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Re: The Shiny New AM831 Group Buy (A) Thread!
Attached is a better measurement of the rear shock mount. I also did doubles check to make sure that the shock mount was indeed 8mm. Also the bike comes with a standard boost thru axel, some generic bottom bracket, bolt on seat post clamp and a headset with a compression type plug. Edit: I didn't realize the photo was cropped for the rear shock August 20, 2021, 07:01:33 PM |
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Re: The Shiny New AM831 Group Buy (A) Thread!
Full bicycle picture attached,.
August 25, 2021, 10:06:24 PM |
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Re: The Shiny New AM831 Group Buy (A) Thread!
My L should ship any day and I will post a pic with a Lyrik fork for downtube clearance comparison.
August 26, 2021, 06:58:28 PM |
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Airwolf YFM-026 - 1 month in
I learned so much from this forum, time to repay my dues! My 1 month in review of my favourite new steed - an Airwolf YFM-026[/size]
I have been eyeing up unbranded frames from China for about 20 years. I really missed a 2013 Kona Hei Hei XC bike that I had sold and liked the idea of a hardtail to replace it. I wanted something light but capable, understanding that a 100mm fork that I found on sale sets something of a limit. I wanted to build it on a budget with a focus on function and value rather than bling and ultra-light weight. I live on Vancouver’s North Shore which has a reputation for pretty gnarly trails, but wanted something that would be a blast on the less extreme trails that often get forgotten. That said, I know this bike will end up on some of the harder trails from time to time (see below!). The frame, bar and seatpost were bought through the Airwolf store on Aliexpress. Their communication was excellent. It took about 6 weeks to arrive, but would have been quicker if I hadn’t had it painted. This is one of the few frames I could find with modern XC geo – notably reach, head and seat angles and BOOST. It was extremely well packaged with no damage. The only fault I could find in the finish is some rough edges in the head tube. I did not see any of the issues that some have reported about poor dropouts or fork crown hitting downtube (this is a large frame). The crank was ordered from Zrace on Aliexpress. Their communication is OK, and I'm really pleased with them so far. Other parts I either already owned, bought second hand or found on Ebay. The build went very smoothly. Any issues I had were definitely my error, not with the frame. The internal routing for the rear brake was a lot of work, but no harder than it would be on any other frame and it looks good once done! One thing to note: the other ports on this frame are designed to run inner cable only in the frame, as opposed to a full length of outer. This means I’ll need to do some fiddling if I want to fit a dropper post. Initial impressions This thing is light! The frame comes in at about 1150g with hanger, thru-axle and seat collar. Built up, the bike is 19.6lbs without crank or pedals, so I’m expecting 22-23lbs once the new crank arrives. I’m really pleased with how it looks with matte black components and a bright colour on the frame. No-one really seems to notice my little stickers, which is fine by me. I know what they mean (UK riders may be familiar with the Mint Sauce font and quotes!). Even with the 40mm stem, it’s quite long (size large and I am 178cm tall). The steering is really quick. The brakes didn’t work (not bed in). The whole thing feels ‘tight’. First ride I was in a rush. I needed to get up the mountain by 6pm and I didn’t get home from work until 5.15. I stuffed my backpack with shakedown test musts like a shock pump and multitool and sped out the door. Coming from a big-ish trail bike the Airwolf immediately felt weird, with lightning quick steering and very fast acceleration. The beginning of the ride was mostly on road to get up the mountain as fast as possible, but the little sections of singletrack gave me an inkling of how this was going to be: playful and fast (and too long). You’ll be pleased to know I made it to the trail head on time. Everyone was interested in the new bike (most of them knew it was in the works), and there were plenty of jokes about me emerging from the forest with shards of carbon fibre up my arse. I had promised myself that I would not go straight into the gnar with this bike, but the group was heading up to a black-rated trail (7th Secret). I figured I’d give it a go and tweak the bike as I went / walk if necessary. The ride to the top confirmed what I’d found on that initial climb: a bike that is quick to accelerate and encourages you to fast. The beginning of the ride down