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Re: LightCarbon 918? So my frame and wheelset arrived and I have been doing the slow build this week! Ill share a photos later. Frame notes first:

Size Large painted glossy Pantone 624C. Paint is fantastic, not a chip or miss anywhere and the color is perfect.

Seatpost fit is pretty sloppy. Seems a tad over 31.6 mm seat tube bore.I will try a different post, as this fit is with an ebay carbon. I might have to insert a shim of a couple thousandths of an inch to fix this.

Rear Dropout Spacing is a little wide by 3 or 4 mm. Axle pulls gap closed just fine and tightens to torque without issue.

Shock install was no issue and fit perfect.

Left Bottom Bracket threads were a bit of a challenge. I should have chased the threads with a tap but was able to get the cup in straight using the crank axle as a guide and press using an old BB cup and some oil first.

Chainring Clearance: I run a 34t WolfTooth Oval and it clears the lower stay just fine. Not sure on a 36 round, 36 oval would not clear it.

Headset: There is nothing in mountain bikes more stupid than running cables and hoses through the top of the headset. Aesthetic value is Zero. A sharp radius is created in the shift cable hosing to get under my handlebars and to the shifter. I am running only shift and rear brake though the frame. I have one 10mm spacer under my stem. I started with both exiting on the right, toward my shifter and brake lever but that seemed too tight of bend, now have them on the left.

Those that have built one of these- What side did you end up running your right hand controls on?

Cable routing through the frame was nice and smooth with no issues. I did slide foam damper tubes over both inside the main triangle. Headset fitment is nice. I do wish it had 1-1/8th inch upper and normal cable routes exiting on the side for smoother lines and cable actuation though.

Rear brake hose rote is odd, but works. Brake mount will not fit on chain stay location so has to be on upper. I ran brake inside stays and over to the shimano banjo bolt on the outside of the XT brake.

Bottle cage threads are aligned and clean. Large frame size has mounting for 2 bottle cages. The seat tube location WILL fit a cage, BUT a small/ 21oz  bottle will never fit. This would be a good spot for storage in a cage or using a strap like WolfTooth offers instead of H2O.

Oh, did I mention how f#cking stupid 'through headset' cable routing is??

That is all for now!

January 22, 2023, 10:52:01 AM 		1
Re: LightCarbon 918? So I figured after reading everyone’s builds and comments before deciding on the 918. Now I have built up mine and had the first ride I thought I would add my feedback.

Main reason I opted for the 918 over the other similar frames was for the 2 bottle bosses and conversations with Jim Lee gave me the most confidence since it’s my first china build.

Build.
918 in medium, I had planned on painting but the finish is so nice I’ve left for now and will paint maybe in winter. Rockshox monarch rear shock midtune.
Wheels- light carbon 30mm xc rims graphine with dtswiss 350hubs
I opted for the xc bar/stem in 70mm for the internal cable routing
Light carbon zero offset seat post
Sid select 120mm 44mm offset
Full XT groupset and brakes, I opted to wax the chain as it’s great on my training bike though it’s the first time on a MTB in the uk so we shall see. Also my only bugbear with the build is I had to buy yet another bb tool as XT is yet another standard…..why?!!!!

No issues with the build itself, frame and components all went together perfectly I did have a spacer missing (I got two external routing kits) from LC but in fairness Jim Lee sorted so it didn’t hold the build up as the wheels were due a week or so after the frame anyway, bb alignment was fine and I didn’t need to chase out threads. Seat post and frame figment seems spot on. I was worried about the headset into bar routing being a nightmare, yes it was more of a pain than external but I think it’s worth it based looks etc and as a bonus you have no issues with cables pulling that others have mentioned. I did opt to add the silicone cable housing to stop rattles.

Build without pedals but with Fidlock bottle cages and comp mount etc came to 10.5kg on a set of calibrated scales from work. Very pleased, I did weigh the frame before build and it was 1.9kg so right on the light carbon spec. Really impressed as there’s plenty of savings available if you went weight weenie with deep pockets for sub 10kg.

