Well guys, it's been a long process. I'm coming from a rim brake bike that I was riding for 10 years, so it feels like I'm learning everything all over again. Here is my build with Ekar and CSC wheels. It's 6.94kg without cages and pedals. Not too bad considering that I put heavy tires on there for winter and my total cost was just under $2,500.
My frame came really fast and I ordered some wheels from Yoeleo, hoping for a similar experience because the wheels were listed as "ready stock" on the website. Well, I waited a month and they still hadn't shipped them out, so I got these CSC wheels from AliExpress instead. Those arrived quickly from China and cleared customs with no issues, but the local FedEx shipping got delayed. Then I ran into an issue with my brakes because the included barb was too small (no idea how that happened). I ordered a replacement on Amazon and that package got delayed by a week. I felt like my build was cursed.
Frame: It's more comfortable than my old bike, especially in the rear. The geometry is working for me so far. It's a little more aggressive, but not too much. I absolutely love the paint job. On the down side, I'm having some headset issues. I can't get rid of the headset play without tightening so much that the steering feels stiff. I'm still trying to figure out a solution for this. I'll have to go back through this thread to see how other people solved this problem. I'm also having brake rub, which may or may not be because of the frame. I sanded a little bit and that didn't solve the problem, so I'll have to keep working and looking for other potential causes of this problem.
Ekar: I got a great deal on it and I've had sort of a love/hate relationship with it so far. The RD was a nightmare to adjust and I had to loosen the B screw way more than the manual says to get it shifting properly. The lever clamp screws are a pain to reach and I ended up stripping one because I had to torque the hell out of it to keep my levers from slipping on the bars. Finding wheels with N3W hubs or hubs that can easily be changed to N3W is annoying. The bearings are attached to the crank, which is going to be a challenge when it's time to change those. On the bright side, the crank was super easy to install and I like the looks of it. The shifting is fast. I think they nailed the gearing on the cassette with small gaps between small cogs and bigger gaps between larger cogs. I did some climbing on my first ride and everything felt natural. I didn't find myself wishing for a gear that I didn't have.
CSC Wheels: The weight is as advertised, they're true and spin smoothly, but I'm having an issue. With the brakes applied, the wheel still moves front to back a little bit. I mistook it for headset play at first. I went back and tightened the hell out of my rotor lock rings, but that didn't solve the issue. I think it's moving at the hub, not related to the rotors. Could there be a problem with the bearings? It's disappointing. I'm also wondering if the wheels are somehow contributing to the disc rub problem.
Bars/Stem: I got a Lexon Vero integrated setup and this has probably been the best part of the whole build. I was able to get the exact stem length and bar width that I wanted, plus quick shipping. The headset cap and spacers play nicely with the R088 frame and I think it looks great. It comes with what feels like a solid out front mount with adapters for different computer brands and a GoPro mount. I'm going to try the GoPro mount in the future and I'll see if it's as strong as it feels.
To be honest, I'm not that happy right now. Things will be much better if I can solve the headset and brake issues.