was a different matter. The top of 7th Secret is quite steep, rocky and rooty. It was also greasy that day. I had not had a chance to bed the brakes in and I am used to a 160/150mm bike with a 65 degree head angle so I was pleased that I managed to drop in to the trail without snapping me or the bike. After about 2 minutes I put the seat post in my bag because I couldn’t drop the seat enough. If I’m going to keep riding trails like this, I’d need a dropper. As the brakes started to bed in, I started to appreciate the quick steering on the tight switchbacks. As 7th Secret merges into the lower trails, things start to mellow out. This is where I realized the bike is exactly what I was hoping for. This is no 90s alloy hardtail throwback – there is quite a bit of flex in the frame and it’s pretty comfortable for a hardtail. That quick acceleration is addictive coming out of corners! I’m sure the fastish rolling tires helped here, and it’ll be interesting to experiment with North Shore go-to Maxxis DHF and DHRs at some point. From the first ride I learned a few things. First, I really like this bike. It makes the ‘easy’ trails a hell of a lot of fun, which is just what I was hoping for. I would far rather have this than a gravel bike, and it’s probably not much slower on dirt road. Secondly, a little faith in the established Chinese manufacturers is probably warranted. I really hope this frame lasts and becomes great value. I don’t think it will take long for me to trust it. Thirdly… rushing out for a ride down ‘big’ trails on a bike that isn’t really set up yet is probably not a great idea. Go and bed the brakes in, tighten any loose bolts and realize you need a dropper before you go out in public. One month in I would highly recommend anyone looking at this frame to be careful on sizing. It's long. I have got the seat nearly all the way forward and it's fine now. Just after I got the YFM026 working a friend of mine bought a gravel bike and we went for a long but gentle ride. I loved it - fast, comfortable and light but much more capable than a gravel bike. I have some fast singletrack trails close to my house and I absolutely love this bike there. So much fun! A couple of tweaks to come! The bars are too wide. I'll cut them down to about 760mm. I have a seatpost shim on the way so I can install a dropper. A clip for one of the cable port covers has snapped and I also want some more to run full length inner cables for the gears and dropper. Airwolf have been really helpful and, after a bit of a language barrier, I think are sending some. Pics Lastly… pics! No post would be complete without pics of the bella machina. [/list] September 17, 2021, 11:12:33 PM |
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Re: Lexon "Riot 10"
So, i received this frame, ordered from Lexon official store on aliexpress. Frame size 19, black/yellow color scheme. Frame comes with rear through axle, headset, bottom bracket (24mm axle), seatpost clamp, bolts for trunnion shock and adapter axle for regular shock mount, rubber chainstay protector. Weight - 2102 g. I've never had a carbon frame before, so cannot compare, but it seems to be well made, paint job is accurate, inside of the frame looks good without any messy bits of carbon fibre. I'm satisfied with the quality. Unfortunately, package was messed up during shipping and there is a crack in chainstay  Contacted the seller, they immediately offered to send me a replacement rear trianle, so i'll have to wait and hope it will come in one piece  If you guys are interested in some specific info/pictures - let me know. Some pics attached: Frame, both sides Frame with compressed suspension, Weight, size 19 Trunnion to regular shock mount adaptor The crack September 23, 2021, 03:36:27 AM |
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Re: Lexon "Riot 10"
I bought this Lexon RIOT frame and fitted it with the donated Polygon Xtrada 7 components youtu.be/2gI5sf8nxA4 September 23, 2021, 10:36:19 PM |
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Re: The Shiny New AM831 Group Buy (A) Thread!
It's an integrated headset and the frame is built with the carbon pockets aligned and at the correct angle to accept the bearings. Which don't move on the carbon and just rest there and the fork and stem all rotate on the ID of the bearings. What you were shipped is exactly what you need. You can order a better headset but it needs to be an integrated that looks like what you have. Mine is installed and works fine, give it a try. Also, I needed to use one spacer to get the top cap/seal to fit right. I still need to tighten it a bit more which might compress the split ring a bit and I might need to add a second. Just make sure the rubber seal doesn't have a gap under it and just touching the stack under it.
