CRF-51 build, the last new frame with external cable routing?

[adam900710]

This one is built in Oct 2024, and I haven't yet find another Chinese frame that is light (~800g) and has the traditional semi-external cable routing.
With reliable and easy to remove, never slip, tried and true 68mm BSA BB.

The OEM allows extra customization, e.g. remove the cable/hose entrance on the non-drive side headtube, and block the mechanical FD cable exit.
The result is a slightly customized frame that only supports either semi-wireless or full-wireless electronic shifting.

I also owned a BigRock road frame, but the fully integrated cable routing and T47-86 BB is a nightmare to work with. Thus it only lasts less than 4 month before being replaced by this one.

Only two points I'm slightly not happy are:

- The oversized top tube
  My previous frames all have slim top tubes, thus this one is not to my taste.

- The RD cable exit is not Di2 friendly
  The exit is a little too far away from the RD, not a huge deal with my chainstay protector.

[adam900710]

Interesting. Who's the OEM, how / where did you order? Price range? Where are you based?
How did the sale of the bigrock go, in terms of interest from buyers / depreciation?

Happy riding

The OEM has its own brand called PINAWORKS.
I ordered mine from taobao: https://shop101087830.taobao.com/shop/view_shop.htm?user_number_id=705762965

They provide quite some customization, from the color of painting to upgrade the fibers (thus slightly reduce the weight).

The price is around 3400 RMB (including 10% Aussie GST and shipping), that includes the upgrade to T800 fibers, the removal of the non-drive side cable entrance, thru-axles and headsets (which is not included by default).
But the customer service is in Chinese, so it can be problematic if one does not read/write Chinese.

The exact frame CRF51 is also re-branded as ONIRII ONE, with both fully-internal and semi-external models.
(And that's what leads me to the OEM, and saves around 2000 RMB)

I'm based in Australia (not Austria), taobao now provides official dispatch service to AU.

The BigRock frame is not yet for sale, as I failed to remove the T47 BB, I have to be blamed for the threadlocker, but the tiny flange is definitely not helping.
But I will never touch any threaded 86mm wide BB for my entire life any more.

[pavlo.k]

Thanks, well done!

to remove the BB, i'd get a very long lever, and 4 hands. One person in charge of making sure the tool stays engaged with the teeth of the BB maybe wearing thick gloves to avoid pinching (or use a woodworking clamp with rubber contact points, maybe), and a long (long) tube as additional handle over the tool itself. That way you can smoothly apply enormous leverage / force, and it should work.
Same method to remove pedals that have almost fused into crank arms. The elegant answer is not to hammer on the tool, but to use a mega long lever arm.

I've seen t47 tools with a clamping rod which should solve the problem. Haven't use one myself but will definitely get one once I have a t47 frame. It's a shame everyone is moving to t47, I'm personally not a fan of glued alu inserts since the bb shell debonded on my Canyon Spectral a few years back. It's also much easier to install and remove bb86 bb with a simple 20$ tool from ali and you don't have to worry about the corrosion or stripping the threads. And of course it's lighter

[adam900710]

Thank you guys for the help on the removal of T47 BBs.

I guess I need some kind of clamping tool, since I only have two hands.

For the rod tool, I didn't get how to use it properly. I guess inside the square hole there is something holding that nut end of the rod?
Any link for the rod tool?

Personally I'm not that anti-T47, especially I'm going to try some cheap Chinese DUB cranksets (LEESE on the way).

The problem is the width and tiny flange. In the past I tried some thread-together BB86s, they work fine until removal. And still can't get over the small scratches on my old TCR frames caused by the removal incident.
I'm totally happy with T47-68mm.

So pressfit for 86mm, and threaded for 68mm.

[adam900710]

Got the tool, for my case I just need BBT-RS to provide enough pressure.

Thank a lot for saving a frame!

[adam900710]

BBT-RS made the change.

