The M987 race version is extremely fragile. All it takes is one light crash on the lever and the lever piston will get jammed. Ive crashed on my M785 levers numerous times, it is bullet proof. I regret getting the M987 brakes .

Mine came with pre-installed straws, so it was a cinch to install. The brake hose went above the BB. The 2 gear cables (inner wire) went below the BB and thru the plastic cable guides. Good luck!

I ordered another Neco headset from Aliexpress showing clearly the 2 silver washers in the product photo. 5 days later I received the headset and to my horror, the washers were missing again! I wrote to the supplier with my complaint and they explained to me that only the old headsets came with the washers, the new headsets do not need the washers. I didn't believe them and argued with them. But to my amazement, after fitting the new headset to my IP-256SL, it was a perfect fit! The top cover no longer rubs against the frame. I ordered the headset from Vivian here:

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Neco-Expander-Cap-Neco-Headset-1-1-8-to-1-1-2-1-5-Integrated-for/1698419284.html

Im 6' 1", inseam 30.5", i chose the 19" IP-256SL. Two of my criterias for frame sizing is to make sure i dont have toe overlap issues, esp for 29ers. And whether i can fit my dropper post. If i get a 21", i would definately not be able to use my dropper. And lastly for safety, u r supposed to hv 2 or 3" of clearance over the standover height for a mtbike, but i dont believe china websites hv this dimension    If its of any help, my 19" frame has a standover of about 33" using a 120mm fork and 2.1 tires.

Im using 120mm 51mm offset fork too with my IP-256SL, seems to work well, including 15mm headset spacers and 20mm handlebar rise. No worries.  I ride mostly singletrack and it feels great. Even on really steep climbs it is manageable. 

Carbon Dude, are you referring to fox bushings like these:

http://www.jensonusa.com/Rear-Shock-Parts/Fox-Shox-Polymer-Du-Bushing-Reducer-Kit

Where the dia is most likely 6mm, and we just need to determine the correct length of the bushing?

Be careful if you order the xmiplay headset, they come with missing silver washers, making it virtually useless 

I encountered three problems with the bike:

1) The brake line inside the downtube was LOUD.  Thwack! over every bump. And the whole carbon frame acted as an amplifier. :unamused:  I fixed this last night with about $0.10 worth of foam pushed into the down tube.  It pins the brake line against the tube so that it can't hop around.  Dead silent now even if I drop the bike from two feet in the air.

2) The headset loosened up some and was creaking from time to time.  Last night I disassembled it and greased the contact points between the headset bearings and the frame/steerer tube.  It seems silent now so we'll have to see how it does with trail abuse this week.

3) My seat post dropped about 0.5" over the course of the ride.  Not enough that it impacted my riding, but it felt a bit "off".  I will apply some more gritty carbon paste and retighten it and keep an eye on it.

Thanks for these great tips. My new IP-256SL rode beautifully the first time out