ICAN FL1

[ereturn23]

Hi everyone, long-time lurker here. I wanted to share my experience building up an ICAN FL1.

My goal was to build a carbon race bike that’s more aggressive than my current alloy endurance bike, while still being practical and relatively easy to service. I also wanted to try electronic shifting. I’m fairly comfortable with hands-on work, so I felt ready to take this on.

I chose the ICAN FL1 for its clean design and straightforward compatibility (round seatpost, standard 52mm headset, etc.). The geometry also suited what I was looking for: slightly longer reach and significantly lower stack compared to my current bike. The UCI certification and generally positive feedback on ICAN gave me enough confidence to proceed.

Ordering the frameset was smooth. I worked with Sherry on a simple paint job, and the frame was ready to ship in about a week. I am based in Southeast Asia, so shipping was also quick, taking roughly another week.

Assembly was mostly straightforward. One feature I really appreciated was the pre-installed guides for internal routing. This made cable and hose installation much easier: I simply taped them to the guides and pulled them through. I used the same method for the handlebar, which worked well.

The only issue I encountered was mounting the hydraulic brake calipers. The bolts included with the groupset didn’t quite fit, so I had to source alternative lengths. From what I’ve seen in ICAN build videos and forum discussions, this seems fairly common and not specific to this frame. On a positive note, the caliper mounting surfaces were well-finished: flat and free of paint.

So here’s the build:

Frameset: ICAN FL1 (54cm)
Handlebar: LightCarbon HBR14 (110mm stem, 380/400mm width)
Seatpost: Elita One (27.2mm)
Saddle: Elita One
Groupset: Shimano 105 R7170
Wheelset: Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51
Tubes: TPU
Tyres: Continental GP5000 (28mm)
Rotors: Shimano RT-CL900 (160mm front, 140mm rear)
Crankset & Powermeter: Magene PES P515
Chainring: Stone 110R2 (52/36T)
Pedals: Onirii PD-06 (Extended Ti)
Cassette: ZTTO SLR Gen3 (12-speed, 11–30T)
Chain: KMC X12
Bottom Bracket: Senicx T47-85.5-24R (Steel)
Bottle Cages: Giant Propel Aero

Total weight comes in at around 7.8kg. On the road, the bike feels fast, agile, and reponsive which is exactly what I was aiming for. Overall, I am very satisfied with how the build turned out!

Thanks for reading!

[Creasetoff]

Hi everyone, long-time lurker here. I wanted to share my experience building up an ICAN FL1.

My goal was to build a carbon race bike that’s more aggressive than my current alloy endurance bike, while still being practical and relatively easy to service. I also wanted to try electronic shifting. I’m fairly comfortable with hands-on work, so I felt ready to take this on.

I chose the ICAN FL1 for its clean design and straightforward compatibility (round seatpost, standard 52mm headset, etc.). The geometry also suited what I was looking for: slightly longer reach and significantly lower stack compared to my current bike. The UCI certification and generally positive feedback on ICAN gave me enough confidence to proceed.

Ordering the frameset was smooth. I worked with Sherry on a simple paint job, and the frame was ready to ship in about a week. I am based in Southeast Asia, so shipping was also quick, taking roughly another week.

Assembly was mostly straightforward. One feature I really appreciated was the pre-installed guides for internal routing. This made cable and hose installation much easier: I simply taped them to the guides and pulled them through. I used the same method for the handlebar, which worked well.

The only issue I encountered was mounting the hydraulic brake calipers. The bolts included with the groupset didn’t quite fit, so I had to source alternative lengths. From what I’ve seen in ICAN build videos and forum discussions, this seems fairly common and not specific to this frame. On a positive note, the caliper mounting surfaces were well-finished: flat and free of paint.

So here’s the build:

Frameset: ICAN FL1 (54cm)
Handlebar: LightCarbon HBR14 (110mm stem, 380/400mm width)
Seatpost: Elita One (27.2mm)
Saddle: Elita One
Groupset: Shimano 105 R7170
Wheelset: Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51
Tubes: TPU
Tyres: Continental GP5000 (28mm)
Rotors: Shimano RT-CL900 (160mm front, 140mm rear)
Crankset & Powermeter: Magene PES P515
Chainring: Stone 110R2 (52/36T)
Cassette: ZTTO SLR Gen3 (12-speed, 11–30T)
Chain: KMC X12
Bottom Bracket: Senicx T47-85.5-24R (Steel)
Bottle Cages: Giant Propel Aero

Total weight comes in at around 7.8kg. On the road, the bike feels fast, agile, and reponsive which is exactly what I was aiming for. Overall, I am very satisfied with how the build turned out!

Thanks for reading!

Looks really good mate. Is your chain too short though? And the joint at the quick link does not look straight, is it seated properly?

[ereturn23]

Looks really good mate. Is your chain too short though? And the joint at the quick link does not look straight, is it seated properly?

Thank you, I really like how it turned out.

Now that you mention it, the chain might be a bit short. I followed the big-big method and shifting has been fine so far, but I’ll take another look, especially at the quick link. Thanks for pointing that out.

[ereturn23]

A couple of posts ago, there was some discussion about getting lightweight aftermarket axels. Hence, I decided to look into it myself. Here are the specifications of the stock ICAN axels:

Front Axel: Diameter: 12mm, Length: 123mm, Threading: M12 (Pitch: 1.5mm) * 14mm
Rear Axel: Diameter: 12mm, Length: 168mm, Threading: M12 (Pitch: 1.5mm) * 16mm

After searching on AliExpress, I found matching ones from Deemont and have purchased them. They just arrived today and I have installed them. They fit and here is a weight comparison:

Stock: 37.0g | Aftermarket: 26.7g (-10.3g)
Stock: 48.9g | Aftermarket: 35.1g (-13.8g)

While there is some weight savings here, I don't think I will be able to feel the difference. This was more of a "why not" upgrade. Hope this helps anyone who's interested!

[carbonMad]

At least the new ones will match visually, Ican speccing mismatched TAs is really baffling :/
I've ordered a pair as well (from Muqzi, which look identical), it's a shame the FL1 doesn't use a more popular size eg. based on the Aethos/Tarmac, planty of aftermarket options for lightweight gear for those frames.

[Pistonbroke]

Tried it with some 65mm wheels
She certainly trucks along with them, and I do quite like the look of it!

[carbonMad]

Tried it with some 65mm wheels
She certainly trucks along with them, and I do quite like the look of it!

They do look good. 50mm rims can start looking a bit anaemic with larger road tires.

To bring the topic back to standards for a bit more: Does anyone know if FL1 share the der hanger with any western frame or follows any standard? I've bought 2 spares to be safe but I'd love to find a direct mount hanger.

[Lotnik]

Tried it with some 65mm wheels
She certainly trucks along with them, and I do quite like the look of it!

I would set too fat for this bike.

[Pistonbroke]

What a gorgeous bike!! Did you get the rims on AliExpress? Do you think I’d get a similar look with these https://it.aliexpress.com/item/1005008005662449.html? If so, could you let me know which model yours are? Thanks!

Mine are XMCS wheels but guess most 65mm deep wheels would look similar from the side