I'm In China; Tell Me What You Need To Know.

[carbonazza]

Is this going to be strictly about carbon fibre frames?  I'm considering a titanium gravel bike frame custom built by a Chinese company in Xiamen.

That could be an option do you know the weight difference?
Another issue( for me ) is that inner routing of the rear derailleur and brake are tricky.

[MTB2223]

Another issue( for me ) is that inner routing of the rear derailleur and brake are tricky.

There're a lot of trics to make it really easy, like the part tool IR-1.2 ( http://www.parktool.com/product/internal-cable-routing-kit-ir-1-2 ) (which is really easy to create a DIY version with magnets and an old shifting cable) or using a vacuum cleaner and thin wire.

[carbonazza]

@MTB2223, sure that can help.
But you need holes at the right places, but since it is custom, it can be an option.
 
I checked this web site few months ago: http://www.titanproduct.com
And based on the photograph I found it hard to imagine how to do inner routing, tubes are welded and the chainstays are often flat at the BB junction.

In addition, they are quite expensive in the end, when adding the shipping and taxes.
You reach a similar price we can sometimes get here in Europe for a carbon of the previous season( cube, focus,...)
So I dropped it.

[tripleDot]

@carbonazza,
The frame weight can be anywhere around 1.5kg to 2kg depending on size and options.
The weight is tolerable for me given the comfort I'm expecting from it. I'm estimating probably a built bike at 8.5kg-10kg. That is as much cf parts as i can put on it.

As for the internal routing, the technology is already there for one that looks and works like those on cf and alu frames. I've personally seen it during a local bike exhibit. The bike was a custom from a Chinese Ti co., I don't know which as the exhibitor didn't want to dibulge it. And I hate myself for not taking a picture of it!

Being in Asia, specifically the Philippines, the shipping and taxes wouldn't be a lot in my case. I'm looking at a US$50-80 for it. Based on my partial research, I could save anywhere from 30-50% off (frame only) as opposed to buying a branded one from a local distributor. Also, the local dist. will also be charging me a second shipping (local geography). It is pretty much my best option for my situation.

Why not go carbon? Simple answer, it's custom Ti... plus I got 2 cf bikes already.

I'm considering this Ti company...
http://www.waltlytitanium.com/index.html#showcase

[carbonazza]

I'm considering this Ti company...
http://www.waltlytitanium.com/index.html#showcase

Thanks for the link, I'll contact them.

[SportingGoods]

$650, shipped! But they don't show the geometry, which is not good at all (shows they don't even know this is important!).
https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/full-suspension-titanium-mountain-road-bike-frame-parts/32247062398.html?isOrigTitle=true&isOrig=true#extend

[tripleDot]

In case you don't want to custom built you're own frame, here's a link to Waltly's Alibaba gallery.
https://waltly.en.alibaba.com/productgrouplist-218693096/Titanium_cyclocross_frame.html

Check this out for Waltly's Ti internal cabling design option (3rd and 4th pics).
https://waltly.en.alibaba.com/product/60244910838-218693096/Disc_brake_700C_Cyclocross_titanium_frame_with_FlatTube.html

The internal cabling design is pretty much the same as the one one I saw on the exhibit, the difference was the exhibit had an HT XC frame.