September 24, 2021, 11:27:38 AM |
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Re: Stumpjumper clone
I buy such frame in L size and white color from another aliexpress seller. Briefly: This is high modulus carbon frame like original SJ MY19. But... i kill tread on one rear bolt (M12 body and M11x1 tread) - make new from В95Т1 alloy on home lathe. Top eye shock M6x1 bolt was 90 degree champfer, but frame (as original) have 120 degree champfer... make new from В95Т1 alloy on home lathe. There is no holes for place hosings in middle tube (as in original manual), but SWAT hile is absent and all housing plased in bottom tube. I buy dropper OneUp v2 180mm. Frame have slight problem to place dropper more than 17cm, but i cut 1mm from diameter of dropper ass and get 22 cm! Original bolts have rubber seal, i simple print TPU seal on printer. Complect seat post clamp have ~40.5mm diameter instead 38.6mm, buy right item on aliexpress. Original flipchip have big size and you need mill additional space in yoke if you whant it. As i understand that tight flipchip block bottom eye frop any rotation. But default china yoke set in "XC" position - not bad choice. Geometry precisely mathed to info by aliexpress lots! But have no such geometries in linkage web base. See attached *.itx file for linkageX3 software. For this frame maximum drive chain about 32T, but pedal efficiency at this 90..80%, if you move gravity mass to front - efficiency increase. I think that 28T (or may be 26T oval) and 9..42T cog wery good variant - for 28T drive antisquat about 100..110%. Positives: $800 Nice look. Light weight (may be it good moment). Compatible with "old" common 210x55 shox - simple to find in sale section. Negatives: No SWAT! $( No frame guards (use 3d printer...) Decals above paint lyers. I use oraguard anti stone TPU film. Frame have very thin wall in BB link region - may be this is normal, but... October 19, 2021, 10:21:43 AM |
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My Bigrock 27.5+ Build
What started out as a budget commuter bike ended up with me becoming a weight weenie. Well, not really, compared to the actual weight weenies. My wallet is definitely lighter though. Short review below: Communication from the seller was very good by aliexpress standards. Most of my messages were answered within a a couple hours. Initially I was leaning towards the tantan/seraph fm199/299 but 17" was out of stock and they weren't responsive. The bigrock frame was on backorder and I asked for no decals so it took around 15 days to ship. They asked if I was ok with the small decals and I said I was, thought they meant the generic ones but they ended up putting their small logo on the top tube which wasn't shown in the pic for this color listing. So i'd ask for no decals at all to be safe. Also I asked them to declare low but they didn't tell me they won't, so I had to pay tax. Apparently their tax free is only for the EU. When I ordered it was around 500 usd incl shipping for the 27.5" and these guys seemed to be the only ones selling it, however it got stuck in customs for 2 months(not the sellers fault) and now lexon is selling the exact same frame for about $100 less -_-. It came in a solid box with foam on contact points. All the usual stuff is included + they include 2 'gifts' which you can choose from a few of their other items like seatpost clamps and top caps. There are no Rubber grommets on the frame so I assume its meant to be routed with full outer housing. It didn't come with placeholder tubing but routing was really easy. The holes are pretty small so if you're using a cable and a ferrule to route the brake you'll have to pull off the ferrule through the headtube first. All in all it was pretty straightforward. As usual i forgot to weigh individual parts but the total weight is 8.4kg. It could easily be sub 8kg with a lighter/rigid fork Parts list: Frame: Bigrock 27.5 Boost https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002838191949.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.27424c4dmf1p7v Fork: X-fusion RC32 Wheelset: Farsports FS27C T-30-30 with ZTTO M1 hubs Brakes: Magura MT5 F and MT4 R Shifter + Rear Mech: Deore M5100 Cassette: ZTTO Slr 2 Ultralight 11-50t Chain: VG sports Crankset: Racework 36t Pedals: DMR V6 Stem: ZTTO 45mm Alu Bars: RFR Flat bar Trail Grips: ZTTO Seatpost: Sixpack Menace Weight: 8.4kg    
November 02, 2021, 10:19:26 AM |
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My ican p(andemic) 9
Thaught i best update this as ive finally finished the build After a few testing rides i was sick of the constant pedal strikes and wasnt happy with how the mattocs looked on this bike, there a brilliant fork i just wasnt happy with the look So finalised build list is Ican p9 medium Dvo onyx sc 180mm forks in rediculous green Unite.co green stem Spank oozy riser bars Dvo topaz3 shock Magura mt5 brakes...might opt for larger rotors next year Truvativ troy lee 165mm cranks V8 pedals Dmr oi oi camo saddle Brendog deathgrips Giant contact 150mm dropper post matched with a brand x lever after some fandangling Sun ringle duroc 40 wheelset Michilin tyres Shimano deore 10sp rear Oval chainring upfront Cant remember what bb tbh a hope one i think? Think that about sums it up November 05, 2021, 11:09:43 AM |
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