I picked up some thermal bibs from Rion...

Do you have a link to the model you picked ?

...I was expecting another hole...

Isn't there an entry on the downtube ?
Like you can see on the black frame on this post: http://chinertown.com/index.php?topic=4178.0

New skinsuit I have my eye on is GCBIG. Seems that they have an EI-Paris pad option. Anyone have thoughts or reviews?
www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806064509030

The link appears to be broken

I'm going to be brutally honest here as well.

I'm likely one of the "super experienced members" you mentioned.
For about a decade, I've been assembling frames and wheels directly from China.
My journey began with discovering groups like MTBR, iPlay, Pieter, etc., and eventually led me to chinertown.com
Infinite thanks and love to Sitar_Ned!!
I hope my contributions have helped build this fantastic forum and gave something back from what I learned here.

I'm fortunate to have a well-paying job that allows me to build bikes for friends and family as a hobby, at no cost to them.
My goal is to provide them with great bikes at fair prices and to make them happy.

I'm historically particularly biased towards Carbonda and Lightbicycle, brands that you amusingly never mention.
This isn't because they pay me (they don't). It's because, among all the providers I've tested, they have never let me down.
Their products are neither the cheapest nor overly expensive.
Moreover, if anything goes wrong, their customer support surpasses that of any Western brand I've dealt with.

I understand that some people, like Trace Velo, Joe, to some extent Hambini, many others, maybe you, chasing followers to carve out a living on YouTube and social media.

However, this has turned on the marketing machine around here.
No-name frames are suddenly sub par, while stickered frames selling at double the price, or even worse, branded frames are the real deal.
Persuading folks they need some stiffness and aero benefits only pros might need.
And it works! People are seeking broader validation and rely on branded visuals to reassure themselves they're not making a misguided decision.

It doesn’t bother me people trying do their thing on YouTube and elsewhere.
But your arrival here has sadly contributed unintentionally to the spoiling of the pristine wilderness that Chinertown once was 

The first of 3 CFR505 is built, in SRAM mullet mode.
With a GX T-Type derailleur.
Force shifters and crankset + spindle Quarq power meter
Lightbicycle wheels.
Toseek handlebar. Uno stem. Elita one saddle.

Sofiane Sehili, who's a star of the ultra endurance seems to ride on Vitus gravel and MTB(same as the 936)
As seen in the picture of his IG https://www.instagram.com/sofianeshl/

What brand was your digital torque wrench and how much did you pay for it? I see some good deals on Amazon (probably from more Chinese businessmen/factories), but of course, they are still more expensive than the regular torque wrenches

From the official SHAHE shop: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000221636729.html at $64
The AWM-60 covering from 1.8Nm to 60Nm which cover everything a bike needs.