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Re: replica vs open mold discussion I own several replicas and real branded bikes, also have borrowed from friends and ridden the real thing that my replica is trying to copy. My experience is pretty recent so I believe I can comment on a few common topics:

1. the million dollar question, is replica safe to ride?

There is no simple answer for this actually, it depends. If your aliexpress replica is only $200 USD including handlebar, you tell me, do you think it is safe to ride?
However I can confidently tell you if you are buying a $600+ USD replica, there won't be any major safety issues, it is not like you ride your replica normally and it snapped in half immediately, unless you are a heavy rider, but I am pretty sure even branded bikes aren't gonna be that safe if you are heavy, because physics, you cannot have something that is light enough yet still be able to withstand a tremendous load.

I got a friend who has a real Time frame and the front fork snapped in half when he was descending down a hill, spent a month or two in the hospital, he was like 90kg I think? So yeah, famous brand doesn't guarantee safety, or maybe just bad luck, who knows, good thing is Time gave him a replacement for free so if you buy legit that's your advantage.


2. Is replica going to be as good as the real thing performance wise?

Absolutely not, but is it close? I would say yes, replica tends to feel less stiff, a bit heavier and a little bit sluggish. If I really need to give a direct comparison, I will say replica has 90% of the performance, in fact, we all sort of know the answer, if you get dropped, problem's on you, not the bike. Honestly if you are not a racer, don't bother, I don't really think a racer would consider buying replica anyway.


3. How's the paint in the replica?
Pretty good, if you don't tell anyone that is a replica I doubt your local club rider is able to tell the difference unless they also have experiecne with replica. However, it is not perfect, you can't really expect a perfect paint with that price if you really know the process & equipment required to get the paint on the frame.



4. You buy replica? SHAME ON YOU
Yes I am a bad person, I own $10k+ USD worth of cameras & lens from Sony yet go cheap on bikes, I have no respect to legit brand, plz don't be like me.




Btw, if you are not a DIY person nor got the time, probably not so wise to buy replica because there are going to be a lot of little things that need your DIY capabilities.

August 22, 2024, 02:05:14 AM
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Re: Replica Factor Ostro VAM Alright, I have finished the build with some hick-ups but nothing major.
- A brake disc that is not truly straight, when these AliExpress things don't work I but better ones, like the Galfer ones.
- The screw for the seat post wedge was destroyed, so had to put a temporary other one, correct one is coming.
- The Elite Drive wheels are the D65 and I ordered the 6 bolts, but I didn't read the FAQ good enough so it came with an adapter and I thought it was designed for 6 bolts, now it's center lock with an adapter.
- The Lexon Crankset was too tight and didn't run smoothly and freely so I had to get the spacers and pre-load ring out and it worked, without any play on the spindle or crankarms. Posted this in the Lexon crankset thread.
- I had the el cheapo brake hoses from Wheeltop which I replaced with Magura Kevlar brake hoses, with no problem, and everything went smoothly through the frame and handlebar.

It's 7.3 kg in the picture, with a 1x setup so no front derailleur of 206 grams and an extra chain ring, including Speedplay paddles.
It is without the computer, sensors & computer holder, bottle cages, and bar tape, radar light and mount, then it will be around 7,5 kg.

September 26, 2024, 09:38:45 AM
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Re: SL8 Replica Build
let's think a minute about worst case scenarios here. some cringe poser joins your group ride with an slfake. That day, it's tempo day, you're going 45kmh in a peloton, he takes a pothole, his frame self destructs, and he causes a crash for himself and others. to be honest, I would finish him off with my own fists.
we havent had reports of frames self destructing for years on this forum, those are horror stories of velobuild frames from many years ago. Now that weight is all the rage again, i really dont want to ride in pelotons with people on super light & unsafe frames. My open mould is a tank.
That is a problem.

Same risk if you ride in a normal amateur peloton made of bikes of 4-5 years, maybe entry level, with no-manteinance etc.
Or do you ask to the cyclists you follow/cycle with if their bike is “safe” ?
I get your intention and I partially agree but, at the end, I think that anyone can buy the bike they want, fake SL8 included

October 07, 2024, 01:39:10 PM
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Re: Speeder Cycling SC-R55D My build is ready.
Built with ltwoo er9 groupset and wheels from Peter
Weight with pedals and bottle cages is 7.7kg which is not the lightest but considering the size and a very deep rims it's not too bad. I originally installed riro carbon cranks but the chainrings  turned out to be warped so I'm waiting for a replacement to arrive. With riro cranks the weight is getting close to 7.5kg

December 01, 2024, 03:18:03 PM
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Re: Speeder Cycling SC-R55D Received my SC-R55D a few days ago. Almost 2 months from the order to receiving it at my door. Shipping was only a few days (Fedex International Priority).

Size 535 (more like a 56-58cm).

This is my first carbon bike, I'm not sure what's normal and what isn't.

NOTE I specifically requested it to be unpainted. So, naturally it looks rougher than one you might receive with the standard matte clear coat. Don't judge it too much based on the unfinished appearance. I'll disassemble and paint it in the spring.

Photos (82)
https://imgur.com/a/tJCYRZ4


BB Shell
I measured the BB with a bore gauge, 6 measurements per side and averaged.
DS: 40.97mm
NDS: 41.02mm
Could be better, could be (far) worse, I think the ideal is like 40.98mm-41.00mm.
DS should be fine, NDS I might use a bit of Loctite 641 for good measure, but will see how it feels first.

