can come up with is the weight and descending. It is a wind sail for sure and on the flats it is tough to beat. It handles well but doesn't descend as good as a Trek SC. It is very comfortable. In terms of travel with your setup it is not too bad (I had same). The calpac wasn't that bad just small, I never got the draft box as I used the QR box instead which is huge. Great bike and great value just a bit beefy and not as nimble as some others, but in terms of bang for buck it is tough to beat.

thanks KTM! No worries on handling - I live in San Diego, so my races are flat and fast. Can't think of one 'descent' on any of my training rides or races here, palm desert or Hawaii.

I went from a Felt B10 (first tri bike) to a 2018 Felt IA16 late last year and have no regrets. I am having an issue with the Felt aerobars staying tight (seemed stable on the last ride so I may have it solved) and I am now considering an upgrade to TriRig, but that is it. I have been struggling with training and I am down 20 watts from my usual spring FTP and yet I finishing common routes faster on this bike. I must admit that my fit is a bit more aggressive than the previous bike so that plays a big role in those lower times, but the bike just simply feels faster than the B10 and I was pretty happy with the B10. Also on a couple short downhill twisty sections the bike is tracking like it is on rails. At first I was very cautious and sat up in those sections when I first got the bike because what people were posting, but it is handling very well while in aero on those sections. I bought the lowest end IA with intention of making some upgrades along the way, but even as it is I really like it.

No regrets

I really love my IA 10, I do. But I do have the regret that I wish I knew then what I knew now about bike equipment in general, not just because it would have saved me time on many races (simple things like wider tires/low psi on rough roads and getting a proper fit) but I would have also saved a lot of money by going for a cheaper bike with some minor upgrades and no electronic shifting (Yes, I love the e-shifting, but it doesn't make me faster). I could be just as slow as I am now with a cheaper bike. I think Kiley's aero bike shoot out helped push that regret along. I would have gotten me a B14 or a Cervelo P2.

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

I have a 2016 IA16 that I completely upgraded. It has the latest Ultegra Di2 R8060 and a Tririg Alpha X cockpit. I absolutely love it. The new Calpac is good. The draft box is good (it has one tube, tire levers, inflator, and multi-tool). I have my CO2 cartridges on my BTS bracket.

I do not have the other leading bikes to compare with, but I love my IA. I am north of 180 lbs., and I have 0 handling issues. I have been hit by some pretty severe side-winds (30+ MPH gusts) and no worries. Friends in the same race were blown into lane marker cones on their bikes. I now have a 90mm front & disc rear, and handling is just as excellent.

Kind of in the same boat. I'm on a B12 and contemplating selling my Cervelo R3 and the B12 and upgrading tri bikes (just don't ride outside enough to keep the road bike anymore). I can make the B12 work, but honestly think it's just a tad small in a 54. I've got a 130 stem on it and am completely slammed and not really all that aggressive. To get any lower, I think I'd have to switch out to smaller cranks to get the saddle up, which is an option. I'm interested in upgrading bikes and the IA is at the front of the list, or upgrade the front end of the B12, but if my position could be better elsewhere, it may be better to start fresh. I just can't find anything that I really want other than the IA and Canyon. And my LBS that I really like is a felt dealer, so it's hard to go Canyon.

I'm 6'6, 34.5 inseam and have an obnoxious X/Y (long with a big drop) but my fitter has been with me for 3 years now, we've talked multiple frames and setups but settled on the Felt IA which I never thought would happen just based on my size, but I am SO comfortable on this bike. I have a 2018 58cm IA10, running SRAM 1x, using the profile design aeria stem with a enve ses cockpit, T4's for my bars. I could f!@#ing sleep in aero it's so comfortable. Rides nice, feels good, performs well. I nearly rant out of seat post though. Using the aeria hydration setup because I couldn't get anything between my arms due to how close together I'm running on this build. Looks a little silly that high over the front wheel but fortunately I don't care.

The box on the back is nice, holds tightly shut, you can get a tube and all your flat change gear in there, 2 tubes isn't happening, at least I couldn't figure out that tetris puzzle. Can't really see it but based on my fit needs, my shop 3d printed a piece that hugs my steer tube to sit completely flush with the frame. I may paint it eventually but from a structure point of view it appears the frame extends up to my stem in oppose to the small tube showing.

From a tall guy to another, IA10 is solid. Proven speed monster of a frame, wide range of fit options.

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Regards,
J. Smith

I just got mine. 2.5 hrs on the road and 1.5 hrs on the trainer. Haven't fully formed my ideas yet, but I can tell you that it's HEAVY compared with my road bikes and the old P3 I had. Candidly I hadn't looked into the weight of the bike versus other tri bikes, and I'm not doing 12k of climbing in one race, but it was noticeable when I picked it up. It could be the P1 pedals I have on it, but I don't think they are that much worse than regular pedals. Of course this is all conjecture, and if I had the energy I could weigh everything and really figure out the differences.

That said, the bike is comfortable, very smooth, as aero as it looks and easy to ride so far. I need to try it with some deep wheels, to really check it out. I'll report back once I've got more saddle time on it.

thanks Island Rider - I hadn't even considered the weight, although I'm not too worried about it based on my geography. But I hear you on the P1s - I didn't realize how heavy they are until I recently traveled with my bike. But I'll take that into consideration.

For the record, I run a rear disc and front 80mm in races.

I'll probably run a rear disc too. I've got some deep tubulars from my road and crit racing days, but I don't know that I want to mess with them on a long course IM.

I'm not sure if I regret it, but when I aero tested my felt ia16 with alpha x vs. my shiv in the same position I was a bit disappointed that they were basically the same.

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Coach of TriForce Triathlon Team

I'm not surprised to hear you say that considering every bike is so close in performance.

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Make Inside Out Sports your next online tri shop! http://www.insideoutsports.com/

No regrets, but the weight of the bike did surprise me - size 58. My previous bike was lighter and seemed to be a bit easier to maneuver up some steep climbs.

Had an IA LTD FRD for 2 years, its a rocket on fast courses, but handles like a truck and climbing with her is one hell of a suffer.

I rode my IA16 in a century with 11K feet of climbing. I survived, and my time was even respectable. I'm not gonna lie, I would have been way happier on a road bike, and I will never repeat that on a tri bike. But, the weight of my bike was definitely not a major factor.

Mattyboy, what did you decide on if you don't mind me asking? I live in San Diego as well, looking at a Felt IA1 Disc for my next setup. Only concerns are weight (if I researched right, frameset is 8 lb vs about half that for my current Argon 18 E-118 Next) and lack of tilt on the aerobars. I love my Argon 18, might just look for a deal on the E-119, but I have the opportunity to pick up the IA1 Disc frameset lightly used around $3k so I'm considering...I'm on Strava and ride down the strand from Coronado and up PCH to Carlsbad fairly often if that's near your area.

Mike

A complete Felt IA is heavy, but it is not crazy heavy. Make sure you are doing an apples-to-apples weight comparison. For example, some of Felt's published weights include the cockpit and draft box. Whereas, the Argon 18 weight may just be frame and fork with no bearings, stem, etc., installed. (Bearings would be a nominal difference, but the stem and cockpit would be material.)