FM1002 / FM1166 - 150mm frame

[FullCarbonAlchemist]

That’s my frame build up, all went pretty smooth cable routing was a bit of a pain and the top shock bolt doesn’t look the best quality but will keep a close eye on it. Other than that all is good!

I noticed you routed the shift and dropper cables on their same sides instead of crossing them over, is this how the factory routing is set up or was there some other reason? In other 1002 owners’ build pics that I’ve saved I see some have crossed their cables over and some haven’t.

As for the “lower” shock mount bolt on the front of the rocker arm (actually on top, of course, with the flipped shock), something about how it looks in pictures made me wonder if I’d be content to leave in place for long. I’d be curious about the exact specs of the bolt and if anyone has suggestions for a source to get an upgraded replacement.

One other question for you: with the mixed wheel setup, what’s your BB height? I can guess all the rough math for the 27.5 wheel and 170 Onyx (5mm longer than most forks) vs the Carbonda specs…but I wouldn’t mind knowing your exact number.

It might help me be more confident about running my own bike MX for a while rather than jumping straight to full 29.

[Massey]

That's just my personal preference because I think it looks nicer than when they are crossed over, you can run them any way you would like.

I did have a quick look for a different shock bolt and this is exactly the same size but out of stock everywhere I have looked. https://www.plushhillcycles.co.uk/components/bike-frame-spare-parts/transition-bikes-shock-bolt-8mm-x-40mm__9245

The bb hight on mine is 343mm from the ground. This website is great for working out the geo https://madscientistmtb.com/bike-geometry-calculator/

Took the bike for its first ride at the weekend mainly to get the shock setup. First thing I noticed was the cable rattle in the downtube is loud! Will need to get some foam pipe for over the cables to sort that out. The headset that came with the frame started to creak near the end of the ride nothing obvious when I striped it down, put back together and it's gone.

As for the Topaz setup with in fully open I started at 200 PSI, sag is sitting about 25%, rebound 6 from closed, bladder pressure 185 PSI, positive chamber spacers 3 and negative spacers 0.
It felt okay on slower tech trails with drops but on higher speed and small chatter it felt a bit harsh. Was only using about 70% travel as well so removed 1 spacer from the positive chamber and changed the rebound to 5 from closed it was instantly better! Will maybe play around with the bladder PSI and rebound a bit more this weekend.
Mostly just pushed up the trail for the suspension setup but the small bit of climbing I did the pedal bob was pretty minimal even when in fully open on the shock.

[FullCarbonAlchemist]

I might email BetterBolts and see if any of their existing Transition shock bolts are that size (their product pages don’t always specify size, just what bike/product they fit). Oil slick Ti would be a nice replacement, but matching head shapes might be important too.

As for shock tuning, with the 1002’s kinematics you probably want to run the bladder as low as possible, 170-175PSI, and only adjust it up if you see a clear reason. That’s what I run on my GT Force and it’s a bit higher leverage/less progressive. I think I’ll probably run one positive spacer on my Force this year, two on the 1002, and no negative spacers on either because they just make the top harsher and don’t change the sag point much unless you’re very close to max PSI.

[FlaMtnBkr]

Massey:

Did you happen to weigh your XL frame? And out of curiosity, how tall are you? I'm 6'2" (187 cm) with 33.5" (85 cm) inseam and thinking the XL is correct but not sure. Tried asking Carbonda and they have no sizing suggestions other than test riding a bike which seemed strange...

[zooky]

Hey All,

What is the best was to purchase the frame? Do we just email Carbonda via their site?

[FullCarbonAlchemist]

I’ve been talking to BetterBolts and their 8x40mm Transition shock bolt should fit the 1001/1002….I’m going to order two, one in black and one in oil slick, so I can check for sure. Will let you know what the pricing is, and post pics when my frame arrives.

[Massey]

Massey:

Did you happen to weigh your XL frame? And out of curiosity, how tall are you? I'm 6'2" (187 cm) with 33.5" (85 cm) inseam and thinking the XL is correct but not sure. Tried asking Carbonda and they have no sizing suggestions other than test riding a bike which seemed strange...

