New IA 2.0 is Felt’s fastest tri bike yet

Honed for Kona, there's a host of neat integrations

Felt has come back with a razor sharp vision after spending a little time in the wilderness. Quite the contrast to the brand's recent release of its first carbon gravel bike, the new IA 2.0 tri bike is the latest chapter in a long history.

Having won multiple world triathlon championship titles on the women's side over the last three decades, Felt wants that streak to continue into a fourth - as well as clinching some victories on the men's side too.

With the IA 2.0's very distinctive profile, its field testing in competition has been a pretty badly kept secret - but the details where the bike is most interesting, so let's take a look into that.

Starting with the aero optimisations, Felt's time honing its designs in the wind tunnel are what guided that instantly recognisable profile, with the hump-back behind the head tube and that stubby arch over the rear wheel.

Some elements of frame design, such as the ever-dropped seat stays and deep section down tubes might be reaching something of a convergence between brands. But it is nice to see some more differentiating characteristics sometimes.

Surprisingly, the bike is optimised around a 28mm tyre, as Felt believes that makes for a total system that's faster. Most tri bikes don't optimise for tyres larger than 25mm.

Along with the tube shapes, the IA 2.0 features a removable faceplate for a front derailleur, enabling a maximally aerodynamic 1x setup for flat courses. But should you wish, or if the route demands it, there is the option to swap in a double crankset as well as provision for using either mechanically or electronically actuated derailleurs.

The cockpit has been redesigned too, allowing for a greater range of adjustment for different body shapes and positions. Most notable is that the extensions can now be angled in a new plane, allowing for the ‘high-hands’ or ‘preying mantis’ position that has been adopted by so many of the fastest riders.

In all, the tweaks add up to a claims of being 4% faster at yaw angles between -12.5 and +12.5 degrees, compared to the previous model. Those yaw angles are selected because Felt's calculations show that's what triathletes tend to experience 90% of the time - on wider yaw angles the margin is smaller, being a claimed 1.9% faster.

In terms of the specific aspects for Ironman and long distance events, there is an integrated bento box in that huge top tube, as well as a reservoir for hydration. It has an open port for allowing you to dump a fresh bottle in with a few quick squeezes. There's also a space in the seat tube for storing extra bits.

That super thick seat post might look pretty unforgiving, but it's wrapped in a rubber sleeve just like the gravel bike's seat post for a bit of extra compliance. The gravel bike will flex visibly, but we’ve yet to see to what degree this seat post will move.

Pricing begins at $10,050 / £8,999 for a Shimano Ultegra Di2 build and tops out at $17,050 / £13,499 for the 1x SRAM Red AXS build with Zipp 454 NSW wheels.

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