Chinese Carbon MTB Forums
News:
Happy Holidays!
See likes
See likes given/taken
| Post info | No. of Likes |
|---|---|
|
Re: SEKA Bikes? Out of contact?
I just wanted to update this thread with some recent discussion from the Weight Weenies Seka thread. Seka has announced they have stopped sending frames to Cycling100, even those destined to fulfill open orders on C100. At the same time, there were people on WW with open orders who claimed to have been ghosted by C100 following requests to cancel their orders. A few users have shared that C100 has eventually promised to return order payments since the announcement, but it seems there are others who are still in limbo Seka, on the other hand, is offering a 30% discount to individuals with unfulfilled orders with C100, which is a bit less than the cost of the deposit. The big catch is that they are only accepting payment via bank transfer for these orders. It remains to be seen if their upcoming webstore will also only accept bank transfers, or will accept more conventional forms of payment. I urge people considering to buy from Seka's upcoming webstore to approach buying a frame through them with cautious optimism. While yes, much of the blame for the sourcing issues people have faced is pegged on Cycling100, Seka's retail store is also unproven. Fundamentally, what went wrong with Cycling100 is that they promised unrealistic lead times. Seka's production is clearly dynamic. Users who order the same color frame seem to get their orders all at once, suggesting that Seka produces their frames in batches of one color and/or version. I think Seka themselves are better equipped for quoting lead times than a retailer is, but ultimately it depends on their ability to maintain a stable production line and have good production forecasting. If they don't, then I would expect people's experience with Seka's store to mirror that of Cycling100. I am not suggesting that this will be the case, but I want to urge people to not assume that everything will be perfect going forward. Because of this, I urge everyone to always use payment methods with buyer protection when buying bike parts internationally, and know your payment method's buyer-protection policies well enough to use them. I say "internationally" because these issues are not restricted to Seka, or even the Chiner-space. I've had to dispute charges from a European retailer before. Whenever you buy goods from abroad, you basically can no longer count on legal protections, because even if they are there, trying to use them is almost always more expensive than taking the loss. Some of you may find what I say regarding buyer protection obvious. Based on the discourse I saw on WeightWeenies, it is not obvious to everyone, so I hope to broadcast this message as broadly as possible. Forms of useful buyer protection: AliExpress--when you buy on AliEx, you get 90 days starting the day your item ships (I believe the moment a tracking number is created) to make a buyer protection claim for non-receipt of your items. There is indeed a store carrying Seka on AliEx, the 10 week lead time is dangerously close to the 90 day protection window. Users from Weight Weenies have reported waiting 6 months or more for frames ordered through this store, which far exceeds the protection window. Credit card charge dispute--if you use a major credit card like American Express and Visa to make your purchase, you have up to 120 days after the charge to start a charge dispute for non-receipt of goods. You can start this process by calling or emailing your credit card's customer service. Some CC companies like AmEx will be more likely to side with customers than others in cases where you dispute for receiving goods not-as-described, so choose your CC wisely and read their buyer protection terms and conditions before making a purchase. PayPal--Buyers using PayPal have until 180 days after purchase to file a dispute for non-receipt of goods or goods received not-as-described. I believe PayPal have the strongest buyer protection in these cases. Incidentally, Cycling100 was actually dropped by PayPal for having too many disputes over delayed delivery during the pandemic. For all of these choices, they depend on you actually filing the dispute on time. If you use one of these payment methods and don't have your frame in hand by the time the dispute window closes, you need to start your dispute no matter what, or at the very least contact your payment service's customer service and explain your situation if you anticipate receiving your goods just after the deadline. Forms of payment with NO buyer protection: -Debit cards -Bank transfer -Wire/money order -Crypto If you use any of these, you are at the mercy of the seller. Again, do not count on any other country's legal system to help you recover your money. I look forward to seeing Seka's store open soon. I myself hope to buy a direct-mount hanger for my bike from them. But as they open, I urge everyone to approach buying a Seka with a conservative attitude. Update 6/16/23: Looks like C100 is actually refunding everyone for non-deliveries. Many users on WW now reporting receiving their refunds. June 14, 2023, 09:29:47 PM |
1 |
|
Re: Carbon spokes or CX Ray?
Carbon might be the superior spoke, but cx ray will be much easier to get ahold of for replacement.
