Time for my full write up since my bike is now built up and I've done my first ride. I'll start off by saying that almost all the components are carried over from my hardtail.
Full spec:
LCFS918 in M
Rockshox Judy Silver 100mm
Rockshox SIDLuxe Ultimate 2P
SRAM GX 10-52 cassette
SRAM GX derrailleur and shifter
Shimano XT M8000 right crank
4iiii Precision 3+ left crank
36t chainring
Magura MT Trail Sport calipers
Shimano M8100 levers
PNW Rainier dropper
OneUp dropper lever
Selle Italia SLR Boost S3 saddle
Light Carbon XC14 bar cut to 710mm
Rockshox TwistLoc Ultimate lockout
Rockshox foam grips
Stans Crest CB7 carbon rims
Acros XC hubs
Sapin race spokes
Schwalbe Racing Ray / Racing Ralph
Fidlock bottle cages
Tailfin top tube bag
Full custom Invisirame by me
The good:
Overall the frame is very well manufactured. You can tell that in places a lot of thought has gone into the design. The paint is exceptional even down to the finishing which a lot of the "mainstream" manufacturers miss. I'd put money on a lot of hours going into wet sanding and polishing. The build generally was very straight forward. I'm an experienced builder but even big brands manage to surprise me sometimes, but not so with this. I'll spit the ride impressions into two parts because there is good and bad. On the positives it does ride beautifully, provided you know exactly what this is for. For me this is a gravel / race XC bike. It has an incredibly stiff rear end, so it only activates when it really needs to, which is great for me. I think the rear triangle is overbuilt, so stiffness in berms is also very good. My very initial impression was how stable the platform is, for smashing long descents, this is exceptional.
The bad:
Well it starts with some of the finishing of the frame. The bottom bracket hasn't been faced at all, it is just covered in paint. Honestly, that just isn't good enough, because it will quickly lead to creaks and other noises. I know this, so it's fine, I plan to get it done at some point. The rear brake mount looks like it may have been faced a bit, or it's just where it was masked for paint. But it hasn't been faced enough and so the caliper won't align properly. Again, something a less experienced builder might not realise, but does really need doing. And then towards the headset are there were some very sharp edges internally which meant that cables were getting torn up when routing. A really easy fix, but again also something they could easily have done in the factory. Setting up the integrated headset was potentially one of the most frustrating parts of this; it doesn't seem to have been very well thought out given this is an XC mountain bike. There just isn't enough room in the headset or the XC14 bar for all the cables. I've got 4 going through, 3 of those to the left side of the bar. The exit hole on the bar was not big enough for 3 cables and so I had to file it a little to suit. Staying on the XC14 bar, remember that this is an XC bike, there's no need for the bar to be 760mm wide and this is a problem because it means that the cable exit port is also too far out, so when you cut the bar down, the ports create too tight a bend on the cables. The head tube angle is a weird one. I don't know what it is stated as stock, but with my 100mm fork, it is running at 66* which for an XC bike is really slack, let alone when you stick a 120mm fork on it.
And the last thing, and this is a big one for me, the headset cover is an absolute disgrace and really not fit for purpose. When fitted there is a good 2mm gap meaning that water and dirt can just walk on through to the bearing, and the bearing will not last long at all. Because of this, I cam creating a new cover that incorporates an o-ring to seal it against the frame.
Just a note, I've got two 590mm Fidlock bottles and the rear one hits the suspension linkage on compression, so I need to either modify the mount or find a smaller version.
I realise the negative section is a lot longer than the like, but hopefully when I fix a few of their mistakes, it will all be good. But overall I do like it.
I'm still unsure on whether I like it without branding.
