Lightcarbon: LCR018-D (endurance all-road)

[GreyRacer]

My previous bike was carbon frame but with alloy seatpost, so the LCR018 is my first bike with a carbon seatpost.  In the past I've clamped around the seatpost when mounting on a bike stand.  Is it still ok to do this with a carbon seatpost?

A seatpost is cheaper than a frame.
I have been using a stand with a very lose clamp on the upper tube for years, the problem is people crushing the tube.

Same goes for seatpost tube. The clamp should form an oversized tube, and the top to the seatpost/saddle should stop it from sliding further down.

That said, I have 2 split hooks I can use in my carport to hang it up. Local bike mechanic uses same system.

[pandaman]

Thanks for the replies, makes sense to clamp on the seatpost. I’ve also ordered both offset and zero offset post so will have a spare in the worse scenario.

One more question about the headset assembly, does the bottom headset just has only the bearing directly in between fork and frame and nothing else?

Then on top headset part is the order of: bearing, inner black metal ring, outer black plastic ring, spacers and expander plug (in the fork)?

[jksu]

Thanks for the replies, makes sense to clamp on the seatpost. I’ve also ordered both offset and zero offset post so will have a spare in the worse scenario.

One more question about the headset assembly, does the bottom headset just has only the bearing directly in between fork and frame and nothing else?

Then on top headset part is the order of: bearing, inner black metal ring, outer black plastic ring, spacers and expander plug (in the fork)?

yes the bearings just drop in (grease liberally). and yes re: the order of the other parts.

[Bonus79]

Thanks for the replies, makes sense to clamp on the seatpost. I’ve also ordered both offset and zero offset post so will have a spare in the worse scenario.

One more question about the headset assembly, does the bottom headset just has only the bearing directly in between fork and frame and nothing else?

Then on top headset part is the order of: bearing, inner black metal ring, outer black plastic ring, spacers and expander plug (in the fork)?

Can I ask what headset/handlebar it is?

So, is the "crown" ring made of metal?

I've usually only ever seen it made of plastic.

Thanks

[jksu]

Gonna start putting my frame together this weekend.

My previous bike was carbon frame but with alloy seatpost, so the LCR018 is my first bike with a carbon seatpost.  In the past I've clamped around the seatpost when mounting on a bike stand.  Is it still ok to do this with a carbon seatpost?

you're fairly safe clamping an aero carbon seatpost if the clamping force is in the same plane as the seatpost clamp (ie. have the jaws of the workstand clamp the front and rear of seatpost, instead of the thin sides). 

but yes, those hirobel clamps that retrofit onto workstands that disperses the loads towards the ends of the top tube where it's strongest, is probably the safest way to go.

[pandaman]

Started my build tonight by stripping my 105 di2 groupset from my old bike that I’ll be using in the lcr018. Hopefully get cracking on it this weekend.

One question I trialled fitting the rear derailleur hanger, does this look to be the correct orientation for it? The frame doesn’t appear to be moulded for it but this seems to be the logical placement but would be good if someone can confirm, thanks.

[KRoser]

pandaman: hanger looks good in correct position, that is why there that knob on frame is, as a stop for hanger rotation, you just rotate hanger on to that knob and tighten, job done .

[lure0969]

https://imgur.com/a/hDMG9xS

Am I missing something here.

I have lower bearing bevel up and the upper bearing bevel down. Then when I put the fork thru along with other two components. There is a small gap. As as shown in the image.
I just want to make sure I am not missing something. I did wonder if the two bearings are different sizes.

Thank you for any help.

[mingc]

The 2 bearings are the same size. You've got the directions of the outer bevels of the bearings correct. There should be a gap between the frame and dust cap which will get smaller when you compress everything down. Your uncompressed gap does look a tad big though. Make sure everything is properly seated and that your compression ring, i.e., the first thing that goes on the top bearing, is the right way up. One side of the ring is beveled to fit into the internal bevel of the bearing.

[Aerodurance]

https://imgur.com/a/hDMG9xS

Am I missing something here.

Is the pin of the plastic part inserted in the metall part? Might not be. Try pushing it in whilst turning the plastik part.

