Spcycle New Mold SP-R088 Carbon Road Frame

[Costypezz8]

I have finished my 54 cm build (177cm height)) and it fits like a glove. I have had none of the issues mentioned in this thread. Build went smooth and easy. I have chosen for a separate stem and handlebar from Kocevlo as I was not sure an integrated cockpit would suit me. Added Elite wheels ENT 2.0 en an ER7 electronic groupset. I have done a few hundred km now as I am in the winter season, but very very pleased with the bike.. None of the flex GCN showed.. Spent less than € 1.500 on the whole build...

Although interesting to watch YT content on Chinese bike stuff, you should take it with a pinch of salt

Hi, I'm considering a build based on this frame, how did you manage your complete build with just 1500 euros? I wanna make it supercheap yet reliable, so I'm keen to go for a 105 mechanic sourced on aliexpress for about 300 euros. Weels elite ent or, may be better, Aeroraptor whch are really goodlooking either.
Any advise on sourcing and cost cutting is well accepted

[Suikerbroer54]

Hi, I'm considering a build based on this frame, how did you manage your complete build with just 1500 euros? I wanna make it supercheap yet reliable, so I'm keen to go for a 105 mechanic sourced on aliexpress for about 300 euros. Weels elite ent or, may be better, Aeroraptor whch are really goodlooking either.
Any advise on sourcing and cost cutting is well accepted

I have spent quite some time on AliE searching and waiting for good offers. I bought all my gear on the Black Friday sale. R088 frame, ER7 groupset, elite ENT 2.0 Wheels, Kocevlo stem and handlebar, Riro crank set and the other small stuff. AliE regularly has good offers but you should take your time and wait for the moment.

[Costypezz8]

I have spent quite some time on AliE searching and waiting for good offers. I bought all my gear on the Black Friday sale. R088 frame, ER7 groupset, elite ENT 2.0 Wheels, Kocevlo stem and handlebar, Riro crank set and the other small stuff. AliE regularly has good offers but you should take your time and wait for the moment.

Thanks for the advise, will be my strategy. At the moment just pulled the trigger for the groupset, I wanted a mechanic groupset for my first build, Frame will be the next

[Bonus79]

I have spent quite some time on AliE searching and waiting for good offers. I bought all my gear on the Black Friday sale. R088 frame, ER7 groupset, elite ENT 2.0 Wheels, Kocevlo stem and handlebar, Riro crank set and the other small stuff. AliE regularly has good offers but you should take your time and wait for the moment.

May I ask which Kocevlo stem and handlebar model you purchased?
Thanks

[Suikerbroer54]

May I ask which Kocevlo stem and handlebar model you purchased?
Thanks

Kocevlo SL handlebar 38 cm, and Kocevlo carbon stem 100 mm

[friesenfruitig]

Hi everyone — and also hi to the Spcycle team if you're reading along

Thanks for all the insights I was able to read here before ordering the Spcycle New Mold SP-R088 frame.

Shipping was quite fast:
Ordered: Jan 12, 2026 → Delivered: Feb 3, 2026

However, I’ve run into two issues and would really appreciate the community’s thoughts and experiences.

1. Damage to the frame during transport

Unfortunately — and I’ve read this happened to someone else before — the UDH appears to have contacted the frame during shipping. As a result, a small piece of carbon and paint has chipped off.

I’ve discussed this with the seller, who indicated it looks like cosmetic (paint) damage rather than structural carbon damage. A partial refund was mentioned as a possible solution, but I’m first trying to understand how serious (or common) this type of damage is on delivery.

2. Asymmetry in the rear triangle

At the risk of sounding naive: does anyone else have a rear triangle like this?
The right seatstay has a noticeable curve, while the left side looks straight (see photo). I installed the wheel this morning and, fortunately, it sits straight in the frame.

The seller explained that many frames use an asymmetric rear triangle design, which I understand in theory, but visually it still surprised me — so I’m curious if other SP-R088 owners see the same shape.