Weights
PartWeight (g)Notes
Frame (size 535)842.1Unpainted; completely bare (without hanger, FD tab, seatpost wedge clamp, etc)
Fork393.3Unpainted; steerer is 300mm
Seatpost (1-bolt setback)177.2Matte paint, with hardware; 40mm length
Seatpost (2-bolt zero-setback)171.2Matte paint, with hardware; 400mm length
Seatpost wedge clamp15.5
Seatpost Di2 battery wedge clamp7.4
Seatpost rubber cover4.7
FD tab + mounting screws15.5
Derailleur hanger (UDH)27.9Not SRAM-branded
Expander plug54.8
Headset top cover15.5Not FSA-branded; ~10mm height
Headset bearings61.251.8 x 40 x 8 mm, 36 x 45 deg
Headset spacer (5mm, each)5.7comes with 5x
Headset compression ring6.9
Bottle cage bolt (each)2.8comes with 5x
Bottle cage washer (each)0.3
All cable port plugs (5x)1.8

Frame + essential small parts (hanger, FD tab, seatpost clamp, rubber cover): 905.7g

I didn't purchase the offered thru-axles, getting some blue ones from elsewhere.

Notes/Issues
  • It was packed well
  • Carbon looks pretty good on the inside. I assume EPS molded. No large wrinkles
  • Brake mounts look good
  • Seatpost slides into the frame easily, certainly not too tight, perhaps could be a bit more snug if anything
  • Geometry of the frame seems accurate. The fork length however is ~4mm longer than stated (measures in at 374mm)
  • Headset bearing seats look good
  • Seems to be compatible with mechanical shifting? There's an exit hole behind the ST (in addition to the FD Di2 wire exit hole)
  • The seatpost wedge clamp is definitely better finished than the one shown in Peak Torque's Tavelo Arow review (sides are nicely rounded), but could probably still use a couple minutes of sanding to make the top edge smoother where it contacts the post.
  • :( The pocket that the clamp sits in is angled, so it falls right into the seat tube when removing the seatpost. And it's not easy to hold it in place with your finger either, again due to the angle on the bottom.
  • :( The rubber cover for the seatpost clamp touches the grub screw in the clamp which prevents it from sitting flat on the top tube. Also, it fits kinda loose, not sure if that's common, but I assume it will jump around a bit on rough roads, or even in the wind.
  • :( HT/headset/fork vertical gap is about 1mm on both the top and bottom, which is noticeable from the front and sides. Weatherproofing is poor. Not sure how much of the gap is due to the bearing inset vs. the non-FSA ACR top cover. Might be better with a real FSA cover?
  • Lower headset bearing sits kinda high on the bearing seat. But probably fine.
  • Cable routing -- there's a guide tube in the NDS chainstay going to the rear brake. And the fork of course. But I don't see anything for the rear derailleur. And it didn't come with a foam sheath to prevent rattling in the DT.
  • The DT water bottle could have been placed lower for aero I think. There's a few cm between the two.
  • :( The threads in the fork dropout are kinda rough, one of the first threads is clearly a bit damaged, and there seems to be some excess resin that made its way to the bottom of the threads. I tried threading in a 1.5 pitch thru-axle and it felt quite rough. Ordered a rethreading tap to chase the threads, let's see if that works.
  • The additional zero-setback seatpost I purchased has a 2-bolt clamp rather than the 1-bolt Ritchey-style clamp on the setback post. So anyone worried about the 1-bolt clamp slipping might consider the zero-setback seatpost, if your fit allows it.
  • Tire clearance -- fork can fit some larger tires for sure. Width between the fork legs is around 50mm, not sure about radial clearance. Wouldn't be surprised if it could fit a 38-40mm tire leaving 5mm around. On the frame, width between the chainstays is ~40mm, so personally I wouldn't use anything wider than 32mm actual.
  • Rear flat mount bosses are 20.8mm tall, for those looking to buy the correct length bolts.
  • Wish I had thought to order an extra seatpost clamp in case I lose it.

Aero
Random dimensions for unscientific aero weenie comparisons:
  • Seatpost is ~21.8 x 33.4mm. Wider than supersix (15mm)/sl8/etc
  • Fork legs are ~16.5 x 40mm in the middle. Slightly narrower than supersix
  • DT is 43 x 63mm in the middle. Narrower than supersix
  • HT is 45 x 73mm in the middle

As I might've mentioned earlier, I'm doing a weird setup with a +17 deg stem to approximate the simplon/cervelo/bianchi/colnago thing and to get enough stack for my tall self. Then I'll design a fairing that encloses the stem/spacers/cables to make it sleeker and more aero. Hoping to finish it up by mid-January and have it ready for spring racing.

December 14, 2024, 04:44:21 PM
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Re: Replica Factor Ostro VAM i should not have used my pre puberty online moniker 20 years ago as my username....

anyway, for those who got the highest tiered ostro v1 frame, do share your build photos here!

December 23, 2024, 05:56:36 AM
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Our own patliean1 made it to The Nero Show Very cool watch, you should be a regular correspondent on that podcast. Was really fun to listen to


January 01, 2025, 06:19:13 PM
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