Which Mondince carbon frame?!?

[Britton]

Hello all!

My first post. I’m looking at building my first carbon gravel bike. I’m 6’3” or 190.5cm tall with an inseam of 36” or 91.44cm. I weigh 180. I’m very fit and love to run. I’m possibly thinking about gravel races in my future but for now I will mostly be going on day trip adventures 100 miles or less. Weekend warrior type stuff. I’ve been reading so much about geometry and different builds and manufacturers and Ali express and Reddit my brain is now mush lol. I think I have narrowed it down to either FM336 or FM296 but I’m not sure. My main concern is tire clearance as much as big as possible. I want progressive geometry, but not so racy that it hurts my lower back and I can’t enjoy riding. Any advice?? Attached is a quick chart of the models. Some info may be wrong or not updated, but close enough i suppose. Thank you in advance!!

[Chiyou]

If you can wait a while and depending on how highly you rate tire clearance, Mondince is working on the FM346 - just mentioning it in case it hasn't come across your radar.
57C tire clearance but more relaxed geometry, high bottom bracket - see the attachment in AngryBear's reply #44 for the geo chart

Not Mondince but also 57C clearance and more progressive geometry, lower bottom bracket: Spcycle G028 - https://www.sp-cycle.com/Spcycle-G028-Carbon-Gravel-Bike-Frame-700x57C-UDH-Hanger-Full-Internal-Cable-Gravel-Bicycle-Carbon-Frameset-p6993835.html
(Size XL is still in the cooker I believe since this is a new frame.)

I had my heart set on the FM336 up until they had to revise their claim about 50C clearance.

[Britton]

Okay cool thank you very much for taking the time to reply and give input. I will talk to Jack at Mondince regarding the new 346. Yeah I was pretty set on 336 too but then learning the clearance is really 47 made me pause. I will also check out the spcycle.

Is the difference between 47 and 50 size tire really that big?

[v0llhirsch]

Okay cool thank you very much for taking the time to reply and give input. I will talk to Jack at Mondince regarding the new 346. Yeah I was pretty set on 336 too but then learning the clearance is really 47 made me pause. I will also check out the spcycle.

Is the difference between 47 and 50 size tire really that big?

No it isn't, but you will probably find more 45mm tires or 50mm tires, but not 47mm available.
Get yourself a good pair of wheels, ideally with some larger inner width - that is more important than a 5mm difference in clearance.
Comfort equals speed on a bike.

You seem to have a long torso compared to your legs, consider that in the frame sizing and selection.

[Britton]

No it isn't, but you will probably find more 45mm tires or 50mm tires, but not 47mm available.
Get yourself a good pair of wheels, ideally with some larger inner width - that is more important than a 5mm difference in clearance.
Comfort equals speed on a bike.

You seem to have a long torso compared to your legs, consider that in the frame sizing and selection.

I like that, comfort = speed. Thanks. Noted on the wheels thank you. That’s the thing I’m struggling with though is choosing the right frame/frame geometry with my stats, a.k.a. height and inseam. When you say, choose a frame Geo based on my longer torso are you thinking long and low or more slack and upright would suit me better? Or basically if you can elaborate on your comment I would really be appreciative and interested in your insight. Thanks

[Britton]

Hey, I don’t have direct experience with it, but I’ve been digging around a lot on this topic.

From what I found across different forums, the Tideace Noah https://it.aliexpress.com/item/1005010777727021.html seems to be one of the few frames that actually handles real 50c pretty well. I saw some pics from a user (on another forum) running Schwalbe G-One RS Pro in 50c and they fit with decent clearance.

Thank you for your reply. I do like the Noah but it’s a bit out of my price range. Is th quality just really leaps above the rest?

[Chiyou]

If I understand it correctly, Tideace Noah is the same open mold design as Mondince FM296 (as well as other GR201/GV201-named frames). For whatever reason, that AliExpress listing is considerably more expensive to what Tideace advertises on its own website (at least based on the prices as they are shown to me, it may be different in other regions).

[v0llhirsch]

I like that, comfort = speed. Thanks. Noted on the wheels thank you. That’s the thing I’m struggling with though is choosing the right frame/frame geometry with my stats, a.k.a. height and inseam. When you say, choose a frame Geo based on my longer torso are you thinking long and low or more slack and upright would suit me better? Or basically if you can elaborate on your comment I would really be appreciative and interested in your insight. Thanks

The thing is, you cannot change the frame size afterwards.
So if your legs are shorter but the body is longer you need to consider what it means when you setup the bike.
A small frame might be ideal for the seat height but you might need to go extra long on the stem.
The opposite for a large frame, hopefully you can get the seat low enough but a regular stem (whatever that means) is fine.

