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Chinese Carbon Road Bikes => Road Bike Frames, Wheels & Components => Topic started by: tripleDot on September 02, 2016, 02:27:19 PM

Title: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: tripleDot on September 02, 2016, 02:27:19 PM
After 4 decades of riding bicycles, I'm finally getting my first road bike.  Although, I did get a fixie early this year, it wasn't a full pledge roadie.  So after a month of planning and research, I finally start to get the parts the last couple of weeks.

Today, I just received the CS-RB01+RF01 T800 (http://www.xmcarbonspeed.com/Productinfo.asp?f=1391) frame I ordered from Peter (Carbon Speed).  What a beautiful frame.  Not to mention light.  And, well, for those who wants to know, it was a smooth transaction, good communication with Peter.  Items were packed very well.

Parts/item                                        Price US$   Wt. Kg
Frame w/ fork : Carbon Speed CS-RB01+RF01 T800     $ 430.00    1.375
Seatpost      : Carbon Speed SP4 27.2mm               43.00    0.185
Seatpost Clamp: Circus Monkey 31.8mm                   9.87    0.014
Saddle        : Vivimax Emirates                      25.07    0.244
Stem          :
Handlebar     : ControlTech SLA dropbar               85.00    0.288
Bar Tape      : Circus Monkey EVA                      9.40    0.045
Spacer        : Circus Monkey Alloy 4pcs               4.68    0.010
Headset       : Neco/Circus Monkey                    18.00    0.140

Group set     : Ultegra 2x11                         468.00    2.480
   (weight includes wrappers for group set)
BS30 Adaptor  : La BiCi Press Fit Adaptor             34.00    0.149
Crank Boots   : Crank boot protector                   6.38
Pedals        : Xpedo XCF-05 Aluminum                 35.15    0.232

Wheel set     : Shimano RS 11                        149.00    2.000
   (includes rims, hubs, spokes and rim tapes)
Skewers       : Circus Monkey QR2 Road Ti             30.38    0.048
Tires         : Continental Gatorskin 700x25 (pair)   85.00    0.512
Tubes         : Continental Race (pair)               10.64    0.206

Speedometer   : Cateye Velo Wireless                  32.00    0.050
Bottle Cage   : Carbon Speed BC6                      13.00    0.020
Bottle Cage   : Carbon Speed BC8                      13.00    0.025
Others      :  Jagwire Cable/Housing set              32.00

Shipping      : Carbon Speed products                 50.00
Assembly      :                                       18.00

Cost  : $1,588.57
Weight:  7.883kg (unassembled)


I'm still waiting for the Circus Monkeys and the other stuff to arrive.  And hopefully I can start the wheel set at the end of next week.  Since I just assembled my Chiner HT MTB a couple of months ago, I got a likited funds for this build.  So the plan is I'm just gonna go for a cheaper wheel set for now.  And get myself a cf wheel set next year.  Also, I'm not really a fan of clipless pedals.  I like to be able to wear any shoes or even slippers/sandals. 
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: tripleDot on September 24, 2016, 10:16:30 AM
Finally got all the parts needed, will have it assembled on Monday.

The wheel set (rims, hubs, spokes, tires and tubes), drop bar and BB adaptor cost me more than I expected.  These were actually second choices as I couldn't find my first choices locally.  The stem, I actually got it because of the color but it did match the lenght I was going for.

Pictures on Monday.
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: carbonazza on September 25, 2016, 04:32:50 PM
Looking forward for the pictures!
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: tripleDot on September 27, 2016, 10:06:12 AM
Sort of bad news.  Took all the parts to this bike shop that I visited a few times for tune ups yesterday.  Commissioned them to assemble the bike.  Went back to pick up the bike this afternoon and was told they could not do the job.  They don't have the tools to cut the excess tube of the carbon fork and they are missing some of the other parts needed like cable housing, extended nut for the front caliper and etc.  Short story, I had to take everything to another shop.  So it won't be done until tomorrow.  What a bummer, lost some time and got more expensive.  Anyway, here's a couple of teaser pictures.