Now the bigrock frame got its BB removed properly.
BBT-RS is really a must-have tool for the cursed T47-86 and other 86mm wide thread-together BBs.

[jonathanf2]

Nice build! I'm pretty sure that's an Aethos clone that can be found on AliExpress. This was the original clone version and later they also did a fully cable integrated design. I agree full integrated can be a hassle, but it's not so bad if running it with a non-integrated stem/bar and using a headset cover with the cable holes built-in. The only hassle is servicing the headset bearings, so it's a good idea to grease them well to minimize service replacement. 

[adam900710]

Final update on the frameset.

I'm migrating to the LTK266-D-SL frameset, which *seems* to be lighter.
And taking this chance, I'm also weighting all the major lightweight Chinese framesets I have, the result is pretty impressive.

- Fork and seatpost fully cut
- With all metal parts, including thru-axles, FD hanger, bottle cage screws, RD hanger
- With a separate stem, in my case all using PTL 100mm, except LTK using PTL 90mm

Bigrock XS (non-team version) is 1650g, LTK266-D-SL S is 1600g, and CRF51 XS is around 1650g.

Considering the price of the frame is around 3/5 of Bigrock or LTK, CRF51 has no obvious weight penalty.

This is not only a maintenance win for CRF51, but also a cost-performance win.
And I'm already regretting buying an LTK to replace my CRF51 now. 

[VanDungLe]

Hi.
Just wanna chime in and said i'm planning to buy this bike frame as well haha. At least in the near future. It has everything i personally wish for: 1/external cable routing 2/ 27.2mm seatpost 3/ disk brake and 4/climbing-endurance-ish kind of geometry. A bit of a shame since you're changing to a different frame haha.

May i ask about your height/inseam and do you personally find the XS size fits well for you? Thank you.

[adam900710]

Hi.
Just wanna chime in and said i'm planning to buy this bike frame as well haha. At least in the near future. It has everything i personally wish for: 1/external cable routing 2/ 27.2mm seatpost 3/ disk brake and 4/climbing-endurance-ish kind of geometry. A bit of a shame since you're changing to a different frame haha.

May i ask about your height/inseam and do you personally find the XS size fits well for you? Thank you.

Height 168cm, never did an accurate inseam measure, but the current distance between the pedal and the center of saddle is 77.5cm.
XS fits me pretty well, no too up-right, but not too aero either.

Just remember to ask the OEM to do the frame modification if you only plan to use Di2/Etap. The default includes mechanical cable/hose entrances on both sides of the headtube, which can be very ugly and cause water/dust to enter if you do not fill them.

[VanDungLe]

Wait, on the official website, i only saw size 490/520/540, but you said you're using size XS for the CRF-51.
So i'm assuming you're using size 490?

[adam900710]

Wait, on the official website, i only saw size 490/520/540, but you said you're using size XS for the CRF-51.
So i'm assuming you're using size 490?

That's correct, sorry I should use 49 instead of XS, which can be very different from different OEMs.

[VanDungLe]

Thanks mate.
I'm personally 177cm tall with 74cm inseam (super short for my height), so do you think size 520 would fit me well? Or should i go up to size 540?

[adam900710]

Thanks mate.
I'm personally 177cm tall with 74cm inseam (super short for my height), so do you think size 520 would fit me well? Or should i go up to size 540?

Sorry not a bike fitter, but personally I prefer smaller frame than larger. You can always fit a longer stem or a seat post with more offset in that case.
Especially you have a lot of choices for 27.2mm seat post.

[VanDungLe]

Noted. I'm more worrying about the stack height and the amount of spacers i'd need to use to have a good fit haha.
Another question: I found the link to the frame on Taobao as well, for 3000 RMB. If i want to have them upgrade to higher tier T800 carbon, as well as including the thru axle and headset, i have to message them for that and then pay a price >3000 RMB right?
I'm pretty sure i read somewhere that you've upgraded to T800, unless i'm hallucinating.