To give you an example:
I am a bit over 180cm with 88cm inseam, so I have less upper body and  need a smaller frame to cater for the lack of reach. I am nearly maxed out on the seat post on my FM326 on medium with 77,5cm saddle height but I run a 70mm stem.

With that in my mind, go to the online sizers of the bike models ( like for the fm336 it would be trek checkmate). And because online sizers are notoriously bad by oversizing everyone, go out and read on the forums to find people with a similar body type to get an idea what might fit.
Also consider what the manufacturer intended in terms of stem length and saddle height for the given frame size. If you deviate too much, the bike might feel off.. E.g. with your dimensions the trek sizer is recommending a large frame with 100mm stem and 80mm reach handle bar.
So the bike is made for a long stem, which is good for you

[Britton]

The thing is, you cannot change the frame size afterwards.
So if your legs are shorter but the body is longer you need to consider what it means when you setup the bike.
A small frame might be ideal for the seat height but you might need to go extra long on the stem.
The opposite for a large frame, hopefully you can get the seat low enough but a regular stem (whatever that means) is fine.

To give you an example:
I am a bit over 180cm with 88cm inseam, so I have less upper body and  need a smaller frame to cater for the lack of reach. I am nearly maxed out on the seat post on my FM326 on medium with 77,5cm saddle height but I run a 70mm stem.

With that in my mind, go to the online sizers of the bike models ( like for the fm336 it would be trek checkmate). And because online sizers are notoriously bad by oversizing everyone, go out and read on the forums to find people with a similar body type to get an idea what might fit.
Also consider what the manufacturer intended in terms of stem length and saddle height for the given frame size. If you deviate too much, the bike might feel off.. E.g. with your dimensions the trek sizer is recommending a large frame with 100mm stem and 80mm reach handle bar.
So the bike is made for a long stem, which is good for you

Exactly. I can’t change the frame after I buy it lol, thank you so much for your reply and input and explanation. I have a better understanding now. I’ve been researching frame geometry regarding the stack to reach ratio. I feel like I’ve narrowed it down to the Seraph/Tantan GR201, Mondince FM296 and SPcycle g028. You said the fm336 resembles the trek checkmate. Does anyone know what the gr201 or fm296 resemble frame wise?? That would be really helpful.  But beyond that, how do I choose stem and handlebar size once I’m set on a frame? Do I need to go get fitted and they could help steer me in the right direction? Thanks!

[biceryder]

At the OP.  You mention getting into gravel and weekend riding, along with geo that doesn’t cause lower back pain.

I just built up an FM286.  Very relaxed geo and supposedly 50c clearance. I’m not planning on going bigger than 45c for the moment.  I’m in the process of putting miles on it before I post my thoughts. 

[v0llhirsch]

Exactly. I can’t change the frame after I buy it lol, thank you so much for your reply and input and explanation. I have a better understanding now. I’ve been researching frame geometry regarding the stack to reach ratio. I feel like I’ve narrowed it down to the Seraph/Tantan GR201, Mondince FM296 and SPcycle g028. You said the fm336 resembles the trek checkmate. Does anyone know what the gr201 or fm296 resemble frame wise?? That would be really helpful.  But beyond that, how do I choose stem and handlebar size once I’m set on a frame? Do I need to go get fitted and they could help steer me in the right direction? Thanks!

First of all, if you are not sure - don't go for one piece handlebars until you know what is right got you.
Handlebar width is fairly straightforward, use your shoulder width as a general indicator. I have a 420mm wide handlebar at 44cm shoulder width ( and it's fine to deviate a bit). To give you an idea what is not ideal:
The 420mm bar is actually the handlebar that came on the bike my spouse rides (it's a frame in S like small). Instead, she is sporting a 360mm handlebar now as it allows her arms to be in a natural position instead of being flared out (less strain on the hands and neck).
Channels like RCA on YouTube are gold mine for such information.

Reach is a different matter, if you have friends that ride bikes just ask around if they have a stem to spare and start from there.
If not, buy a few on AliExpress. Toseek aluminum stems work fine for me, cost about 10€ and carbon is not something that makes a difference here (my2c). Also note that handlebars have different reach, usually it's 70, 75 or 80mm.
If you have the money to get a bike fit: it changed riding for me to the positive and it was totally worth it - so that is something that I can recommend.