[Aerodurance]

I haven’t ridden it much yet—only about 50 to 70 km so far.

Moving from my trusty old mechanical 105 to the Ultegra Di2 feels strangely nice and surprisingly good.
I absolutely love it.
Don't get me wrong, my 11-speed 105 setup is excellent; it shifts crisp and clean, but it is nowhere near as quiet and smooth as the Ultegra.

Building up the frame and bike was pretty straightforward.
However, what I didn’t like was tightening the bottom bracket cups against the carbon frame.
There was some slight abrasion during tightening. I really wish there was a steel washer between the cup and the frame. The current setup just doesn’t feel right or durable.

Setting up the brakes on this frame is also much harder than on my aluminum Radon R1—it’s quite strange.
On my Radon, I simply loosen the caliper bolts, squeeze the brake lever hard, and torque the bolts down. The brakes end up nearly perfectly centered.
Doing the exact same thing on the LCR18 just doesn’t work at all. Are the hydraulic hoses extrem stiff brand new. I dont know.

I initially torqued the seatpost to 6 Nm, but that didn't hold. It slipped twice during a ride, even though I used Dynamic carbon paste.
I have now tightened it to 8Nm, hoping it stays this time.

The thru-axles do not feel high-quality either.
I can already tell they will fail at some point.
It’s a pity they aren’t standard axles but use a proprietary cone shape instead.
LightCarbon should switch to a more standardized solution.

The internal frame storage was rattling like crazy. I had to glue extra foam inside to stop it.
I hoped i works nice from the factory, but forr me, it didn't work out of the box.

Finally, the bike is 2-3x as vulnerable to crosswinds as my Radon R1 ( round tube aluminium bike).
It is incredible how much of a difference there is.
While I was actually considering 65mm deep rims for my Radon R1, on the LCR18, I would now rather run shallower wheels with 40mm depth.

The frame is nicely made and the painting is incredible for that price.
The storage and the things they ship it with are super.
There are lot of good things, but its only fair to tell the complete story, with all its downsides as well, for people considering buying it.
I heard they also raised prices.
I would order again but ask for more standard axles and holes.

[mddobbs]

I am waiting for my LCR018-D frame, but I can comment on your  situation from my own research and experience on other bikes. 

I think what you describe is called "speed wobble", which I researched for a friend before I experienced it myself.  It is scary as hell, but it can be managed.  First, I would say that the wobble itself is not necessarily a result of the frame tube shapes or wheel depth exclusively.  Both can contribute to drift, and that must be compensated for.  However, speed wobble is primarily the result of the front wheel being lifted to the extent that the front end is no longer digging into the road.  It can happen if you are flying down hill and decide to sit up and use your body as a parachute (don't try it).  I have noticed that this happens only at my fastest downhill speeds, and you really need to pay attention to this to stop it from happening before it becomes unmanageable.  At first the bike starts to lose direct control, which can lead to a slow and then a more rapid oscillation.  First, you need to get in a low forward tuck and start to brake gently, which will move your weight forward.  If that does not work, stay low, and shift your weight back.  Keep your pedals to 3 and 9 O'clock (or 90 and 270 degrees) and lean the top tube of your bike into the more rearward thigh.  The key is to be moving more weight onto the front wheel while dampening the oscillation with your body.  In extreme winds or in places you anticipate wind (I know my tricky spots), you can lean the bike heavily to one side and shift your body weight to the other side, with the top tube resting on your leg.  For example, I lean the bike right, touch the top tube to my right rear thigh, but lean my body to the left.  This keeps the bike moving straight ahead.  You can practice at low speed and no wind.

The worst case I had was with Specialized Roubaix (not particularly aero) with 40 mm deep wheels. It was a fast downhill that led to a section of strong crosswinds that I did not know about.  The wobble was so severe that I thought I had a flat front tire.  Very scary!  However, after I came to a complete stop, everything was normal.  Once, and only once, did I have my rear wheel pushed an inch or two sideways after turning a curve into a strong crosswind.  It was on an aero Kestrel Talon frame with shallow wheels.  It was over in a second and was not a classic wobble, so not as scary.










