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Messages - Serge_K

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1
Have you tried using another charging source?

Some powerbanks will auto-cutoff moments after you connect and will result in the unit draining instead of charging. You need to find a steady USB power source or a powerbank that works.

I posted about that before. originally i was trying to charge with a powerbank, but quickly realized it wasn't working. So yes, i've been using a wall socket with different high quality usb chargers and so on, i'm confident the issue is with the group / RD and not the juice. Also, i've handled 5 groups, i have 4 at home currently, so i know what works and doesn't, what should work but doesn't, and so on.
Ltwoo has asked if i have ridden in the rain, so presumably the charging issue has been linked to water exposure, which could explain why the new version has a USB C port in the FD. I'm speculating, because they're not exactly forthcoming w info, but it's the first time they ask a question.

For those with garmin devices, you can link the er9/erx w your head unit. tells you the level of charge of the battery, as well as which gear you're in, it's very neat.

2
in the last few weeks the same question has been asked several times, have look and reply to the previous threads if unclear.

3
ask them :)
Farsports made handlebars that won at the olympics, i doubt they work with fakes.
Leon is the OEM for Elite wheels, i also doubt they work with fakes.
Peter is a good guy, i dont think he deals in fakes.
That said, i've never paid up to get DT swiss hubs, so i really dont know how prevalent fakes are. What i do know is that most OEMs are using hubs either unbranded (their in house hubs), or the likes of Novatec & Bitex that, for all intended purposes, are replicating DT swiss without calling it DT swiss. Which is why i've never paid extra to get an actual dt swiss hub.

4
You can get quotes from Leon Hu and Peter from carbon speed, you can find both on this forum using the search.
You can also email farsports.
I think all 3, just to name 3 OEMs, will be able to quote for what you're after.
Nothing wrong with light carbon either.
Wheels are extremely commoditised. U shape T800 is going to be U shape T800.

5
I don't know what to say, my ER9 is still working great.
Your sample size is 1. Mine is 5.
Beyond that and more importantly, a groupset is supposed to work, rather than break for no reason, so I am hoping that you're not the only user on the forum whose groupset is working!
I keep posting about the issues with mine so that it's visible to others who can then decide where they spend their money. I expected it would be beta, but that's a farce of a product, not a beta. I mean the failure rate is 100pc, as the 5th group is not being ridden atm. If they were on point with warranty and support, I wouldn't necessarily mind too much, but they're not.
Would be nice to have polls on the forum though, to know who's riding what.

6
Road Bike Frames, Wheels & Components / Re: Velobuild VB-R-218
« on: May 30, 2024, 03:45:30 PM »
And for good reason, I might add. If you're looking for max bang for the buck, I found that Schwalbe's Ones (a tad more durable) and Pro Ones (super fast but fragile) are often cheaper than Conti and Vittoria and are still on par with the best. Pricing might depend on your country and distributor, though. Same goes for the Tufo Calibra Plus. That's one hell of a fast and light tire, but a bit fragile. I'm based in Germany, so German tire brands are cheap here and so is Tufo, being a Czech brand (which is actually made in Czech Republic in contrast to all the others who are actually producing in the Far East).

The conti gp5000 is made in Asia? The compound is so special and pricing so high, I always assumed it was made in Europe, if not Germany?

7
If anyone has a good source for these type of decals please share. I searched etsy but the ones which look cooler are not decals but frame protectors, and I'd rather have proper cut decals than a 'big partially transparent sticker'

Check on your eBay or Craigslist equivalent for a shop that does vinyl cutting for car nerds. The vinyl on my frame is made for cars, resists UV, washing and stuff. Any car nerd will know exactly the type, I forgot the name.
If you want a design you like you'll probably have to either design it yourself, or pay someone to design exactly what you want if you're allergic to graphic design.
The decals for the whole bike cost me ten euro. If I had to pay someone to design it though...

8
Update. On 18 May, the 3rd er9 RD died, and i contacted my reseller. 24 May, i contacted my reseller about my own er9 RD, because there are clear issues with recharging. Long story short, charging it, more often than not, results in the battery actually discharging. Go figure. I have a standalone lithium battery charger so i'm now using that until i get a replacement. I know a thing or 2 about lithium batteries, and i tried several different batteries (the actual Ltwoo battery compartment) as well as several different sets of lithium batteries, in various states of charge: the problem isn't coming the lithium batteries.
May 30th, still no resolution on either of them. my reseller makes it sound like ltwoo is being difficult this time around (for the previous 2, they were more straightforward).