From the first bike shop.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/tripleDot/Mobile%20Uploads/RB%201.jpg)

From second bike shop.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/tripleDot/Mobile%20Uploads/RB%202.jpg)
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: karstenhorn on September 27, 2016, 10:39:51 AM
Very good decision, if they don't even know how to shorten a new fork how can they possibly call them self a bike store ???

Karsten

 
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: SportingGoods on September 28, 2016, 02:59:07 AM
That's indeed very strange  :o

Cutting a fork should be a daily routine for a bike shop. Any serious shop provides some basic fitting service, the first one being to cut the fork the appropriate length, once spacers have been defined.
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: tripleDot on September 28, 2016, 08:02:40 AM
Well, the new bike shop gave me a wonderful service for $18!  Way better service than the one I commissioned for my XC.  Funny thing was, the mechanic just measured the fork, marked it with electrical tape and use a hacksaw to cut it.  I was, wow, just like that and the other shop couldn't do it.

Anyway, I took it out for a 15km ride to a beach, and it handles vibrations way better than my Haro Projekt (steel fixie). Here's a few pictures.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/tripleDot/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_0191_1.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/tripleDot/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_0194_1.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/tripleDot/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_0195_1.jpg)
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: tripleDot on September 28, 2016, 08:19:18 AM
Total weight with tires inflated... 7.900kg.  With plenty of parts that can be upgraded if I want to breach UCI regulations.

While I enjoyed the short ride, I have to say this road bike position is new to me and I really need to get use to it.  I pretty much start to feel my lower back hurting after reaching the beach.  But the true test would be on Saturday.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/tripleDot/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_0193_1.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/tripleDot/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_0196_1.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/tripleDot/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_0200_1.jpg)
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: tripleDot on September 28, 2016, 08:23:55 AM
And finally...

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/tripleDot/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_0199_1.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/tripleDot/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_0203_1.jpg)


Edit:  Set pictures to links rather than attachments.
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: SportingGoods on September 28, 2016, 08:37:32 AM
Super nice! I like the orange accent.
Do you plan on using proper automatic pedals? I can't picture myself using flat!

And yes, I also cut carbon steerer with a hacksaw. Very efficient, clean and fast. Aluminum is more difficult and I use a special tool to cut tubes.
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: tripleDot on September 28, 2016, 09:18:32 AM
Super nice! I like the orange accent.
Do you plan on using proper automatic pedals? I can't picture myself using flat!

Thanks SG.  My old XC (Jamis Durango 29er) taught me how to love the orange color.  Hehe.
Sure I do consider getting a clipless pedal, thinking of CB Eggbeater (they got one with orange accent, hehe), but not this year.
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: karstenhorn on September 28, 2016, 12:14:45 PM
Super nice! I like the orange accent.
Do you plan on using proper automatic pedals? I can't picture myself using flat!

Thanks SG.  My old XC (Jamis Durango 29er) taught me how to love the orange color.  Hehe.
Sure I do consider getting a clipless pedal, thinking of CB Eggbeater (they got one with orange accent, hehe), but not this year.

I'm using CB at my road bike too as I need a little extra movement for my knees. May I suggest Eggbeater Candy 7 as they have small pads to adjust how tight the pedals will sit to your shoes. It is nice to have a little more support under your shoes when riding a road bike and I'm very happy with my Candy 7. You can then buy titanium spindles on ebay and make a 240g pedal kit if thats what you want :D

Karsten
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: tripleDot on October 03, 2016, 02:13:14 AM
@Karsten, you have a point with the Candy series offers a more substantial support for the feet.  Will definitely consider that.  I got a question about CB cranks... I've read a lot of the same Ti spindle you suggested, is this just a "weight weenie" move or the CB spindle deserves to be replaced?
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: SportingGoods on October 03, 2016, 02:44:41 AM
Hi ...

Why not consider road pedals? You want to use the same shoes with all your bikes?
I'm doing this for now (using my Time XC8 pedals with my Mavic MTB shoes) but I already know that I will buy a dedicated set for my road bike in the future (probably Ultegra pedals and Fisik R5B shoes).

