I actually took off the stem so am confident there was no force compressing the steerer.

At first I just wanted to switch to something "safer", however now it's more out of necessity as the stock expander is not gripping well internally and slipping up when I compress the headset (using carbon paste as well).

I used one of these in my VB-R099 - Quite a tight fit (Needed to tap it with a rubber mallet to get it in) but it works very well:

https://dedaelementi.com/expander-70

If I remember rightly, it was lighter than the stock plug, despite being considerably longer.

Hello together,
I have been reading the forum for some time now.
I have now decided to build myself a new road bike.
I have chosen the Velobuild R 168 as my frame. Now I'm planning the rest of the components.
I would also like to use Chinese components. There are plenty of gears etc. to buy on Aliexpress. What I'm missing, however, is a way to mount hydraulic disc brakes.
The only disc brakes I've been able to find so far are those that are operated by cable.
Are there really no purely hydraulic ones, or have I just not found them yet?
It would be nice if you could give me some help here.
Regards
Christian

As far as I'm aware, the only way to have full hydraulics is with the major brands - Shimano/SRAM/Campagnolo. Personally I think one of the best things about disc brakes is the feel that you get from hydraulics. Cable discs are still good but I think you're losing some of the advantage if you go this route. If you want to keep costs down, it might be worth considering Shimano RS505 hydraulic brakes/levers (sort of previous generation 105 brakes). You can pick them up reasonably cheaply and although they get mixed reviews, they're great in my opinion.

Quick question on building the bike. When installing the anti-vibration foam, do you run it full length down the downtube and through the chainstay, or do you tend to run it in the downtube only?

I'm asking as I'm struggling to run it through the chainstays with how tight the space is, it keeps bunching up and not running the full length.

I did the full length of the down tube and then just a short piece as the cable enters the chainstay, near the bottom bracket. It would have been difficult/impossible to run it the entire length of the chainstay. I cannot detect any cable rattling noises when I ride the bike so I think this method is absolutely fine.

Hi, attached here is a picture of how I did mine.
"pic.jpg" is my current setup. I got the port thing from an old frame but it doesn't flush nicely with this particular hole of the frame.
"pic2.jpg is an example of what I will buy in the future from Aliexpress to replace it. 

I run a 28c tire and it doesn't rub against the cable housing.

All the best with your build

Thanks for the info. I actually went ahead and cut the cable outer after Drarak's post above so I'm going for the 'exposed cable' method. Looks like it should work nicely.

I think you meant the front derailleur. I route the outer cable through the bottom of the bottom bracket. This puts the cable into a steep angle and ending in the housing cap. That steep angle actually provides a lot of pressure to hold the outer cable in place,provided your outer cable is long enough and not very compressible. See the attached image. Green is the outer cable and red is the BB hole.

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I did mean the front derailleur (edited my post!). I see your point about cable routing creating the pressure to keep it in place. I think that is the route I will go. Glad to have some confirmation before I go ahead and cut that cable outer. 

Well I added some sealant and they're definitely holding pressure now so I guess it will be ok.

Now onto another question...

Anyone else who has built an 099 (or something similar), how have you handled the front derailleur cable? The frame has a fitting on the down tube to house the cable outer, leaving just the shifter cable to exit the frame. I'm a bit worried to use this because if the outer ever comes loose from the fitting I would have to remove the bottom bracket to fix the problem.

The alternative is to get rid of the fitting and just run the cable outer all the way to the derailleur. I'm just a bit concerned that there isn't that much clearance and it could rub against the tire (I have 32C's fitted).

Here are some photos so you can see the setup...

Hey,

Question about the compression of the headset Do you feel the headset moving and not stable when braking?

I'm having a hard time compressing the headset on my bike. Everytime I try to compress it, the compression plug slips up. I've tried a lot of things:

* Deda and the FSA compression plug after the one that came with the bike failed. Deda seems a bit better, but still slips when compressing.
* Cleaning the steerer tube with iso alcohol
* Carbon paste
* Sanding the inside of the steerer tube a bit
* I tighned the compression plug up to 7.5N (I'm afraid of going higher as 7.5N feels quite a lot already).

No matter what I do, the compression plug slips before the bike feels stable when braking.

Should I keep riding the bike even whenthe headset doesn't feel fully compressed?

I wonder if the issue is with the compression plug, or the headset has some play even when tightned enough.

Ps.: This is my second Velobuild build. The first one feels very stable and I didn't have any issues with the headset.

It could well be that the headset has some play in it and requires some thin spacers to be added. I'm half way through building my Velobuild R-099 and I had to add some spacers. (I've read several others experiencing the same thing).

This is what I used:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/143405755953?hash=item2163a62e31:g:c9IAAOSwMmVdnG7M

I needed two of them and I had to cut them to fit without blocking the channel for the cables.

When you tighten the headset, does the steering feel perfectly smooth? On mine, without the spacers, I could feel some friction, because the headset cover was rubbing slightly against the top of the frame, and no matter how much I tightened the top cap, there would still be a small amount of play in the steering.

I recently received a VB-R-099 frame and wheel set from Velobuild. I'm sure I'll have some questions as I get into the build but here's one for now...

This is my first time using tubeless tyres. The front tyre went on quite easily. The rear was more of a struggle but after several attempts and the use of some soapy water, I got the tyre mounted using only a track pump. However, when I deflate it, it will become unseated from the rim (it will re-inflate easily and appear to be well seated although I don't get the 'pop' sound). Both tyres lose pressure over several hours but I'm assuming this will be solved after I add sealant. I've tried leaving the tyre inflated at 100psi for 24 hours and it still becomes unseated when I deflate it.

Is this a problem? Or should I just get on and add the sealant without worrying about it?