Lightcarbon: LCR018-D (endurance all-road)

[sam24a]

Pretty sure there’s been a few builds that have came in close to the 7kg mark.
It certainly doesn’t feel like a heavy bike to ride, if anything it’s one of the more enjoyable frames I’ve ridden in the past few years.

Mine came in at just under 7.1kg with 65mm LB Airias and leese carbon cranks in a 52. These were the parts I had. I’m sure if someone was so inclined they could get it under 7 with not a lot of effort. As has already been pointed out, not really worth the bother 

[JensenMacD]

With pedals, cages and outfront/varia mount, I was around 7.4kg (TPU tubes). Depending on what you want, sub 7 is doable with trade offs. Size 50 with storage door. I haven't weight my bike recently since making some changes.

58mm wheels are 1250g, -250g with lighter wheels
Dura Ace over ultegra
No internal storage
= sub 7 for my build

More weight shedding could come from

moving from 32mm tires to 28mm would shed weight
Lighter saddle
chop unneeded seatpost
Ti bolts
light weight rotors
Remove cables for hardwiring shifter
remove sprint shifters
went carbon finish over paint
pedals - 175g (if you go by weight w/o pedals)


At the end of the day, I have more KG than the bike has grams that could be lost. Or packing more water than I need, the tools in my storage, etc all add weight at the end of the day. Return on investment for my needs, what I paid/built IMO is the sweet spot. I could build sub 7 for sure but for that cost, I would rather have the LCR018 and order the LCR020 when it comes out.

[jksu]

great ride today... for those familiar with LA/socal, we went up angeles crest (hwy2) to the mount wilson observatory.  45mi, 5600ft climbing (72km/1700m).

solid, no creaks.  after the last ride, even though it was rattle free, since i had it open to add an allen toolset to the storage bag, i wrapped some foam around the hydraulic hose that runs down, in the upper downtube area, above where the downtube storage bag sits, just to prevent any potential rattles.  the storage bag pins it down well in the lower part of the downtube so i didn't bother putting foam there... plus foam there would take up space that i want for the contents of the bag.

the biggest revelation is how well and fast the bike descends!  it's a rocket!

there's 3 main descents coming off mount wilson.  the 1st is the shorter drive down from the observatory to angeles crest which i stayed at the back just getting a feel for the bike.  the 2nd from redbox (base of mount wilson) to clear creek, i set a 30sec PR, average speed increasing from 38mph to 41mph (61kph to 66kph) not pedaling 1 stroke... passed my buddies without even trying.  all from the bike's fit, more aero frame, wheels, ceramic bearings who knows.  i consistently saw speeds 60+ kph which was not the case in the past and only missed PRing the longest 3rd segment down angeles crest because i got stuck behind some cars and motorcycles.

not only is the bike fast, but it's also stable.  despite a gusts of wind and the 50mm depth wheels, i felt in control throughout.  the shallower head tube angle and larger BB drop (76 vs 70 on my old bike) gives a more planted and assured ride compared to my old bike.  going from 27mm measured to 31mm (the 30mm have stretched out to 31 in the last week) wide tires, running 58psi front/ 60psi rear, really smoothed the little bumps so they didn't throw me off lines as much as before.  the bike's bars made staying in the drops easy, also helped.

climbing is fine. again because it's about 0.5 kg heavier than my rim brake bike i'm not flying up climbs significantly faster, but the bike's not holding me back.  power out of the saddle is great and no flex in the bottom bracket or head tube.  for those worried about frame flex due to having a downtube storage compartment vs not, it's not a factor for me (180lbs/82kg recreational/enthusiast dude).  PR'd and am now top 8 all-time on a short uphill segment up to clear creek (approx 550watts) because i carried so much speed into the climb and when i started putting down the power, it went directly into the wheels. the m40 carbon fiber is well placed.

loving the bike so far.  and definitely a ton of compliments and questions from other riders out there today.

[pandaman]

Looks like my frame (which was ordered back in 5th May) is now ready but my handlebar (380*100) is now out of stock and wont be ready until mid august.

