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Topics - acedeuce802

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Component Deals & Selection / ZTTO Drop Stems
« on: November 15, 2022, 09:28:48 AM »
ZTTO Drop Stem (Syntace Flatforce Copy)

Anyone tried one of these?  Would be perfect for those building an XC race bike with a 120/130mm fork.  On one hand, stems are pretty darn simple, but it's also a critical safety component.  I have one of the short bulky 40mm ZTTO stems with no issue, but this design seems a bit more reliant on good engineering and materials.  It's a few grams heavier than the Syntace but 10% the cost.  Syntace is 7075 but ZTTO is 6061

2
Component Deals & Selection / YBN Chains
« on: March 30, 2022, 10:14:28 PM »
Does anybody have any long term experience with the YBN chains that come with Chiner drivetrains, or the ones you can buy on Aliexpress for $20?  I've also seen that YBN makes chains for ZTTO, which are cheap on eBay.  Zero Friction Cycling's favorite chains are YBN, and they start at $90 on their website (that may be Australian dollars), or they are $50+ on Amazon.  Are these the same chains?  Is the $20 version a fake, or a cheaper variant than what's sold elsewhere?  Are retailers just taking advantage of a good chain and the bike part shortage, and up-charging by 3-4x?  I've got a Sensah groupset coming in with YBN chain, so I'll be curious to try to find some pictures on reputable retailers websites to see if all the markings match.

An excerpt from chain wear testing article: "For 11-speed chains, Kerin’s overall favourite is still YBN. “It is typically within around half a watt of the fastest chains but without the ‘worn’ starting point, while its hardened rollers mean wear-rate tracking with a regular chain wear checker is accurate,” he said. “The result is around a 50% longer lifespan versus Shimano.”"

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002033889791.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.435b67ceZAByne&algo_pvid=9c0f94f7-3b0d-40e8-9dc5-846a31198912&algo_exp_id=9c0f94f7-3b0d-40e8-9dc5-846a31198912-5&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22sku_id%22%3A%2212000018483831616%22%7D&pdp_pi=-1%3B20.5%3B-1%3B-1%40salePrice%3BUSD%3Bsearch-mainSearch

https://www.ebay.com/itm/312792999687

https://www.amazon.com/YBN-Speed-Chain-Shimano-Campagnolo/dp/B07CGKYPGZ

https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/product/11-speed-chain/

https://cyclingtips.com/2019/12/the-best-bicycle-chain-durability-and-efficiency-tested/



3
29er / Serpah FM199 Drop Bar MTB Build
« on: October 02, 2019, 11:19:15 AM »
I wanted an aggressive gravel bike that's able to fit MTB tires.  Trying to copy a Salsa Cutthroat with a Chiner frame.  I basically wanted ~70mm BB drop, clearance for 29x2.25, chainring clearance for 36t+, and modern XC geometry (100mm fork geo, ~69 deg headtube, etc).  I usually ride large MTB's (I'm 5'10.5") so I ordered a medium FM199 frame from Serpah on Aliexpress.  It arrived in 9 days from ordering and was packaged very well!

-Serpah FM199 Chinese Carbon 29er MTB Frame
-SRAM Rival HRD 1x w/ 38t and 10-42
-Teravail Sparwood Tires on ARC27's laced to Novatec hubs (my first wheel build!)
-Niner Boost RDO Fork
-Tranzx Dropper actuated with left shift lever
-Ritchey VentureMax bars

The main setback on the build was routing the rear derailleur cable.  This frame is intended to run bare cable through the frame, but I like to run full housing so I drilled through the frame fittings.  The DS chainstay is THIN inside, I had to grease up the housing and use a bit of force to get the housing through.  With Jagwire 1.1mm cable there's no issue with stiction.  Other than that the build was super straight forward, the BB was solid and the PF BB went in no problem, no creaking yet!  Headset area was solid, the rest of the cable routing was easy, everything else went together in one night.  This frame is weird that the rear caliper is set up flat mount, but they include an adapter.  Luckily I'm running a road groupset so I actually am running flat mount in the rear and post mount in the front.  Since there's only clearance for 29x2.3 tires and it's boost spacing, the DS chainstay runs parallel to the centerline a ways past the chainring, I'm sure I could fit a 40t or 42t no problem.

It weighs 21.9 lbs as it sits in the pictures.  I also have carbon road wheels that will get the weight down to 20.5 or so.  I could drop another pound or so off the gravel weight if I went carbon with some lighter spokes, but I'm pretty happy as is.  The wheels are 1840g without tape or valves.  I found a nice gravel two-track trail that leads into a tight single-track trail and then leads to a long dirt road, this bike was perfect for that!  I want to get it out on some longer single-track trails to see how it does.






