Chinese Carbon MTB Forums
News:
Happy Holidays!
See likes
See likes given/taken
| Post info | No. of Likes |
|---|---|
Re: Velobuild GF-002
The GF-003 is out, it seems!Yes! I have been frame shopping and modelled up a quick comparison between the 3 I'm looking at. The GF-003 seems more mountain-bike-like with a shorter chain stay, higher stack, and a slacker front/HA. It also has a threaded BB, which is nice. Their IG post today: https://www.instagram.com/p/CkbuzBByXTl/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link (PS: first time poster, long time lurker) November 02, 2022, 02:49:04 PM |
2 |
Re: Velobuild GF-002
Does anyone have a good ride review to share on the GF-002? I have been reading some feedback on YouTube on VB's road bikes that they feel "sluggish" and am wondering if they are similar.Nice ! What software did you use to draw them ?NX, with the sketch tool That is super helpful! From your drawing, the difference in stack appears very small, but it's actually an 18mm difference (608vs590). But on the wheelbase (what VB calls "G") difference is 611vs626, 15mm, but on your drawing it looks bigger? Are you sure your drawing is accurate, are my eyes lying to me?Yes, they're correct to the website. G is the Front-Center, or BB to front axle. They may be lol; the frames are aligned to the BB, so it shows off their differences more. It'd be easier to see the WB if I aligned them from the rear axle. It's hard to see, but the 003's rear axle is similar to the Carbonda. I also mis-stated the head angle: it's actually 0.5 steeper than the 002... but that's negligible really. (effective) Wheelbase measurements for size Large (within 1-2mm): 002: 1037.12mm 003: 1044.39mm 707: 1053.42mm November 03, 2022, 02:31:10 PM |
1 |
|
2023 VeloBuild CX-002 Cyclocross Frame
There is a new frame out from VB for cyclocross (and/or lighter gravel use): http://www.velobuild.com/products/velobuild-2023-new-cx-002-carbon-fiber-cyclocross-frame-full-inner-routing It looks like a 168 (so slightly aero), but with 42mm tire clearance, more CX friendly geometry, and a horizontal feature above the BB for structural rigidity? I'm not familiar with other cross bikes outside of the big 3, but it doesn't seem to look like anything else... that BB feature is distinctive though. (12/21 EDIT: The shape is similar to the 168/Tarmac-SL7, but with Trek Boone-ish Geo) I added a couple charts to compare to the 168 and the 2 current GF gravel frames. I'm currently shopping this bike as a road/light-gravel bike with 2 wheelsets. One with GP5k's/25mm and another with Pathfinder-Pro's in either 32 or 38mm. November 23, 2022, 01:42:13 PM |
2 |
|
Re: Rinasclta Granite Aero "All Road" Bike Frameset
Nice choice! Gravel bikes are a bit overkill if you're just riding rough-road or dirt roads mixed with pavement. These new aero-gravel / CX / light-gravel / wider-tire endurance road bikes are a nice option now... or whatever the new marketing label ends up being lol. It does look like the Airwolf YFR066, and (previously?) Chasing wind RF22; I was looking closely at this frame as well, but decided against it. YFR066 thread: https://chinertown.com/index.php?topic=3793.0 I'm looking forward to seeing the build and review! January 12, 2023, 03:30:36 PM |
2 |
Re: 2023 VeloBuild CX-002 Cyclocross Frame
Any idea if it's a "homage" frame or just it's own beast?I think it's its own design. I've looked at the other aero-gravel, all-road, and newer 2019+ CX bikes with more road-like geo's. Boone, Crux, Factor Oslo, and they're all similar. This bike seems to take design elements from each of them, and the result looks like the VB-168/SL7 with more tire clearance and a beefier frame around the BB for structural support. Kudos to VB here. I need to make some final checks on the frame size (54 or 56) and colorway, but I should be ordering this weekend or next week. I'm also waiting on the pathfinder pro tires in 38, which are made of unicorn hairs, reinforced by unobtanium at the moment... but I think one website said early March for stocking, and I have an order in at a LBS. Thanks for the good timing on the video, patliean1 ! Attached is a CX-54 vs the Rinasclta/Airwolf-54. February 02, 2023, 04:25:03 PM |