First ride was a 40km local xc/trail ride around 800m climbing, bit of everything really, with 18kph average with afew stops.

Ride was abit of a surprise actually, first time for me on flex stays and I was expecting a slightly harsh ride, the suspension is actually quite active not intrusive or enough to notice but it actually deals with the little stuff well, I don’t like faffing with lock out is why I didn’t bother with RL. Climbing wise the bike is good based on Strava times but feel wise it felt similar to my old xc bike but it was definitely faster for the effort on times, where it really shines is out of the saddle, the thing really leaps forward, I will definitely spend more time out of the saddle as it’s addictively fast. Hard to know whether this is down to the wheels or frame but again based purely on both feel very stiff.

Handling and descending was the main shock, I’m coming from old school 130mm xc marathon bike with steep angles for reference but I would describe the handling as “stable”, it will be very confidence inspiring I think once I’m used to it but you definitely need to move about and think about weight distribution more on fast flowing single track but it is rapid when you get it right, some of that maybe down to the 44mm offset forks but the Sids forks are brilliant, super stiff and bendy forks are a massive bug bear for me. My biggest take away is the bike fast smooth and absolutely silent, the second is important to me but I guess maybe not for everyone.

First ride wasn’t without incident and things to work on to add some realism.
I did have a couple of seatpost slips, even with carbon paste, nothing drastic but enough that I stopped to put back, the specs don’t specify the nm of the bolt so I started off on the low side 3nm and have gone up to around 5nm.
Front fork is too hard so going to adjust that down, I’m on 20%sag but it feels too hard.
Using Vitoria mezcals front and rear, front tyres again too hard. I previously rode Conti race kings and the Vitorias are so much better in my opinion but the side walls feel stiffer so I can run lower pressures.
Biggest problem was the comp mount only has one fixing and it came loose twice, rrd two the mount actually fell off, luckily no harm done other than a screen protector doing it’s job but I think a healthy dose of thread-lock.
Bottle boss for 2nd bottle is perfect for my purpose but it’s only suitable for a 500ml in a medium. Main frame could definitely go 800ml.
I didn’t opt for a dropper as I have used and fitted on the old bike but never felt the need really, but if your building this bike i would suggest it’s probably a must, I’m confident/stupid enough to be behind the saddle but you have to be in a precarious position without the dropper for whatever reason with angles on this frame.
Bar/stem is very very stiff which isn’t
a bad thing as such but if your sensitive to vibration it’s not for you, I use soft silicone xc grips but still got alittle of the buzz at the bars, hoping fork/tyre combo tweaks can help. Also the internal routing is perfect for one hose but is a little tight at the bar opening so I am interested to see how easy the cable routing will be if I opt for a dropper. Maybe a good excuse for an axs if I can ever justify the cost.
Rear shock is standard mid tune, I think I will end up re-valving to high compression as to sit on the 20% I’m a over 200psi and I’m not exactly a big guy. Nothing wrong with that but I prefer to run lower pressure.
 
July 07, 2023, 04:12:11 PM 		1
Re: LightCarbon 918? Hi ChristEr

I did get the XC14 bars in 70mm, it’s not too aggressive with stem spacers puts but mines set up as xc marathon bike, depends on usage and if you’re used to that position you still get some adjustment but nothing like with separate bar/stem. I wouldn’t swap back as pros are worth it but the buzz and stiffness is noticeable.

Integrated bars/cable works amazing, you’d never know they run through the bars by feel etc no extra weight in the steering or binding. There isn’t much slack needed in the system though with the routing down the bars in my case and between the bearings, as the lengths are pretty fixed as you don’t need too much extra at the front for bar movement. I suspect it would be more of an issue with the top cap style depending on the angle entering etc as you’d need to allow more hose/outer housing. With the integrated bars you do lose some steering angle compared to the headset cap but this would only really affect you turning the bars beyond anything like normal.

Over 1000km on the bike now and really pleased with the bike.
April 01, 2024, 05:13:10 PM 		1