Lightcarbon: LCR018-D (endurance all-road)

[Specialf.]

Cheers yeah I'm 188cm my saddle height is around 800mm

ok you're more or less like me, I have slightly longer legs, I'm 186cm tall and I pedal at 830mm from the bottom bracket to the saddle (supporting the sit bones)
this frame is ok because it has a long head tube.
I see that you still have a lot of thickness underneath though.
Haven't you thought about opting for a handlebar riser? there is an interesting discussion where a model is indicated which in my opinion would be aesthetically fantastic, I think I will do so.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DckQf1-khwe/?img_index=1

[rcwsr]

ok you're more or less like me, I have slightly longer legs, I'm 186cm tall and I pedal at 830mm from the bottom bracket to the saddle (supporting the sit bones)
this frame is ok because it has a long head tube.
I see that you still have a lot of thickness underneath though.
Haven't you thought about opting for a handlebar riser? there is an interesting discussion where a model is indicated which in my opinion would be aesthetically fantastic, I think I will do so.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DckQf1-khwe/?img_index=1

Thickness do you mean spacers? yeah I do, if I didn't then the total stack would be the same or less than what I was running on my SPCycle R088.

I have definitely considered a riser bar but couldn't find one that ticked the right boxes.

In other news, my saddle rail snapped today on its 2nd ride. I have the same saddle on my gravel bike with no issues. (Ryet 3D RT06S 145mm https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006893754548.html) - raised a dispute and got a refund.

[KC]

KC, Did you ever receive your tracking number for the frameset from LC?

I did recieve a tracking number and the package itself a couple of business days later. Since then I've built up the frame, though like many have experienced here, the stock BB that it comes with creaks, so I might have to switch it in the near future.

I noticed that as it creaked, the crank side-to-side play have increased so I readjusted it.

Haven't had any issues with seatpost slip either, it is torque to 8Nm spec.

[mingc]

I removed the post because I figured out what was causing the issue; there was a thin metal micro washer on the fork race that I had not noticed. I removed the front caliper brake hose at the caliper, removed the fork, removed the washer, re-assembled everything, and it is now fine...

I'm confused. Micro washer at the fork race? Where did it come from? How did it get there without you noticing? Is it the seal from the bottom headset bearing?

[rosteven]

I'm confused. Micro washer at the fork race? Where did it come from? How did it get there without you noticing? Is it the seal from the bottom headset bearing?

The item that I found was located around the base of the fork (race may not have been the correct term to use). I thought that I looked at the lower headset bearing before reinstalling everything, and I don't remember seeing anything unusual. Attached is a photo of what the item looks like, on closer inspection it does look like it is the seal as one side is a rubber type material.  So here is the dilemma, the build is complete with the everything working fine so do I tear everything apart, reattach the seal and hope that the tight steering does not come back, or do I run it until the bearings go bad and just replace the upper/lower with better quality stainless steel bearings.  Note that seal edges look torn, so maybe the smart way ahead is to just order the replacement bearings and be done with it...

[MarioCanario]

The item that I found was located around the base of the fork (race may not have been the correct term to use). I thought that I looked at the lower headset bearing before reinstalling everything, and I don't remember seeing anything unusual. Attached is a photo of what the item looks like, on closer inspection it does look like it is the seal as one side is a rubber type material.  So here is the dilemma, the build is complete with the everything working fine so do I tear everything apart, reattach the seal and hope that the tight steering does not come back, or do I run it until the bearings go bad and just replace the upper/lower with better quality stainless steel bearings.  Note that seal edges look torn, so maybe the smart way ahead is to just order the replacement bearings and be done with it...

indeed looks like it could be one of the headset bearing seals.
I'd take the handlebar off and check the headset bearings if one of the seals is missing. if bearing is not sealed on one side it might not take long till the bearing is taking its toll (dirt, corrosion, wash out) 

[mingc]

The item that I found was located around the base of the fork (race may not have been the correct term to use). I thought that I looked at the lower headset bearing before reinstalling everything, and I don't remember seeing anything unusual. Attached is a photo of what the item looks like, on closer inspection it does look like it is the seal as one side is a rubber type material.  So here is the dilemma, the build is complete with the everything working fine so do I tear everything apart, reattach the seal and hope that the tight steering does not come back, or do I run it until the bearings go bad and just replace the upper/lower with better quality stainless steel bearings.  Note that seal edges look torn, so maybe the smart way ahead is to just order the replacement bearings and be done with it...

Tough call. It's a lot of work to get to that bearing. I'd personally be tempted to wait until it goes bad. If you don't ride it in the rain, it might never go bad. On the other hand, if you do ride it in the rain, it might go bad immediately!

[Aerodurance]

Any update to this?  Interested to find a solution to the seatpost slipping issue.

