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Re: Chinese Titanium Frames...
I'm currently on my second Waltly Ti bike. My first is this gravel bike. Got the second one into production just before the COVID lockdown on March. It was done and shipped to me early-May but the lockdown had delayed the delivery on the local end. I am expecting it to arrive any day this week though. What is it? Well, it is a 29er hard tail. Geometry was based on the Niner S.I.R. 9. With a modified dropout. I loved what I did with the first gravel bike using a horizontal sliding dropout, so the second one also had that. With the 29er coming, I plan to setup the gravel bike as a single speeder... I kind'a learned to love the simplicity of an SS during the lockdown. Pretty much rode the Haro Projekt 2016 fixed/free bike around the subdivision daily during the lockdown. Sold the Projekt as soon as we improved from ECQ to GCQ. This new 29er will be my geared bike. The only difference my 29er Ti frame from the Niner S.I.R. is internal cabling, sliding dropout and boost hub spacing. Below are photos of the 29er. June 15, 2020, 09:20:46 AM |
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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"
I just pulled the trigger on Lexon Riot frame, Matte. I got them to throw in an extra hanger. First time buying, fingers crossed it all works out. I'll continue to update on how the purchase and bike build goes... ******** Update********* I ordered from Everjoy Industry Ltd (I know, kind of sounds like a porn name), which AliExpress indicated it was Official Lexon store, but there seems to be another seller also titled Official Lexon Store. I went with Everjoy because they had a good rating (96) and I could get the frame in matte with the Rockshox Monarch RL shock for about $50 cheaper than if I purchased it separately from the lowest I could find here in the States (hoping this wasn't a mistake). The frame and shock shipped within 2 hours of me placing the order. Communication with Everjoy has been good, I happened to be working late last night when I mad the purchase so it was daytime in China. They replied to all of my questions quickly and included photos of what was in the package. So far very pleased with the transaction. Attached is shot of the frame from Everjoy prior to shipping. October 13, 2021, 10:21:29 PM |
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Re: Cheap hardtail...Spcycle SP-M05 vs Airwolf YFM026?
Be careful of dealing with Airwolf — if you buy from them just assume zero post sale support. There are a number of unfortunate stories on here and also the usual general forums like MTBR/Pinkbike.
January 11, 2022, 01:00:58 PM |
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LCFS958 Build (eventually)
I recently had a desire to build a mid travel trail bike to offset use of my LCFS947 that’s become a purpose built park bike. I ordered the frame 6 days ago and it arrived to my door in the US today. Amazing turn around time for LightCarbon. The frame was packaged nicely, unfortunately that’s where the nice things stopped. I’ll preface this with I know what to expect when it comes to quality control and overall fit and finish when it comes to these frames. My 947 was purchased second hand and was in even better condition than this “new” frame I’ve received. The biggest most glaring concern is the lower eyelets that mount to the top of the shock body are uneven, and the carbon that encases them is just poorly finished. The bearings inserted into them done seem to align either. There was a chip in the epoxy where the rear triangle banged into the front, not the biggest issue because it’ll happen on the trail but still a bummer. Which the motion of the triangle feels “springy” like if I push it through it’s range of motion it wants to spring into place almost. The headtube is best put… janky… it’s sharp around the inner opening. Seems to be either delaminating or other. All that said I’m sure LC will handle this the right way as I’ve had good experiences with their customer service so far. Assuming they don’t want it back I’ll still build it up but my confidence will be greatly diminished. I’ll updated this post once I have feedback from LC. The parts list I’ve compiled is pretty exciting! September 19, 2022, 07:29:17 PM |
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Re: LCFS958 Build (eventually)
Couple more shots
October 20, 2022, 05:07:50 PM |
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Re: Himalo Frames?
Showed up today, packaged well and shipped in a box that is about the size of the front triangle. It came with a super ugly headset (but free is free I guess), rear axle, and even rear shock hardware. Welds look really good, paint is pretty good, no dents or other issues. Without a shock - 8.36lbs (3.79kg), this is going to be a heavy build...     
November 10, 2022, 08:53:50 PM |
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Re: Himalo Frames?
if anyone need a replacement derailleur hanger it's wheel manufacturing #309 Nice! Hey, did your frame only come with one cable clip on the drive side rear triangle?  The non drive side has a tapped hole and I'm going to flip it over there since I don't have a shift cable. Curious if it was just me. November 15, 2022, 01:57:47 PM |
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Re: Himalo Frames?
Getting ready for the first ride tomorrow and this happened when doing a bolt check. I didn't even get to 8nm. I had a smilar linkage pivot bolt (steel I think) to use, should do the job for now. Going to look into some stronger replacements.  Looks presentable from the outside. 
November 19, 2022, 08:17:07 PM |
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Re: Himalo Frames?
I was going to post that, I didn't tighten mine until i realized before my second ride and it broke. I contacted the seller and they said they were going to send one out. I has a spare bolt of a ISCG bash kit, so I know that it's M8x1.0 10mm. Did you buy from the "HIMALO Store" - https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1101259771 ? Just curious since I asked them about purchasing a replacement and an extra set of the whole bolt kit, I haven't heard anything back yet. I'm looking to grab another 19" soon so if you used a different vendor I'd love to know. Otherwise first ride was actually much better than I expected. It was quiet, active, relatively stiff rear triangle, pedals extremely well for its girth, and the BB is miles higher than the AM831frame I had before. Perfect for East Coast jank. November 21, 2022, 11:23:28 AM |
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