Author Topic: Advice for 2 Frames - 1 Seller  (Read 836 times)

TeamO

Advice for 2 Frames - 1 Seller
« on: September 16, 2022, 04:11:55 AM »
Good morning all,
I currently own an aging aluminum road bike "Focus Culebro" and am currently playing with the idea of building me a new road bike with China bike frame. The old one will then be used for the roller trainer. Lately, my girlfriend also enjoys road cycling, so I want to surprise her with her first own road bike.
So I need 2 frames, and would like to get them from the same supplier to save shipping costs.

Road bike of my girlfriend:
With the frame it would be ideal if this has an endurance geometry, coupled with good tire clearance, the possibility to mount mudguards and, to save costs, rim brakes (but this will probably be difficult). If there is not this combination with rim brakes I would, for cost reasons, put on mechanical disc brakes.

Since here in the forum much is written about Velobuild, I came across their Gravelframe Velobuild GF-002. The advantage I see here is that I could almost convert this to a normal road bike if she likes road cycling less than thought. You can mount bags etc making the bike suitable for commuting. A real all-rounder. Unfortunately this one only seems to be available with disc brakes though.
Any experience with this frame or better alternatives?
There is little information in the thread about this frame.
My girlfriend is 166cm tall and has a stride length of 78cm.
What size would you recommend?

Since it will be her first road bike and I do not yet know how much she will use it, I would like to build it cheap with China components.
-Sensah Empire Pro 2x11 34/50T with 11/34 cassette
or Sensah SRX Pro 1x12 44T with 10/44 cassette.
The bike is to be used 90% on the road. However, with a 12-speed cassette I can imagine that 1 chainring is enough.
How do you see it?
-Z-Race BR-005 with 160mm rotor and with Jagwire cables.
About this one hears a lot of bad. This is also the reason why I would rather have rim brakes.
Is there a proven alternative?
-Elitewheels ENT 50mm deep 28mm wide + Conti 5000
-Which BB do I need to use?

Road bike for me:
If in your opinion the GF002 frame from Velobuild is good for the above needs I would like to try to order my frame from Velobuild as well to save shipping costs.
Due to the large thread I have noticed here so far especially the frame VB-R-168D. The opinions seem to be very positive. I'm looking for a frame that isn't super heavy but focuses on aerodynamics, basically the middle between Race and Endurance with a bit of aerodynamics. I am 172cm with 78cm stride length and need a sice recommendation.
I would like to do without disc brakes, but find no good options to do so.
I would like to install a SRAM Rival Etap and Elitewheels Drive 50D, as I have heard much positive about both.

I would also like to have feedback on the plan for my bike or good alternatives.

I would be very happy about your help.



s3si1u

Re: Advice for 2 Frames - 1 Seller
« Reply #1 on: September 16, 2022, 06:07:58 PM »
Just coming here to say I also built up a bike for my girlfriend not long ago, Felt ZW frame with Sensah Empire originally. Sharing my experiences and hope it helps! My girlfriend is not a cyclist, it sounds like yours isn't either?
Her Felt is a disc frame but dropping money for a hydraulic groupset that doesn't get used often wasn't very cost effective so we went with cable disc brakes.
Now, we very quickly swapped out the Sensah Empire groupset (48/32, 11-32) for an SRX groupset (42t, 11-42) and not long ago swapped that one for a Force 1x groupset (42t, 11-36). Why? She wasn't getting along with the 2x drivetrain at first and shape of the hoods was also an issue for her small hands. The SRX was better but the reach is the same and still too long for her because there's no separate shifting mechanism, so we've now swapped the shifters, cassette and derailleur for SRAM Force. Shifting is much easier for her with the SRAM hoods because of the shorter reach to the shift paddle, which is also adjustable. The cable disc calipers work fine and she has never complained about it, just make sure to use good compressionless housing and good pads for the best performance. If she's not racing/descending/riding aggressively then the brakes will work just fine. In another world I probably would have gotten her a rim brake frame for less hassle with brake choice, but at the time parts were harder to come by and the Felt disc frame was an amazing deal, around $500.
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