June 19, 2023, 02:41:00 PM |
1 |
Re: reccomend me 380mm non-intergrated aero handlebar
I just got a set of these: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004065727692.html?spm=a2g0o.store_pc_groupList.8148356.13.125e58d6WlOaer&pdp_npi=3%40dis%21NZD%21NZ%24%20277.45%21NZ%24%20194.22%21%21%21%21%21%4021038edf16875699224342016edf09%2112000027923381883%21sh%21NZ%21784578575 Did you really spend 130+ USD on these? Can I ask why? it feels extremely overpriced, but i may be missing something? July 01, 2023, 09:56:31 AM |
1 |
Re: Spider mounted power meter advice
Question is how to check if the new" crankset does not have the design flaw?Went straight to the source and asked Sigeyi about their PM and Zrace cranks Quote The Zrace RX crank arm has a large locking interface platform. The two red circle sections will touch with the front cover of the AXO power meter. 
July 06, 2023, 03:06:13 AM |
1 |
|
Re: LTWOO ER9 & ERX - Electronic groepsets
PSA: Please please please don't buy this groupset if you're price conscious and can't afford to write the purchase off. This is not the product for someone who simply wants something that 'just works' and can't stomach the pain when something goes wrong. The software is barely 1st gen, as is the hardware and everything is subject to change in later revisions/generations. I'm excited in the eRX because the underlying foundation could truly shake up the industry but evidently there is still much to improve. By the way, zero proper reviews exist on the Chinese side of the internet as everyone there is waiting for someone else to take the risk. Just this week someone posted about aftermarket DM hanger clearance issues. Again, don't be a guinea pig. July 10, 2023, 07:17:35 AM |
1 |
|
Re: Please help, my parcel is lost
After almost two weeks of fighting with courier, they were able to deliver the package thanks God.
July 17, 2023, 01:28:30 AM |
1 |
|
Re: Hygge Aero Carbon Frame
You might already have the cable routing tool so you should be good even with 4 cables to manage. If not, definitely recommend to get one. I have RISK branded tool and for the price its rather effective.
July 25, 2023, 11:23:48 AM |
1 |
Re: Hygge Aero Carbon Frame
You might already have the cable routing tool so you should be good even with 4 cables to manage. If not, definitely recommend to get one. I have RISK branded tool and for the price its rather effective. I've just re-built my fully mechanical VB-R-168 using the risk cable tool and it was pretty straight forward. Tool is well worth the money. Started with routing the bars first, coming in through the stem and out through the each end of the bar. Then the frame from front to back. The first time I built it I routed the frame first (again starting at the front) then did the bars, I would't recommend this way as it took WAY longer and was much more stressful. July 25, 2023, 02:12:26 PM |
1 |
|
Re: Carbon-repair process of my TFSA (SL6 clone) frame
Awesome for saving the frame. For future repairs, here's a few unsolicited tips. 1) You mentioned this already but do multiple layers. In this instance, you'd want to start with maybe a strip that is 1 inch wide and do one wrap with a bit of overlap. Second strip should be roughly 2 inches wide and the overlap of this layer should not sit on top of the overlap of the first layer. Keep the strips growing in width until you have plenty of coverage over the entire repair. This makes the cracked area have the most layers for strength and each additional layer helps transfer the loads to the good material. 2) If using a weave, change the direction of the weave between layers. Carbon weave is strongest in certain directions so alternating the layup can help even out the stresses put on the repair. 3) Always make sure the carbon weave is fully saturated with epoxy before laying it on the frame unless you are going to vacuum bag the repair. If not, you could end up with some dry spots in the carbon repair. A good portion of the strength comes from the epoxy so it's critical that you have proper saturation. 4) Before cutting your sheets to the size you need, leave them a bit big and lay them flat inside a plastic bag, I like to use plastic zip-loc bags but if you have to do larger pieces, any plastic can work. Pour a bit of epoxy on the carbon and close up the bag with little to no air in it. Use a squeegee to force the epoxy into the carbon fabric. This will make it "pre-preg" carbon fabric. Before removing the carbon, layout the size of the piece you need with a marker on the bag and cut it out with scissors. When you're ready to do the layup, you can carefully remove the two pieces of plastic off of your cut piece. 5) If you ever read an article from an expert that says to start with large patches and go smaller with each layer, you should REALLY question there credentials. Either way, great job and this should work perfectly for an indoor bike. July 31, 2023, 08:00:12 AM |
1 |
Re: Hygge Aero Carbon Frame
No, this is the BOB option. Part matte and part glossy. The pics that Patrick posted are all glossy over the naked carbon I believe I see, thanks for clearing that up. I'll probably order this frame as well, had few different options but it seems like this frame has the mix of good looks, decent clearance for tyres and threaded BB. And the handlebar seems to be the same as The One/Kovlici/Rpantahi etc August 09, 2023, 08:21:28 AM |
1 |