New 2026 Aero-light frame from Light Cycling

[Sander2177]

😆 Lol, I won't lie, and I've never pretended otherwise. I use AI dictation because it's quicker and easier for writing replies. I just need to remember to remove the prompts before posting!

Anyway, I'm deep in discussions with Daniel Zhang about the finishing details on my frame. He thinks it can be done, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It'll be pretty disappointing if it can't, to be honest. 😕

That's one of the reasons I'm seriously looking at the RF10 over the new X68. The finishing options seem much better, there are more paint choices available, and there aren't any of those crazy paint mark-ups.

I'm also looking at using the HUDUD riser bar. It looks almost identical to the Rpantahi. They've told me they can do a custom finish on the bars as well, although I'm still waiting for confirmation and cost.
The bars already come with ACR-compatible spacers, and they can also supply alternative spacers. I asked about SL8 (X68) these  are $30 USD each as they said they have to print them.

The bars themselves are $190 USD, with shipping and taxes to the UK coming in at  $40 USD, so $230 for standard bar so £175gbp  cheaper than Rpanthai as they are £225 but that is not including VAT on there Ali store which is called Bikinge Store and thats from Rpanthai no idea why thats the name not asked!

[tysta]

😆 Lol, I won't lie, and I've never pretended otherwise. I use AI dictation because it's quicker and easier for writing replies. I just need to remember to remove the prompts before posting!

Anyway, I'm deep in discussions with Daniel Zhang about the finishing details on my frame. He thinks it can be done, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It'll be pretty disappointing if it can't, to be honest. 😕

That's one of the reasons I'm seriously looking at the RF10 over the new X68. The finishing options seem much better, there are more paint choices available, and there aren't any of those crazy paint mark-ups.

I'm also looking at using the HUDUD riser bar. It looks almost identical to the Rpantahi. They've told me they can do a custom finish on the bars as well, although I'm still waiting for confirmation and cost.
The bars already come with ACR-compatible spacers, and they can also supply alternative spacers. I asked about SL8 (X68) these  are $30 USD each as they said they have to print them.

The bars themselves are $190 USD, with shipping and taxes to the UK coming in at  $40 USD, so $230 for standard bar so £175gbp  cheaper than Rpanthai as they are £225 but that is not including VAT on there Ali store which is called Bikinge Store and thats from Rpanthai no idea why thats the name not asked!

Ever since my Ryet Lexon thin line handlebar broke I've been looking at the riser bars and just came across that from HUDUD, which as you say seems to be made exactly by the same factory as the Rpanthai one (only difference I saw between them was the angle, one says 10º and another 7º but I bet it's just a mistake).
If you're able to get you a custom finish please let me know how much that ends up being and what you're asking, since I was about to buy them but going to wait for the 11/11 discounts.

Kind regards Sander2177

[Sander2177]

Ever since my Ryet Lexon thin line handlebar broke I've been looking at the riser bars and just came across that from HUDUD, which as you say seems to be made exactly by the same factory as the Rpanthai one (only difference I saw between them was the angle, one says 10º and another 7º but I bet it's just a mistake).
If you're able to get you a custom finish please let me know how much that ends up being and what you're asking, since I was about to buy them but going to wait for the 11/11 discounts.

Kind regards Sander2177

I will get more details tomorrow.

They post on Instagram as @xhlcarbonfiberbicycle.

At the moment, I can't say with certainty whether they are the actual source manufacturer. Similar to what I've learned with Rapanthai, some companies present themselves as manufacturers when they may not necessarily own the factory. Many companies publish factory walkthrough videos and production footage, but in some cases they are simply visiting the factory on scheduled production days when their products are being made and filming the process.

I've asked them for a lot more information so I can better understand exactly who they are and how they operate.

The reason I asked about custom paint is because many of their videos show painted bars, including red chrome and other custom finishes. I'm not looking for anything fancy myself, just a simple glossy finish over a raw UD carbon layup so you can still see the carbon weave and finish underneath. I was also offered a 6K carbon finish as an option.

Once I receive more details, including pricing, available finishes, technical specifications, manufacturing information and additional photos, I'll post an update.

I've already requested:

More photos of the bars
Technical drawings and specifications
Weight information they are advertising is 322g no idea what size that is
Available widths and sizes
Spacer availability
Finish options is custom paint fixed or spec dependant

As soon as they provide the information, I'll share everything I've learned. At the moment I'm still gathering facts rather than making assumptions.

[delarune]

Very interesting! Just made my order today! Was first considering x68 but everything with light cycling feels much better. I will try to pair it with the Ullicyc T5 riser bar. It’s a bit of a gamble because I have only guessed based on some assumptions what size that will fit 

[Sander2177]

Very interesting! Just made my order today! Was first considering x68 but everything with light cycling feels much better. I will try to pair it with the Ullicyc T5 riser bar. It’s a bit of a gamble because I have only guessed based on some assumptions what size that will fit 

Ok what colours did you go for.
What have you guessed? Frame size?

[delarune]

Ok what colours did you go for.
What have you guessed? Frame size?

Simple raw carbon glossy. Have some ideas of decals to put on later.