Anyone had to wait for there handlebars to come back in stock and were they good with their estimated time or could possibly be even earlier?

I have an event on the end of august that I was hoping to use this bike on.

[Ghandy]

From what I understand from Jim is that my handlebar size is in stock (360/100). But my frame (size 54) has a delay because a week ago it was around 25 days to get it in stock, but when I asked for an update today he told me it is 30 days from now. He is blaming DJI mtb frames because of that they seem to have a massive nationwide shortage of latex innermolds since last week.. I hope I don’t get any further delays as I was hoping to ride this bike this summer 

[szorek]

i've done much more than that. The top cap is unique, in that you can technically loosen it after you've tightened the stem bolts so it's under tension for mere minutes. I've done 12 nm on the compression plug (only ever do that if the steerer / plug is pushing against the stem, obviously), then tighten the column like an animal by tightening the top cap, tighten the stem bolts, and loosen the top cap. Once you understand how the steerer column works (took me a while), it works. At least it makes sense in my head. But as someone pointed out recently, i have brain rot.

Tightening the top cap compresses the bearings. After tightening it to 6 Nm, does the handlebar turn freely? I'm worried that the bearings might be compressed too tightly. Of course I know how the steering column compression works. Maybe it's some kind of mechanism I'm not yet familiar with?  maybe there's a reason for it, I'll just follow the instructions.

[zdhbike]

great ride today... for those familiar with LA/socal, we went up angeles crest (hwy2) to the mount wilson observatory.  45mi, 5600ft climbing (72km/1700m).

solid, no creaks.  after the last ride, even though it was rattle free, since i had it open to add an allen toolset to the storage bag, i wrapped some foam around the hydraulic hose that runs down, in the upper downtube area, above where the downtube storage bag sits, just to prevent any potential rattles.  the storage bag pins it down well in the lower part of the downtube so i didn't bother putting foam there... plus foam there would take up space that i want for the contents of the bag.

the biggest revelation is how well and fast the bike descends!  it's a rocket!

there's 3 main descents coming off mount wilson.  the 1st is the shorter drive down from the observatory to angeles crest which i stayed at the back just getting a feel for the bike.  the 2nd from redbox (base of mount wilson) to clear creek, i set a 30sec PR, average speed increasing from 38mph to 41mph (61kph to 66kph) not pedaling 1 stroke... passed my buddies without even trying.  all from the bike's fit, more aero frame, wheels, ceramic bearings who knows.  i consistently saw speeds 60+ kph which was not the case in the past and only missed PRing the longest 3rd segment down angeles crest because i got stuck behind some cars and motorcycles.

not only is the bike fast, but it's also stable.  despite a gusts of wind and the 50mm depth wheels, i felt in control throughout.  the shallower head tube angle and larger BB drop (76 vs 70 on my old bike) gives a more planted and assured ride compared to my old bike.  going from 27mm measured to 31mm (the 30mm have stretched out to 31 in the last week) wide tires, running 58psi front/ 60psi rear, really smoothed the little bumps so they didn't throw me off lines as much as before.  the bike's bars made staying in the drops easy, also helped.

climbing is fine. again because it's about 0.5 kg heavier than my rim brake bike i'm not flying up climbs significantly faster, but the bike's not holding me back.  power out of the saddle is great and no flex in the bottom bracket or head tube.  for those worried about frame flex due to having a downtube storage compartment vs not, it's not a factor for me (180lbs/82kg recreational/enthusiast dude).  PR'd and am now top 8 all-time on a short uphill segment up to clear creek (approx 550watts) because i carried so much speed into the climb and when i started putting down the power, it went directly into the wheels. the m40 carbon fiber is well placed.

loving the bike so far.  and definitely a ton of compliments and questions from other riders out there today.

Great looking bike!  Glad to hear it descends well, I’m more of a mountain biker and am looking for something to replace my 2009 Giant TCR,  I definitely want something fast and composed on the downhills as it’s my favorite part of the ride.   Also I’m in Norcal and was wondering if you had to pay any tariffs? 

[beardedcycler]

Hi all,

So after sifting through the thread, I’ve seen a couple of posts about the headset bearings and not using the stock ones. Is that still the general consensus?

