I should show off my build. Size lg, with LightCarbon AD940 rims on DTswiss 350's.
I love how this bike rides. It climbs amazingly, accelerates great even uphill. It handles technical climbing with aplomb. It descends like magic. Handles berms exceedingly well.
The only things I don't love about it are:
1. Dropper post insert length is very short. It's been discussed, but without experiencing it I didn't have a feel for the impact. I really need the shortest 120mm dropper available for my riding. I think I have about 180 mm from top of the seattube collar to the bottom of the clamp in pedaling position, for reference. That means my total length would have to be ~350mm. The OneUp is 360 total, so that's about ideal. I grabbed an XFusion 150 - and this was a mistake. Nice post, but way too long.
2. Factory loctite is not great.
3. Factory bolt QC could be better. I'm not let down at this price point, but it might be worth measuring and having new ones made. I did find metal shavings in the female threads of the shock mounting bolt. I also hit those with my calipers, which are fairly trustworthy. The seemed about right. I don't know what the fit/tolerance should be, but I don't think it's undersized. I got my bearing kit from OffsetBearings.com - out of the UK. It was beautifully machined brass and aluminum, with a DU bush. I don't think I wrote down the diameters, or I would look up the fit range. I could ask them, they'd know. But, I didn't have any problems too much clearance. As I said, I had to use a makeshift press for install. The thru-bolt itself took some convincing, but did not need a press. It is the bolt that most frequently loosens. I should measure it's length to keep track of elongation too. I'll take measurements when I re-do all the bolts at SimonPeaime's suggestion.
4. Cable housing rattle. I think there are some ways to fix this, but I haven't really tried. It's not a major problem.
5. I hamfisted the headset install. Forgot to do one cup at a time. I think it's fine, installed well enough. But there's a bit of a gap on the rear of the top cup. I'm not sure at this point if that's my doing, or just where the frame doesn't quite meet the headset. Not a concern, but makes the list.
6. Cable housing exit grommets are iffy.
Otherwise the frame has been a dream. I ride it pretty hard. I've hit a number of drops, jumps, and technical chunky lines. Aside from the already mentioned bolt loosening, no worries or creaks. I went OTB on a missed rock drop a few weeks ago, bent a rotor, and cracked a seatstay.
Don't have pics at the moment - but I'm impressed at how well it stood up. I'll have a dissection and deep dive into it as I repair it.
Need to get a replacement. But, I've been riding it equally hard with crack, just covered by helicopter tape. It hasn't complained or killed me yet, and does not seem to have grown. So, beyond the obvious "do as I say not as I do" warning to not ride cracked carbon fiber like an idiot (i.e. me), it's impressive.
