I hear SuperDave is working on one in his spare time. Ask him about ETA. ;) /pink

I fell short of my goal and had a tough time dealing with designers I had lined up to help with this project. As it stands I moved to a Torhans Aero30 which actually gives the IA better CdA numbers. I'd still like to have an internal hydration system for long course however. Anybody who comes up with anything please let us know!!

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"Train so you have no regrets @ the finish line"

Hi all, this is my first post on this forum. I've come across Slowtwitch for answers to so many questions already, but now I've got something to add to a discussion for the first time. I have been attempting my own modification to my 2015 Felt IA3 to accommodate a drink bladder, and I have made a solution that I think might be of interest to some people.

I have designed a custom 3D printed panel to replace the original Calpac and have it available for order on Shapeways. I realize that this may be a bit of gray area in terms of forum policy, since I am effectively marketing my own design here. But I just figured I might be helping some people out who have been looking for a solution on this forum.




I hope the Shapeways page is clear by itself, but here is some background to my solution: I went for the easiest approach I could think of, with no modification to existing parts of the bike. The panel effectively replaces the Calpac, and sacrifices any additional storage. I haven't been a fan of the amount of effective storage in the Calpac anyway, so I don't mind. With the Fuelselage added, there is so little left anyway. Since the Felt have a narrower frame, the Fuelselage will hold approx. half it's design capacity.

Note that this design accommodates a size XS/S Fuelselage in a 54cm Felt IA, which will accommodate up to 400ml of fluid. The product on Shapeways is in beta, since I haven't been able to test it on other frame sizes (I don't know anyone else who owns one, I live in the Netherlands, perhaps people could reach out to me). I will be designing a version that will accommodate the M/L/XL Fuelselage (1000ml, should fill up to 500ml) in my frame too, this should be available within 1-2 weeks, as I am awaiting production and testing the part myself. Sneak peak below:

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Felt IA Calpac mods on Shapeways:
800ml Specialized Fuelselage (XS/S)
1000ml Specialized Fuelselage (M/L/XL)
DIY cover

What an incredibly neat idea! I'll probably order your second version for my 51cm IA. Now if only Felt would release a draft box of some sort...

Hoi, heb je idee gelezen. Ziet er leuk uit en lijkt op het ding wat ik twee jaar geleden al eerder heb gemaakt van de gewone calpac om een shiv fuelselage te gebruiken in de Felt IA. Wij verkopen de IA's veelvuldig en het kan misschien iets zijn voor de winkel. Ik heb zelf een IA frd maat 56 dus als je wat wilt testen laat maar weten. Ik ben alleen wel benieuwd of je niet in strijd bent met het Specialized patent omdat je commercieel gebruik maakt van het design en de vorm voor gebruik van hun fuelselage in een niet specialized waarbij zij het paten hebben om deze exclusief in een specialized frame in te bouwen. Ik ben bang dat je je heel erg dicht tegen de grenzen aan of over de grenzen heen gaat van hun patent. Be carefull, maar neem contact met me op om wat verder testen voor zolang dat kan.

Grt

Jeroen van Geelen
Tri-Run.com

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Owner at TRIPRO, The Netherlands

Good job! Count me in for version 2 when its ready

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

I have received my first print of version two. I'll be running it through the wringer later this week and make it available for purchase if all is well, perhaps with some minor modifications. I'll keep you guys posted!

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Felt IA Calpac mods on Shapeways:
800ml Specialized Fuelselage (XS/S)
1000ml Specialized Fuelselage (M/L/XL)
DIY cover

Be careful, you're in violation of a US patent on that part you're making (and selling).
Good luck.

-SD

It looks good. Can you also make a cover for use when you are not using the bladder?

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

I guess I could, but making it sit firmly is not very straightforward. I would recommend switching back to the regular Calpac otherwise, replacing it is really just a minute's work.


I have looked up the patent and it claims the rights to make and sell two things:
1. A bicycle with bladder/storage systems with various features
2. The storage systems itself, i.e. the Fuelselage

With my best intentions I am not violating either of these claims. I am simply making a modification to a different bike, and in fact purchasing the storage system that is patented.

Now I can imagine that, since my design reflects the specific shape of the Fuelselage head, I may be breaching something else by making this cover available commercially. But I'm not aware of how all this works. If I'm being told to stop, I probably will, but for now I'm just DIYing and responding to some demand among some enthusiast triathletes.

