thoughts on the Felt IA advanced 105 (disc)?: Triathlon Forum: Slowtwitch Forums

thoughts on the Felt IA advanced 105 (disc)?

Feb 20, 24 0:08

hi everyone -

i have a decent line on this bike. i'm going to go in soon to get fit coordinates and verify that i'd be able to get a decent position on it, first, but otherwise what are our thoughts?

i'm racing fairly seriously at middle/long course, these days, and want an upgrade from my ancient cervelo soloist alu (a great short course/draft-legal bike but now almost 20 years old).

disc brakes is nice, as i can swap around with my road/gravel bikes, and even my wife's bikes.
hydraulics are extra nice as i live in the alps and appreciate the braking power
105 is good enough for me; i'm a cheapskate and find the performance of modern 105 is great.
i also like mechanical for this reason - i've ridden di2 once or twice and didn't love it, plus i can't be arsed with batteries etc
i think fairly highly of felt in general
wheelset looks mediocre but fine for training; i have a good all-around set from fulcrum and would anyway be looking at a rear disc or something eventually
i like the integrated storage; wish there was internal hydration but nothing's perfect

anyone riding this bike? or others that would come in around the 3000-3500 (US$) range?

____________________________________
https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

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Re: thoughts on the Felt IA advanced 105 (disc)? [iron_mike] [ In reply to ]

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Dudaddy

Feb 20, 24 7:13

Post #2 of 14 (1054 views)

Been riding Felt for many years. Its as fast as about anything else out there. The Canyon speedmax has one in a similar price range but Im sure either are good enough.

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Re: thoughts on the Felt IA advanced 105 (disc)? [iron_mike] [ In reply to ]

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exxxviii

Feb 20, 24 7:33

Post #3 of 14 (1040 views)

I have a 2016 Felt IA16. Not the same, but speaks to the longevity of the design. I am pretty sure that the current IA Advanced 105 is just a disc version of my IA16 with 105 gear. I absolutely love the bike. Yeah, the wheels are garbage. I did my first few races on them, but they suck. 105 is surprisingly good. I have since replaced every component (personal preference, not wear or failure), some of them twice, but the frame itself is awesome. The one significant upgrade I would recommend at some point is a Tririg cockpit. It is a perfect complement to this bike.

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Re: thoughts on the Felt IA advanced 105 (disc)? [iron_mike] [ In reply to ]

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Traket92x

Feb 20, 24 8:13

Post #4 of 14 (1019 views)

I'm on the last of the IA16 rim brakes. Couldn't be happier with the set-up. In addition to wheels, the one upgrade I'm a huge fan of is the getting some new arm cups from Tririg. Same extensions and brackets, but the new cups/pads made things infinitely better.

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Re: thoughts on the Felt IA advanced 105 (disc)? [Dudaddy] [ In reply to ]

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iron_mike

Feb 20, 24 12:33

Post #5 of 14 (967 views)

Dudaddy wrote:

Been riding Felt for many years. Its as fast as about anything else out there. The Canyon speedmax has one in a similar price range but Im sure either are good enough.

yeah, i'm a bit torn with the canyon range. i already have power pedals that i can pop onto whatever i get, so a powermeter isn't much of an incentive. to get internal hydration on the canyon you need to spend 8k (!) which i won't do. their 105-level speedmax would be about the same price, but with better wheels and a slightly more sloppy-looking front end. availability seems like a real bear, though, and i'm nervous about quality-control issues with canyon.

____________________________________
https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

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Re: thoughts on the Felt IA advanced 105 (disc)? [iron_mike] [ In reply to ]

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Dudaddy

Feb 21, 24 7:49

Post #6 of 14 (882 views)

iron_mike wrote:

Dudaddy wrote:

Been riding Felt for many years. Its as fast as about anything else out there. The Canyon speedmax has one in a similar price range but Im sure either are good enough.

I hear ya. Im all in for Felt and I dont think you'll be disappointed. I have an ancient DA4 that I still race on a regular basis and believe it or not I have a 2019 B series that I can throw down some impressive bike splits on and I only paid $1400 US for. :)

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Re: thoughts on the Felt IA advanced 105 (disc)? [iron_mike] [ In reply to ]

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SBRcanuck

Feb 21, 24 10:23

Post #7 of 14 (855 views)

Love my 2020 disc.
Storage is decent. Don't care about lack of hydration bladder as those often seem to be a headache anyway.

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Re: thoughts on the Felt IA advanced 105 (disc)? [iron_mike] [ In reply to ]

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sonofdad

Feb 21, 24 10:37

Post #8 of 14 (848 views)

I have an old Felt B12. I like the bike. Dealing with Felt can have it's issues. If you need a replacement of one of their proprietary parts it can be difficult to get them. They have previously had issues with inventory, and at one point their website was down for ordering for over a year. Dealers seemed to have no more success getting parts. No idea if that has changed in the last year or so.
I have had my B12 for over a decade, and have very few proprietary parts remaining (seat post clamp and rear brake?), which is one way to address that issue.

"I keep hoping for you to use your superior intellect to be less insufferable. Sadly, you continue to disappoint." - gofigure

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Re: thoughts on the Felt IA advanced 105 (disc)? [SBRcanuck] [ In reply to ]

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iron_mike

Feb 21, 24 10:40

Post #9 of 14 (844 views)

SBRcanuck wrote:

Love my 2020 disc.
Storage is decent. Don't care about lack of hydration bladder as those often seem to be a headache anyway.

lovely looking bike!

____________________________________
https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

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Re: thoughts on the Felt IA advanced 105 (disc)? [iron_mike] [ In reply to ]

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Pwraddr

Feb 21, 24 12:05

Post #10 of 14 (816 views)

I had one, IA4 rim brake. Switched to P5D.

That said, look at the horror stories people trying to get parts. No thank you.

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Re: thoughts on the Felt IA advanced 105 (disc)? [iron_mike] [ In reply to ]

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iron_mike

Feb 23, 24 4:00

Post #11 of 14 (639 views)

also, i thought i'd ask about some subjective fit notes.
i'm exactly 6'0 / 183cm, and am told i'm a little bit long-limbed.
it seems like i'm smack in the middle of the 56cm range. anyone care to share their size/fit?

____________________________________
https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

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Re: thoughts on the Felt IA advanced 105 (disc)? [iron_mike] [ In reply to ]

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Dudaddy

Feb 23, 24 6:49

Post #12 of 14 (586 views)

I'm 6'5" and ride a 58cm in their TT bike lineup. 61cm on my Felt road bike.

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Re: thoughts on the Felt IA advanced 105 (disc)? [iron_mike] [ In reply to ]

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jollyroger88