Airwolf YFR068 - 2023 Gravel Frame

[this is dog]

My build is pretty much finished, still waiting for some small parts to arrive and need to dial in the rear mech. Overall quite satisfied with how it came together, especially for what I spend on it. Total costs: € 2650,- incl. handbuilt wheels with DT-Swiss 350 hubs and Sapim CX spokes.

Assembling went pretty much flawless, except for the expander plug as mentioned in one of my previous posts. The frame does have one noticable flaw which are the holes for the bottle cages are not aligned properly. The bottle cage mounted on the seat tube is pointing somewhat outwards towards the non-drive-side. No way you can fix that when mounting plastic or carbon cages. I wonder if other frame owners have this same issue.

[timjen]

Did you use the expander plug that came with the frameset? You might need to make some adjustments to make it fit like I did. I didn't use any carbon paste, also no torque wrench.

Did you shape the expander top-cap a little? It sits really tight in the stem. Unfortunally I can‘t find any other D-Shape Expander here in Germany - Cervelo and/or Factor should fit, but seems to be very expansive and not available in aftermarket…

[this is dog]

Did you shape the expander top-cap a little? It sits really tight in the stem. Unfortunally I can‘t find any other D-Shape Expander here in Germany - Cervelo and/or Factor should fit, but seems to be very expansive and not available in aftermarket…

I wouldn't bother buying an more expensive (original) one, you will probably end up with the same challenge. I did use a vice to trim down material of the top-cap. No way otherwise it would fit.

[Exar]

The original Cervelo expander doesn't fit, which is too bad because the design is a lot more elegant (more outward moving parts, better ridges on the gripping part).

[l45er]

- it seems like the spacing is off on the rear. There is 3-4mm more clearance on the drive side than non driveside. When L45er measured the tire clearance earlier that seemed to be the case on their bike too. Ive tried a few different wheels and they all line up the same.

I was looking at my bike yesterday and yes there is more clearance on the driveside.

From what I can see, the chainstay is a different shape on driveside vs non-driveside. Hard to explain in words, but the driveside is a thinner profile from above and scalloped out on the rim facing side which seems to be what increases the dimension on that side vs the non-driveside which is just a standard roundish tube profile. Doesn't seem to affect the bike in any way.

[wolffcon]

I haven't noticed any effect from it, except if I want to run larger tires. The asymmetry is a the chain stay and seat stay though so I don't think its due to tube profiles.

[timjen]

I wouldn't bother buying an more expensive (original) one, you will probably end up with the same challenge. I did use a vice to trim down material of the top-cap. No way otherwise it would fit.

Shaping the cap was the solution. The headset is doing his work now. Thank you so much

[this is dog]

Shaping the cap was the solution. The headset is doing his work now. Thank you so much

Glad to hear!

[this is dog]

I had the chance to take this bike for a little spin last week and I ended up doing a 75km testride. This bike is just fantastic, not sure what else I can say. Comfortable, yet responsive and no noticable weaknesses.

For this build I decided to go for a mullet setup which I still need to get used to. Somewhat overrated for the area where I live. Everything is flat as a pancake and coming from a roadie, this setup doesn't go fast enough to my likings. Might change to a SRAM XPLR setup to see which one works better for me.

Parts list:

Frameset:	Airwolf YFR068
Handlebars:	Airwolf HB001 42mm
Stem:	Cervelo ST32 90mm
Handlebar tape:	BBB Cycling BHT-14 FlexRibbon
Computer mount:	No name
Shifters:	SRAM Force eTap AXS HRD Shift-Brake System | ED-FRC-D1
Seatpost:	Cervelo SP19
Bottle cages:	King cage stainless steel
Saddle:	Fizik Antares R3 Versus EVO
Crankset:	SRAM Force D1 Power meter crankset
Chainring:	SRAM X-Sync 42t chainring
Bottom bracket:	SRAM DUB PressFit30 Road 79 mm BBRight
Rear derailleur:	SRAM GX Eagle AXS 12 speed
Cassette:	SRAM XG-1275 GX Eagle 12 speed 10-50t Cassette
Rims:	No name UD matte carbon rims, 39/44mm height, 31mm width hookless
Hubs:	DT-Swiss 350 straightpull centerlock hubs
Spokes:	Sapim CX Ray, CX Sprint
Tires:	Panaracer Gravelking SK TLC 700x38c
Total spent:	€ 2675,00
Total weight:	9,04kg (incl. pedals)

[Avalius]

Finished my build to, got a little play in the headset that i'm unsure about managed to get most out of it. I'll testride it tomorrow.
Budget build with Sram apex and Elite Wheels.

Anyone has a picture of what u shape exactly on the expander?

[Exar]

For me the alloy top part was sticking out wider than the fork, so I sanded it down until it was flush. Otherwise the stem wouldn't slide over the top of the fork.

My build is almost finished, just received a GRX Di2 front derailleur so that a 45C Schwalbe G-One RS fits (not much room to spare but i wouldn't ride these tires in muddy conditions anyway). With a Dura Ace Di2 there was about one millimetre to spare, and now it's maybe 3-4mm. The only challenges so far were the expander and getting the headset running smoothly, a thin spacer underneath the top cap solved it.

[this is dog]

The trick is indeed to sand down the most outer radius of the top cap of the compression plug (marked in red). This part should align with your steerer tube, otherwise your stem will never going to fit!

[jsiegrist]

I am about to pull the trigger on one of these for my wife but was hoping to glean a little info before I proceed. Someone had mentioned these only being really a good option in size 54 and above, but she’s going to need the 51cm as she’s 5’5”. Anyone have any thoughts?

Also, the c shaped steerer. Some have said a round stem works fine, others have said they slip. I don’t have a problem getting the cervelo c shaped stem, but what about bars that are compatible? Basically I’d like something with some flare, but I’m at a loss as to what is compatible. This doesn’t appear to be ACR and has a non-standard headset size. What are people doing regarding bar/stem combo?

Thanks for any insight!

[jsiegrist]

Are the logos just vinyl decals? Did you buy them or make them?

My build is pretty much finished, still waiting for some small parts to arrive and need to dial in the rear mech. Overall quite satisfied with how it came together, especially for what I spend on it. Total costs: € 2650,- incl. handbuilt wheels with DT-Swiss 350 hubs and Sapim CX spokes.

Assembling went pretty much flawless, except for the expander plug as mentioned in one of my previous posts. The frame does have one noticable flaw which are the holes for the bottle cages are not aligned properly. The bottle cage mounted on the seat tube is pointing somewhat outwards towards the non-drive-side. No way you can fix that when mounting plastic or carbon cages. I wonder if other frame owners have this same issue.

[this is dog]

Are the logos just vinyl decals? Did you buy them or make them?

Logos on the bike are custom painted.