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Re: HongFu FM138
Quote from: Figo on December 20, 2024, 06:26:29 AM
Hi. I'm reaching out to see what brakes you've installed on your FM138. I've been discussing this with Malissa from HongFu and there seems to be an ongoing issue with Shimano brake compatibility. Specifically, the M6120, M7120, and M8120 series are not recommended. Additionally, a customer reported difficulties installing a rear XT M8100 brake. Malissa suggested exploring SRAM brakes as an alternative. While this seems unusual, I won't be able to verify the compatibility issues with Shimano brakes until I receive the frame.

Interesting. I ran SRAM Level 4-piston on mine (size L), and ran into issues. The outside edge of the caliper contacts the frame and prevented me from the moving the brake outward enough to center the pads on the rotor. Malissa told me it was because the frame was designed for Shimano and Magura brakes only. There's just very little room for the rear brake. I didn't want to get another set of brakes so removed some material from the caliper so it wouldn't contact the frame. An annoying solution that voids the warranty on my brake for a problem that shouldn't exist.
January 01, 2025, 01:36:31 PM 		1
Re: HongFu FM138 I meant to post this build earlier, but better late than never, and I can add a full review as well.

I ordered the FM138 in size large and had it painted in Pantone "Red Pear" gloss clearcoat. First bike I've gotten from Hongfu (I've mostly bought LightCarbon and Carbonda), so wasn't sure what kind of quality to expect but the frame quality and paint were as good as anything I've gotten from anywhere else. Everything went together easily, including the headset cable routing (I used a Deda headset) with the exception of the rear brake caliper, like I mentioned above. I did a mix of SRAM Transmission parts and LightCarbon wheels with Conti Cross King tires. I opted for 120mm front and rear with RockShox SID and SIDluxe. At 181 cm tall, I started with a 60mm stem on the size large but ended up swapping to a 70mm and prefer the feel of that more. Came out to 10.85 kg including pedals.

The Good: I've put 1500 km so far, and it's been a great bike. My last XC bike build was the FM936. This bike climbs and covers ground noticeably easier, especially in tight and techy terrain, but feels sharper on the descents, requiring a touch more finesse. In general, it feels like a sharper bike than the 936. It's every bit as capable, but takes a little bit more attention on the descents and requires less attention on the climbs, especially tech climbs. I chose not to do a remote lockout and have not regretted it. The seated climbing manners on the bike are excellent, with the anti-squat being high enough to keep the bike very stable under pedaling, and yet it has had no issue getting into its 120mm of rear travel. All told, it's a very good XC bike, and the frame details are quite good. I've enjoyed being able to carry to two full-size bottles in the frame. I used a little plastic spacer under the top bolt of the seat tube bottle cage and that small angle adjustment has kept the bottle from contacting the frame at any point. The bike is also very quiet. No creaking as long as I keep everything clean.

The Bad: I had ordered SRAM Level 4-piston and the frame didn't leave enough room for the caliper to center on the rotor. I tried 160mm and 180mm rotors and I'd still get a small amount of pad contact on the rotor no matter what. Malissa said it was a SRAM problem as the frame was designed for Shimano brakes (sounds like whatever the brake you choose to run, they're going to say it was designed for something else), but I opted to remove some material from the caliper and that solved the issue. 1,500km later and it has been a non-issue. The seat tube could be shorter to allow for longer droppers, but I was able to fit a 150mm post with room to spare. And it's an XC bike after all. If you want to run 200mm on an XC bike you might be looking at the wrong bike.

The brake is the one issue I've had. I don't want to say it's a minor issue, because it can't be fixed and experimenting with brake calipers is extremely expensive, and machining away material from the caliper clearly voids the warranty. I've been transparent about that with friends, but those who have spent some time on mine have decided that it's a minor enough con that certainly doesn't outweigh all the pros. I've had several friends order the same frame, and even have another one on order at the moment that I'm building up for another friend. Malissa was actually very good to work with and I have no complaints outside of the brake mount.
January 01, 2025, 02:24:35 PM 		1
Re: HongFu FM138 Ridley raft uses this rear brake : SRAM Level TL DB , Flat Mount

Same frame apparently
January 02, 2025, 09:32:33 AM 		1
Re: HongFu FM138 TSW Full Quest models (and their rear brakes):

https://tswbike.com/montanha/full-quest/
January 02, 2025, 09:44:32 AM 		1
Re: HongFu FM138 However, they all use two-piston calipers, while Hayek has experienced issues with four-piston calipers.
January 02, 2025, 11:20:23 PM 		1
Re: HongFu FM138 @Figo, I have a Protaper Hyperlite flat bar.
January 05, 2025, 11:38:40 PM 		1
Re: HongFu FM138
Quote from: Figo on January 13, 2025, 05:49:01 AM
Hey, @Hayek what LightCarbon wheels did you get? I'm thinking about their trail model, but 26mm internal width is a bit narrow for my liking. Anyone running HongFu FM138? What wheels do you have on yours?

I had LightCarbon build the "MC932GP-XC" rims with DT hubs. Those are 27mm ID, which is in line with what I like for an XC bike, but I was also aiming for a sub-1200 gram wheelset and that was the way to get there. They're absolutely awesome wheels.

But yes, if you want wider ID, maybe check out Elite. I have two of their wheelsets (Pro33 XC and gravel) and the build quality is really impressive. Their Pro36 wheelset has a 30mm ID, and aren't overly heavy.
January 15, 2025, 03:00:51 PM 		1