I didn't unfortunately, I even have anyway to weigh the whole bike annoyingly! Im also 6'2" my inseam is quite a bit longer at 90cm XL fits me great and would be the right size for you might just need a dropper with less drop.

[Massey]

I’ve been talking to BetterBolts and their 8x40mm Transition shock bolt should fit the 1001/1002….I’m going to order two, one in black and one in oil slick, so I can check for sure. Will let you know what the pricing is, and post pics when my frame arrives.

That's good to know, might order one too just to be on the safe side.

[bruggnputzpepi]

Massey:

Did you happen to weigh your XL frame? And out of curiosity, how tall are you? I'm 6'2" (187 cm) with 33.5" (85 cm) inseam and thinking the XL is correct but not sure. Tried asking Carbonda and they have no sizing suggestions other than test riding a bike which seemed strange...

i have nearly the same hight und inseam and wing told me that i can take a L size or a XL as well. to be on the safe side she said a bikefitting will be the best.
i ordered the L w/o fitting.
i compared the geometry with my actual Specialized enduro an think L will fit perfect.

[FullCarbonAlchemist]

Cost for two titanium 8x40 shock bolts was $30 shipped. Not cheap for a couple of two piece bolts obviously, but for me the extra confidence and the color choices are worth it.

All you have to do to place a special order like this is to email them and ask for the 8x40 Transition shock bolt. They’ll send you an web invoice link to complete the order.

One of the first things I’ll do after my frame arrives and I’ve been able to check/grease the bearings is to mount the shock with the new bolts and take some pics of both the stand-out oil slick look and the stealth black.

[sim.r]

How much did you guys pay for the frame? Wing told me 795 + 35 for axle, headset and extra derailleur hanger

[FullCarbonAlchemist]

How much did you guys pay for the frame? Wing told me 795 + 35 for axle, headset and extra derailleur hanger

The price went up to that on New Year’s Day (2022 western calendar). It was $750+parts last year, I was lucky enough to get my order in on Dec. 29th.

[FullCarbonAlchemist]

My large frame arrived today in perfect condition, nicely packaged. I’ll start my own build thread soon but will have a few questions for the general thread first.

Starting with: I’d been planning to start with a solid post to get my height dialed before installing a dropper but am hesitant to remove the dropper cable guide.

Any suggestions on how to handle that? I was thinking about leaving it in place and placing the far end of the guide inside the solid post for now.

I won’t really be doing any real rides like that, just pedaling in the driveway to dial in the height —
And even that probably won’t happen for weeks, we’re pretty snowbound in Maine right now.

[FullCarbonAlchemist]

So, as promised, I tested out different shock strokes and I’m pretty sure it’s not possible to over-stroke the FM1002 at all safely…65mm (163mm travel) definitely doesn’t work, the seatstay bridge hits the seat tube.

62.5 might technically be possible but the bridge is so close at 60mm that I didn’t want to chance it. Even if it worked, there would probably be issues with the rear tire buzzing the saddle/rider on a full 29er setup with a long dropper.

[Massey]

My large frame arrived today in perfect condition, nicely packaged. I’ll start my own build thread soon but will have a few questions for the general thread first.

Starting with: I’d been planning to start with a solid post to get my height dialed before installing a dropper but am hesitant to remove the dropper cable guide.

Any suggestions on how to handle that? I was thinking about leaving it in place and placing the far end of the guide inside the solid post for now.

I won’t really be doing any real rides like that, just pedaling in the driveway to dial in the height —
And even that probably won’t happen for weeks, we’re pretty snowbound in Maine right now.

I have the park tool internal cable routing kit that made it easy but I don't think you would have to much trouble just pushing an outer cable down to the bb then guide it up the top tube if the bb and headset are out.

I had to pull the guide pipe out as it was all bent and could not even get an inner gear cable to pass through them. Had to take the rear end off to do the brake and gear cables.