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Messages - 920R

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29er / Re: Chinese Carbon 29er Pic Thread.
« on: August 11, 2016, 09:57:52 PM »
After riding this frame for 6 weeks, I love the way it soaks up bumps, goes up hills and turns in. The feel is something different and for me coming from 30-40lb bikes of many years ago it took a while to get used to it.

I felt like I was going to break it the first time I rode it. It's sort of like your first balsa wood plane, you have to play with it and learn to trust it before you throw it hard between trees. Well, I'm throwing this thing now and enjoying it.

I've made a few adjustments to the setup and although it's gained some weight, it does everything I ask of it and still puts a smile on my face. It goes anywhere and everywhere with me from now on.

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29er / Re: Chinese Carbon 29er Pic Thread.
« on: July 11, 2016, 12:29:21 PM »
....I didn't have any luck with the web saddle I tried- it felt good but cracked on the first ride, then broke in a few places on the second....

Well, you were right Patrick. The web saddle started cracking and failed after 4 rides. It was surprisingly comfortable but not well engineered as it flexes and cracks at the flex points. It's been replaced with a Serfas dual density foam seat from another bike. I also had a lot of unexplained headset creak so I updated the rigid CF fork to a Fox Evolution 120 and dumped the supplied headset for a Cane Creek Forty. I may go back to the rigid fork with the Forty for road use because the front is almost too plush now and hard braking takes some getting used to.

Here's the latest iteration. It's even smoother and more comfortable now and still pretty light. I have a few hundred trouble free miles and enjoy riding it.

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29er / Re: Chinese Carbon 29er Pic Thread.
« on: June 24, 2016, 10:35:24 PM »
Nice!  Are those rim-brake wheels?  At first I thought the braking surface was a white wall :)

Looks like a perfect hybrid for what you're riding, and you can tweak it if you want to make it fit better.  I didn't have any luck with the web saddle I tried- it felt good but cracked on the first ride, then broke in a few places on the second.  Of course I'm 205 lbs and was using it on rough singletrack, but am interested in how it holds up.

Haha, they are combo rim/disc brake rims in 700C size from when I converted my Fuji Sunfire to discs. They are relatively light and straight so I figured I would use them here before investing in an expensive set. I'm old, but what's a whitewall? ;) The web saddle was an impulse buy trying to go light and they have good reviews. It's holding up ok but I went around the pond a few times on the gravel roads tonight on the way home and it was a bit hard on the sit bones. I have a comfy Serfas Dual Density saddle on one of my other bikes and may be swapping it over to this ride. 

I heard some creaking from the front fork tonight and the headset had a wobble, so I'm going to check all that in the morning. It could be just everything seating in but I'm not happy with the method of tensioning using the expander plug that came with the frame and may be upgrading that and the headset bearings because of a stickiness in the steering.

Altogether I'm happy with the quality of the frame and, so far, the durability. I half expect it to snap in two when I hit a bump but so far so good. If it helps me to stay motivated, on 2 wheels and in shape it's worth it in my book.

Thanks Carbon-Dude! your 057 was an inspiration to me in doing this one.

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29er / Re: Chinese Carbon 29er Pic Thread.
« on: June 24, 2016, 01:01:40 PM »
Hi guys, first post, but I've been reading for 6 weeks while I built my bike. I just finished my FR-202 build last night. I'm an old road biker and didn't want a dedicated road bike or a mountain bike. This is what I decided would best suit my current riding style. I ride 8 miles each way to work on mostly roads, 2 miles of rail trail and some gravel trails if I take the shortcuts. I ride on the weekends for fun and exercise and it's not unusual for me to go 40 miles in a day but 100 miles would be. I'm a little old and brittle to go crashing on the side of a rocky crag in the middle of nowhere, so I got the hardtail frame instead of the full suspension. I went with a 9 speed XT driveline with triple rings up front and the new XT M8000 brakes with the icetech rotors. Everything else is chiner carbon. My first impressions, with 20 miles on it, is that the bike is light, responsive and surprisingly smooth. I'll be out on it this weekend and will update if anyone wants to hear it. Thanks for all the guys that post on here, I have learned a lot and I appreciate your expertise.

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