Hi everyone,

I recently experienced a front-end wobble once while descending at over 60 km/h with a slight crosswind. It was quite scary, but gently applying the rear brake stopped the oscillation.

My setup is:

LCR-018, size 56
50 mm wheels
32 mm tyres

I checked the headset carefully and there is no play in any direction.

I know that a few other members have experienced a similar issue. Did you manage to identify the cause, and what solution worked for you? Was it related to the headset, wheel or tyre setup, wheel depth, spoke tension, or rider position?

Thanks for your advice.

[bsharp77]

I haven’t ridden it much yet—only about 50 to 70 km so far.

Moving from my trusty old mechanical 105 to the Ultegra Di2 feels a bit strange at first, but it is surprisingly good.
I absolutely love it.
Don't get me wrong, my 11-speed 105 setup is excellent; it shifts crisp and clean, but it is nowhere near as quiet and smooth as the Ultegra.

Building up the frame and bike was pretty straightforward.
However, what I didn’t like was tightening the bottom bracket cups against the carbon frame.
There was some slight abrasion during tightening. I really wish there was a steel washer between the cup and the frame. The current setup just doesn’t feel right or look good.

Setting up the brakes on this frame is also much harder than on my aluminum Radon R1—it’s quite strange.
On my Radon, I simply loosen the caliper bolts, squeeze the brake lever hard, and torque the bolts down. The brakes end up perfectly centered.
Doing the exact same thing on the LCR18 just doesn’t work at all.

I initially torqued the seatpost to 6 Nm, but that didn't hold. It slipped twice during a ride, even though I used Dynamic carbon paste.
I have now tightened it to 9 Nm, hoping it stays put this time.

The thru-axles do not feel high-quality either. I can already tell they will fail at some point.
It’s a pity they aren’t standard axles but use a proprietary cone shape instead.
LightCarbon should stop producing these immediately and switch to a more standardized solution.

On top of that, the internal frame storage was rattling like crazy. I had to glue extra foam inside to quiet it down, which is something that should have been sorted out straight from the factory.
For me, it simply didn't work out of the box.

Finally, the bike is twice or even three times as vulnerable to crosswinds as my Radon R1.
It is incredible how much of a difference there is.
While I was actually considering 65mm deep rims for my Radon R1, on the LCR18, I would now rather run shallower wheels with a 30 to 40mm depth.

The frame is nice, painting is incredible for that price. The storage and the things they ship it with are super.
There are lot of good things, but its only fair to tell the complete story, with all its downsides as well, for people considering buying it.
I heard they also raised prices.

Couple of really crazy claims mixed in here.
I’ve been riding this frame for over 5000km now and it’s been crazy good, and I’ve had a lot of very nice bikes.

Very curious on your comment about the thru axles. They look absolutely fine to me and never given a problem - would love to know why you think they’ll fail.

On the crosswind/aero issue - I’m not sure what you’re used to, but this frame is absolutely no worse than any bike I’ve had before - TCR/SL6/Aeroad for example. I’m used to a lot of gusty winds here in Ireland and this bike is as planted as I could ever hope for.

Prices have gone up, but they were giving this bike away in my opinion.

The aftersales service has been excellent and they continue to develop and iterate on problems that have been found. I can’t wait to be able to afford the LCR020 - the frames these guys are coming out with put the western bike market to shame in terms of performance and value.

[pschei]

My computer mount snapped when I rolled over a small bump during my ride this morning. Has anyone found an alternative mount that fits the three bolt mount on the hbr17 bars? Hoping to find something more durable than the stock mount and less expensive than the ti version.

I use a karoo 3 and it was attached to the bar via leash, so no damage to the computer thankfully.

[AdmiralAckbar]

I finished my build yesterday. Sorry to bring up the topic again but here is the total play between my frame and the bottom plastic spacer. A bit more than a mm. The fork is preloaded as I did tighten the top cap bolt to around 2 Nm. I was not given the plastic shim like I have seen on some build. Do you think that acceptable ?