Just hoping to learn from other owners whether this all falls within normal expectations for this frame.

Does this match your experience?

Thanks in advance!
Freddy

[Costypezz8]

hello everyone, just a question for who bought the frame in matte finish . Can you tell if the matte finish has a top coat or not? For sure a bright mettalic frame has a clear top coat, but I'm wondering if the same finish is also on the matte, probably with a different type of top coat. This would be useful to know before purchasing. I just believe that a top coat makes the paint way more resistant to scratches and also over time.

[HarryFunmaker]

Hi everyone — and also hi to the Spcycle team if you're reading along

Thanks for all the insights I was able to read here before ordering the Spcycle New Mold SP-R088 frame.

Shipping was quite fast:
Ordered: Jan 12, 2026 → Delivered: Feb 3, 2026

However, I’ve run into two issues and would really appreciate the community’s thoughts and experiences.

1. Damage to the frame during transport

Unfortunately — and I’ve read this happened to someone else before — the UDH appears to have contacted the frame during shipping. As a result, a small piece of carbon and paint has chipped off.

I’ve discussed this with the seller, who indicated it looks like cosmetic (paint) damage rather than structural carbon damage. A partial refund was mentioned as a possible solution, but I’m first trying to understand how serious (or common) this type of damage is on delivery.

2. Asymmetry in the rear triangle

At the risk of sounding naive: does anyone else have a rear triangle like this?
The right seatstay has a noticeable curve, while the left side looks straight (see photo). I installed the wheel this morning and, fortunately, it sits straight in the frame.

The seller explained that many frames use an asymmetric rear triangle design, which I understand in theory, but visually it still surprised me — so I’m curious if other SP-R088 owners see the same shape.

Just hoping to learn from other owners whether this all falls within normal expectations for this frame.

Does this match your experience?

Thanks in advance!
Freddy

Mine is similar with a slight curve on the drive side. I assumed it was intentional.

[alfiomotrambo]

Had some small curve on the drive side too, not that much btw

[Bonus79]

Hi everyone — and also hi to the Spcycle team if you're reading along

Thanks for all the insights I was able to read here before ordering the Spcycle New Mold SP-R088 frame.

Shipping was quite fast:
Ordered: Jan 12, 2026 → Delivered: Feb 3, 2026

However, I’ve run into two issues and would really appreciate the community’s thoughts and experiences.

1. Damage to the frame during transport

Unfortunately — and I’ve read this happened to someone else before — the UDH appears to have contacted the frame during shipping. As a result, a small piece of carbon and paint has chipped off.

I’ve discussed this with the seller, who indicated it looks like cosmetic (paint) damage rather than structural carbon damage. A partial refund was mentioned as a possible solution, but I’m first trying to understand how serious (or common) this type of damage is on delivery.

2. Asymmetry in the rear triangle

At the risk of sounding naive: does anyone else have a rear triangle like this?
The right seatstay has a noticeable curve, while the left side looks straight (see photo). I installed the wheel this morning and, fortunately, it sits straight in the frame.

The seller explained that many frames use an asymmetric rear triangle design, which I understand in theory, but visually it still surprised me — so I’m curious if other SP-R088 owners see the same shape.

Just hoping to learn from other owners whether this all falls within normal expectations for this frame.

Does this match your experience?

Thanks in advance!
Freddy

I checked my frame: I don't see any differences by sight, but if I place a spirit level on the seat stays like you did, I also notice a very slight curvature/light on the right side/drive.

[jonathanf2]

GCN did a follow-up video to their R088 framset build. What do you guys think? Even with a new expander plug and alloy stem/handle bar, it's still flexing quite a bit. Anyone with the same size frame in the video with similar stem length having these type of flex issues?

https://youtu.be/3OIbW7lHM5M?si=uwxFNjYpjy4XZ_3m

[HarryFunmaker]

I still want to see a closer look at his headset setup and which C ring he is using. If that's not the problem, then it does look like there might be something wrong with the bike itself. If so, it will be interesting to see what will happen if he tries to get in contact with Spcycle or AliExpress.

