Chinertown

Chinese Carbon MTB => 29er => Topic started by: deucelee on November 06, 2021, 07:18:36 AM

Title: AM831 competitors? Help knudge me over!
Post by: deucelee on November 06, 2021, 07:18:36 AM
Hey guys,

I'm super close to pulling the trigger and want to confirm a couple things with you guys.  I've narrowed the frame picking down to the AM831 and want some last min suggestions or alternative suggestions that is a competitor to it.

(1) Are there other reliable trail frames out there that should be considered? i.e. 150mm +/- 10mm rear travel.  If yes, would you still pick the AM831 or that one?

(2) I have a RS Lyrik Ultimate fork that came off a 2020 Hightower so it should be a perfect match for the AM831.  Let me know if I'm off on that.  I also have a 2021 RS Super Deluxe Ultimate that came off a Megatower.  160mm travel, 230mmx57.5mm.  The connectors are 28.5mm for the body side and 19mm for the triangle side.  Any concerns there?

The 11/11/21 sale at Aliexpress is coming up :) Just want to make sure I'm not missing anything before pulling the trigger on the AM831.  Thx!   
Title: Re: AM831 competitors? Help knudge me over!
Post by: deucelee on November 06, 2021, 07:35:18 AM
Crud...looks like based on this: http://www.winowsports.com/product/dual-suspension-150mm-travel-AM-Frame.html

The AM831 can only handle a 210x55 rear shock :(

Any frames that you're aware of that can handle a 230x27.5mm shock? if not, I'd have to look into selling it and buying one that fits. 
Title: Re: AM831 competitors? Help knudge me over!
Post by: darius72 on November 06, 2021, 10:36:27 AM
I've completed to build my AM831, light version 12.3 Kg. It's a great bike to ride, fast as XC uphill and good downhill, but I still need to tune the suspensions. Concerning the "problems" being a new frame it had  a lot of small issues that I (and the others) fixed while building the bike; you can read all of them in the big thread here.
Title: Re: AM831 competitors? Help knudge me over!
Post by: FlaMtnBkr on November 06, 2021, 04:37:32 PM
I would look at the Carbonda FM1002 as well. I have the AM831 and thinking about trying it as well.
Title: Re: AM831 competitors? Help knudge me over!
Post by: Eddy-haideli on November 07, 2021, 11:40:51 PM
http://chinertown.com/index.php/topic,3356.0.html

Welcome to join the groupbuy B order.

Eddy@haidelibicycle.com
Thanks
Eddy
Title: Re: AM831 competitors? Help knudge me over!
Post by: JJJ on November 08, 2021, 03:27:24 AM
Any frames that you're aware of that can handle a 230x27.5mm shock? if not, I'd have to look into selling it and buying one that fits.

That is a very specific shock, rather long with a comparatively tiny stroke! Not sure you'll find AM or enduro frames that will take it.
Title: Re: AM831 competitors? Help knudge me over!
Post by: FullCarbonAlchemist on November 08, 2021, 05:02:42 PM
I’m pretty sure that’s a typo and he really meant 230x57.5.

I’ve never heard of a 230 shock with less than 50mm stroke.
Title: Re: AM831 competitors? Help knudge me over!
Post by: deucelee on November 08, 2021, 08:01:25 PM
Sorry guys, yeah it was 230x57.5.  It was correct in the original post.

Anyway, yeah that shock won't work so I will have to sell and get another one with the correct size.  I pulled the trigger on the AM831 already so it's done.  I was interested in the other two as well but for $200 less shipped and colored, I'll go the AM831 route instead.  Thx
Title: Re: AM831 competitors? Help knudge me over!
Post by: JJJ on November 09, 2021, 04:46:21 AM
I pulled the trigger on the AM831 already so it's done.  I was interested in the other two as well but for $200 less shipped and colored, I'll go the AM831 route instead.  Thx

Congrats. So where did you buy it? I got mine from Winow on Aliexpress, missed the group buy deal from Haideli, but a few problems have been reported on the Haideli version, none of which I had with the Winow version... Am I lucky, or is there a quality difference between the various AM831 manufacturers?
Title: Re: AM831 competitors? Help knudge me over!
Post by: carbonazza on November 09, 2021, 11:59:52 AM
... the Winow version... Am I lucky, or is there a quality difference between the various AM831 manufacturers?

