Steven-iam's DengFu M06 Build

[adbl]

Thanks for the update! I have my eye on this frame along with a few others. Can you speak to pedaling efficiency and pedal bob? There is another post where the OP mentioned the bobing was getting annoying for him. makes me question the rear triangle pivot placement. You have an interesting perspective given the fact you are coming from a top quality name brand frame! How would you compare the two?

[carbonazza]

Beautiful bike!

Are you light?  There is a fair amount of spacers over the headtube.
It is probably for ride comfort, but due to the asymmetric force on the lefty adapter, I would be worried about the extra lever and the headtube resistance.
This would need a detailed calculation though 

[Carbon_Dude]

Looks like an improved version of my old IP-036 but the never fixed the cable routing for the rear shock.

[steven-iam]

Can you speak to pedaling efficiency and pedal bob?...How would you compare the two?

There is a "bob" when climbing standing up and really pushing it, perhaps a little more than my old Scalpel.  For me, climbing is easier  (especially if its rocky.) because of the short chainstay and the new rear Monarch XX shock. I would guess the rear shock has the most affect on bobing.

[steven-iam]

Are you light?  There is a fair amount of spacers over the headtube. It is probably for ride comfort, but due to the asymmetric force on the lefty adapter, I would be worried about the extra lever and the headtube resistance.

Hi Carbonazza,
I weight 155 lbs, The stem is as low as it will go. Since the lefty is taller,  the spacers only fill in the gap between the headtube and the fork clamps. Also the shortest stem length I can go is 90mm, which gives you a low stance for XC. As far as stress from a lefty over a normal fork... I really think it's negligible, all normal forks only have the shock mechanics on one side. Also I would like to think that Cannondale, who sells the "lefty for all" conversion kit,  has too much to loose if it's unsafe. That doesn't mean its true.

[steven-iam]

...but they never fixed the cable routing for the rear shock.

Hi Carbon Dude. What's wrong with the rear shock cable routing on the new M06?

[adbl]

There is a "bob" when climbing standing up and really pushing it, perhaps a little more than my old Scalpel.  For me, climbing is easier  (especially if its rocky.) because of the short chainstay and the new rear Monarch XX shock. I would guess the rear shock has the most affect on bobing.

I'm about ready to pull the trigger on one of these. Couple of questions for you:

1) You mentioned you thought the Cannondale was stiffer. In what way? In what way does the "softer" M06 perform? Is it lateral stiffness or through the bottom bracket when cranking?

2) Are you using a high volume Monarch XX? Did you do anything to tune the shock to the frame? My thinking is a high volume shock might help with small bump compliance. Usually a single pivot design needs more help there.

Thanks for all of your feedback!

[steven-iam]

Yikes, these are hard questions.
1. The M06 just feels a tad softer in all directions. I like it, I don't get as beat up.  Mainland China doesn't seem to have the high-strength carbon techniques that the Taiwan factories have. I'm pretty sure you will see that the high-end Specialized, Cannondale, Yeti etc frames are made in Taiwan, but don't quote me on this. What attracted me to the Deng-Fu M06 is the 68.5 degree slack, short chainstays, and a good reputation.

2. My rear shock is a Rockshox Monarch XX 165x38mm w/ Lockout M/M Tune. (my old cannondale had a pro-pedal setting) The Monarch XX rear shock is standard on the Cannondale Carbon Team which has a zero pivot design. I only measure for recommended sag. I probably should rent an analyzer from the LBS.

Hope this helps.

[adbl]

Hey, I really appreciate your feedback! I know i ask obscure questions. I guess because we don't have the ability to test ride Chiner frames we want to learn everything about them as best we can. A well designed bike is important but in the end it all comes down to the strength of the engine 

[steven-iam]

Adbl, please post on this thread what you ended up buying.

[adbl]

I sure will! I'm in conversation with Melody from DengFu about the M06. If i pull the trigger i will post here and then start a build thread so all who might be interested can follow.

Thanks again!

[ShermanL]

I sure will! I'm in conversation with Melody from DengFu about the M06. If i pull the trigger i will post here and then start a build thread so all who might be interested can follow.

Thanks again!

Nice bike and nice car too man!

[steven-iam]

Update 2: Pivot Bolts

So it seems my pivot bolts loosen up after a few rides, not a big problem except the one over the bottom bracket. There is not enough room for a standard allen wrench. The only way I could tighten it is to remove the cranks. I don't think this is a problem if you have anything under 32 teeth.  I solved the problem with a  "Stubby" wrench I found on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E7XGWI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thought you might want to know.

PS.  Does anyone know if they use Loctite on the Pivot Bolts?

[Carbon_Dude]

If you are having problems with the pivot bolts loosening on a regular basis, blue Loctite would be something I would seriously consider doing, there really is no down side to applying some the next chance you get.  Another alternative would be some teflon tape if you don't have any Loctite handy.

[steven-iam]

...blue Loctite ...

Will do. Thank you