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Re: Where is everyone from? Sydney, Australia
September 16, 2022, 05:58:16 AM 		2
Re: Tsunami Seaboard GR02 Budget Gravel Build Thanks for sharing! I'm planning a build using the same frame. It'll be my first bike build, and reading about your experience helps.

Did the frame come with an expander plug and top cap?
September 19, 2022, 07:13:15 PM 		1
Re: Tsunami Seaboard GR02 Budget Gravel Build The Seaboard frame comes with a carbon fiber fork: https://tsunamibicycle.com/product/gr02-gravel-frameset-alu-alloy-disc-brake-thru-axle-black/
October 04, 2022, 05:40:27 AM 		1
Re: Tsunami Seaboard GR02 Budget Gravel Build
Quote from: 00Garza on October 06, 2022, 02:57:26 PM
Some of the build pics and videos online show a smooth fork without attachment points. Most Ali listings however show forks with mounting points. I wonder if the one with mounting points the new stock fork or do you have to specify which one you want?

Good point, I didn't notice this before ordering, but I see it now. I ordered the pearl white model from here: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003753585988.html and my fork has two mounting holes on each side. Bolts were included for the mounting points on the frame, but not for the fork.
October 06, 2022, 09:50:31 PM 		1
Re: Toopre mechanical disc brake calipers (post mount) Thanks for your replies and suggestions - and for your other posts that I've read!

tl;dr I'm going for TRP Spyres.

I'm already using Juin Tech F1 on another bike and I'm happy with those. However, the price of Juin Tech brakes have gone up a lot since I bought my current set, and I'm now trying for a budget build.

The newer cable/hydro brakes (ZRace/Onirii BR-[0]05) appear to only come as flat mount, and putting flat mount calipers on post mount frames seems trickier than the other way around. I found some adapters (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004921361100.html), but even if they fit, they result in having to use a 20mm larger rotor. In my case that'd mean going from 160mm to 180mm, and I don't want that.

Reviews of the Toopre brakes on Amazon were less than stellar, so I'll go with TRP Spyres.
December 30, 2022, 03:45:53 PM 		1
Re: Interesting Aliexpress finds! - good deals, interesting stuff, new products etc!
Quote from: jonathanf2 on May 11, 2023, 02:21:50 PM
4 TPU tubes + patch kit for less than $13 USD:

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805240823049.html

I purchased a set of these Newboler tubes recently. One didn't hold air at all - a leak near the valve. The other failed after the second time I inflated it - it was flat the morning after. Luckily I got a quick refund from the seller. This was in two different wheel/tyre combos, with brand new tyres.
May 11, 2023, 04:26:36 PM 		1
Improved hoods for Sensah brifters Although I really like my Sensah Team Pro shifters, the hoods bothered me. It sounds minor, but when the hood moves around and no longer line up with the shape of the lever body, it's really noticeable.

My brifters were fairly new, so the hoods were of the newer smooth variety, with no hint of the sandpaper-like surface that the older hoods supposedly had. However, while they may have been an improvement compared to the previous model, I wasn't satisfied.

I had previously purchased some aftermarket hoods on AliExpress for a pair of old Shimano 5700 brifters, and I liked those better than the original Shimano ones. So when I saw that aftermarket hoods were also available for Sensah, I decided to give them a go.

And I really like them! They're a little shorter and much tauter than the original Sensah ones, with a less shiny appearance. So far they've stayed firmly in place.

I ordered two pairs from the same seller, and though one pair came in a Shimano-inspired blue cardboard box and the other pair in a ziplock bag, they appear to be identical. The cardboard box said "Haining Qi Ke Sports Goods Co.,Ltd." on the back.

Here's the link to the seller I purchased from, but there are other sellers on AliExpress that appear to sell the same product: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005428727777.html

I've attached some photos of the Sensah hood for the right brifter (on the right) and the aftermarket hood for the left brifter (on the left).
August 26, 2023, 05:50:42 AM 		4
Re: 48/32 or 46/30 chainrings for road crankset I used a bikinGreen adapter to lower my FD for the Senicx 46/30T chainrings. Worked great. On some frames the chainstay would limit how much you can lower the FD, in particular smaller sized frames. I used it on a size small 52cm frame, and there was enough clearance to get it low enough for good shifting. But the adapter may not work so well on a size XXS frame, say.

Here's the listing I bought from: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/155224761356
December 08, 2023, 05:40:52 AM 		1
Re: Interesting Aliexpress finds! - good deals, interesting stuff, new products etc!
Quote from: kbernstein on March 10, 2024, 09:46:33 AM
lol i'll make sure to put them on the bars first before doing any work. do you think they stretch enough for integrated aero bars?

I managed to remember putting them on for my second bike build. They're a tight fit on a round bar, you may get them to stretch enough for wide flat tops, but it'll be a bit of a struggle I expect.
March 10, 2024, 04:30:14 PM 		1
VeloBuild VB-R-066 Disc 2023 Road Bike Build I recently completed a new build based on the VeloBuild VB-R-066 2023 Disc endurance(ish) road bike frame and the L-TWOO eR9 electronic groupset.

