Feel free to read this end to end a few times. It's the unofficial ST owners manual



https://forum.slowtwitch.com/...g=felt%20ia#p5620633

I recently got a 58cm IA14 as well, last one in the shop as the model was discontinued. I added the IA Series BTSpac toolkit and an Xlab Gorilla carbon bottle cage to the back. I noticed that because the toolkit opens upwards, there isn't a ton of clearance when you open it and have a bottle right above it, but there is enough room to get tools / tubes in and out so it works fine. As for wheels, I am deciding between Bontrager Aeolus Pro 3 TLR and Zipp 302s.

The IA14 is actually pretty sweet out-of-the-box. The front brake is aerodynamically pretty good. The Tririg is better, but not radically better as compared to many other brakes. Ditto the rear brake. And, the crankset is good too-- both reasonably aero and light-ish.

If you wanted to spoil yourself, the Shimano brake levers have a stronger pull ratio and better feel than the stock brake levers. The Dura Ace are light carbon. The Ultegra brake levers are not as light, but a lot cheaper. I upgraded my IA16 to the Ultegra levers, but I wish I had done the DA levers.

I also like the Dura Ace bar end shifters more than the Microshift. The Microshift are fine, but the DA had a better feel to me.

Definitely get the new Calpac and Felt draft box. I would not worry about the concerns about the lid hitting a behind-the-seat accessory. Felt uses a soft plastic, so the lid flexes and opens and closes easily.

Consider removing the rubber basebar grips. Those will slip on you and freak you out. They feel great, but I have had a few sphincter pucker moments during emergency braking. Traditional bar tape is probably better.

The tires are so-so, but I assume you will dump those when you upgrade to speedy wheels.

I had an XLAB Torpedo Versa 500. I absolutely loved it. It positions the computer perfectly, and it is easy to drink and refill.

The stock front brake is quite good. I'm not sure there's much if any benefit from switching to a Tririg. I haven't changed mine, nor do I intend to.
When you say you want recommendations for "aero bottles on the front end" do you mean BTA or downtube?
I'd avoid downtube and BTA doesn't necessarily need to be aero. It depends very much on your position and extensions.
I use a Profile FC25 BTA bottle which sits largely below my arms because I have the extensions tilted up maybe 15-20 degrees. If you can position the bottle between your arms then a standard bottle would likely be just as good in terms of drag.

Upgrades:

• Calpac - This is the single biggest shortcoming on the bike IMO. I've lived with mine to date but will be swapping for the new one.
• Saddle - Also a big shortcoming for me, but it's normal to need to switch saddles. I tried the stock one, briefly, I only lasted 10mins - yuck!
• Tyres and tubes - Another one it's pretty normal to need to replace since stock tyres are often rubbish. I'd heard the Felt TTR tyres were supposed to be pretty decent so gave them a try but I didn't like them at all. May as well change to latex tubes too ;)
• Wheels - As with any other bike, chances are you'll want deep section wheels. I'd probably go with HED JET+ but......
• Cassette - What do you want/need? As with any bike, gear for requirements

Torhans aero 30 is usually a highly recommended choice around here for a BTA. Depending on budget, you could get a set of the new aeria ultimate bars and bottle, or at least the new stem/bottle combo; can't remember if that bike comes with an airfoil shaped basebar or not. Otherwise that's definitely a fairly complete package.

Thanks for the replies!

So the calpak does suck pretty bad haha I will be replacing that.
The bottle - I would like one between the aero bars. I have no tilt and have it slammed pretty good (former gymnast so absurdly fllexible) I just didn't know if anyone had a preference in Torhans vs Profile Design v any other brand. I really am not a fan of that aero one that goes between the frame.

Ill definitly be getting the Bento box for behind the seats. It has ultegra's and I am good with those. The aero wheels will be an issue but I did just drop a few grand on a bike and since I pay cash for toys, that will be another hot while unless I find a solid used pair.

bar tape seems good. The seat will eventually get replaced with an ISM (had one on the old bike and liked it - albeit the one on the IA14 is not to bad. The one on the IA16 is GOD AWFUL. That thing hurt on a new level of hurt haha

Overall I am pretty happy with the stock set up. It is a pretty good deal all around - just some minor improvements more for my ease of convenience and comfort.

If you are interested in replacing the calpac with an advanced bento, there is some info in the 2nd part of this ST post about doing that. It takes a few parts, but it is pretty easy.

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