And I forgot to mention that I was completely shocked by the price you paid to get your bike mounted. $18  :o :o :o We definitely live in a different country!
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: tripleDot on October 03, 2016, 03:02:46 AM
Took the bike for a couple of 50km rides last Saturday and Sunday.  Here's my initial review.

Since this is my first road bike and honestly just my 3rd and 4th time on a dropbar.  First time was a 5km run using a frineds Giant 2 months ago, and the 2nd time being the 15km ride last Wednesday.  My review will mostly be a comparison with mtb XC and my Haro Projekt (steel frame with riser bar) fixed gear.

Saturday: 50km climb test.
The route I took had lots of climbs, a good number of them with winding turns.  The cemented road was pretty smooth here so can't comment about the vibration dampener system too much.  Weather was great.  Climbing on a roadie is a bit harder than I expected.  I'm pretty used to the more relaxed position of an XC.  I've pretty much run out of gears on a couple of those climbs but fortunately, never had to get off to push.  Going downhill was a scary experience.  Not used to the short dropbar, awkward brake position, and pretty much an aggressive seating position.  My fingers hurts with having to grab the brakes... have they not invented hydraulic brakes for clamp/cantilever brakes yet?  Good news is, my lower back did not hurt.

Sunday: 60km speed test.
This route is almost a 100% flat.  Road condition is from great to bad, cemented, asphalt, and some portions of hard pack mud.  Here those vibration dampener system really shone.  I can feel the vibrations between my legs but none on my wrists and elbow.  On my Projekt, these vibrations gives me sore hands and elbows.  Very happy with that.  While this was supposed to be a speed test, I really did not push this bike aside from doing a couple of sprints at mid gear range.  It didn't take long to hit above 45kph... the problem was I couldn't sustain it longer than I wanted.  My average speed for the trip was just around 27kph, which isn't much as I average 25kph on my XC.

As far as riding position, I would say it's pretty comfortable.  I was expecting a lot of lower back pain but didn't encounter them... maybe when I do centuries.  My main complain, which is caused by being new with roadies, is that I pretty much have 4 holding positions with the dropbar and none of them are comfty.  Although I did not suffer sore wrist and elbow.  Another thing I need to get use to is when stopping and standing over the top tube, I have bump my thigh or knees on the dropbars a few times.
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: tripleDot on October 03, 2016, 03:15:47 AM
Why not consider road pedals? You want to use the same shoes with all your bikes?
I'm doing this for now (using my Time XC8 pedals with my Mavic MTB shoes) but I already know that I will buy a dedicated set for my road bike in the future (probably Ultegra pedals and Fisik R5B shoes).

And I forgot to mention that I was completely shocked by the price you paid to get your bike mounted. $18  :o :o :o We definitely live in a different country!

Yes, my plan is to use the same pair  of shoes for my XC and road bike.  I'm also looking at more riding time with the XC, the road is for my long rides which is like once (or twice) every couple of months.  And also I've seen enough roadies having a really hard time walking on those rb shoes.  Hehehe.

Yup US$18... and that's considered on the expensive side.  Most lbs are just charging $6-$7 only.  That is part of the reason why I don't bother to assemble/tune-up my bikes myself.  It cost me more to buy those tools and rapair stand.
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: cmh on October 05, 2016, 03:03:50 AM
Yes, my plan is to use the same pair  of shoes for my XC and road bike.  I'm also looking at more riding time with the XC, the road is for my long rides which is like once (or twice) every couple of months.  And also I've seen enough roadies having a really hard time walking on those rb shoes.  Hehehe.

