Chinertown
Chinese Carbon MTB => 29er => Topic started by: zeecue on August 19, 2022, 12:36:17 AM
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Hello
I have been following a few of you build your bikes and i want to build my own. But i can't decide on which one to choose.
Lightcarbon also have offered to sell the frame with a carbon wheelset(OE 87MB).
From what i can see the Carbonda is a bit newer and uses a more common shock, where the LightCarbon uses a bit uncommon shock.
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I really strongly recommend the FM1002. It’s consistently impressed me and has a bunch of geometry advantages that seem subtle on paper but feel wonderfully balanced in the real world. Leverage is also lower and it pedals remarkably well for a 4-bar.
If a 1002 can survive an entire big mountain season under me — a hard charging, sendy ~200lb rider who spends a lot of his time on harsh, smashy rock armored trails — it should be able to stand up to almost anything. And the season’s more than half over here at this point…
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Thanks for the advice. Might get the Carbonda Frame and wheelset from LightCarbon(would have to pay 2 times shipping).
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Close call, if lcfs947 had adequate seatpost insertion.
If you are purchasing medium size frame go for carbonda.
I really don't know which one is stronger frame but considering the weight they should be pretty close. Extra weight of LC is possibly caused by overbuilt seat tube/shock mount section.
Quality of materials was okey with LC, found no issue.
Definitely, remove suspension linkage to check if greased enough.
Raw finish is not recommended so order as painted, if you have a car color on your mind just look for Ral code online.
I did paintjob my self/painter guy at a workshop. Not ideal..
Some close up shots.
https://imgur.com/a/lX4lcHO
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IIRC, some people had frames crack with Light Carbon, FlyBike (Carbonda's parent company) has a pretty great reputation. I just finished building my FM1002 and took it out for a super technical ride today. It's an amazing bike. Absolutely in love with it. Paint isn't great and a lot of grease was missing but the frame is rock solid and the modern geo results is an incredible ride. It climbs very well too.
There is also the FM1003, the one review we have of it says its amazing.
Close call, if lcfs947 had adequate seatpost insertion.
If you are purchasing medium size frame go for carbonda.
I really don't know which one is stronger frame but considering the weight they should be pretty close. Extra weight of LC is possibly caused by overbuilt seat tube/shock mount section.
Quality of materials was okey with LC, found no issue.
Definitely, remove suspension linkage to check if greased enough.
Raw finish is not recommended so order as painted, if you have a car color on your mind just look for Ral code online.
I did paintjob my self/painter guy at a workshop. Not ideal..
Some close up shots.
https://imgur.com/a/lX4lcHO
Impressive paint job for doing it yourself man, looks good.
My dropper post is a OneUp V2 180 and it will goes in all the way to the max insertion in my Large frame.
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Thanks for all the awesome replies.
I'm 179cm tall so i guess i would need a size Large FM1002?
The color I'm looking to get it colored is YS2430 - Black with "rainbow specles".
I might still get the LightCarbon wheels as it's a good deal from them.
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I’m about exactly 6 feet tall with long legs, and the Large 1002 fits me great.
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+1 for the Carbonda. Built one for my son a few months ago and he loves it. Rode it myself last week and was really impressed. I am 178cm and the med felt too small on the climbs, but awesome going down. For 179cm I would definitely recommend a large. We put a 170 fork on the front and it’s not too slack.
One thought on finish: rather than pay for paint and then wrap, we went for raw and put a matte wrap on it. Looks good and is holding up well.
The build was fun to do together and we got some killer deals on takeoff and discounted parts. Nothing else new comes close for $3k CAD.
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Thanks all for the feedback.
Just mailed Carbonda and ordered a large, some spare parts and paint.
Should i get a set of LightCarbon carbon wheels for it, or some cheap Shimano/WTB wheels (https://www.bike24.com/p2415032.html front wheel).
What i might put on the frame:
Magura MT Trail Sport brakes F203/R180mm
RockShox Domain 2022 170mm fork
RockShow Deluxe Select+ 205x60 rear shock
Cant decide if i should go with Shimano or Sram groupset(nothing is in stock at a good price).
What tyre size are others running on theirs?
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2.6 all the way. Decent clearance is one of the main reasons I went with the 1002.
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I would get trp evo(best brakes i've ever experienced) but they are hard to find other than that shimano deore 4pots works flawlessly for me.
Domain requires 200mm minimum rotor so maybe look for 200mm rotor and dont fuss for 1.5mm spacers.
Also 12 speed group set, and if you are purchasing individually you can combine a value based one.
I recommend xt shifter, but every other deore parts are basically heavier XT parts with small nuances. Given that you can actually buy them ::)
Maybe instead of carbon hoops consider dt swiss as they are very cheap right now https://www.bike-discount.de/en/dt-swiss-m-1900-spline-29-30mm-cl-boost-wheelset (https://www.bike-discount.de/en/dt-swiss-m-1900-spline-29-30mm-cl-boost-wheelset).
I'm not sure about 54T upgrade for new dt swiss, this wheel set have hub called "370 with Ratchet LN 18". *Group set decision needs to be made for freehub.
I was between Rs domain and lyrik select 170mm, but weight penalty was substantial, thats front end heavy ended up with lyrik and pretty happy with it.
