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Re: jstrawks' Carbonda CFR-1056 build thread
My Farsports wheels arrived. The front is 719g. The rear is 820g. This is as far as the build progresses until the groupset becomes available. October 06, 2021, 02:10:00 PM |
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VB-R-168 Build- A sceptic's experience
Hello all. I am located in USA so all of the links below may not work for you. This is just an overview of my experience and what I found while building the new bike. I purchased a VB-R-168 frame, integrated bars, VB-60 carbon wheels, and the rest of the components needed to make it a rolling machine  . Before I start, I wanted to say I was very sceptical of this purchase and worried that it would not turn out as good as it did. Chris from VB is very helpful and responsive. I have read of negative experiences relating to VB, but mine was thankfully a pleasant one. Parts ordered - VB-R-168 frame (size 58- matte black)- Velobuild http://www.velobuild.com/products/-171 - VB integrated bars (440 mm width- matte black)- came with frame/forks/seatpost/spacers - VB-RC-60 carbon disc wheels (matte black) - Velobuild http://www.velobuild.com/products/-57 - Continental GP5000 25mm tires- Amazon- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08RNVPQY3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - Inner tube- Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XMJFJ5L/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - Carbon assembly paste- Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0012RIEM6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - Park tool grease- Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NORVHI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - Foam cable covering (to stop noisy cables)- Hardware store that sells everything https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/2029n11 - Shimano 105 groupset/ disc brakes/ press fit BB- Aliexpress- 007Bike Store https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32943199402.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.4cdd4c4dIxdtcS - Bleed kit- Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LWN4LSD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - Shimano Ultegra center lock discs (160mm front 140mm rear)- - Fizik saddle- Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08PDLTTNN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - Sram bar tape- Amazon- I would not do this again. terrible feel https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00142FFCG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - Inner cable set (2) - Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JLWSF82/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 The good- The frame, bars, and forks came within two weeks (to USA). The wheels took longer because I requested 350 straight pull hubs. Everything went together nicely (I definitely recommend using carbon paste and torque wrench). Getting the cables through the frame and bars was reasonably difficult, but not too bad. The bike is all together and I have a few rides under my belt. Great bike, stiff, fast. Definitely a great bike for the price. I hate when my bikes are noisy from cable rattle, etc... so I made sure I took all necessary precautions when building this one. The end result is pretty great considering the price point. The not so great- The seat post has slipped on me (it may not do this if you are smaller. I am 220 lbs-100 kg). I found adding more carbon paste and upping the torque setting slightly definitely helps. The wheels took a bit longer due to covid and my customizations which isn't the end of the world. The aero bars may be too aero for some. I purchased the VB separate stem and bar combo to replace the integrated bars- that hasn't arrived yet. I left the steerer tube slightly long to add spacers later on. I have added some pictures of the bike fully built. Feel free to ask any questions if you have. Thanks for reading/viewing. October 08, 2021, 09:01:24 AM |
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Re: Carbonda Gravel Carbon frame CFR707
I don't have any good build pictures to share yet (maybe if I have some time over lunch). I have some pictures of the frame, though! :-)
October 12, 2021, 02:58:48 AM |
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Re: Carbonda Gravel Carbon frame CFR707
Took the bike out on one of my favorite loops. Feels awesome! Great traction on steep climbs with loose dirt. Really zippy and comfy. Some more frame specs: Headset: IS52/28.6 | IS52/40 (I'm using a Ritchey comp cartridge headset: https://www.bike24.com/p2106612.html, https://www.bike24.com/p2510554.html) Rear axle: 173mm M12*P1.5*L15 (carbonda's weighs 40g) Front axle: 120mm M12*P1.5*L14 (carbonda's weighs 29g) Seatpost wedge: 36g (I torqued to 5Nm + carbon paste around the part of the seatpost that contacts the round section of the seattube). The seatpost head is a nice design, but definitely torque those bolts well (I went up to 8Nm with some loctite. They are mounted upside down. On my first ride I probably didn't tighten them enough and they came loose, but everything staid in place.) October 17, 2021, 11:29:07 AM |
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Re: Velobuild VB-R-168 Frame
I will make full build post. hopefully within a week. I ran the 4 cables via the large opening of bars. I figured there would be less tight bends. Plus I wanted fully internal. Fork I ran two housings left and two right of fork. One housing on right going into the fork. If you run housings same direction around fork it wants to pull and or pinch. I ran cables into housings before fully compressing everything. I slammed the stem no spacers needed and I used jagwire keb-sl and lex cables. October 20, 2021, 07:03:10 PM |
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Re: Velobuild VB-R-168 Frame
Finished!! All was fine, but the internal cabling thru the stem-handlebar is not easy…at the end looks great. I’ll ride tomorrow to test it, will see how it works. Info: this bike shares geometry with SL7, but the seatpost has little seatback.. have in mind to fit. - Velobuild frame VB-R-168 size 58. - Velobuild integrated stem+handlebar 110/440 - Ultegra 8020-8070 - Crankset Rotor 3D+ 1x (42t) - Cassette leonardi 9-36 - wheels serenade 45mm (28mm witdth) tubular - 7,6kg with pedals and bottle cages. October 21, 2021, 01:11:16 PM |
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Re: Velobuild VB-R-168 Frame
BTW, today 80km. All issues adjusted. Very satisfied with this buid  October 24, 2021, 06:25:43 AM |
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Re: Carbonda Gravel Carbon frame CFR707
One more pic, out in the forest.
