(copy/pasted from my post here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/bicycling/comments/3zox7h/nbd_chinese_carbon_detailed_review_in_comments/)
REVIEWALBUM HERE:
http://imgur.com/a/LALtH The frame is a CS-306, purchased from Carbon Speed,
www.xmcarbonspeed.com[1]
Product page:
http://www.xmcarbonspeed.com/Productinfo.asp?f=1271[2]
VeloBuild.com sells this (or a near-identical version) as VB-R-016
The Frame(keep in mind that I’ve only done about 100km on it so these are early impressions)
My ‘starter’ bike was a Scott CR1 Pro 2008. I bought it secondhand and have done thousands of km on it, it is a great bike. Reviews typically describe it as fast, sportive and an excellent climber. It is considered on the stiff side, even bordering on harsh. So that’s my baseline for comparison.
Riding the CS-306 is a very similar experience to the Scott CR1, but upgraded. The geometry is nearly identical- but that’s no surprise since it was the reason I chose that frame to begin with.
The CS-306 ride is also quite stiff, although the back end isn’t quite as chattery as the Scott. It handles confidently, turns well, and accelerates very well. After less than an hour I already felt quite at home on it. I even caught myself going through turns at over 50kph, which is faster than my usual comfort zone. I haven’t done any significant ascents on it yet but based on the overall feel I’m pretty confident that it will be a good climber too.
The build quality of the frame was excellent. There were no issues with alignment, sizing or cables. Also no visible defects in the carbon work or paint. The frame was spec’ced at 850 grams but was in reality closer to 950. The paint job may have contributed to that (?). Together with an Ultegra 6800 groupset, Dura Ace wheels, cheap(ish) Shimano road pedals and an Adamo saddle the total weight is 7kg. Which is a 1kg improvement over the Scott so I’m not complaining
Frame TL;DR In my mind the frame is definitely comparable to the big brand-names which cost x5 or more.
The Chinese buying experienceI was looking for a frame with similar geometry to my Scott, and found the VB-R-016 on VeloBuild which was almost an exact match. It had pretty good feedback on forums and weighed only 850g. What’s not to like?
I had a lengthy email thread with Chris from VeloBuild regarding the frame’s technical specs, bottom bracket types etc. Based on his feedback I ordered (from CRC & Wiggle) a matching Ultegra groupset /w bb30 bracket and DuraAce wheels. But when ordering the actual frame, Chris replied that they didn’t have the frame with that bracket in my size. Whoops. So I asked which brackets do they have in my size, and then answer was- they don’t have the bike in my size at all. And never will, since they are changing their lineup. Chris suggested trying their R-077 frame instead. I’ll give VeloBuild the benefit of the doubt that it was an honest mistake, even though they knew my size throughout the email thread from the beginning. But it left me a bit stuck since I had spent lots of time researching that specific frame, not to mention all the components which I had already ordered.
After doing a bit of detective work, I found
www.xmcarbonspeed.com[3] . They offer a seemingly-identical frame. I wouldn’t be surprised if they are the suppliers for VeloBuild. Or at the very least use the same open mold. Peter (
petercycles@foxmail.com[4] ) is their contact. He was responsive and definitely knew his stuff. I went through the same discussions with him, and he took care to double check with me that I was aware of the sizing and a few other aspects. The order itself was done over PayPal, and Peter confirmed and then a week later sent me pictures of the painted frame before shipping. The frame arrived a month later (was stuck for 2 weeks in customs on my side) in perfect condition – the packaging was excellent and included both bubble wrap and cardboard sidings inside the box.
Chinese Buying TL;DR Not for the faint hearted, although Carbon Speed were excellent and I would definitely buy from them again.