4
29+ & 27+ / 27.5+ FS Frame Options
« on: July 13, 2017, 03:36:43 PM »
I currently have a 2013 Giant Talon, and I'm planning for a full suspension Chiner build and wanted to get some opinions and see if anyone knows of other frames to consider.  I want a 27.5+ full suspension that can also use a 29x2.3 wheel/tire.  So far I've found 4 frames that fit the bill.  Some of these pro's and con's are general, and some are specific to what I'm looking for.  The M04 is not being produced anymore, so that one is not considered.

Carbon Speed CS-FS27 - http://www.xmcarbonspeed.com/Productinfo.asp?f=1485

Pro's
- Rear shock that terminates near bottom bracket (I can't stand when they mount to middle of top tube or down tube, unless they have geometry to load directly to head tube through top tube)
- Lightweight (2050g)
- Peter at Carbon Speed has great reputation
- A few builds with good reviews, still not as many builds as the other non-plus bike frames
- 130/122mm travel is good middle ground between XC and trail
- 31.6mm seat tube (seems most common, easier to find deals on posts)
- Similar geometry to Scott Spark which has great reviews, relatively slack headtube angle
- Cost, $635

Con's
- Rear brake cable routed through top tube and top of rear triangle, bending the cable through suspension travel
- No pivot on chainstays, seatstays, or rear axle, causing bending to the seatstays when the pivot actuates (common design, at least I've seen it on aluminum frames, but it's something I'd like to avoid)
- BB92 (subjective, I haven't actually worked with press fit bottom brackets before, but it seems like it has similar inconveniences of BB30, but with the smaller 24mm shaft of BSA)
- Small rear shock, 165x38 is intended for trunnion mount, but finding a trunnion mount shock seems difficult, 165mm non-trunnion are not all that popular either

ICAN P8 / IMUST XP07 - http://www.icanbikes.com/html/MTB/27_5ER_frame/334.html#bk_desc_tab

Pro's
- Rear shock that terminates near bottom bracket
- Pivot on chainstay
- Reasonable weight (2368g), I'd rather have a carbon frame that's slightly heavier if it means more reliability
- BSA (easy to maintain/install)
- 31.6mm seat tube
- 120mm travel good for XC
- 200x51mm shock opens up possibilities, especially DVO Topaz (I enjoy suspension tinkering, so DVO stuff seems really interesting)
- The few reviews about other ICAN bikes are positive
- 68 deg headtube angle reflects XC

Con's
- I'm not sure I've seen reviews, other than on Amazon
- Cost ($776 for IMUST XP07 on Amazon)

ICAN P9 - http://www.icanbikes.com/html/MTB/27_5ER_frame/338.html

Pro's
- Rear shock that terminates near bottom bracket
- Pivot on chainstay
- Reasonable weight (2400g), seems acceptable considering travel and intended use
- BSA
- 30.9mm seat tube (this is a personal pro, my Giant is 30.9 so I already have a dropper that I'd transfer to the Chiner)
- 150mm travel, more trial/AM focused, also allows use of DVO Diamond, for same reasons of Topaz above
- Slack 66 deg heat tube angle matches AM focus
- I haven't been able to track down if this is a direct copied frame, but it's very close to a Norco Carbon Sight or Range, with slightly different geometry

Con's
- 210x55mm shock, I only see a CCDB on Jenson, DVO Topaz in 216x57.5mm may work but would have to check out geometry changes
- No reviews, brand new frame
- Cost, $730 (still reasonable, just more than FS27)

Dengfu FM006 / M06 - http://dengfubikes.com/MTB_FRAME/233.html

Pro's
- Cost, $580 (found on forum, not sure if current)
- Weight (2100g)
- Seems like good cable routing

Con's
- Not sure yet about travel, website doesn't say, I've seen 100mm on forums, but some Scott sparks also are 130mm (I've seen this geometry compared to either Scott Spark or Yeti ASRC)
- Not much info on website, geometry tab doesn't show anything
- Low bottom bracket
- Same rear shock size as FS27
- BB92
- Lack of pivot on rear triangle

After writing this down on paper, I think it's pretty obvious that I like the ICAN frames more than the FS27, but it's unfortunate since I was really wanting to work with Carbon Speed.  The Dengfu just seems to be lacking info, and I need to email them.  I'd like to hear if any of my opinions are off, since I'm fairly new to this sport.  The ICAN frames may just be lacking con's because I missed something or because there's no reviews out about them.  But I really like the overall geometry and solid design of the bikes.  I think it comes down to figuring out what travel I am aiming for.  I'm in SE Michigan, which doesn't require any crazy high travel bikes (we do have lots and lots of roots, so the plus tires along with some travel is definitely nice).  But I'd also like it to be capable enough to bring along on a trip to the upper peninsula to Copper Harbor or a road trip to Colorado and such.  A new trail opened up here that also has quite a bit of jumps, so I don't want to limit myself when I start to get faster and higher.  I feel like with the new tech in forks, shocks, and geometry you can get away with a little higher travel and still have a decent climbing bike.  That leads me to the ICAN P9, but I also don't want to get in over my head and get worn out on climbs.  Thanks!

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