Hygge Aero Carbon Frame

[Stephiso]

Finished my build and rode ~100km with it so far.

Having issues with headset play.

I've torqued the compression plug to 6nm with and without carbon paste. and the stem to 6nm as well but after one ride there is always some play.

Has anyone encountered this and was able to fix it?

[Wrighty]

@Wrighty, could you share your impressions of the carbon layup within the frame, as well as the stiffness of both the fork and rear triangle? I haven't assembled mine yet, and I'm debating whether to proceed or reconsider. I might be overly cautious, but I've noticed some flex in the fork (I'm 80kg, so not particularly heavy), and while I understand an axle will reinforce it, it's still a concern. Additionally, I've observed numerous sharp edges and creases within the frame, which doesn't inspire confidence.

Hey so I don't know if you've seen my posts in this thread earlier on but this frame is my first ever carbon frame on a bike so I literally have no reference to compare to sadly. What I can tell you is that when I started riding this bike I was around 115KG and today I am 96KG and the bike feels pretty stiff to me, especially the back end of it and bottom bracket.

The carbon layup isn't bad, but isn't outstanding either - it's ok.  There were some sharp bits inside especially in the rear triangle but for a frame that was £450 I wasn't expecting much. Other than that issue free, I did have the seatpost slipping at the start and have to really tighten that thing down but it doesn't move now.

Positive experience for me, I would love to ride an SL7 to compare but haven't had the opportunity to ride anything else yet. My current plans are to keep riding this until I get bored or it breaks!

[ByAliTR]

@Wrighty, could you share your impressions of the carbon layup within the frame, as well as the stiffness of both the fork and rear triangle? I haven't assembled mine yet, and I'm debating whether to proceed or reconsider. I might be overly cautious, but I've noticed some flex in the fork (I'm 80kg, so not particularly heavy), and while I understand an axle will reinforce it, it's still a concern. Additionally, I've observed numerous sharp edges and creases within the frame, which doesn't inspire confidence.

Hello, mate. Very good power transmission. Very rigid. It's a stiff frame.

[TidyDinosaur]

Finished my build and rode ~100km with it so far.

Having issues with headset play.

I've torqued the compression plug to 6nm with and without carbon paste. and the stem to 6nm as well but after one ride there is always some play.

Has anyone encountered this and was able to fix it?

Aha, so I am not alone...
I too had / have problems with this. At first I tought the bike was just unstable or it was the narrow handlebar, but it seemed there was a small amount of play in the headset, especially at the top.
Could not get the expander to stay in the steerer tube, so exchanged it for another type and thought the problem was solved. Stability was very good...but only for 2 rides. The play came back again and the expander was pulled up again.
I have now torqued the expander to 9 Nm and the stem bolts to 5Nm so we'll see if that solves anything.
I have also noticed that the headset spacers / adapters that are included with my new (warranty) handlebar are metal and not plastic like the set I received with the frame. Which one do you have? Maybe the plastic causes some problems with compression / expansion which loosens the assembly....
Too bad I would have to remove all the cables to switch it, so no fast way to test this... Integrated cabling is so practical 
I have also noticed these headset assemblies (when bought separately on Ali) standard come with 2 different conical pieces that sit on top of the top bearing. One for integrated and one for non integrated setup. From what I can find it is the other pieces that is used when routing internally and not the one supplied with the handlebar.... Just speculations though... 

[AntonisOik]

Hello, first post on the forum.
I have the hygge model s for about 3-4 months now, ridden about 3k kms.
The last bike I had was a velobuild so not my first Chinese frame.
I was Impressed with the frame quality not so much with the internal, not that I can spot an issue but it would be a great step up to make the frames with eps/latex.
The only issue I have encountered is as others have said is the top headset play. I removed the handlebar with the hoses attached, the spacers and the top bearing cover and I came to the conclusion that the top cover was slightly rubbing on the carbon lip of the bearing in the front. I filed/sanded the cover and checked that I could finally tighten it to have no play and fit a sheet of paper all around. It was no easy task with the four hoses in the headset assembly but I managed to make it work.
The test was a 400k brevet where the bike was flawless in all conditions(rain, wind, heat, cold, humidity).
The only "remaining" issue is a slight creaking from the rear wheel when climbing in the lowest gears 34-32 an 34-30 but I guess with a truing it will be ok as the wheel needs it(it has a bit of lateral run out).
Really happy overall for the price and quality, I would recommend it to anyone that likes to tinker a little bit with his/her bike and has a "good" mechanical understanding.

[TidyDinosaur]

I was Impressed with the frame quality not so much with the internal, not that I can spot an issue but it would be a great step up to make the frames with eps/latex.
The only issue I have encountered is as others have said is the top headset play. I removed the handlebar with the hoses attached, the spacers and the top bearing cover and I came to the conclusion that the top cover was slightly rubbing on the carbon lip of the bearing in the front. I filed/sanded the cover and checked that I could finally tighten it to have no play and fit a sheet of paper all around. It was no easy task with the four hoses in the headset assembly but I managed to make it work.

I also had this problem of the cover rubbing the frame. I slid the handlebar and spacers up as far as I could and took a small block of wood and sandpaper between the frame and the underside of the cover and sanded it like that. Not easy, no...

