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Messages - Serge_K

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1
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.

2
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).

3
Yishun R1018 for endurance frame.
Super light, one-piece monocoque molding, round seatpost, great reputation, 32C clearance.


4
I guess it would be pretty straightforward to create a questionnaire that would fill in a simple database with important metrics. Without knowing your age, weight, measurements, flexibility and so on, we're shooting in the dark, as you didn't write much in way of context.
The Triban RC520 is pretty crap, it's not just in your head.
Assuming you're young enough, either flexible or willing to get flexible enough (not that hard), i dont think you need to overthink it too much, the VB 268 will probably be life changing, and you dont need to spend more, especially if you order it black. To customize, you can get decals cut locally (or via aliexpress) for cheap, it's a good way to save 100 usd.
Given your budget, you should assume you'll be your own mechanic going fwd, because labour cost post inflation & now that bikes are fully integrated can double the cost of the bike in a few visits to the LBS... You'll also learn a ton.
Expect to start with all the spacers on the 268, because that decathlon bike has a VERY relaxed geometry. Then you may find yourself removing spacers over time, which will mechanically go faster on the flat. From this perspective, make sure to buy a cockpit that allows to have spacers above the stem, otherwise you'd have to cut the steerer every time, which is a disaster. It would also be pretty smart to get a bar & stem vs cockpit, because you may also want to change stems.
From a bike fit standpoint, given the uncertainty, you would benefit from a bike that is NOT fully integrated, to allow making changes more easily.
Changing anything on a fully integrated bike is absolutely miserable.
The best bike is a comfortable one that fits you.



5
Road Bike Frames, Wheels & Components / Re: TanTan TT-X38 Build
« on: May 28, 2024, 05:58:29 AM »
that's a pretty gangster build for a commuter bike! i especially like the mullet big ring + huge MTB cassette. What group & gearing are you running?
For the bearings, can't help, i'd ask tantan directly

6
well,
they only respond if you order, otherwise, you are ghosted.
They basically do not care if problems occur..they fail sending me documents...we offered to translate the app to germany, no response.
They promised so many things which did not happen....
i am selling off my grt stock for low prices...if anyone wants a groupset, i will offer better than aliexpress prices including shipping, i just want to get rid of them..even mechanic groupsets work fine...

That's bad. With a beta product, you have to have an open communication with the manufacturer, otherwise it's not beta, it's just shit.
That behavior is potentially a bigger red flag than the failure rates of their groups themselves.

7
Elite is selling so many of them, i think if they sucked or self destructed, we'd have heard about it.
+1 on hub maintenance though. I pay much more attention to my bikes since waxing my chains, because it's not nasty to handle anymore. So wet riding means water will go places it shouldn't be, so expect to take stuff apart more often to clean and regrease. Just like maintaining pedals, or other bits, i'd say.

8
Road Bike Frames, Wheels & Components / Re: Velobuild Advice
« on: May 27, 2024, 06:20:26 AM »
if you're considering the 168, then get the 268. The 168 is outdated in terms of carbon layup. The 268 is reportedly as stiff as the 177, but it's more recent and accepts wider tyres.
Assuming you can fit yourself on it, obviously. If you have very poor flexibility, like if you can't touch your toes, then you probably ought to buy an endurance frame.
As for long term longevity, i wouldn't ride a VB frame from 5y ago because composites tech used has come a very long way (now stiffer, lighter, better finished inside, cable integration, aero, discs, better ride qualities...). in 3y you'll probably want a new frame anyway. Even though modern carbon fibre frames are, in principle, immortal.

9
Well, if oyu think going directly is a blast..no way....

The sellers just do not care....

Idk how it is to deal with Ltwoo directly. What i do know is that dealing with my reseller is torture.

10
Ok so similar in ant sizes and completely different in most other sizes

I doubt little people like being referred to as ants, but i genuinely didn't know 42 was a bike frame size. Or 45, for that matter.
The tooling cost to have fifty different frame sizes for a single model must be huge, i guess the existence of such small sizes means they plan to target China first.

11
Finally, I received the pictures from Carol at LC. The paint job looks amazing, and I was promised that they will ship the frame tomorrow. The entire process experienced significant delays compared to the promised lead times, but I hope the wait will be worth it. I will post the final mounted pictures with custom decals (which are yet to be designed).

You will absolutely receive it in time for winter :D

12
That was a very long message to say: have you tried unplugging it and plugging it again? :)
You could work in IT support now, you know enough to fix 90pc of people's problems!

13
Update on the clicking noise. It was not the BB. It seems that this is coming from the pedals (Look Keo). It was getting worse on my rides so I finally removed them, added grease and reinstalled them. That seems to have stopped the annoying clicking noise.

Same happened to me on a garmin vector pedal a few weeks ago, and the same to a friend on his garmin vector. Took apart, cleaned, greased, click gone.
Pedals are very prone to small click noises.

14
Interesting, very similar indeed!

Looking fwd to seeing your build. I'm just back from a ride this AM on my long teng 268, we did 110+km @34.5kmh avg. I love this bike :)

15
I would honestly just expect no quality control whatsoever from velobuild.
That does not mean the average quality of bikes that are shipped to the customers is bad (especially for the price), it just means there is no established process that consistently checks if what is shipped out meets some kind of internal quality standard or is exactly what the customer ordered.

If the production process is running great at that moment and you aren't looking for anything special, you'll probably get a frame punching way above its price point. If the workers in the factory had a shitty day or were in a crunch to get a batch of frames done before the holidays, you'll get a horrible frame in the mail. They might replace that shitty frame free of charge or completely refuse to do anything at all, again depending mostly on the luck of the day (and to a part your reach in media...).

I wish there was a dislike button. Who are you, and how much 1st hand experience with VB and other frames do you have?
Saying there is "no quality control whatsoever from velobuild" is simply false. I don't even want to argue, I just wish posts could be downvoted.

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