3 |
|
Re: 2023 VeloBuild CX-002 Cyclocross Frame
The frame arrived, in lightning fast time! Big thanks to Chris and team for the great communication. A couple more notes about the CX-002 frame: 1. I ordered a spare hanger and seat clamp, per recommendations on here, but since this frame now includes the seat post dust cover (might fit the 168 too), I would recommend getting a spare of that as well. It’s very narrow and very soft, so I am not sure how it will do long term. Rubber tends to get hard and brittle over time and this design relies on a snug fit to the post, which will loosen. I think this would be a fairly easy tpu 3D print job tho. 2. The size 56 here also weighs about 1250g, without rear axle, and all hardware still on. 3. Chris and team were able to add top tube mounts, but not on the seat stays or chain stay. This will be good for longer rides where I want a top tube bag, but I’ll have to use some custom clips to add my rear rack on occasion. 4. The down tube is more of a boxed profile (not easily shown), which may be more aero with a wider tire? I think the 3T exploro and Factor Oslo (?) have a similar DT profile and they are considered “aero gravel” bikes. 5. The top tube is pretty high, so be careful when sizing. My CAD and mock-up calculations were good, but it’ll still be close when standing LOL…. Which I rarely do anyway. Next up is to paint it in a radical theme once it warms up enough to DIY spray paint (pardon the tape). I sent VB my thoughts on the livery/colorway that I wanted, but I was too picky about the design, so they left it in a lighter primer. Not to discredit them, but this will be a fairly complex paint and vinyl striping job, so it’ll be fun to do. It’ll be painted like I did with one of my other bikes with auto touch-up paint, Spraymax 2k, and an Invisiframe protective wrap. I have all of the other parts for this build, but the tires are still on backorder. February 21, 2023, 11:14:14 AM |
4 |
|
Re: 2023 VeloBuild CX-002 Cyclocross Frame
Well, we are getting a week long heat wave in the mid west USA, so it’s time to paint! I’m going to do this in 3 stages: matte clear over carbon (below); base, mid, gloss clear; then stripes and clear. Here you can see the rough black and white theme though. More to come. The Pathfinder Pro 38’s are finally back in stock in some places, so I was able to snag a set. April 10, 2023, 06:49:52 PM |
6 |
Re: 2023 VeloBuild CX-002 Cyclocross Frame
Have you started using the bike yet? I’m eyeing this one up for a second bike / commuter , so interested in real world reviews. I was looking at both is and GF-003 , but leaning towards this , as I wont be doing any gravel as such, just a few rough roads and cycle tracksNot yet... I am hoping to get the paint finished late next week and built up by mid-may, barring any build hiccups. The GF-003 looks like a mountain bike, so it may be overkill for that application, IMO. I was cross-shopping the Airwolf YFR-066 / Rinasclta Granite, which, if I liked the aesthetics of it, I would have chosen that for the same use (not to imply it's ugly, just a subjective opinion). I am hoping this CX-002 can survive light trail use and bunny-hops in CX, so we'll see this summer. patliean1 has a few video's on YT with his ride impressions of the CX-002, posted on the first page here. It'd be interesting to see a comparison video 
April 14, 2023, 08:01:17 AM |
3 |
|
Re: Unreadable Topic: "VeloBuild Headset Play Issue"
