Carbonda Gravel CFR505 build

[carbonazza]

maybe you think about the 505 because it's your mate for a long time now. Regarding the style and maximum tire width it's  in any case more road bike related than other frames.. but the optic with the low seat stay is not old-fashioned...

I badly notched the seatstays last year (or the previous) by not attaching a mudguard firm enough.
On top of knowing the design is from 2015, how could I not find it old and in the need for a new one ? 
The 696 is too much MTB for me. I can't stand the seat stays/seat tube junction of the 707.
I didn't ask Wing about the 606 availability yet, so I can still dream a little about it...

[Pedaldancer]

I badly notched the seatstays last year (or the previous) by not attaching a mudguard firm enough.
On top of knowing the design is from 2015, how could I not find it old and in the need for a new one ? 
The 696 is too much MTB for me. I can't stand the seat stays/seat tube junction of the 707.
I didn't ask Wing about the 606 availability yet, so I can still dream a little about it...

There is no reason required for a new bike  . but if you feel better, the 505 is old.


still the shape of the frame is quite similar to currently sold bikes.

[diefobo]

There is no reason required for a new bike  . but if you feel better, the 505 is old.


still the shape of the frame is quite similar to currently sold bikes.

Agree, and aslo the 696 is too much MTB....maybe 696 with front 505 fork?

[carbonazza]

...And I plan to have a week ride with it in Croatia next month 

We had a blast in Croatia with our 505 gravels along the coast and in the rocky mountains( Velebit, Plitvice ) in the back on the picture.

And as feared, the nice 606 frame is already taken by a brand 
https://www.flybike-asia.com/product/153.html

[RDY]

606 doesn't really seem very interesting.  Geo on everything except the 707 that FB / Carbonda do is very similar, and nothing with a more relaxed front end and steeper seat angle in the larger sizes.  May not be what interests you or others (it does me), but my point is that they have several models with relatively little differentiation.

I'd love to see something like the Argonaut GR3 - but with the rear triangle adjusted for 2x.

[carbonazza]

...  May not be what interests you or others (it does me), but my point is that they have several models with relatively little differentiation...

I was seeing it more like an iteration of the 505(that is just fine for many).
With a more modern look, bigger tires, inner hoses routing.
But ok, the Argonaut is on another level.

[Serge_K]

I was seeing it more like an iteration of the 505(that is just fine for many).
With a more modern look, bigger tires, inner hoses routing.
But ok, the Argonaut is on another level.

VB just released a GF-003 in the last day or 2, looks very interesting, haven't seen a complete bike yet.

[Zycomatique]

Hello,

This carbonda 505 seems to be the best frame for my use and could match perfectly with my body! But there Is no medium size left and I ve to wait for springtime for New ones with a T47 BB!
Is any problem for those who bought this frame?

David/France

[Kactusdog]

It is built !







From a quick tour around the block, the first impressions are great.
Feels light, stiff, agile to turn and I love its ultra-flashy look compared to my other black bikes

Some doubts or issue I had during the build:

• Straight pull hubs & spokes:
  I thought the hubs were two cross, while they were 3 cross.
  The ERD was 593mm instead of the 590 announced, that would have made a difference too.
  So I had to return and reorder a set of spokes.
  They were the easiest wheels I ever built.
  And the lightest at 1218g(Ultralight 29er rims from Peter, CX-Ray spokes, SAPIM alloy nipples, and Novatec hubs D411CB/D412CB.
  The rear hub freewheel is dead silent ! And without a front derailleur, this is a very silent bike. Will need a bell !
   
• Tires:
  One of the most complex choice to me was about the tires for a gravel.
  There doesn't seem to be a best solution.
  Either you want to ride more on hard or soft terrain, and need appropriate tires.
  So in the end I took them light and mixed. The Maxxis Rambler 40mm.
  They were surprisingly easy to setup tubeless on the internal 19.6mm rims.
  Mount. Inflate with the compressor. Pop/Pop. Done.
   
• The axles:
  I ordered a pair of Hardlite axles on ebay.As another Carbonda owner did( although poorly detailed ).
  They looked good but in fact were not compatible.
  The front 15x100 was an MTB one. Road ones are shorter, 125mm long axle.
  So I took a ROCK SHOX Maxle Stealth 15x100 with 1.5mm pitch.
  The rear drive dropout is not threaded, but need a nut, like the DT Swiss E-thru axle.
  I have a temp solution for now, but will find a M12x1.5mm nut somewhere to put on the Hardlite rear.
   
• SRAM Red Etap:
  Using etap without front derailleur, is not a problem.
  11x36 cassette(CX1 Cassette PG-1170) with the wifli version of the rear derailleur is not an issue either. The capacity of the derailleur is 28T.
  The conversion of my two ring crank(with hidden bolt) to a single CX1 chainring went without issue.
  The Titanium bolts are from Ali. And used the hidden screw that came with the ring. The 2mm washers were useless.
  I rotate with 3 chains,  the SRAM PC-1170
   
• Brakes:
  I didn't have the bleeding edge tool to bleed the brakes(damn SRAM to add yet another nozzle).
  So, I was extra careful when cutting the brake hose and route them through the frame.
  And not add air to the system.
  Setting the lever to have the nut vertical and adding some DOT liquid in it before remounting everything.
  It worked.
  The internal routing was very easy. A white tube was there in the frame to guide the rear hose. And there are holes in the fork for the front.
  Unfortunately I cut the front hose a tad to short( my first road bike bar... ), it is quite ok but sad.
  I was scared by taping the bar too, but it went well. I hesitated a long time between black and the yellow, but returned the black.
  And I didn't receive the brake disc from Ali yet, so I've temporarily put some used ones I had.
   
• Design blues:
  Just for the aesthetics. When I see now all these useless black holes and screw, I could have ordered the frame without them. I saw later it was possible.
  Carbonda provide a set a various plugs/end caps but they didn't think as minimalistic as this build. No plug at the rear derailleur exit cable. No second rubber plug for the right shifter hose entry.
  Not sure I will ever use mudguards. And I replaced all screws with vinyl ones for now.

For the ones who care about this: it weights just over 7.4kg as it is on the pictures, and feels very light when holding it and riding it 

I've been considering this frame for quite a while, but let me ask you, this is a BB386, does that mean I could run a dub XX1 crankset for mountain bikes?

[carbonazza]

I've been considering this frame for quite a while, but let me ask you, this is a BB386, does that mean I could run a dub XX1 crankset for mountain bikes?

Yes with the appropriate BB, but you will need to find a spider to be able to go over 38T for your chainring. At certain times it wasn't easy to find 3 or 8 bolts spiders.
https://www.sram.com/en/sram/models/bb-dub-pf30-a1

Does Carbonda provide T47 versions now ?