2018 Felt IA16 - Upgrade

Build and use from October 2017 to April 2019

After an April 2019 upgrade

TriRig Alpha One bars and Omega X brakes front and rear

SunRace 11-28 Cassette and SRAM Etap

Enjoying the clean appearance with no cables in view

Pictures and original setup from October 2017

First view of the arrival of my Felt IA16 with a Cobb 55 test saddle

CALpac 2.0

Some upgrade arrivals and unboxing

2018 Felt IA16 Black Edition 51cm (me: 5'6" with 31" inseam)
Drivetrain: lower end component mix with 11-28 cassette
CALpac 2.0 and BSTpac storage box

Upgrades and Swaps:
Crankset - (Quarq) Riken GXP with 52/36 rings (BB30 to GXP adapter)
TriRig Front and Rear Brake - (Tririg Omega X)
TriRig Alpha One Aero Bar
Saddle - (Cobb Cycling 55 JOF)
XLAB Turbo wing with dual XLAB Gorilla XT cages - (XLAB Turbo Wing , Gorilla XT Cages)
BTA bottle cage and computer mount - (Speedfil Z4)
Aerobar Arm Pads - (Cee Gees Cushy)
Flo 60 Wheels - (Flo Wheels)
Premier Optimized Chain - (Premier)
SRAM etap Aero Group
SRAM TT990 Brake Levers


Links provided for additional detail of the upgrades. You may find some of these items at better pricing with an extensive search.

Future Upgrade:
Drivetrain: SRAM etap
Aerobars: TriRig Alpha One

First Ride:
1st Test Ride Post
2nd Test Ride Post

For about a year I thought of upgrading from the 2011 Felt B10. During this time it  waivered on how to approach a new purchase and for most of that time the plan was to start with just a frame purchase and then build up from that point or swap component over from my old bike. It was just about at the last weeks when I decided that maybe the approach for me was to buy the low end of the frame that I wanted, swap some parts from one bike to another and then upgrade the drive train later. Part of this was how I viewed the consignment sale of the old bike. There were other factors like spreading out costs over a period of time rather than just plop down a big figure on a fully decked out bike brand new.

The initial bike fit is a bit more aggressive feeling than my previous bike. It may take a few rides or more to get used to down in aero for longer periods of time. At 54 years old I do not feel like I am ready to go to a comfort bike. I still desire to ride and train in an aggressive position and develop good sustainable power. So I am willing to give this position a try and see if my body is willing to cooperate. Quite a bit of time was spent trying to get the saddle nose angle right and it was challenging for Tiago. It may need more work, but for now I am going to give a try and then decide. The very end of the Cobb 55 seems to angle up slightly. You cannot see it with the eye until you lay a small level on the last couple of inches at the nose. 

I have the BSTpac, which is Felt's name for the draft box loaded for this first ride and I was hoping to put a little more in the box for those long self-supported courses where there is little to no one to help me if things fail on the bike. Currently I have everything put away and it certainly looks overall cleaner than my previous bike. 

In the BSTpac (draft box behind the saddle):
2 - clincher tubes
2 - tire levers
1 - Co2 cartridge

In the CALpac (bento box on the top tube):

2 - Co2 cartridges
1 - mini tool
1 - small pepper spray (because)
2 - gels

May 2019 Upgrade Ride:

After adding the SRAM etap group and TriRig Alpha One bars I took the bike in to Curtis Henry, owner of Cannon Cyclery, to fine tune everything. Curtis also suggested some other refinements that added to the bill but have been good. The etap group works like a charm with virtually no drive train noise in part to updating the chain rings that work better with etap, a new cassette and a hot waxed KMC chain. 

The bars and arm cups of the Alpha One feel great so far up to an 80 mile ride and I expect will be good for the longer course. The bike handles great and I appreciate the different aero bar extensions with a different hand placement. Previously, I was using extensions with a slight S-bend where my palms could lay flat. There were times I have been very fortunate that I did not crash by hitting an unexpected bump while casually having my hand lay on the bars without grip. With the current extension bars that came with the Alpha One my hands always cup the extensions even when ultra relaxed on a steady long section. I have already noticed hitting some unexpected bumps that there is much greater safety because of the position of my hands even when relaxed and in the zone. 

The form and function of the Alpha One bars combined with SRAM etap using Clics at the extensions (I did not add extra blips on the bullhorns) were well worth the purchase to me. While the stock low end mechanical group functioned fine along with the stock bars it looked messy and that bothered me. Being a bit mental about the mess and seeing it for 4 to 5 hours while in aero was eating at me. Now it is all clean and the form is great. But what about the function?

It is difficult to say to be honest because while I have data it is not good enough to say. What I can tell you is that at the time of writing this my fitness is far below where it was when I was using the bike at first purchase and yet I am holding speeds on the same courses and similar conditions at a much worse fitness level. This bike with these upgrade feels much faster than before and certainly much faster than my old Felt B10. 

Also form and function is the Speedfil Z4 BTA bottle and computer mount. Previously I had it mounted to a carbon plate that was using Velcro straps. With the built in BTA mount on the Alpha One bars the cage is stable and clean looking. No more straps to look at and it doesn't move when pulling the bottle out like previously. 

Draft Box Challenges

This is not an issue for me personally. With my fit I am able to open the lid enough to access the contents inside, which to be honest has not been needed so far (no flats yet). However, this may be an issue with others depending on the bike fit, frame size and if using some rear bottle cage mounts. Just be aware. The lid snaps shut and has never opened during a ride, whereas, I have been on a ride with a guy using a Trek Speed Concept and his storage box lid came off several times. Good thing for him it was tethered with a string, but he still had to stop a few times to reattach. I have heard of others having to tape their lids down. So far the Felt box has functioned well for me.

4 inch / 101.6mm

5 Inch / 127mm clearance for lid to clear the bottle cage to open

TriRig Rear Brake Upgrade 4/4/2019:

I was not planning this upgrade, but while changing to the TriRig Alpha One bars and having to redo the cables I decided to go ahead and add another Omega X brake to the rear. I thought the rear stock brake was adequate, but now that I have this Omega X installed I can see a drastic difference. I have not tested on the road yet, but just applying the brakes rolling by hand there is a lot of difference both in how much pressure I need to apply in comparison and how there is no wheel slip with just a little pressure.

Perhaps some efficiency is lost with the stock brake having the need for a heavily bent noodle? I am not sure, but with this mount there was no need to use a noodle and the cable has a direct line to the brake.  

In the box are quite a few mounting options to fit various types of bikes. 

Use the TriRig supplied low direct mount