[fitnessodjuret]

A heads up for any bike tourers/bikepackers/amateur tt riders/etc. regarding clip on aerobars and this frame.

A question that comes up quite semi-regularly, that often doesn't have any great answers, is: how do I attach clip on aero bars to a frame that comes delivered with fully integrated cables and a carbon aero handlebar. There are hack solutions such as mounting a fred bar or equivalent on your steerer tube which you then mount your bars too. But then you are also adding additional stress, quite high up, on your steerer tube which it may or may not be able to handle (and if your tube is cut you're obviously cooked). There's also AliEx mounting "clip ons" specifically for aero handlebars but those look lethal to me, in addition to the fact that I'd rather not clamp carbon where it is not designed to be clamped.

I have found only one good solution to this problem. You can order this frame with the LCR017S-D separate bar and stem combo where you instead route the cables semi-internally (they enter the headset under/at the stem - if you look at the frame pictures it will be obvious). This will allow you to run any 31.8 handlebar you'd like while still routing the cables mostly internally.

This should also work for their new racing gravel bike as well as the new aero frame road frame.

Hopefully this is useful to someone 

[JensenMacD]

Hi all,

So after sifting through the thread, I’ve seen a couple of posts about the headset bearings and not using the stock ones. Is that still the general consensus?

It is really up to you. Many use the provided bearings and I haven't heard any real complaints. I went with enduro bearings, like many others, as a peace of mind upgrade. The price to swap out to enduro bearings now when building the bike is less than the cost to do it in the future. A quality SS bearing, like enduro, is likely going to perform better and last longer than the provided bearings.

[jksu]

Great looking bike!  Glad to hear it descends well, I’m more of a mountain biker and am looking for something to replace my 2009 Giant TCR,  I definitely want something fast and composed on the downhills as it’s my favorite part of the ride.   Also I’m in Norcal and was wondering if you had to pay any tariffs?

thanks!  it will definitely be faster than your TCR.  you'll love the upgrade!  room for wider tires is a big factor of why i wanted a new bike... all the extra stuff like disc brakes, aero frame, electronic shifting, downtube storage, etc have been icing.  i think if you put on 32+mm width tires, you'll be able to really rail some descents that might feel sketchy on the TCR.

no tariffs, at least specified.  shipping was $335 to LA, so not sure if that is where any tariffs were included or it's built into the base price of the frame, which i've heard has gone up slightly from when they first started selling the LCR018.  another $86 was for PayPal 4.5%. my total was $1970 which included the painted frame, wheelset, bottle cages, titanium out-front mount, extra derailleur hanger, extra downtube storage bag, ceramic bottom bracket, paypal and shipping.

[jksu]

Hi all,

So after sifting through the thread, I’ve seen a couple of posts about the headset bearings and not using the stock ones. Is that still the general consensus?

i did order the enduro bearings as others have, but made the mistake of only ordering 1!  for some stupid reason, thought it was for a pair.  kind of pricey now i think about it, compared to the cost of the whole frame, etc.  stock bearings are probably fine if you ride and live in a dry conditions.

in any case, so now i have one enduro (i think we put it in the lower bearing area towards the fork) and one stock bearing in the upper bearing seat near the stem, with a spare stock bearing in the parts bin.  in general, if it's not too cost prohibitive, i prefer to put in quality parts up front, that don't require touching or worrying about... 

[Kbfore]

Light carbon BB squeak

[STEGPB]

Has anyone built up with SRAM aero chainring and XPLR cassette (1x13)? That's my plan, Force. SRAM aero crankset only available in non-wide, but as the chainstay length is 415mm this should be fine? (Frame spec denotes 54T as max chainring, I want to go with 50T).

[POTOOOOOOOO]

Has anyone built up with SRAM aero chainring and XPLR cassette (1x13)? That's my plan, Force. SRAM aero crankset only available in non-wide, but as the chainstay length is 415mm this should be fine? (Frame spec denotes 54T as max chainring, I want to go with 50T).

Yes, it’s fine. No need for a wide bb or crank arms.