[RoadieMKD]

Aha, so I am not alone...
I too had / have problems with this. At first I tought the bike was just unstable or it was the narrow handlebar, but it seemed there was a small amount of play in the headset, especially at the top.
Could not get the expander to stay in the steerer tube, so exchanged it for another type and thought the problem was solved. Stability was very good...but only for 2 rides. The play came back again and the expander was pulled up again.
I have now torqued the expander to 9 Nm and the stem bolts to 5Nm so we'll see if that solves anything.
I have also noticed that the headset spacers / adapters that are included with my new (warranty) handlebar are metal and not plastic like the set I received with the frame. Which one do you have? Maybe the plastic causes some problems with compression / expansion which loosens the assembly....
Too bad I would have to remove all the cables to switch it, so no fast way to test this... Integrated cabling is so practical 
I have also noticed these headset assemblies (when bought separately on Ali) standard come with 2 different conical pieces that sit on top of the top bearing. One for integrated and one for non integrated setup. From what I can find it is the other pieces that is used when routing internally and not the one supplied with the handlebar.... Just speculations though...

I have received the frame a week or so ago, which is less than a month from order to delivery which is pretty damn fast. I only did visual inspection then because the box was a little bit bent and beaten up but no issues whatsoever regarding damage of contents. Yesterday I did a "dry" assembly of the frame components only just so see how everything fits and can say that all seems fine. Bottom bracket screwed in as it should, RD hanger fits like it should, top headset bearing sits very good and there is no movement in the bearing seat of the frame, also the bottom bearing sits good but there is minimal next to no movement but I had that with my Cube frame and caused no issues, so my guess is that here also this won't be an issue. Spacers are metal and fit very good. The issue arises with the C ring. It sits very good on the bearing but there is movement between the inside of the C ring and the steerer tube of the fork. I did not tighten everything down since I did not cut the fork. My presumption is that this interface C ring/steerer tube is the source of the headset play everyone is experiencing. Is it normal for this interface to be so slack or should this be snug? Steerer tube measures 28.6mm as it should but the inside of the C ring is close to 29mm (28,8) I think of shimming this to eliminate the play. This is my first integrated headset that I have been working on.   

[TidyDinosaur]

The issue arises with the C ring. It sits very good on the bearing but there is movement between the inside of the C ring and the steerer tube of the fork. I did not tighten everything down since I did not cut the fork. My presumption is that this interface C ring/steerer tube is the source of the headset play everyone is experiencing. Is it normal for this interface to be so slack or should this be snug? Steerer tube measures 28.6mm as it should but the inside of the C ring is close to 29mm (28.. I think of shimming this to eliminate the play. This is my first integrated headset that I have been working on.

Nice find... The inside of the C-ring I have here is 29,1mm. But since it is open it might be possible to compress it a little bit with a vice...
I went ahead and ordered this https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006475816268.html
It has a totally different C-ring, so maybe that will help.

[RoadieMKD]

Nice find... The inside of the C-ring I have here is 29,1mm. But since it is open it might be possible to compress it a little bit with a vice...
I went ahead and ordered this https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006475816268.html
It has a totally different C-ring, so maybe that will help.

Will definitely try to compress the C ring and maybe add some alu tape to the fork and see what that does. Thanks for the link, if I fail at modifying, I will order that part.

[TidyDinosaur]

Here is a picture that illustrates what I was trying to say. On the left is the setup for internal cabling and on the right for external. Hygge has supplied the right C-ring, so that might not be  the ideal combination.
Judging from the picture it also looks like the C-ring (if you can call it that) for internal cables is higher. That could also explain the rubbing of the lower cap on the frame with the C-ring on the right. ...

[RoadieMKD]

Here is a picture that illustrates what I was trying to say. On the left is the setup for internal cabling and on the right for external. Hygge has supplied the right C-ring, so that might not be  the ideal combination.
Judging from the picture it also looks like the C-ring (if you can call it that) for internal cables is higher. That could also explain the rubbing of the lower cap on the frame with the C-ring on the right. ...

So they are supplying the wrong ring? Even if so, the ring provided should still hold the steerer tube snug to eliminate play. I have contacted them with this issue with a picture attached of the "starry" ring that is on the left column in the picture. Will see what the response will be.

[TidyDinosaur]

Lots of people have no play, so maybe it's just tolerances. Not saying one is wrong and one is right. I'm just going to try the other one and see if it helps.

[TidyDinosaur]

But then again: if it makes no difference, why are there 2 different ring supplied in the set in the picture?

[coffeebreak]

Re: Aluminum tape/foil sandwiched between fork and c-ring. It works in a pinch - I tried it on VB GF002 which had the infamous headset play issue like many other VB bikes. The play disappeared to an extent but it never felt *right*. The issue completely went away with new c-ring that VB sent after a year. The new ring has an extra cutout v/s old ring and is probably made of softer material too.

[Stephiso]

The thing is i don't actually have any play after setting up the bike in my garage. The play starts to develop during the ride...i'm assuming after hitting some bumps/road cracks i would guess. I've re-tightened the topcap screw a little bit more and I will report back on my next ride. It seems like it was not very tight after my few initial ride.