It's a relatively long video and he still hasn't done much to actually diagnose the problem. Surely he could have taken the fork out to inspect it, he could have measured the head tube with some calipers to see if it is out of spec, he could have examined his headset bearings, etc.

[zaphodbeeblebrox]

I still want to see a closer look at his headset setup and which C ring he is using. If that's not the problem, then it does look like there might be something wrong with the bike itself. If so, it will be interesting to see what will happen if he tries to get in contact with Spcycle or AliExpress.

It's a relatively long video and he still hasn't done much to actually diagnose the problem. Surely he could have taken the fork out to inspect it, he could have measured the head tube with some calipers to see if it is out of spec, he could have examined his headset bearings, etc.

After some armchair watching I would also agree that it's potentially a c-ring problem. Or at least that's what I would check next. On my velobuild 099 the first version c-rings were slightly too short, and this allowed the c-ring to ride up the steerer tube slightly and no longer fully locate the steerer in the bearing.  This allowed the fork steerer to move way more than it should and flex about. I think I saw the headset cover gap changing when he was sprinting on the bike.  https://imgur.com/a/ra9TKWU



My eventual solution was a big (and then slightly smaller with the v2 c-ring) stack of microspacers on top of the c-ring. I used mechanical 105 so there was a big inflexible bunch of hoses/housing pushing around the c-ring. I also bought and tried a longer expander plug and it did nothing without the spacers. However, no empirical evidence, but the longer expander plug has way more surface area and must provide way more grip, which would be less chance of slipping, and better at sandwhiching everything all together.

[jonathanf2]

I purchased my R088 as a frameset only and I use the supplied top/bottom bearings and c-ring that came with it. I opted for a separate bar and stem, so I'm just using regular carbon stem spacers. The only thing I didn't use was the expander plug.

I use this Riderace (FSA clone) expander plug on all my bike builds instead:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804973835769.html

[Bonus79]

After some armchair watching I would also agree that it's potentially a c-ring problem. Or at least that's what I would check next. On my velobuild 099 the first version c-rings were slightly too short, and this allowed the c-ring to ride up the steerer tube slightly and no longer fully locate the steerer in the bearing.  This allowed the fork steerer to move way more than it should and flex about. I think I saw the headset cover gap changing when he was sprinting on the bike.  https://imgur.com/a/ra9TKWU



My eventual solution was a big (and then slightly smaller with the v2 c-ring) stack of microspacers on top of the c-ring. I used mechanical 105 so there was a big inflexible bunch of hoses/housing pushing around the c-ring. I also bought and tried a longer expander plug and it did nothing without the spacers. However, no empirical evidence, but the longer expander plug has way more surface area and must provide way more grip, which would be less chance of slipping, and better at sandwhiching everything all together.

From the video you posted, it looks like the headset has some play... the cover seems to be lifting/moving away from the frame/head tube.

I also find it strange that GCN didn't check/show in the video whether the headset is in order or whether there are incorrect tolerances and play (bearings, bearing seat, C-ring compression, etc.).

I haven't tested putting all my weight on the handlebars as shown in the GCN video, but even with my Cervélo R3 (rim brake) that I ride on the rollers, when I do maximum sprints (I definitely have much less power than the GCN guy), I get the feeling that something is flexing... but I can't tell if it's just the handlebars (I have a carbon Deda Superleggera with an aluminum BTWIN stem) or the frame/fork steerer tube as well.

I'm soon planning to finish assembling my R088 (size 56) with integrated carbon handlebar (100x420) and for the occasion I had already bought (even before seeing the GCN video) a 70mm long Deda expander (the standard one immediately seemed very/too short to me).