The previous 2 broken ones (contacted my reseller on 17 Apr), i still havent received (it's not entirely ltwoo's fault, because they're in a box with a new wheel, so that took time too, but still, that box has been in transit for almost 20 days now, and i still have no idea where it is. So 1.5 months and still no replacement.

My friend whose RD died on May 18th had a triathlon the following weekend. He's back on his older sworks di2, at least the er9 died on a casual training ride and not on race day...

We're all loving Chinese groupsets in my cycling group, and the behaviour of ltwoo makes it extra tasty.

9
Makes sense. Avoid the tantan indeed.
All else equal, i'd rather you pick the SP cycle because there are probably 20 VB reviews for every SP cycle review on here, so it'd be good to mix things up a bit.
When you get quotes on the SP cycle, you will probably see lots of sellers with the same mold. I assume it's an open mould. But it's confusing because you can have the factory, the client facing brand, and the aliexpress shop have 3 different names, if not 5. Tideace / Haideli (HDL) / SP cycle seem to be the same / sell the same frames. Falcon sports, Disai, you may find on AliX, same frames.
In fact, if you happen to make sense of it during your research, please enlighten us :)


10
Road Bike Frames, Wheels & Components / Re: Velobuild VB-R-218
« on: May 30, 2024, 03:57:16 AM »
Aliexpress is still full of Dogma F and Grevil clones, though. It seems there’s a particularly high quantity of Pinarello clones from many different sources. I often wonder why? Is it just desirability and that they’re selling well? Or does Pinarello maybe not pay the necessary license fees for exclusivity or chooses to have that license expire at some point and the factory sells off the molds to third parties? Because it seems that everyone and their mother in China has a mold lying around for the Dogma F12 and the Dogma F.  ???

I suspect the same reason why Rolex is the most copied watch brand. Pinarello shapes are both highly desirable and recognizable. The brand was bought by LVMH years ago. They know their branding/marketing, that's literally how they make their money. Vuitton bags the most copied, LVMH brand. Seems fitting that Pinarello would be the most copied bike brand too :)

11
Some love a black bike, some don't, Adding a single logo to a black bike can change its appearance dramatically.
Beyond that, a bike scheme like the attached can be done with decals, for eg.
I used inkscape to make my decals, and found a guy locally to cut the vinyl. Skills are freedom.

12
shouldn't the microspacers be added between the c-ring and the headset/bearing cover (and not the top cap)?
I did try to use microspacers, but in my case, my compression ring is U-shaped and I did not find any U-shaped microspacers, so I ordered regular round microspacers which I cut so they would fit the U-shaped compression ring. I was not satisfied with the result however. The idea that the microspacers could shift and touch/damage my brake hose in the steering tube made me abandon this option.

i 3d printed mine, so they would make full contact with the C ring, and the C ring has a positive notch, so my spacers have a hole to fit that notch. That way, maximum contact area, and can't move to interfere with hoses. In your photo, the diameter of the shims looks very small, and indeed, if you don't round the area you cut, you can expect them to potentially grind into the hoses.

13
I can’t be arsed to troll eBay for another deal, and then fork over another $100 for a DA caliper that may or may not work.

i used to live in london and use ebay a lot. you can easily set a very specific search, and create an email alert when something matches your criteria. was working very well.
And i was using a bid sniper as well, bidding automatically at the last moment.
Made using ebay super convenient, as long as you're not in a hurry.
I bought a campag bora one front wheel for 100 pounds, back in the day. new.

14
Road Bike Frames, Wheels & Components / Re: Velobuild VB-R-218
« on: May 29, 2024, 04:20:48 AM »
Yes. They're only selling off leftover stock. No explanation as to why.

Feels like everyone on this forum on a 218 had a cracked frame at the seatpost area. Given VB margins, they can't be profitable selling models that are constantly creating warranty problems.
Plus the fact it's an obvious clone of Pinarello, which I assume has resulted in Pinarello contacting VB, one way or the other (and/or the factory they source from).

15
Yishun R1018 for endurance frame.
Super light, one-piece monocoque molding, round seatpost, great reputation, 32C clearance.


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