Update: I dremelled a similar slot to the new design from VB on my "gen 2" C-Ring and I believe it worked! I just built up a CX-002 with the full internal handlebars and after road ride and a 40 mile gravel/rough-road/dirt-road ride, I think it's safe to say there is no headset play or rattles. There is a slight creak when I stand on it and mash the pedals, but I think I just need to retighten the headset bolt (things may have settled) and put some carbon paste on the steerer tube. I'll report back if this fixes the minor issue. Additional notes: I DIY spray painted my bike and did not mask off the headset bearing area, so there's a little build up of paint there, which takes up some of the gap around the bearing. I think some loctite 638 retaining compound may help if your frame is not painted there and has gaps. Or tape, per Pat's suggestion. June 10, 2023, 07:45:03 PM |
2 |
|
Re: 2023 VeloBuild CX-002 Cyclocross Frame
Ok the bike is finally finished! Goal: What started as a want for a road bike in 2021, and wanting to build a bike from the frame up, led to a livery design in search of a frame… then buying a used road bike… and then determining that I would be better on something dirt-road capable of riding longer distances safely. So the goal was to get a reasonably fast dual-purpose road+gravel bike that could also withstand 1-2 CX races if I felt like it; IE: surviving bunny hops. Ideally, something like the Airwolf 066 (Rinescalte Granite) would have been more ideal, but I was not a fan of how it looks (subjective!). DIY Spray-paint job: The Livery (paint job) is a throw-back to late 70’s - mid 80’s race cars and sport bikes. I did all of the striping by hand with 1/16” tape and spray paint. I think I’ll document my paint process for anyone who wants to read how it can be done – lots of lessons learned from over the years applied here that I want to write down for DIY’ing a spray paint job. That may require it’s own post if anyone’s interested. I initially asked if VB could paint it, but they didn’t want to do the rounded corners of the stripes, which was critical to the design, so that’s why they sent it in primer. It’s no fault of theirs since this was a complicated paint job. 1. To start, the inside of the (exterior) frame was sanded down to the carbon and sprayed in Spraymax 2K Matte clear (posted above). 2. Then taped for the outer parts. The white is Honda/Acura’s Platinum White Pearl (NH-883P), which has a red and blue flake in it. I wanted a metallic white that wasn’t too creamy/pearly in color. I applied a light coat of Spraymax 2K clear. 3. After letting that cure, I sanded it very lightly with 1000 grit just to give the paint something to stick to. Then I did the hand striping … which took a while to get straight and then symmetric. The blue’s are from Montana Gold, then finished with 2K spraymax. Unfortunately, the Montana Gold is a bit dusty, so some paint dust got in the final clear coat  .. But it’s only noticeable at 3 feet away. 4. After that stage cured, I applied an Invisiframe’s Generic CX/Gravel kit to protect the sensitive area’s. I think the sizing matched the frame pretty well, with some clever ingenuity needed at the top of the seat stay and the back of the seat tube for the wheel indent. Maybe an SL7 kit may fit better? Assembly: This is the first road bike I’ve assembled, and the integrated bars with the full hydro/mech drivetrain was a bit of a chore, but after a lot of wrestling, I figured it out. Bike Specs: - VB-CX-002, Size 56, with top tube mounts. Final weights without pedals or accessories: -- Gravel: 8.655kg/19.08lbs -- Road: 8.475kg/18.68lbs -- Weight with accessories and pedals: ~22lbs - Integrated bars, 110x440, 10mm spacer - Rider: 6’1”, 185cm, 34” inseam - perfect fit and standover. Kind of like an older style frame with a nearly horizontal top tube. - (Used) GRX-810 2x drivetrain. 48/31 Chainrings, 11-34T, 11S, 172.5 crank arms - Token Ninja Bottom Bracket - thread together style - Elite ENT Wheels 50 deep x 27ow 17iw, upgraded spokes, 25mm GP5K TLS, tubeless - Elite ENT Wheels 30deep x 28ow x 18iw, Pathfinder Pro 38mm, tubeless - 160mm SRAM rotors - Jagwire LEX-SL cable housing (min bend radius: 25mm) - Lyne Components bottle cages and Holy Rail tool bag kit - Fiziks 3.0 Bondcore cush tape Road and Gravel ride impressions coming mid-week, but so far I am really happy with it 
June 11, 2023, 01:50:35 PM |
7 |