Carbonspeed CS-GR01 gravel frame build thread

[bremerradkurier]

Ah, i was wondering what kind of big ass tyres you were running. 38C slick? Nice! Never seen that before. The new Long Teng 301 can clear 38C as well, so it means these could fit.
Please let us know after you've ridden them how that feels.
I love my 30-32C combo on wide rims (from Xmcarbonspeed in fact), but given how wide they get, i'm thinking of going 28&30 tubeless next time (in GP5000 still), because that would still be super wide. To respect more the 105 rule.
38 slicks is next level after the next level, idk what to expect!

My first choice was actually going to be Conti GP5000 AS in 35c but they were out of stock at Merlin-Bicycle Rolling Resistance website had some comments on the Schwalbes that they were undersized for a 38c.

So my handle refers to being a bike messenger in Northern Germany in the 90s and we were huge into maintaining momentum (and speed) over poorly paved roads and cobblestones.  Best tire choices were usually tubed  wide slicks/semi-slicks on 26" wheels but as was the practice at the time, on typically 17-19 at most IW rims at the max pressure on the tire sidewalls to prevent pinch flats.  I once managed a deep two wheel drift without crashing on a pair of  26x1.75 Michelin Wildgripper Rock tires where I was completely puzzled as to why I didn't crash hard-this is the kind of moment I'm looking to relive with far better equipment.

ETA:  Was also considering the Challenge Strada Bianca in 45c, but there were a lot of comments about them  unpredictably loosing grip in dry sand/gravel over pavement conditions.

[Serge_K]

Very nice! just checked out bicycle rolling resistance, your 38C is only 3W slower than a GP5000 in 32C for a pair, that's legit!

[SillyMochi]

Wasn't this supposed to be a gravel bike? 
38C slicks - I didn't even know they come that wide!

[neobiker]

I took the bait and merge two brands

Astana Qazaqstan for the win

[Serge_K]

I took the bait and merge two brands

Astana Qazaqstan for the win

Niiiiiiiiice! is the paintjob good? looks great on pics. I dont think many OEMs are able to do such a paintjob on all the components.
Definitely brings an extra 10 points of bling.

[neobiker]

Niiiiiiiiice! is the paintjob good? looks great on pics. I dont think many OEMs are able to do such a paintjob on all the components.
Definitely brings an extra 10 points of bling.

I don’t have the expertise to judge if it is really good or excellent. Do you have a few points I could check to provide you a score?

To my naked and easy eyes, the paint is awesome. The only downside [which was expressed by Peter] is that is might be hard to insert the seatpost, so I might remove a bit of paint for a full insertion.

I am honestly really happy about the paint job, it was the main selling point to my wife as well [I bought 2 frames

[Serge_K]

I'm definitely not a paint expert. If the paint looks consistent and you can't see spray patterns, that's a good sign. On bad paint jobs you can see droplets.
There's also the question of durability, whether they use expensive and really hard epoxy top coat (the kind that straight up kills you if you dont wear the right kind of mask when spraying), or a cheaper one that will be softer and last less.
The risk around paint on seatpost is valid for all brands. Make sure you know your seatpost height to avoid pushing the post too low, scraping the paint, then pulling it up again, because that can look bad really fast.

[SillyMochi]

I took the bait and merge two brands

Astana Qazaqstan for the win

Was that painted directly by xmcarbonspeed? Seatpost, handlebar and all?

[bremerradkurier]

Built up and ready to ride at 8.77kg.  Sunny day in the mid 70s F, high 20s C-time to rock and roll and play the song of the angry AF bees in the freehub.

[bremerradkurier]

I don’t have the expertise to judge if it is really good or excellent. Do you have a few points I could check to provide you a score?

To my naked and easy eyes, the paint is awesome. The only downside [which was expressed by Peter] is that is might be hard to insert the seatpost, so I might remove a bit of paint for a full insertion.

I am honestly really happy about the paint job, it was the main selling point to my wife as well [I bought 2 frames

I had the same problem with seatpost insertion on my frame.  Put the wedge in a vise and used sandpaper around the front edge of the seat post to remove material from the inside of the wedge.

[bremerradkurier]

The Thicc Slicks were so fun. Roll great at 50 PSI front, 55 rear and smooth out everything from cracked asphalt up to expansion joints and make a quality woosh tone that makes you want to give them more watts. 

Leaned over a bit and they plant like rock climbing shoes.  Grabbed a good fistful of brake doing break in cycles and not even close to skidding.

[JonMS]

Wasn't this supposed to be a gravel bike? 
38C slicks - I didn't even know they come that wide!

Pirelli make a 40C road slick

https://www.pirelli.com/tyres/en-ww/bike/tyres/catalogue/p-zero-race-tlr/40-622

[neobiker]

Was that painted directly by xmcarbonspeed? Seatpost, handlebar and all?

Yes!

[bremerradkurier]

8.7kg with pedals and a mid tier groupset looks like a super competitive weight/cost ratio.

New Ridley halo gravel bike at a 9000ish Euro price point with 1 x Red is only in the low 8kg range with pedals-with the same tires I'd probably still be under 9kg.

https://bikerumor.com/ridley-astr-rs-gravel-bike-balances-race-ready-speed-all-rounder-versatility-review/

[Macedingle]

So with the inner rim width at 26mm, my Schwalbe 38c tires  are a hilarious 38.9mm wide and about 36mm tall-can't wait to see how far I'll be able to lean it over in turns.

Have you been able to test ride the bike and wheels yet?