Recommendations for a bike under $4K

[MtbNewbie]

Hello friends, I have an interesting Request andam seeking your collective wisdom.

Looking to build a highish end bike with an open mold frame and electronic group set

* Primary use endurance road rides -90%
* Some gravel if at all -10%
* Comfort and performance in that order
* T47 preference
* All internal routing for clean look

Some frames that come to mind are from
*Yoleo
*Elves
*Winspace

What's the advantages of say Wheeltop/ Shimano vs purely Shimano Di2 or SRAM electronic??

Appreciate your guidance!!

[Tasthal]

I'd get the Longteng 301 or Tantan 301 (it's the same mold), see topics below
Nice geometry, great clearance, in-frame storage
Tantan/Seraph can set it up as a full bike I think

https://chinertown.com/index.php/topic,4792.0.html

https://chinertown.com/index.php?topic=5718.0

[MtbNewbie]

Thanks much! How does this FM301 compare to a Yoleo or Elves?

[Dan S.]

Some frames that come to mind are from
*Yoleo
*Elves
*Winspace

I ride an Elves Eglath Pro, the 2022 version with 28mm clearance. I've ridden around 8000k on it at this moment, I like the frame very much. Even though looking back at it, I might appreciate it having a larger clearance. I believe there is a new version of the frame coming soon, with 35mm clearance.

I have Shimano 105 Di2 on it, it's amazing. PES P505 Base for a power meter, it's also great.

[Tasthal]

Thanks much! How does this FM301 compare to a Yoleo or Elves?

If you favour comfort and some gravel, I would find the tyre clearance a vital factor. I'd say minimally 32mm but more is better. In terms of frame quality difference between them I'm not aware of any major differences between brands. That choice might depend on your preferences regarding painting. Elves does really nice paintschemes (imo), while other companies may be more difficult to convince/explain your custom plans to.
Regarding price to quality ratio, I think Tantan/Seraph and Longteng are top tier. And again, extra in-frame storage would be very useful imo if you primarily do long endurance rides.

[Chiyou]

What's the advantages of say Wheeltop/ Shimano vs purely Shimano Di2 or SRAM electronic??

Chinese electronic groupsets have a few advantages over the established players, but they only apply in special cases:
1. Wheeltop/Ltwoo are compatible with 12/11/10/...-speed cassettes/wheels while with Shimano/SRAM you are locked into a given speed; this is relevant only if you have older wheels you want to keep using
2. Wheeltop/Ltwoo allow you to tune the position of your rear derailleur for each individual cog of your cassette; this is nice if you have an ornery cog where despite your best efforts the chain acts up
3. Price - depends on your region
4. Weight - Wheeltop/Ltwoo are marginally lighter compared to the equivalent components from Shimano/SRAM