October 31, 2021, 11:24:13 AM |
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Re: Velobuild VB-R-168 Frame
Hi everyone! I've been meaning to give a proper review of my build but I had to fix some issues first. Mainly, my headset was too loose and I ordered an extra spacer (didn't feel like cutting the fork again). It finally arrived and I was able to complete my first proper ride this morning (40km). I'm hoping I'll be able to enjoy it a few more times before it gets too freezing. Anyways, here is the list of parts I used for this build along with a few comments. Ordering - Chris from velobuild is not very quick to answer but he's helpful. I used Skype, I heard other people have better experiences by email. - Elite Wheels take a while to ship since they build the wheels for every order. Ordering is easy and they respond quickly. - Ordering groupsets on Aliexpress is surprisingly reliable. All parts look legit. Building the bike - Installing the press fit bottom bracket was a nightmare. I definitely recommend going to a bike shop for this part. - The rest of build is fine. The hidden cable routing is honestly not that hard to complete. Just be patient. The cabling in the handlebar is probably the step that'll have you swearing the most. - Getting the optimal tightness on the headset is not easy. I still have +-1mm of play, not sure if that's normal. - I managed to fix the slipping post issue with a TON of carbon paste and some hockey tape. It's an annoying problem but it's definitely fixable. Riding the bike -My first impression is that this bike is sooo light. My reference is an aluminum Scott Speedster 10. I'm definitely faster with this bike - The semi-hydraulic disc brakes are honestly garbage. Worse than rim brakes. I read that I needed to use compressionless housing. I might switch to that later down the road and see if it makes a difference. For now my recommendation is too spend an extra 300-600 for proper shimano hydraulic brakes. It is however manageable and you can safely brake. - The bike feels solid and I hear no creaking or weird sounds. - The Elite Wheels are LOUD. People are legit startled when I lay off the pedals and let the hub roll. Quite obnoxious but at least people get out of my way. I'm definitely satisfied overall considering the price I paid. I can see myself building another Chinese carbon bike later down the road. For now I'm gonna take a break from building bikes  This community is extremely helpful, I can not overstate this. I'm gonna try and give another update once I accomplish some longer rides. November 07, 2021, 02:36:04 PM |
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GR044 Post Build
Frame: Seraph GR044 54cm with accessory mount fork Stem & Handlebar: Integrated 100mm x 420mm (incuded) Bar tape: Wolf Tooth Components Supple Handlebar Tape Shifters: SRAM HRD Rival AXS Derailleur: SRAM GX AXS Bottom Bracket: SRAM DUB BB386 Wide Road PressFit Crankset: SRAM Rival 1 AXS Wide - 170mm 40t chainring Chain: SRAM GX Eagle Cassette: SRAM NX Eagle 11-50T Saddle: San Marco Aspide Dynamic Supercomfort Saddle Pedals: Shimano PD-M520 Wheels: 700c Campagnolo Shirocco BT12 Rotors: SRAM Centerline CL 160mm F/R Tires: WTB Venture 700x40 Barfly spoon mount for bike computer Waiting for Rockshox Reverb AXS XPLR 75mm dropper to be available to replace the included seat post. Quick build to replace my son's old college commuter that turned into a drop bar gravel conversion. It went pretty smooth, there isn't a lot of room in the handlebar for cables and we only had the two. I can imagine it might be rough to get shifter cables in there as well. Otherwise it looks really nice with nearly no visible cables. Used supplied headset bearings, they were pretty good. The cover and spacers are an oddly fitting alloy two piece design. Carbon would have looked nicer but it is fine. Soooo many mounts on this frame - Three bottle cages, bolt-on bento box, accessory mounts on the fork, and full fender mount points front and rear. It looks well thought out, I'm jealous. Kinda crap picture, it was taken for him while waiting for him to bring over the old bike to move pedals. If anyone is interested I'll take more (better) pictures the next time we ride or whenever the dropper arrives, whichever comes first... 
January 22, 2022, 07:11:30 PM |
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