See likes

See likes given/taken


Posts you liked

Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 25
Post info No. of Likes
Re: Velobuild GF-002 Finished the build.

Sram etap 1x setup 42t by 10-44t.
Cable routing was straightforward, went with the integrated stem and it was a breeze.
Really happy with the paint and finish work. Frame quality beat expectation.
April 04, 2022, 10:42:56 PM 		1
Re: VeloBuild Headset Play Issue Using Separate Stem/Handlebar: Resolved.
Quote from: patliean1 on May 10, 2022, 11:52:01 AM
I also posted this in the VB-177 thread. Figured a brand new topic/thread would better raise awareness.

Thank you Patliean1 for all the troubleshooting and your detailed assessment.

We have been working on resolving the headset play issue some customers with the separate bar/stem combo have experienced and are happy to announce that the issue has been resolved by increasing the thickness of the C shaped bearing press by 0.5mm.

All shipments since April have been sent with the new bearing press and we have also sent it to existing customers that have been affected and it has resolved their issues.

If you have the separate handlebar/stem and are experiencing this issue please contact us for a new C shaped bearing press by email at info@velobuild.com

New customer orders of the separate handlebar/stem will also include split spacers.
May 13, 2022, 08:44:14 PM 		1
Re: How I painted my frame
Painting Technique


I used Montana Cans Gold paint in a total of six colors. I’ve generally heard good feedback on them, and I did find them easy to work with. It was easy to get an even finish. I don’t know how well they will hold up long term though.


Since my paint scheme was fairly elaborate, I spent some time figuring out what sequence to paint in. It’s generally best to start with the light colors because the darker colors tend to cover better. To ensure an even color when overcoating with a second color, I extended the base coat across the whole area.


Before painting over the primer, I wiped it with isopropyl alcohol to remove any fingerprints or dirt. This did not seem to attack the primer, but I was still careful with it. I did not use alcohol on the Montana colors because they tended to soften from the alcohol.


In most cases, I used two coats of paint, with a light sanding (1500 or 2000 grit, wet) after the first. The first coat was fairly light, but I went heavier with the second coat so that it dried to a smooth finish.


When I painted a region, I masked off most of the rest of the frame to avoid overspray. I used a couple of different kinds of tape. When masking over areas I had already sprayed with Montana Cans, I used Frog Tape Delicate Surfaces because I’ve had good experiences with it removing cleanly. I used the cheap blue painter’s tape over the primer because I wasn’t worried about it lifting. However, some of this stuff left a sticky residue that was a pain to remove. I’d use the Frog Tape everywhere if I was doing it again even though it’s not cheap.


For masking the sharp lines between colors, I used Tamiya tape. When cut into 2 to 3 mm wide strips, it can be bent around curves. This allowed me to mask inside the fork, seatstays, and chainstays. Cut the tape with a straightedge and use this edge for the sharpest lines. For some of the unusual edges, such as by the brake mounts, I put a wider strip of tape overhanging the edge and carefully cut around the contour. I then filled in the inside with Frog Tape.


When I sprayed the first colors, I wanted to create a soft transition just past the edges of those regions so that it would not show up underneath the second color. To do this, I rolled strips of wide blue painter’s tape into tubes about 1 cm in diameter, sticky side out. I lined the area with these strips and used more tape to fill in the gaps. This generally creates a fuzzier edge than just sticking the tape on the frame. After the paint was dry, I sanded the transitions so that they were smooth to the touch.


Montana Cans spray fairly well and it was fairly easy to get a good even coat. The paint comes out much more slowly than the primer did, so I held the can about 15 to 25 cm from the frame. I still moved fairly quickly and added layers until I got a fairly smooth, wet look. I did end up with a couple drips, so work carefully.


I used the standard caps that came with the cans (gold, I believe). These give a good spray pattern for the frame. However, a wider spray likely would have given softer fades.


The fades were a bit more challenging. I tested a few times on my test pipe and strongly recommend doing this. I found it best to make quick passes perpendicular to the tube and build up layers for the solid region. The inside of the seat stays was the most challenging because it was hard to get the can at a good angle, and the two needed to be symmetric.


It is easy to go too far, although it is possible to fix some mistakes by lightly spraying the original color. It took several iterations before I was happy with the fades. I found that some cans sprayed better than others, so I used these for most of the final fade work. (Light colors seemed to be less likely to sputter, but that may just have been a coincidence.) A light sanding will remove some of the distant specks and make the transition a bit cleaner. Be careful with this - it is hard to make sure it is even, especially on small diameter tubes like the seat stays.


After all the painting was done, I gave it a light sanding with 2000 grit sandpaper. The goal is a smooth, even, semi-glossy finish. However, I was very careful with the fades because it is easy to remove the fine spray and change the appearance. I left those areas slightly rough. I also smoothed the masked lines slightly with 1000 and 2000 grit. This reduced the raised edge where the colors meet although I did not eliminate it completely.


There were a few areas that required touching up. In a couple of places, spray got through gaps in the masking tape. I was able to fix these with a light sanding with 2000 grit paper, as it was only a light overspray. There were also a few places where I sanded too far and exposed the base color. For these, I masked around the affected areas using rolled up tape for soft edges and resprayed. I sprayed as small of an area as possible and blended the new paint with the old using 2000 grit sandpaper.
June 04, 2022, 12:51:44 PM 		1
Re: How I painted my frame
Clearcoat and Finishing


Before applying the clearcoat, I cleaned the frame thoroughly. I also unmasked the serial number so that it could be protected with the clear coat. Since there were quite a few layers of paint covering the masking tape, I carefully sliced around the edge of the masking tape with a very sharp knife.


