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Re: Fake eeBrakes G4
Nice hack! Stick it back to them lol. Those are getting crazy honestly. Last month I was selling an All-City bike locally and someone proposed a trade offer for CK components. Just out of curiosity I asked what does he have to trade and guy says limited edition CK brakes from 2019 but since my bike was only $900 he said it's not an even trade and wanted me to pay $100 on top. Per him those brakes "will only go up in price" because every year there's a new limited edition and old ones keep getting rare Yeah when i am buying and selling bikes i avoid anything with Pauls, Chris King, Enve, etc. components. nothing really wrong with the parts (other than ego driven elitism and over pricing) but the people that put them on their bikes generally have an emotional attachment to the bikes and the perceived status it gives them. not exactly sure but they always think that they are worth big $$$ even when on a shit bike. and they usually get very offended when i offer a realistic price. Also with the CK headsets, i still dont know what you are paying for. I am going year 7 now with my NECO Chinese one that was $15. and it is on a fat bike that sees salted roads and lots of moisture. a CK would have to last 1000 yrs to make the cost worth it. March 14, 2023, 04:19:54 PM |
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Re: Groupset News
Wow a lot of info thanks stiffweenies. Good call. There is absolutely a gamble in playing this game and I wouldn't recommend anyone who simply wants something that 'just works' become a guinea pig for these small companies, especially when international customers have to pay a markup on top of navigating language barriers and awful customer support. L-TWOO and others have the mentality that they can just fix problems on the fly without taking a reputational hit which is just a recipe for disaster as we've seen from the Seka/Cycling100 debacle. The sad thing is that they'll only consider doing something about it when a big influencer calls them out. March 16, 2023, 02:55:58 PM |
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Re: Velobuild VB-R-218
Finished my build and just went for a short ride to check on everything. Rides very nicely, very stiff (I might change the rear tire from 25mm to 28mm to increase comfort). Overall I'm very happy with it and for the cost I cannot complain (warning: new toy syndrome). The fit is also nice, as I was afraid the frame could be too small. But the aero spacers and saddle setback make up for it. I'm 188cm tall with a 92cm inseam and long arms, got the XL Frame. I haven't decided on the final bike fit, so I still have 15mm 3d printed spacers on top - thanks to the stranger who designed these and put them on thingiverse! I'll also put some TPU on my 3d printer this weekend and see if I can draw up some grommets for the frame openings that I don’t need due to the electronic shifting and a seat post gasket. The only issue I have not solved yet is some disc brake rubbing on the rear brake that I cannot get rid of at the moment. Possibly due to misaligned (unfaced) brake mounting points. I went with post mount brakes as I got the Sram Red groupset for 600€ cheaper than flat mount, so I had to use adapters that increase the distance between the calliper and the frame. Not sure if that worsens the issue. I might want to exchange the callipers to flat mount. Does anyone know if changing to flat mount callipers helps with the disc brake rubbing? Or does anyone have experience with DIY facing the brake mounts? March 18, 2023, 08:22:50 AM |
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Re: Velobuild VB-R-168 Frame
It would be pretty hilarious if you actually put “S-Wok” on it. I thought about it, but didn't have any good way to have the decals made around here 
March 24, 2023, 04:50:09 AM |
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Re: Groupset News
Nice. So that Wheeltop EDS road setup should work with those who prefer to use cable disc brakes.
March 24, 2023, 12:19:19 PM |
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Re: 2022 Cervelo S5
Questioning one's spending choices on fake frames: BAD Insulting one's spending choices on legitimate (albeit expensive) frames: GOOD Chinatown logic... April 02, 2023, 08:49:25 PM |
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Re: Velobuild VB-R-177
Quick update: i cut the fork 2 mm above the stem. Fits perfectly now! :-)
April 06, 2023, 03:51:37 PM |
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Tantan FM629 review (/ FM609 / FM619 / FM639)
Long time lurker here. I'd like to thank the community for their great trove of information and provide some content back in the form of a review of a frame that I've seen very little about. This review is less about Tantan and more about the frame. Tantan were fine to deal with, some small challenges and delays but nothing out of the ordinary. Ultimately, the correct frame arrived, in the right size, and painted to the correct specification (after a minor paint specification error was spotted in the QC pictures). The FM629 belongs to a family of lightweight endurance/climbing geometry frames. The geometry and some of the design features are heavily inspired by the Cervelo R5. There are 4 frames in the family, a non integrated and an integrated in both disc and rim. The non integrated has an IS42/IS52 headset and the cables pass through opening in the downtube. The integrated has an IS52/IS52 (we'll cover this a bit later in more detail as it's not quite to standard), with no opening in the downtube (or at least none on my frame), so you have to go through the top bearing. I bought the rim brake version so can't comment on the disc brake version (particularly the tolerance or flatness of the flat mounts, nor the routing of these). The FM629 as an integrated frame comes with a set of integrated bar/stem and headset/spacers. While I didn't use this bar and stem, due to being long reach (approx 85mm), in the hand it is good quality, and stiff. The headset is your standard Chinese affair, no name bearings and no seals. The spacers are aluminium, and satin finish so they might not match the frame and bars if you leave them unpainted If you want to run another set of bars on this bike you can but you need to be aware of the non standard bearing seat depth. IS52/IS52 normally has an 8.7mm bearing seat depth upper and 7mm lower. This has a 6.5mm upper and 7.5mm lower. The included headset lower has an increased flange thickness on the crown race and a taller bearing to compensate. With the included headset the upper has a small frame gap. If you run a standard IS52/28.6 upper you'll get a significant gap and will need to modify or use a customised compression ring/spacer to reduce this gapping. I used a Deda ACR nylon spacer and shaved material off to make it fit. This shallow bearing depth has an advantage though (particularly for rim brake) in that it means the brake cable doesn't need to make a "U bend" turn to head along the top tube to the rear brake. In terms of build quality of the frame, I can't fault it. The interior of the frame is clean enough and while there was some evidence of wrinkling, there was no evidence of resin pooling or voids in the areas I inspected. There was quite a bit of fibrous material left in the steerer tube which I would assume to be the remains of the internal mould. I would rate the internal of the frame as equivalent to a mid range frame. Safe to ride, but not as clean as I've seen from Carbonda. Tolerances seem fine out of the box. The frame is BB86. I had the frame reemed and faced, but out the box the dimensions were: Shell Width 86.95-86.98 (overwidth by 0.45-0.48mm) Left cup diameter 40.90 Horizontal 40.90 Vertical (undersized 0.08mm) Right cup diameter 40.94 Horizontal 40.96 Vertical (undersized 0.02-0.04mm). While I didn't weigh the frame pre build, weight built up is about average for 105 drivetrain and deep section carbon wheels is about 7.3kg with mount, pedals, and bottle cages. It's not a super lightweight frame, nor is it overly heavy. Thankfully this is Chinertown not Weight Weenies... The frame is a climbing/endurance bike so has (for a small/medium) a slack seat tube of 73 degrees. This is less of an issue for larger sizes, and perhaps even an advantage! The frame has a straight seatpost included to counteract this. The seatpost is a standard round 27.2mm, with an integrated wedge which does a good job of retaining the seatpost. However, if you are running carbon rails (7x9mm) you'll need to find a longer bolt as the included 35mm bolt is too short for the threads to engage with the wider clamp width due to the thicker rails. For people (like me) that need their seat far forward/are reach constrained you might want to consider this when sizing and potentially size down, otherwise expect to run the saddle towards the end of the rails. Finally, the bike rides like a superbike (with a good set of wheels). It feels fast to accelerate, it holds speed well, but it doesn't offer the most compliant and soft ride if you have a very stiff wheelset. The frame offers ample clearance for thicker rubber (28mm) to offset this. Overall the frame is worth considering if you want a modern rim brake frame and prefer a more endurance geometry. I would probably advise you go down the FM609 route unless you're set on internal cable routing since fully integrated mechanical isn't an enjoyable job, especially with the non standard headset. The frame is set up for outers to be run the full length so make sure your front mech is suitable for this. I can't really fault any aspect of it, but I think if you're going the disc brake route there's probably better options out there. Bonus review: Ltwoo RX (2x12 speed groupset). Use this groupset for the shifters only and pair with Shimano R7000 or higher. The front mech does work but doesn't allow for outers to be run to it, nor does it have cable tension, so not suitable for this frame. The rear mech doesn't work nicely with the mech hanger on this frame (which is a sandwich style as used on a few Cannondale frames). The hanger has a small tip, and the rear mech relies on a long b screw to get bigger cassettes to work, so the b screw will go past the tip due to the angles/alignment. This makes it impossible to set up. With an R7000 mech or anything with a shadow link it works perfectly. The 11 speed mech works perfectly with the 12 speed shifters so must have a compatible pull ratio. The Ltwoo shifters can get jammed up if you try to shift them without cable in, and not return to the fully relaxed position. But this can be solved easily as the shift mechanism in these shifters are in a cassette which can be removed from the shifter body and then the springs and pawls coaxed back into the correct arrangement. April 16, 2023, 03:48:55 AM |
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Re: Velobuild VB-R-218
Awesome build Sebastian "The build turned out very nice. I really like the bike. I dropped some weight in the process." Yes, routing 3 cables through that handlebar and frame can result in a minor weight loss after struggling for a few hours and greatly improved muscle tone
May 16, 2023, 07:34:59 PM |
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Re: Velobuild VB-R-218
I got some new wheels and tires  Reserve 34|37 wrapped in GP5000 TR 30c Bike rides totally different now May 18, 2023, 08:53:42 PM |
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