Also have the deluxe ultimate very similar to select+, I noticed that i add too much psi in order to set the sag correctly but i have fs947 frame so take it with salt.
Lastly tires, I run 2.5, if you are riding on mostly mud get 2.4/2.5 as they carry less mud when clogged. I suffered this last winter learned my lesson.
Quick note some people were having quality issues with carbonda headset, I used my old but better headset cleaned then regreased the bearings almost 100%, they don't rotate much anyway.
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+1 for shimano brakes and groupset. I had sram sx + magura MT5s for my 911 and the shimano SLX stuff is miles better. MT5s were good once you got them set up, but the bleed process is messy and always took a few tries. Also harder to find magura pads in NA. 4 pot SLX brakes have been fantastic for me, easy to bleed and more than enough stopping power.
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I see you already decided but here to say good choice. I love my 947 as a park bike but it wasn’t a GREAT trail bike.
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Im in almost the exact same boat!
I prefer the geometry and look of the 947, but there doesnt seem to be as many builds and experience out there with it.
Let me know what makes you decide!
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Im in almost the exact same boat!
I prefer the geometry and look of the 947, but there doesnt seem to be as many builds and experience out there with it.
Let me know what makes you decide!
I choose the fm1002. I Like carbonda's service and couple of reviews here pushed me towards the 1002.
Have to wait a couple of weeks
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i decided on the FM1002, because most people recommend it and the support from Carbonda has been amazing.
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Im about to order some parts for the frame, and i was wondering if its best to stick with 150mm front travel or should i go for 160 or even more?
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Im about to order some parts for the frame, and i was wondering if its best to stick with 150mm front travel or should i go for 160 or even more?
I run 170 and like the bike (size Large) that way, but could see running it 160 for a more all-around balanced AM bike. 150 would have the front end too low IMO.
I’ve been thinking about a 1001 build this winter and have a similar debate going….150 or 160 fork. I’m pretty sure I’ll settle on 160. After years on AM/enduro bikes, 150 just feels too low and like a toy to me, regardless of what frame it’s on.
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Thanks for the reply. Ill look for a 160/170mm fork.
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Just a small update, got some parts for the bike build:
RockShox Domain RC 170mm.
RockShox Deluxe Ultimate.
Sram NX Eagle 1x12 11-50 with DUB buttom bracket.
Magura MT Trail Sport with 203/180mm rotors.
And is getting set of DT Swiss wheels next week.
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Just a small update, got some parts for the bike build:
RockShox Domain RC 170mm.
RockShox Deluxe Ultimate.
Sram NX Eagle 1x12 11-50 with DUB buttom bracket.
Magura MT Trail Sport with 203/180mm rotors.
And is getting set of DT Swiss wheels next week.
Question. Which tune you got for the rockshox deluxe ultimate? I want one to to pair a lyric ultimate. But cant deside which. Already asked Adam, but no info so far
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Question. Which tune you got for the rockshox deluxe ultimate? I want one to to pair a lyric ultimate. But cant deside which. Already asked Adam, but no info so far
I would use the data here to make a decision.
https://insanityofgravity.blogspot.com/2020/11/6-linkage-check-carbon-rahmen-von.html
I went for a fox DPX2 with a linear tune, then switched to a large spacer. Basically you want linear until the end of the stroke, then you need some push back to counter the digressive bit of the curve.
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With my FM1002 running a DVO Topaz T3, at first I thought that regressive dip in the end travel would be a big issue and added 3 positive volume spacers to the initial build. Then I dropped it to 2, then 1. Now I’m thinking about trying it with none.
The Topaz is already a bit more linear than most RS or Fox shocks and yet on most rides at a rider weight without gear of about 200lbs I barely use 70% travel. Even big (for me) jumps rarely pass 80 or 85%.
You may find that with air shocks, the regressive dip just isn’t a huge issue. I think a lot of us are overcompensating for it a bit with volume spacers.
As for shock tuning in general…you’re in luck, the FM1001/1002 and even 1003 all have kinematics that are pretty decent with standard aftermarket Medium tunes.
You could always have a pro tuner dial the shim stack for your weight and terrain, but if you’re getting a standard aftermarket 2023 Super Deluxe Ultimate with the new silent spring backed IFP damper, I’d just bolt it on and spend some time riding it first. You may not need damping changes all that urgently.
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Just ordered a superdeluxe ultimate rct from, the in europe famous, RCZ. Very cheap, but you can only tell what you've got if it's in front of you. So hopefully it's a low or medium tune. But for 200euro's it's worth the gamble... And I'll return it.
Also found the magura's mt5 HC for 110euro's a pair... We'll see.
Keep you guys posted in the right topic btw
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Just ordered a superdeluxe ultimate rct from, the in europe famous, RCZ. Very cheap, but you can only tell what you've got if it's in front of you. So hopefully it's a low or medium tune. But for 200euro's it's worth the gamble... And I'll return it.
Also found the magura's mt5 HC for 110euro's a pair... We'll see.
Keep you guys posted in the right topic btw
200 for the shock is great! I bet those MT5's are legit. Mine cost a similar amount before shipping, rotors and adapters.
Here is what I bought for mine if you havent seen it. Also picked up an Ergon saddle which I love