Frame recommendation

[Aerouk1]

Dear all,

I currently have a ribble gravel bike which I absolutely love and use daily for commutes. I am looking to get a second bike which will mainly be used for weekends and some commuting (but not every day).
I am very keen to go completely aero for this bike, however want to keep cost down as much as possible. So far I am considering an elves falath, but I would appreciate any further recommendations on which frame would be a good choice. Thanks

[oleg]

Check the sizing on Elves first, it is not usual if you want to go for full-blown aero frame.
I am in currently in return process for an ICAN frame. Other choices are Winspace ( T1500 or newer T1550 which will come around April) or Yoeleo.

[Zoc]

I took the velobuild VB-R-168 in 56cm Sram Force etap carbon wheels from velobuil all together slightly above 8 kg and below 4.000 EUR

comunication witch velobuild was very easy (inc. painting)
build up was done in 2 days

riding the bike now for 1,5 years, everything works fine
now would go with the VB-R-177 because of the classic seatpost
VB-R-168 is only available with aero seatpost an 20mm off-set

[oleg]

You must be very good at building bikes and "gebugging" problem frames and at the same time have a lot of luck with that.
I had not enough, and my bike shop told me get out of with the trash frame - they were not going to build it.
Went with Winspace and used frame, since they are sold everywhere around the world till the new batch.

[hazzer19]

Another happy VB-R-168 owner here.I've had it for a 1 year and 8month, aprox 5,000 Km on it so far and it's been solid. Would recommend to anyone (that is up for doing their own build!)

[JimLee]

LCG071-D with one piece handlebar
https://photos.app.goo.gl/9drUUfknQpBVbtoA7
LCG010-D without handelbar
https://photos.app.goo.gl/BYueAsZWerr7JFou8
both are perfect gravel bike carbon frame,

[ottoangel]

What size of frame LCG071-D when you are 178 cm?

LCG071-D with one piece handlebar
https://photos.app.goo.gl/9drUUfknQpBVbtoA7
LCG010-D without handelbar
https://photos.app.goo.gl/BYueAsZWerr7JFou8
both are perfect gravel bike carbon frame,

[OlieSimpson]

3rd thumbs up (i think) for the VB-R-168, 18 months and 6,500km's on mine and it's been great. Would very highly recommend it!

[Serge_K]

I'm getting tired of bike shops behaving like they went to school and had an education. Sorry, I meant bike shops shitting on Chinese bikes, as if not everything was manufactured there.
I've put 1500km on a VB168 over a couple of months, if you build it well and it's your size, it's a very nice, and very fast bike. I've ridden road bikes for well over a decade and am a fairly decent rider. As you know, dont expect plug and play, you may have a bit of debugging to do, but i'd argue it's worth it. The VB177 is built better (EPS moulding). Winow has a very nice aero frame (FM368). EPS moulded. Long teng has 1 that looks like the 168, but with EPS moulding (268). They all cost about the same. I'm in the process of buying 2 of each. The Winow and Long teng can take 32C tyres, which the others can't. If you plan to commute with it, i assume your asphalt is bad / riding style aggressive (jumping curbs and what not), in which case it may be worth considering.

[patliean1]

From a bike shop's perspective, perhaps they simply don't want to take on the liability if something goes wrong. And you can't really expect a local shop to constantly be up to date on current bike trends and popularity of open-mold frames now. My main gripe with local shops is their general attitude towards customers. A gentle reminder to vote with your wallet.

[ldavies]

You must be very good at building bikes and "gebugging" problem frames and at the same time have a lot of luck with that.
I had not enough, and my bike shop told me get out of with the trash frame - they were not going to build it.
Went with Winspace and used frame, since they are sold everywhere around the world till the new batch.

Very sad when bike shops behave like that.  Sad for them really.  At my local bike shop, Bicycle Outfitter, in Los Altos California, a guy with a bushy beard and looking like he wants to live wild in Alaska, asked me "What is that?" when I came in with a TanTan X-21 with a broken stem expander plug/wedge.  And then he would not even bother to think about possible alternative solutions to the problem other than saying to get a replacement from the manufacturer, when I needed a ride for my kid's race the next day.

Anyway as someone else suggested I voted with my wallet a couple of days later when I needed brake mounts to be faced on a open mould xc mtb frame and fork.

[jonathanf2]

Very sad when bike shops behave like that.  Sad for them really.  At my local bike shop, Bicycle Outfitter, in Los Altos California, a guy with a bushy beard and looking like he wants to live wild in Alaska, asked me "What is that?" when I came in with a TanTan X-21 with a broken stem expander plug/wedge.  And then he would not even bother to think about possible alternative solutions to the problem other than saying to get a replacement from the manufacturer, when I needed a ride for my kid's race the next day.

Anyway as someone else suggested I voted with my wallet a couple of days later when I needed brake mounts to be faced on a open mould xc mtb frame and fork.

This is why I go to old school mom-n-pop bike shops. My favorite LBS is literally run with the wife as the cashier and the husband as the mechanic. They'll work on anything as long as you're willing to pay. Not to mention their prices are reasonable. I find the more "high end" bike shops that have a bigger social media presence as opposed to years in business are the shops to avoid.