I don't know. I didn't get a delivery update/ tracking number or anything from carbonda. After I ordered I received the frame fairly quickly (4 weeks maybe?). The packaging itself could have been better for the frame. Everything was wrapped in a thin layer or two of bubble wrap and securely put into a box. The box itself could have been a bit sturdier and maybe some styrofoam or something else to protect the frame better, but it arrived undamaged so nothing really to complain too much about.

My wheelset was ~15 days in transit, coming from china too.

My wheels arrived on tuesday and I am nearly done with the build now. Got to cut the brake hoses and the chain to finish it.



The build itself went smoothly so far. I only had to detach the handlebars twice because the jagwire I added to the rear brake hose was rubbing in the headset.
I can't weigh the bike reasonably as a whole, but the components added up to 7562g. That's before the fork was cut etc. and with sealant pedals and everything included.

The pictures on page 1 are what I sent them. Since it's based on an exisiting design from another brand, just with some more black panels they had plenty of photos to look at and said they would try to replicate it. They never did though cause I decided against it later.

Does somebody have a recent contact/employee at Carbonda where to place an order/ask some questions?

They are kinda ghosting me atm too. I asked wing what the maximum spacer height for the steering tube would be but didnt get an anwer since sunday. Which I find odd. Usually they answered within a day, two tops. Does anyone know?
And: Is it fine to ride the bike, if the compression plug is not all the way down to the stem clamp? Just to test bar height before cutting the steerer that is, not for a long ride or anything.

There's a place near me where they can paint the bike per my design. This is more expensive than  Carbonda but I want the frame to have a logo and name. Can Carbonda do lettering or vinyl stickers?

If they would do lettering on their own frames I wouldn't think twice that they are capable and experienced enough to get that right. It's not that hard to apply masking tape and spray over it if you have the right tools and done it a couple of times. But I didn't see a single carbonda frame with lettering so far, and it's quite easy to get unsharp edges if you use the wrong masking tape or to much pressure with your spray guns etc. The thought that something might go wrong and they are a couple thousand miles away just sending some pics for me to sign off on (if even that, I am not sure about the process) is what made me to decide that I didnt want them to paint the frame.

If you are handy and have someone with a plotter who can cut your lettering, there are really good DIY tutorials by a guy called ETOE on youtube. He has a couple of videos where he uses spray cans and shows how to apply lettering in detail. Using his techniques you would pay ~100 Bucks for spray cans, masking tape etc. with the down side that you would need to take a couple of days of spraying, waiting, sanding, repeat.

I just found out, that there seems to be a kind of certificate from AliExpress called "Top Brands".

From AliExpress:

Top Brands are top-rated stores on AliExpress. When you're shopping at these stores, you're either directly buying from the brand itself or from an authorized reseller.

According to most articles I found about this, TopBrands are verified sellers and you can be relatively sure that, if you buy from a TopBrand, you get the real deal. I guess that doesn't help alot in finding out if the 20% lower priced non top brand store sells fakes or not, but still.

After purchasing the frame I am currently sourcing the rest of my build. While doing so I came across a problem when buying stuff on aliexpress. There are sometimes several listings for the same item:

• Goldix 10-36T XDR Cassette | Ali Cycling Store -> 77,39€
• Goldix 10-36T XDR Cassette | Goldix Store -> 105,39€

I did enough research to at least trust that the goldix cassette is a good enough alternative to the original SRAM cassette. Is there a rule of thumb, that I should avoid non official stores? Is it safe to buy from the other store or are there too many fakes? What makes me especially skeptical is that the weight is listet alot lower on the "Ali cycling store" than on the official one.

Yes. The axles are good: they are lightweight and durable. I would opt for them to make sure you have the right dimensions.
The headset is standard FSA ACR dimensions. My experience with headset bearings is that for longevity it's mainly a matter of putting loads of sticky grease on them to avoid water ingress rather then choosing the relatively more expensive branded (from FSA, canecreek) ones over the cheaper ones.