I endorse this... I used road pedals and shoes for quite some time, but when I was doing some commuting, I switched to MTB pedals for the walkability... and discovered I personally can't tell any difference once I'm in the pedals, and I can get into the MTB pedals so much faster than any of the roadies I ride with. This is a big benefit on any ride that involves a bunch of stopping and starting. I recently tried road pedals again, and after two rides pulled them off, sold them, and I'm on nothing but MTB pedals now.
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: carbonazza on October 05, 2016, 07:28:53 AM
Thanks cmh and tripledot!
I was wondering if I needed to buy road shoes, for the few times I ride a road bike.
Not anymore :)
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: tripleDot on July 03, 2017, 03:05:28 AM
Some new updates.

Pedals are now Crank Brothers Candy 2, a shorter stem with wider angle. Which puts it in a more upright position and more comfty for me.  Also got a brighter orange Fizik bartape, I didn't remove the old bartape, had it double wrapped instead. Resulting in a more comfty feel.

This is actually a new frame. Had a mysterious crack and a patch of chipping cf on the right seat stay on the original frame (pic 2). Had it disassembled last Feb (or March) for painting and discovered the crack. So I reported it to Peter. After a few emails of pictures he told me he would replace it but I had to wait a while as he doesn't have an available replacement. Didn't really had any problem with Peter except for the waiting time. But then again, I wasn't in a hurry. Anyway, did a couple of 100km plus a few sub-50km on it already.

Oh yeah, the painting. It was actually a very bad experience for me. Commissioned this local guy who actually got a lot of praises on his facebook account. He charges $100 for it. Turned out to be very unprofessional. Couldn't keep his own schedules, no updates or communications. The 2 weeks job turned out to be a disaster. His $100 paint job wasn't worth $10. I told I would not accept such a mediocre paint job and had him redo it. He pretty much had 3 extensions, and after a month was still asking for another one. So I told him I'm tired of his excuses and gave him 1 day to return the frame to me in it's original state. 1 whole month wasted.

(http://rsmg.pbsrc.com/albums/v240/tripleDot/_20170703_150149.jpg?w=480&h=480&fit=clip)
(http://rsmg.pbsrc.com/albums/v240/tripleDot/_20170625_153929.jpg?w=480&h=480&fit=clip)
(http://rsmg.pbsrc.com/albums/v240/tripleDot/sketch-1499067451313.png?w=480&h=480&fit=clip)
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: rainysunny on January 01, 2018, 02:55:40 PM
Just curious if the frame was ever replaced by peter? And if you’ve had updates on your paint job  :)
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: tripleDot on February 05, 2018, 10:49:08 PM
Just curious if the frame was ever replaced by peter? And if you’ve had updates on your paint job  :)

Sorry for the late reply.  For some reason, the Road Bike section wasn't showing on my Android device.  It is only now that I was able to checked in on a PC.

Yes.  Peter replaced the frame with a new one, even split shipping with me.  Normally, other companies would have you shoulder the shipping cost.  The first picture above your post is actually the new frame.

I also get to keep the cracked frame... which I eventually had some local auto shop do a DIY repair, and is currently a single speed.  Haven't really rode it much yet, it just got assembled a couple of days ago.  So can't say if the repair would hold.  I will try to update this thread to show the single speed.

About the paint job, I completely ditched it.  Got pretty disappointed with that bad experience.
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: tripleDot on February 08, 2018, 01:21:28 AM
Here's what I did with the cracked frame.

US$ 6.00 DIY repair.
Around US$ 300.00 on Carbon Speed fork & seatpost, Cinneli Mash bullhorn (knock off), Shimano Tiagra 2x crank, Shimano Sora clamp brakes, Tektro brake levers, Jaguar brake cable/housing, Fizik bar tape, Circus Monkey spacers & seat clamp, press fit adaptor, single speed Olive chain, chain tensioner and Ti skewers. Just an estimate, didn't really keep track of the expenses, but pretty sure didn't go over that figure and is inclusive of the repair cost.  Assembly was free of charge as a friend did it for free.  Everything else came from old bikes.

Single speed!

Total weight, 7.85kg.