I've only ridden it for 30km, and so far, so good, but this is no long term ride review, instead I'll focus on the build. In short, it met my expectations.

Let's start with the summary: Total weight of the built bike, including pedals, bottle cages, out-front mount for computer/light, seatpost mount for light/radar, and bike pump mount: 7.85 kg, or 17.3 lbs. Total cost for all components, including shipping, sales tax, etc was AUD 3347, which based on today's exchange rate is USD 2225 or EUR 2055.

The frame is size S in a matte black finish. I'm sure I'll regret choosing a matte finish, but for now it looks great. The frame weighed 885 g, with all bolts and attachments removed. The uncut fork was 359 g, and the seatpost was 203 g (400 mm). I didn't order a handlebar from VeloBuild.

The frame also came with thru axles, rear derailleur hanger, front derailleur mount (bolted on, not riveted), cable exit rubber gaskets for both electronic and mechanical shifting, expander plug, top cap, headset bearings, seatpost bung and cover, crank scuff plate, and a headset cover for using a non-integrated stem and handlebar. The headset ring and cover wasn't deep enough to reach the top bearing, which perhaps could be fixed with some headset spacers, but I used a Ritchey upper headset instead. The extra rear derailleur hanger I had ordered didn't come in the box, so I contacted Chris, and I got it in the mail a few weeks later.

Frame and fork quality was ok - fine - about what I expected from VeloBuild after following this forum for some time. The frame had some sharp edges around the headtube and bottom bracket shell, but otherwise it was quite smooth. I noticed some pitting inside the fork steerer and in the lower bearing seat in the headtube, but that was all the pitting I could see.

There was some paint overspray on both the brake caliper mounting holes, in particular on the fork - not a surprise. I faced these myself using an IceToolz "Shuriken" Disc Mount Facing Tool #E272 (https://www.icetoolz.eu/en/icetoolz-disc-mount-facing-tool-shuriken-e272/a9232) that I had ordered in advance. I didn't have a bolt with a nut that was long and thin enough for clamping the tool so I could face the rear caliper mounts, but I was able to solve it by using one of the long caliper mounting bolts and the L-TWOO adapter plate (see photo). I think the facing helped - aligning the calipers at the end to avoid brake rub was very straightforward.

The lower entry point for the hydraulic brake hose on the fork required a little filing with a round file before I could push the hose through. Again, not a surprise, but a quick fix.

I've never built a fully internally routed frame before, so I spent quite a bit of time pulling and pushing foam damper casing as far as I could into the downtube and chainstays. I even pulled the electronic power cables for the derailleurs through the foam damper casing in the chainstay and around the bottom bracket area. Enabling mechanics to use old gear cables to pull the hydraulic hoses through the frame and the foam damper casing is a great feature of the L-TWOO groupset.

For the T47 bottom bracket, I installed a cheap Lingmai branded one from AliExpress with internal bearings for a 24mm crank spindle ("t47-24i"). I also ordered a ZTTO branded one as a backup, it was identical in both looks and weight (except the logo), so they're probably from the same factory. It threaded into the shell without any issue.

I had an unused Elita One Carbon seatpost lying around, so I used that instead of the one supplied by VeloBuild. Both had a very snug fit in the seat tube, and I have had no slippage so far, using only carbon paste and torquing the bolt to 4 Nm.

Installing the L-TWOO eR9 groupset went well, by following their user manual (https://oss.ltwoo.com/download/en/eRX_User-Manual_V2.6_EN.pdf), with a couple of exceptions - see below.

The user manual refers to a "stability adjustment screw" at the back of the front derailleur, but my eR9 version didn't have this. Related to the front derailleur, I added a chain catcher for peace of mind, but so far I haven't had a dropped chain. I'm running the groupset as 2x11, with 50/34T chainrings and a 11-32T cassette.

For chain sizing, I followed the Park Tool instructions (https://www.parktool.com/en-int/blog/repair-help/chain-length-sizing), which resulted in a slightly shorter chain than by following L-TWOO's method. I figured since there's no clutch, and the rear derailleur cage spring is weak according to some reports, it was better to make the chain shorter rather than longer, for improved tension.

To reach the mounting bolt for the shifters, I folded both the front and the rear of the hoods, and inserted the ball-end of an Allen key from the front. Make sure you have a high quality Allen key for this!

For bleeding the brakes, I followed the method in the manual of pushing mineral oil from the caliper to a funnel on the levers. I didn't do the extra step of opening the vent hole. However, after the first shake-down ride on a bumpy road, I did another quick lever bleed (funnel on the lever, brake pads left in the calipers, pump the levers). I got some more air bubbles out then, and I now have great brake feel from the levers.

Components:
Tools purchased for this build:
May 22, 2024, 08:12:25 AM 		8