Hi yes, good news.
After that mess with carbon paste and greasing the sliding surfaces (the tightening screw is yet to be greased), my system seems to be stable for now.
I did my first fun race this weekend in Luxemburg at "la Charly Gaul". It was ~112km and i hit a least one really big hole in the street.
I though, ok that was too much, I bet it slipped now.
After the race I checked the hight and it was still were it should be.Finally... BUT To be honest, before the race it re-tightened to 11Nm.
I would prefere to only do 8Nm and stay in spec.

For the creaking, i have to check that again. When riding along with so many people, its generally louder all the time.

[rosteven]

Tough call. It's a lot of work to get to that bearing. I'd personally be tempted to wait until it goes bad. If you don't ride it in the rain, it might never go bad. On the other hand, if you do ride it in the rain, it might go bad immediately!

I don't ride in the rain (if I can help it), and the bike will not see gravel by choice. I might just let it ride for now (pun intended), if/when I see any downtime on the LCR I'll ride one of my other bikes until I replace the bearing. With that seal 1) having fallen out in the first place, 2) being torn in one area, and 3) being a little warped, it might be a good idea to just replace the bearing anyway rather than trying to refit that seal back on the original bearing...

[jksu]

word of warning because while i do think v3 of the in-frame storage is an improvement and there is definitely a chance of user error, but i did have my v3 door come off on a recent ride.

factors:
- my local roads are crappy with lots of ruts, uneven pavement transitions, etc.
- 1st time using an elite stainless steel double walled water bottle.  it works well keeping water cold, but it's larger size and weight filled with water and ice undoubtedly put more torque on the cage and storage door, than a smaller plastic water bottle i usually use
- i may have unlatched the door lever from closed to open while cleaning the bike after a previous ride (maybe the microfiber caught the door lever and pulled it away from the down position?). or perhaps the additional vibration induced by the heavier bottle was enough to jostle the lever to the open position.  i say this because there were warnings earlier in the ride of rattling noise coming from the area when going over bumps.  i hadn't had rattling after the "fixes" of applying extra speaker wire tape to the edges of the door for a tighter seal.  so i should've stopped to check for loosening of the door when i heard it.  i just assumed it was rattling of the stainless steel bottle against the bottle cage, not a open/loose storage door.

luckily main damage was just a scratched up stainless steel bottle (looks like shit now tbh). the storage door itself had some barely noticeable scratches on the edges i touched up with a sharpie. 

if i had to do it over, would i still want the downtube storage?  kind of am leaning towards "no" in it's current implementation. 

i'm hesitant to use a heavy bottle in the downtube cage with the storage door now.  the seat tube cage is, of course, solid.  LC just needs a more fool-proof, vibration-proof solution than their current method, that clearly other brands have figured out.  now, every ride, i will be yanking and double checking there's no looseness with the door in every direction.

[rosteven]

"LC just needs a more fool-proof, vibration-proof solution than their current method, that clearly other brands have figured out".  Maybe, maybe not.  As you have stated that you may have inadvertently opened the latch during cleaning.  As a Community Service a good test would be to recreate the same situation (same water bottle filled with water/ice, riding over the same roads) with a confirmed closed/locked latch and see if you get the rattling noise and a loose cover again. I'm curious if the problem is 1) latch/cover design, 2) unsecure latch cover, or 3) overloaded latch/cover...

[jksu]

i may do that experiment if i'm bored enough with my free time.

but my statement stands.  if the latch wasn't the way it is where a rag could slide it open, the risk would less and thus more idiot/fool-proof.  happy to admit to being the idiot/fool.

"LC just needs a more fool-proof, vibration-proof solution than their current method, that clearly other brands have figured out".  Maybe, maybe not.  As you have stated that you may have inadvertently opened the latch during cleaning.  As a Community Service a good test would be to recreate the same situation (same water bottle filled with water/ice, riding over the same roads) with a confirmed closed/locked latch and see if you get the rattling noise and a loose cover again. I'm curious if the problem is 1) latch/cover design, 2) unsecure latch cover, or 3) overloaded latch/cover...

[rosteven]

i may do that experiment if i'm bored enough with my free time.

but my statement stands.  if the latch wasn't the way it is where a rag could slide it open, the risk would less and thus more idiot/fool-proof.  happy to admit to being the idiot/fool.

Lol - fair enough assessment.  Based primarily on my build errors, that means that I will have to be extra careful when cleaning mine...

[Serge_K]

Has someone weighed in on how much a trap door in the down tube of a bike affects its riding characteristics / rigidity / durability?
I'm thinking that if i were to buy such a frame, i might order it w/o the door. One less thing that can go wrong, mostly.

[rosteven]

Tough call. It's a lot of work to get to that bearing. I'd personally be tempted to wait until it goes bad. If you don't ride it in the rain, it might never go bad. On the other hand, if you do ride it in the rain, it might go bad immediately!

Even though I ordered a set of Hambini headset bearings to replace the stock ones, I decided "What the Hell, I have the time to reinstall that seal" (plus I was a little curious if the steering stiffness would return).  Fork removed, seal reinstalled, adjustments made, and all is good - no play in the fork and no steering stiffness...