So far, only did around 20km (2 x 10km) rides around town. My first time with a bullhorn hb. And had to stop a few times to adjust the brake levers to a more comfty position. Rides pretty good althought the 50x13 gear made starting a bit slow and climbs a cardio experience. But I'm enjoying this bike. And hope that repair would hold for longer rides.
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: tripleDot on February 08, 2018, 01:50:15 AM
A couple more pics.
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: carbonazza on February 08, 2018, 02:39:13 AM
...the 50x13 gear made starting a bit slow and climbs a cardio experience...
This is a hell of gear ratio indeed. Is your country as flat as Holland ? :)

...And hope that repair would hold for longer rides...
Did you wrap the tube with carbon cloth and epoxy ?
If you made the patch tick enough and compressed it well, you'll be fine.
i did a repair on a chainstay once, and it is still there( well... I broke a seatstay when crashing months later, but nothing related ).
I even think reusing this broken frame as an indoor bike for the winter.
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: MTB2223 on February 08, 2018, 03:25:35 AM
This is a hell of gear ratio indeed. Is your country as flat as Holland ? :)
>:( ... we have ... ehhhh ... okay, you're right!


Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: tripleDot on February 08, 2018, 07:09:35 AM
Regarding the 50x13... well, there's lots of mountains over here. But there is this 200km (round trip) route here that is 95% flat that a friend and I frequent (not exactly the whole 200km though).  Downtown is pretty flat too. It is kind'a easy for me to avoid the climbs.  ;)

As for the repair, yup, wrapped with carbon cloth and epoxy, 3 layers I believe.
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: tripleDot on February 11, 2018, 11:08:02 PM
Did a 50km on the ss yesterday and learned something unexpectedly. It's a lesson on saddle. Literally the saddle. I got that saddle for 5 or 6 dollars over a couple of years ago. It was intended for my XC but 5km into the first ride and I already want to ditch it. That was how uncomfortable it was. Tried selling it but it didn't move, so it stayed in the garage all these time until I got this ss project. I sort of forgot to get a new saddle for the ss and remembered this old one. So I thought that I'll use it as a temp until I get one of those Fabric Scoop saddle. But that 50km showed me that that old saddle was made for this ss. Seems like bike geometry had something to do with saddle comfort too. All those years, I thought that if the saddle doesn't work for you on one bike, it wouldn't work for you on another bike either. Guess I just saved $25-50 bucks.

About the ride... I'm loving this build. Would love to try a 100km on it. Seems like the repair would hold.
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: tripleDot on February 18, 2018, 03:38:40 AM
Just playing around.  Because I used a bullhorn handle bar, I got some excess bar tapes that I thought of doing some DIYs. With some Gorilla tape, I made my ss a chainstay protector. Not so nice up close though, you can see bubbles.
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: Carbon_Dude on February 23, 2018, 06:57:47 PM
Nice looking road bike TripleDot!
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: tripleDot on February 24, 2018, 07:19:47 PM
Thanks CD, rides even better.  ;)
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: tripleDot on March 12, 2018, 02:15:55 AM
Used the single speed for my bike-to-work new years resolution. A bit of a twist with my bike-to-work. I got some clients that are 50-65km from where I live. I used to take a bus that's about a 2hr ride 1 way (traffic included). So I decided to just bike them. Save the money, exercise and the simple joy of riding your bike.

It took my client about 6-8 seconds of staring at me before he recognized me. It's his first time to see me in a sporty look. Total trip was 130km, took me 2 hours & 15 min 1 way. With almost a dozen climbs. Not really challenging climbs if you're on a geared bike but some tough moments for me. I'm loving this ss and contemplating using it on a 200km trip I'm planning with a friend this coming Lenten season.
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: tripleDot on March 24, 2018, 10:05:02 PM
Today (March 25, 2018) a Triathlon was held here. It's the first tri-event ever held in Davao City.

No, I didn't join but the Start/Finish area is less than 2km from where I live, so I just took some photo opportunity.

Pictures:
#1 Finish Line.
#2 Part of run leg.
#3 The event banner.
Title: Re: My First Road Bike... is a Chiner.
Post by: tripleDot on April 12, 2018, 12:11:25 AM
...with Samantha the lab.