Luck probably !
Haideli seems to care about their clients.
Hopefully not, but you may have to try later on if Winow do the same  ;)
Title: Re: AM831 competitors? Help knudge me over!
Post by: RobertRinAustin on November 11, 2021, 07:01:13 AM
Congrats. So where did you buy it? I got mine from Winow on Aliexpress, missed the group buy deal from Haideli, but a few problems have been reported on the Haideli version, none of which I had with the Winow version... Am I lucky, or is there a quality difference between the various AM831 manufacturers?
None of them will say this, but I'm pretty sure they're all from the same factory. When working on the group buy, I contacted many different vendors about the AM831. Only one of them claimed that they were the manufacturer.  They also said it didn’t matter where I got the frame, it was coming from their factory. 

I figure it's probably true based on all the vendors starting to deliver frames at the same time. We waited a long time and no one had frames.  Then all the sudden, everyone has frames.
Title: Re: AM831 competitors? Help knudge me over!
Post by: darius72 on November 11, 2021, 10:48:36 AM
None of them will say this, but I'm pretty sure they're all from the same factory. When working on the group buy, I contacted many different vendors about the AM831. Only one of them claimed that they were the manufacturer.  They also said it didn’t matter where I got the frame, it was coming from their factory. 

I figure it's probably true based on all the vendors starting to deliver frames at the same time. We waited a long time and no one had frames.  Then all the sudden, everyone has frames.

That's for sure; consider that a mold for carbon fiber costs in the area of 100.000 USD (maybe less in China) multiplied by 3-4 sizes!!! To pay it back you must sell a certain volume of frames, and then it is unreal that there are three companies making the same frame. They all come from the same factory, hard to say who is the real manufacturer and who is just a reseller.
Title: Re: AM831 competitors? Help knudge me over!
Post by: TOLM on November 11, 2021, 10:58:13 AM
I've completed to build my AM831, light version 12.3 Kg. It's a great bike to ride, fast as XC uphill and good downhill, but I still need to tune the suspensions. Concerning the "problems" being a new frame it had  a lot of small issues that I (and the others) fixed while building the bike; you can read all of them in the big thread here.

I know I am retarded but can someone pls point me to the Big Thread? Is this is big group buy thread?
Title: Re: AM831 competitors? Help knudge me over!
Post by: cybrsrce on November 11, 2021, 01:49:12 PM
I know I am retarded but can someone pls point me to the Big Thread? Is this is big group buy thread?

All things AM831 from the original group buy:
http://chinertown.com/index.php/topic,3172.0.html

The new/current AM831 group buy thread:
http://chinertown.com/index.php/topic,3356.0.html
Title: Re: AM831 competitors? Help knudge me over!
Post by: Schumo on November 11, 2021, 06:42:58 PM
consider that a mold for carbon fiber costs in the area of 100.000 USD (maybe less in China)

Where did you get that number from?
Title: Re: AM831 competitors? Help knudge me over!
Post by: Eddy-haideli on November 11, 2021, 11:33:04 PM
Contact me to join the groupbuy B order.

Thanks

Eddy@haidelibicycle.com
Title: Re: AM831 competitors? Help knudge me over!
Post by: darius72 on November 12, 2021, 12:15:27 AM
Where did you get that number from?

I read an article on pinkbike or another similar page where a world cup rider needed a DH frame of a very big size (like XXL) for him and the company was reluctant to do it as the cost is around 100K usd for the mold and such a big size has very low sell appeal to the normal customers.
Title: Re: AM831 competitors? Help knudge me over!
Post by: RobertRinAustin on November 14, 2021, 12:48:25 PM
I read an article on pinkbike or another similar page where a world cup rider needed a DH frame of a very big size (like XXL) for him and the company was reluctant to do it as the cost is around 100K usd for the mold and such a big size has very low sell appeal to the normal customers.
This squares up with numbers I've seen, $60k-$100k per mold. Figure a 2 piece FS frame has to be on the higher end. I remember a few years back there was a startup that had a process for 3D printing CF parts.  Their PoC, and the reason it caught my attention, was a funky shape bike frame.
Title: Re: AM831 competitors? Help knudge me over!
Post by: Schumo on November 14, 2021, 03:41:05 PM
I had something like 10k $/€ in the back of the head. And that sounds more realistic to me for a big chunk of Aluminium and some machining.

Plus I doubt we would see Hardtail frames for 300€ incl. Shipping if a mould was $60k per size. Or even the wide variety of chinese carbon frames we now have.
Title: Re: AM831 competitors? Help knudge me over!
Post by: Snacks on November 14, 2021, 08:15:44 PM
Yea I remember reading something similar. $10k usd for the mould for each size . So maybe the $60-100k was for all sizes

Edit - yup here's one article that states this. https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/product-news/inside-frame-design-489852

 I don't like cycling weekly so I'm sure I've read that figure somewhere else. I could have swore it was an article quoting the prices the giant factory offered for its moulds