Thinking of buying my first Chinese frame, having looked and been interested for the longest time.
Been seriously cycling for over 25 years, had my share of top of the line bikes. I race gravel and mtb, but these days my road bike is only a training vehicle. Gets used most for knocking out intervals during the week, or a long 4+ hour ride on the weekend. Will do a very fast group ride every couple of weeks, but would trade ultimate speed for a little comfort for my road bike.
Mostly I want a bike that is dependable, durable, and ideally not stiff as a board. I do like to try new bikes every once and awhile, I typically keep a bike for 3-5 years. I am tired of losing thousands when I turn over a bike. But if I got 3-5 years out of a $1000 Chinese frame that has almost zero value at the end, I would still consider that good value.
So my question is, do I sound like a good customer for a Chinese frame? Am I likely to be disappointed in the quality and durability, or the ride quality, especially coming off a bike like the Tarmac SL7?
If you do think I am a good customer, any recommendations for a specific company or specific frame to use? Would like a least 32 tire clearance. More would be better.
