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?