I used two coats of a two part clear coat (SprayMax 2K Clear Coat Gloss 680061). It is more critical to get a good, even coat with the clear coat than with the paint. The goal is a wet, uniform coat. However, I found that this clear coat was harder to spray than the paint as it sprays faster. This makes it more prone to drips and runs. (Some of the runs had a foamy consistency and were very visible when dry, so it’s definitely best to avoid these.)


I left the frame to dry for at least a week after each coat before doing anything else to it. Since I ended up with a few runs, I sanded these down carefully with 500 grit sandpaper and followed up with 1000 and 1500 to smooth it. I then sanded the full frame with 2000 grit to give a nice even coat. I was careful at the ridges at the color boundaries so that I did not remove too much of the clear coat.


The second coat also had a few runs, so I again sanded these down. I again sanded the full frame with 2000 grit sandpaper to get a smooth, even finish. Then I sanded again with 4000, 8000, and 12000 grit sanding cloths. After each, I checked the frame to make sure it had an even finish.


The head tube decal was raised slightly, so I was careful not to remove too much of the clear coat when sanding it. After two coats, the edges were much smoother than before, although it would probably take a couple more coats to get it completely smooth.


After sanding was complete, I polished the frame with a polishing compound meant for cars (Meguiars Ultimate Compound). Since the frame was already somewhat glossy from the 12000 sandpaper, it did not take much polishing to get a good finish.


Before removing the masking tape, I carefully cut around the edges with a sharp blade. There was a very thick layer of paint over the tape by now, and cutting prevented it from peeling or chipping around the edges.


I added some clear protective film (VViViD 3M Clear Paint Protection Vinyl Film) on the downtube and chainstays. I also made a chainstay protector out of a piece of a beer can (Alesmith Speedway Stout!) and epoxied it to the chainstay near the edge of the small chainring.


The final step was two coats of wax. This should give a little bit more protection and will make it easier to clean.
June 04, 2022, 12:53:52 PM 		1
Re: Velobuild Paint Finish Quality
Quote from: 1Sigma on July 05, 2022, 08:43:04 AM
It is what you would expect it to be for $50-$80.
It’s way cheaper than getting it painted professionally afterwards.
It’s way better than most of us can do DIY.


Really really great way to answer the question. I selected custom colors from their palette and a design from their designs available and it turned out pretty great! (I also got the 168 and now I’m trying to unload the frameset unridden due to external complications.)

I even got the seatpost painted and it too was really not that bad!
July 05, 2022, 12:54:25 PM 		1
Re: Carbonda Gravel Carbon frame CFR707 Quick non-drive-side picture of my fully integrated 707.
Super happy with how it rides.

Only minor downside is keeping the headset tight.
I can tighten it up without issues, but always seems to come loose again after a certain amount of time.
August 26, 2022, 03:34:13 AM 		1
For those of you looking at cable disc brakes... Oh Aliexpress...it's like you're always reading my mind. Look at what I saw earlier today: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3256804206370295.html?spm=a2g0o.ppclist.product.14.6a719ofP9ofPRJ&pdp_npi=2%40dis%21USD%21US%20%2445.00%21US%20%2445.00%21%21%21%21%21%402101c84a16633692840361885e4ea8%2112000029019108399%21btf&_t=pvid:35417b01-aae9-49ea-ba7d-8fad668d4c26&afTraceInfo=1005004392685047__pc__pcBridgePPC__xxxxxx__1663369284

I've always wanted to try the Paul Klampers...are they as magical as the tales tell? At $200+ a pop that would be a very expensive experiment.
But now that I've found these...oh man. Time to build a new gravel bike?  ;D
September 16, 2022, 06:25:43 PM 		1
Re: Carbonda Gravel Carbon frame CFR707 Finally I was able to build the two chameleon colored 707, mainly for parts availability, and... lack of time.
Here is the first one with:
Rival AXS shifters, Force crank, GX AXS rear derailleur.
With a CGB01 handlebar with FSA ACR stem.
And Lightbicycle wheels.

There wasn't any problem to report for the build.
Carbonda's quality at its best.
I didn't weight it, but it just feels heavier than I thought it would be.
September 29, 2022, 03:37:05 PM 		1
Re: Carbonda Gravel Carbon frame CFR707 And here is the second, on a more budget version.
With: Sensah SRX Pro groupset. JuinTech F1 brakes. Scenicx crankset. Shimano 11-46 cassette and chain.
And nice Lightbicycle wheels.

This one, is probably the most painful build I ever experienced because of the 3 cables stem routing.
The JuinTech springs were not strong enough to pull back the cable due to the friction inside the stem/handlebar curves.

The Ritchey Comp Logic-E Cartridge Drop-In 1.5" came to liberate me from this.
However it doesn't sit flush with the frame, so water may enter too easily there, which is never good.
And the rubber provided to wrap the cable exits is designed for 2 cables, not the 3 I had.
This smells future maintenance issues.

Once the cabling nightmare was solved, the Sensah group and Juintech brakes were easy to setup.
September 29, 2022, 03:54:48 PM 		1
Re: Velobuild GF-002
Quote from: coffeebreak on September 29, 2022, 11:31:31 AM
Fantastic looking bike! I just have a question regarding the quote above. What BB are you running?
What perplexes me is that 34t ring rubs against the frame but 46t does not. Shouldn't a smaller ring have more clearance than a larger one when it is closest to BB/chainstays?


Thanks! I'm using a Wheels Manufacturing internally threaded pressfit BB. Haven't thought much about the logic of the statement above in truth, just passed on what VB mentioned. May switch out the BB instead of replacing the bearings and can report back if it makes a difference.
October 03, 2022, 03:56:45 PM 		1