Danish CS-036 build

[exzos]

How did it go with the bolts in the rear?

[karstenhorn]

How did it go with the bolts in the rear?

I found some bushing bolts originally designed for the installation of a rear shock that fitted just perfectly diameter vice. They had to be shortened a bit but that was an easy task. The longer bolts reduced the flex in the rear triangle significantly and I'm sure that many of the 036's out there could benefit from this simple upgrade. All forces in the lower rear part of the chain stay connection is mainly applied to only one side of the connecting fork causing more flex and excessive wear in the end.

Karsten

[exzos]

Seems like an easy fix. It is interesting if Peter/xmcarbonspeed also fixes this for new frames being sold.
Are you happy with the frame now?

[karstenhorn]

Seems like an easy fix. It is interesting if Peter/xmcarbonspeed also fixes this for new frames being sold.
Are you happy with the frame now?

I'm quite happy, however there is still a bit of flex in the chain stay area but I guess it is due to the design. I would not recommend this frame for heavy rough riding/big jumps etc.

Regarding quality control I have been told by Peter that there is only one length of bushing bolts so it all comes down to how the frame was built. The fact that there only exist one length of bolts tells me that no-one cares about quality control. In the end I guess it comes under the statement; "You get what you paid for" and for the money I spent on the frame, I'm happy about the outcome. Would I buy a FS China frame again the answer is a clear no, I would bite the dust and buy a known brand of better quality no matter that the cost would be 4 times higher.

Also, the seller could not even give me advice of for example what front dérailleurs that would fit my 036 frame - In the end that tells me that they don't know much about what they are selling and basically you are on your own when it comes to building the frame afterwards.

Karsten

 

[exzos]

That dosen't sound good
I'm looking at the Pronghorn full suspension then, it's also a danish design 

[karstenhorn]

That dosen't sound good
I'm looking at the Pronghorn full suspension then, it's also a danish design 

Pronghorn have gotten some very good feedback here in Denmark and I'm sure that they are not far from international success, however I do not like the way that they locate the rear shock on top of the top tube but that's only my personal opinion. My next FS MTB frame will be a S-WORKS Stumpjumper FSR 29 - My other FS bike is an old Enduro FSR and I love the bike and are now using it for a a bit of downhill and stuff like this.

Don't rely only on my experience with Peter, lots of other people are very satisfied with him and the product/service they received. However when he started to call me a liar(I can document that he was wrong) I stopped the conversation right away and simply accepted my loss. Just recently I bought a road frame from DENGFU and got outstanding treatment and first class support after the purchase. Should I buy from China again, they will get my money for sure.

Karsten

[Carbon_Dude]

That dosen't sound good
I'm looking at the Pronghorn full suspension then, it's also a danish design 

Pronghorn have gotten some very good feedback here in Denmark and I'm sure that they are not far from international success, however I do not like the way that they locate the rear shock on top of the top tube but that's only my personal opinion. My next FS MTB frame will be a S-WORKS Stumpjumper FSR 29 - My other FS bike is an old Enduro FSR and I love the bike and are now using it for a a bit of downhill and stuff like this.

Karsten

I agree with you on that Pronghorn FS bike, putting the shock in that location appears wrong in my opinion.  As you know, I am very happy with my SJ FSR Carbon 27.5+ frame and it's not even the S-Works model.  In my experience, I think the Chinese hard tail frames are a better choice than the Chinese FS frames.  Although, my -036 rode well for the 2 years I had it, and was about 1/4th the cost of something like an SJ S-Works frame.  In the end though, I am happy I built the -036, it was a stepping stone to where I am now.

[karstenhorn]

Although, my -036 road well for the 2 years I had it, and was about 1/4th the cost of something like an SJ S-Works frame.  In the end though, I am happy I built the -036, it was a stepping stone to where I am now.

I totally agree, I do still believe that the value for money I got when I bought my 036 was fair - Would I buy another Chinese FS bike ? That would be a clear no as they are not far enough in their development and they are not yet ready to provide the necessary quality control needed when selling a more complex product. After all it is not only the brand name causing the price to be 4 times higher, it is also a matter of comprehensive research and development. As I have a brand new SRAM XX groupset, I'm slowly waiting for the right S-WORKS offer and will simply move all my parts to the new frame. Only challenge will be my GXP BB but if no adapters can be found, I will sell my GXP chainset and buy another that will fit.

Karsten

[DandyAndy]

The bolts provided with the frame was around 4 mm too short and 0.3 mm under the 8.0 mm bushing diameter in my shock. They seemed of very low quality and I bought new ones before I took it for the first ride. I have similar issues with all the bushing bolts holding my chain stay together, causing a lot of flex.

Do yourself a favour and take everything apart and inspect/grease all part before first ride - My frame came dry at all joints from the vendor.

Karsten

4mm?!  Jezuz! No, mine are only about 2.1mm too short and diameter is spot on. Nevertheless I'm myself still entertaining the idea of substituting them with Titanium ones (again Chinese  . I asked one vendor and he mailed me pictures. Tolerances are ok. The diameter is 7.93-7.96mm. I'm not sure about buying longer ones and shortening them myself...

I actually wanted to ask about greasing of all the pivot joints though. What did you actually grease? You opened bearing seals? I'm obsessing about the joints and want to fix them before mounting all the components on.     

[karstenhorn]

The bolts provided with the frame was around 4 mm too short and 0.3 mm under the 8.0 mm bushing diameter in my shock. They seemed of very low quality and I bought new ones before I took it for the first ride. I have similar issues with all the bushing bolts holding my chain stay together, causing a lot of flex.

Do yourself a favour and take everything apart and inspect/grease all part before first ride - My frame came dry at all joints from the vendor.

Karsten

Don't open a sealed bearing as they are greased already. Only put grease where it is bolt and bushing. When I got my frame it was painted from CS and apparently they did not cover the bushings before painting. When they assembled the rear triangle they did not clean the bushings and they did not put any grease at all. Again, quality check is non existent and it is a hit or miss if you are lucky or not. I was not lucky.........

Karsten
4mm?!  Jezuz! No, mine are only about 2.1mm too short and diameter is spot on. Nevertheless I'm myself still entertaining the idea of substituting them with Titanium ones (again Chinese  . I asked one vendor and he mailed me pictures. Tolerances are ok. The diameter is 7.93-7.96mm. I'm not sure about buying longer ones and shortening them myself...

I actually wanted to ask about greasing of all the pivot joints though. What did you actually grease? You opened bearing seals? I'm obsessing about the joints and want to fix them before mounting all the components on.   

[carbonazza]

...still entertaining the idea of substituting them with Titanium ones (again Chinese  . I asked one vendor and he mailed me pictures.

Would you mind to share the references ? Thanks.

[DandyAndy]

Sure! I asked this one:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Titanium-Ti-Recessed-Bike-Bicycle-Brake-Bolt-Nut-13mm-17mm-21mm-25mm-31-5mm-35mm-37mm/32551496712.html
Those are actually brake posts for older type frames. They cost a penny, taking into account that recessed steel bolts cost under a dollar. Still...

[karstenhorn]

Every start has an end and this is the end of me riding my first chiner, the good old CS-036. to be honest I did not ride that particular bike that much due to the way too much flex in the rear triangle. My new MTB is already in my garage and in 4 weeks I have ridden more than I did in 2 1/2 years on my old chiner. But always something old together with new so my win from last Xmas is rolling beautifully under the new MTB and what is it that I have bought - anyone can recognise?




Karsten