Mondince new 2026 Aero Gravel

[emilioea]

That is the headset supplied by Mondince with the frame, but the top bearing is different, it’s a ACB518 with 51,8mm outer diameter and 8mm thick (upper headtube frame diameter is 52mm, and a 52mm diameter bearing will be tight because is designed for 52.2mm headtubes)
With such bearing the rubber cover sits well in place with no rubbing

Interesting, my bearing was 7 mm thick, so that's why I had to be creative 
I didn't know Mondince sent that headset, it's a lot better than the one from SPCycle.

[Kscibior86]

mondince 326, who has M at 182cm and 89cm inseam? Is it better to go for L?
Maybe somebody got picture ?

[v0llhirsch]

mondince 326, who has M at 182cm and 89cm inseam? Is it better to go for L?
Maybe somebody got picture ?

I have got nearly the same measurements (88cm inner leg and a cm less,) and I have a medium. Go to the Mondraker page and look for recommendations on the ARID.
See https://chinertown.com/index.php/topic,6336.msg101938.html#msg101938 for a picture.
I am figuring out stem length etc but I am roughly in the ballpark, although the seat post is very high

Use bike stats and bike insights to compare the frame

[v0llhirsch]

Okay I was curious and took the whole headset apart again.
The PRO bearing is also 7mm. I could not take a photo while measuring as I would need another set of hands 😜
As the Mondince bearing is 8mm,I am wondering how this works?!
The sealing hip seems to be pushed down on the frame?

haha faced same issue with the front caliper! I had to disassemble again because I tape the cable to the steering tube and also all around to avoid cables rubbing the steerer tube


I’m amazed you could use the PRO headset, I was also looking for that one ore the ones from Ritchey and Token, but all use the standard IS52 depth for top bearing of 8.7mm, and this frame has like 7mm (WTF!), so I expected to have a large gap on the top cover.
How did you fix it? or does your bike has the proper 8.7mm?

[Svurre]

I received my frame two weeks ago and started building straight away. I did end up missing a few parts to complete the build, so currently waiting for that to arrive.

Attached a pic of the current state. 

[v0llhirsch]

I am not sure what I like more, the bike or the coffee machine :-)

I received my frame two weeks ago and started building straight away. I did end up missing a few parts to complete the build, so currently waiting for that to arrive.

Attached a pic of the current state. 

[impmonkey]

Received the frame yesterday.
Paint is great, bottom brackets threads easily by hand. Brake surfaces might need faced, we will see.
I did test fit the bigrock handlebars, but with the included compression rings there is a decent gap. Will need to see if I can grind them down to minimize that, unless others have a good idea.




Frame Weight without any metal bits:


Waiting on cranks and tires, no hurry here though as the weather is dreadful for at least the next 1.5 months.....

[TidyDinosaur]

Received the frame yesterday.
Paint is great, bottom brackets threads easily by hand. Brake surfaces might need faced, we will see.
I did test fit the bigrock handlebars, but with the included compression rings there is a decent gap. Will need to see if I can grind them down to minimize that, unless others have a good idea.



Waiting on cranks and tires, no hurry here though as the weather is dreadful for at least the next 1.5 months.....

That paint looks very nice

[Grailer]

Finally got my FM326 build done! Paid for on December 21st, received in California on January 20th. Edit: Whoops, it was delivered on Jan 15th, not the 20th.

Sram XPLR groupset and XM Carbon Speed's 32.5mm internal width gravel wheels w/ titanium spokes. 50mm tires measure out to 52.5mm WAM. About 4-5mm clearance on each side on the fork and 3-4mm clearance on the chainstays in the rear. Internal routing was easy, using the headset cap/spacers provided with the Toseek integrated handlebar.

My inseam is 86cm and I'm 178cm tall, riding a size medium with an 80mm stem. I'm about 1-2 cm from being maxed out on seatpost insertion. I maybe could have gone with a large frame, but was concerned about the longer reach, as I tend to need shorter overall reach (loong legs).

[dynomatt]

Sorry for the boring question...I'm looking at the 326 and currently ride a Ridley Kanzo Fast in size Large. I'm trying to work out the stem length and setup points i need to order given the quite different geo...while the reach is way longer, the seat post is more upright so bike insights kind of makes it look like I don't need to get a stem that exactly matches the reach on the Ridley.

Any tips for how to spec it please?

Current spec on the Ridley is a 100mm stem

[impmonkey]

Any tips for how to spec it please?

Current spec on the Ridley is a 100mm stem

Take all your current measurements and geo and put them into chatgpt. Ask it to calculate the stem for the new bike and then give it all the new geo numbers.
At my saddle height 1 degree of seat angle ate up 12mm of reach

[v0llhirsch]

After a first attempt with some hiccups, I consider today's ride my first test ride with the bike.
I have changed a few things:
- reduced the stem to 70mm, just like the Mondraker Arid would have in M/L
- maxed out saddle setback, I might even consider switching to a seat post with setback again
- lowered the saddle height

This makes for a very compact, comfortable position. I might even remove the 5mm spacer on the stem.

The high seat post, wide 9velo wheels and 50mm Rx pro, make the ride is super smooth.
Cobblestones, gravel, whatever, you roll over it like nothing whereas before my teeth might have clattered.
I really enjoyed this ride and look forward to re ride my usual trails to experience how different it is.

Two notes:
I added a 52mm O ring over the headset seal and between the cap, fits perfectly and seals everything.

Water came in the storage unit during bike wash, I will try to find a solution and share it. Thanks for the headset up, I wiped it away before it drowned my utility bag

[impmonkey]

I added a 52mm O ring over the headset seal and between the cap, fits perfectly and seals everything.

Just a standard oring? Seems like a good idea.

[Grailer]

After a first attempt with some hiccups, I consider today's ride my first test ride with the bike.

Definitely keep us posted if you find a decent way to "weatherproof" the storage compartment. Love the two-tone paint job, and smart thinking about the o-ring.

While picking parts and thinking about the geo, I was also wondering if a setback post would be a good idea. I figured I would ride the stock post for a while though and see if it was necessary.

[v0llhirsch]

Just a standard oring? Seems like a good idea.

Thanks! For this headset something with 52mm outer width and 2mm thickness was the right choice:
https://amzn.eu/d/04nkslY
If you use other headsets, you might need to adjust the diameter.

For the sealant, I am thinking about either a thin rubber lip or sanitary silicone.