agree di2 is nice. fast and never misses. i have to still be careful not to crank too hard during a shift, forgetting that's still not ideal, whether mechanical or electronic.
curious what about the bottom bracket install doesn't feel "durable" or "right"? was the surface not flat or faced?
re: seatpost, yeah pretty much everyone's agreed it's ok to add a couple extra NM torque to keep it from slipping. i did that from day 1 so no issues.
re: the storage cover, yeah, i also added a bit of extra stereo wire tape to the edges of the cover, as someone else suggested, just for a snugger fit and less rattling risk. probably more noticeable depending on the riding surfaces you're on and why some folks report no noise/rattle and others still have issues. roads here in california are pretty bad.
re: crosswinds, for some of folks with issues with the LCR in cross winds, i'm wondering if the LCR018 might be their 1st aero bike. i remember riding my first triathlon bike decades ago, with it's deep frame profile and running deep aero wheels, it was jarring when i got hit with the first in cross wind (especially in aero bars). granted that was back with V-shaped 60mm deep rims, but the LCR with modern U-shaped 50mm wheels has been great for me. i'm also 82kg so can tolerate it a lot more. if you're going from round tubes with low profile rims, to aero bike with 50-60mm deep wheels and you're light, then, yeah, it's going to be an adjustment. going down to 40mm at least for the front, might make sense is you're riding in windy conditions often. you won't lose that much in aero and gain back a lot in confidence. but if it's not windy all the time, give it some time and i think you'll adjust.
my other road bike, while carbon, isn't particularly aero shaped and has 30mm carbon rims, so i wanted a contrast by getting the LCR with 50mm rims. it'd feel silly to me, to spec my aero frame with a 30mm wheels.
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.