No frame size is 58 no guess there. The information about the T5 bar however is not the best. Hope total stack and reach will be fine in the end. It will be a nice winter project 

[Sander2177]

Simple raw carbon glossy. Have some ideas of decals to put on later.

No frame size is 58 no guess there. The information about the T5 bar however is not the best. Hope total stack and reach will be fine in the end. It will be a nice winter project 

Nice and how long for production and what’s shipping estimate?

[delarune]

Nice and how long for production and what’s shipping estimate?

Daniel said 10 working days to delivery. Shipping to Sweden I don’t know but normally 2-3weeks.

[Sander2177]

Daniel said 10 working days to delivery. Shipping to Sweden I don’t know but normally 2-3weeks.

10 Working Days is Rapid!
2-3weeks is looong! 
UK deliveries never take that long and you guys are not much further away

[Sander2177]

OK, trigger pulled on the RF10! . I was originally contemplating the X68, however Daniel at Light Cycling was able to do a finish Tan Tan couldn't offer.

When I first asked Daniel if the finish was possible he said it was ok, but after looking into it further it turned out not to be readily available  . When I asked again last week, he offered an alternative, but I wasn't particularly keen on it. Maybe a Plan B at some point, but not what I wanted.

Daniel confirmed this morning that everything is good to go, so apparently his lead time are 15days which are good 

Now onto bars. I thought I'd give HUDUD Riser a try. They're on AliExpress, but I reached out to them directly after seeing some of their XHL Carbon Fibre videos on Facebook and Instagram  . One thing that appealed to me is that they can do custom finishes, so I've asked for a UD paint-free gloss finish.

The RF10 uses the FSA ACR system, which is the only thing giving me a headache at the moment.
For the HUDUD bars the supplied cone spacer for the top tube is 10mm, then the headset spacers and bar cover add another 10mm, so you're already at around 20mm of stack before you've even started and there bars are an OD1/OD2 with shim.

Ideally, I'd like to see if they can produce an integrated solution so I can get the bars slammed as much as possible. The Surge geometry is pretty much identical to the SL8/SL9, only around 3mm lower. On my SL9 I already run a 10mm and 5mm spacer with a 3mm handlebar spacer (18mm) so I'm definitely not looking to end up with 20mm plus another 25mm of rise.

If anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears.

I've also spoken to the Sticky Bottle on Instagram, who can make a custom spacer but I have to measure the supplied spacer so more waiting if i have to do this an more expense.
But by the time everything is ordered and custom-made I start wondering whether the Tavelo Rise makes more sense. It's lighter, but the HUDU still appeals because of the custom paint options and the lower price point. At the moment I'm still weighing up the pros and cons.
I have also asked HUDUD for an integrated spacer they are also looking into it

[MarioCanario]

kudos for your purchase. curious to what the price ended up being? if you can/want to tell.
there website mentions 699$ all in DDP, which would be very very competetive.

why not go with someting of a milder rise? like the 8mm of the LC HBR17?   
ULTRA the one ? (never tried, but saw that on an SL8 recently)

[Sander2177]

kudos for your purchase. curious to what the price ended up being? if you can/want to tell.
there website mentions 699$ all in DDP, which would be very very competetive.

why not go with someting of a milder rise? like the 8mm of the LC HBR17?

Yes, that's right with Shipping and the custom finish added an extra $100 USD. The geometry is effectively identical to my SL8 and SL9 and well I wanted the finish I requested so they better di a good job!. The only real difference is that I'm going with a riser bar

I originally planned to get the HUDUD, but I got fed up waiting for all the back and forth over spacer questions although I did want the UD Gloss finish, but its not the end of the world!,  and I'm not the most patient person. In the end I ordered a set of Tavelo Rise bars in 380 × 120 mm.

On my SL9 I currently run a flat bar setup with an 18 mm spacer stack. The THM bars I'm using now have a 6° rise, whereas the Tavelo bars use a 10° rise. Once you factor in the head tube angle, I should only need the cone spacer and the single 10 mm spacer under the bars to achieve my position and the Tavelo also gives me a cleaner front-end setup with fewer spacers while keeping the same fit.

[MarioCanario]

In the end I ordered a set of Tavelo Rise bars in 380 × 120 mm.

way to go. i think this will look good on the RF10

[yappy]

Has anyone bought the RF09? I'm considering it.

[chanchvn]

Yes, that's right with Shipping and the custom finish added an extra $100 USD. The geometry is effectively identical to my SL8 and SL9 and well I wanted the finish I requested so they better di a good job!. The only real difference is that I'm going with a riser bar

I originally planned to get the HUDUD, but I got fed up waiting for all the back and forth over spacer questions although I did want the UD Gloss finish, but its not the end of the world!,  and I'm not the most patient person. In the end I ordered a set of Tavelo Rise bars in 380 × 120 mm.

On my SL9 I currently run a flat bar setup with an 18 mm spacer stack. The THM bars I'm using now have a 6° rise, whereas the Tavelo bars use a 10° rise. Once you factor in the head tube angle, I should only need the cone spacer and the single 10 mm spacer under the bars to achieve my position and the Tavelo also gives me a cleaner front-end setup with fewer spacers while keeping the same fit.

Looking forward to this build with your custom paint request  and review.

I'd likely mimic the same build with a tavelo riser, but im still on the fence till more people share experiences with it.