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Felt IA Calpac mods on Shapeways:
800ml Specialized Fuelselage (XS/S)
1000ml Specialized Fuelselage (M/L/XL)
DIY cover

How about just a sleek flat matching cover with the screw holes to put on the frame when not using the bladder.

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

A simple flat plate to replace the Calpac would also allow use of a standard bento box especially if provided with standard bottle mount spaced mounting points. Am I correct in thinking the original IA and the IAx frames have slightly different Calpacs and perhaps have a different footprint and screw locations? If you did that in an IAx compatible version I'd get two!

Yes, I need IAx. I thought both IA's used the same piece of crap.

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

I think there was some modification between the two but I'm not certain. If so, I don't know if this applies just to the cover, the cover and the shape of the lugs and bowl of the hard piece or if the mounting footprint and screw centres are changed too.

So the Calpak on the IAx is the new improved Calpak?! Wow, the original must be a real POS

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

This is awesome, I will be ordering one to try out. I agree with Sweeney and others that a deeper, usable Calpak like Carfrae's or just a flat panel with bosses to mount an external bento would be awesome additions. I'm basically using the Calpak as the Di2 Junction A holder, with a spare tube tucked in, but cant really fit anything else.

So basically you guys are after something that looks like the small version of my mod, but without the Fuelselage cutout?This is a piece of cake to make, I might be able to do it tonight or tomorrow. I believe the Calpac are the same from the 2014 models onward, at least that's what this website suggests. Visually the rubber cover looks the same on all pictures I can find of the IA10, A16 etc.

I must say I really like the bento box idea too! I haven't put much research into this, but Trek and Cervelo bikes have these mounting holes, am I right? I just need to figure out the spacing needed from the rear of the stem, any feedback is appreciated.

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Felt IA Calpac mods on Shapeways:
800ml Specialized Fuelselage (XS/S)
1000ml Specialized Fuelselage (M/L/XL)
DIY cover

Has anyone ordered one from him yet? I would be really interested, just want to make sure its legit!

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Insta: Trihennessy - Out Rival Racing Elite Team
- Roka - WattieInk - NormaTec - QUINTANA ROO - Profile Design - Pioneer - Gatorade Endurance

Yes exactly.



Rather than having exact water bottle hole spacing you could make 2cm slots for each hole that would allow custom positioning of whatever gets attached to the plate, like how a lot of water bottle cages are currently (xlab Gorilla comes to mind as I have one) that have a channel for the attachment screw. This way 95-99%% of the bento boxes and bags could be used and positioned for optimal spacing snug against the stem.

There's two ways you could go about this.

1. Figure out a good longitudinal position for the holes that should suit everyone
2. Just do a flat plate and everyone can drill holes wherever they want them, or use it as a simple blanking plate or the basis of any other innovations that come to mind - for example I'd consider putting a gel dispenser there (drill the plate for a gland fitting to pass a straw through from a small bladder or bottle beneath) or build a salt dispenser or somewhere to stick course notes. There's loads of possibilities.

You could perhaps provide a thicker strip down the middle to allow sufficient depth to tap a hole (if the material is stiff enough) or just to provide a bit of rigidity.

He's selling it through a 3rd party e-retailer (shapeways). I haven't ordered one, but generally these companies make sure you get what you pay for.

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just your average age grouper . no one special . no scientific knowledge . just having fun.

As mentioned above, Shapeways is basically the 'middle man' here, which is a reputable company in my opinion. Technically you would be their customer, and not directly mine. They have requirements per material choice with which models have to comply before I can make them available for selling. If anything goes wrong with production, they will take care of it and make sure you get a part in good order. That's as far as legitimacy goes.

So far 3 people have ordered the small version I have available now, but I haven't had feedback from them yet. Also I don't know if there's any Slowtwitchers among them. I understand your caution though, you are right to be cautious. I don't run a business here and there's limited R&D involved (just myself and my own Felt IA3), and I can't make guarantees. But hopefully people are willing to take a chance and like what I've come up with :)

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Felt IA Calpac mods on Shapeways:
800ml Specialized Fuelselage (XS/S)
1000ml Specialized Fuelselage (M/L/XL)
DIY cover

I ordered and promptly received one. Very nice. Simple. I'll put one on an IA10 next week and post pictures.

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Jim Manton / ERO Sports

Okay awesome! It will fit on any size ia right?

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Insta: Trihennessy - Out Rival Racing Elite Team
- Roka - WattieInk - NormaTec - QUINTANA ROO - Profile Design - Pioneer - Gatorade Endurance

I ordered one last week and should arrive next week. Looking forward to trying.