So here is the Workswell / Sobato WCB-M-078 Plus frame. I will be building it as a 29+ so it's in the 29er section. And since all bikes need a name, and "my chubby bike" wasn't quite cutting it, I thought "Muffin Top" would be appropriate.
I ordered the frame from Sobato Bikes on Amazon for $579. The listing stated the frame came with the fork and an email to the seller confirmed this. After placing the order, the seller asked if I was interested in ordering the fork too.
So I sent another email asking why the change and included the original email stating it was included, the responded that night (12 hour time difference) informing me that "their partner" made a mistake but they will honor the email and send the fork. I ordered it on December 18th, it shipped on the 22nd, and I received it on the 30th. Pretty quick shipping.
But there was a problem. The box was pretty rough on one end and looked like it was torn open then taped shut. So I took some pictures and set up my phone to take a video while I opened it. I'm glad I did because when I opened it, there was NO fork in the box. Talk about a WTF moment. So off to the computer I go to send an email asking about my fork. Since no one likes to be accused of things, and I have no idea what happened, I asked about a shipping insurance claims on their end and mentioned I could provide pictures and a video if it would help the claim. They responded that night with "the packager must have made a mistake, we will send a new fork out to you". A couple hours later I got a second email with a tracking number and the fork arrived 9 days. So they took care of the issues, great, it's all I can ask for.
On to the building, everything was going very smooth and appeared to be on par with their 062 frame I have. Fit and finish is 100% but nothing a little clean up won't take care of. Maybe 95% perfect. And then I start to route the rear brake hose through the chainstay. It did not want to go through. It was a dead stop so I knew it wasn't just a tight fit. I take it to work and peak in with a borescope and find some bag or resin residue. Luckily I was able to get in there with a 12" long bit and open it up enough to get the line routed. Yes it's irritating but not nearly as much as sending it back and waiting for another one.
So now the cables are all routed, brakes are installed, and so are the handlebars, fork, rear derailleur, and shifter. I have decided to add some color to this one. I haven't decided on the accent color yet, either orange or purple. I prefer orange so I will go that route unless it just looks off. I apologize for being long winded but I wanted to share the experience. Now for the pictures.
http://postimg.org/image/gtbly1pez/http://postimg.org/image/7slnv8nol/