Chinertown
Chinese Carbon MTB => 29er => Topic started by: jefflinde on February 17, 2025, 12:20:32 PM
-
Starting a build thread for the DH frame from Carbonda and DIY Carbon. i don't have the frame yet but i have many of the components. I have gone with a full Shimano Saint build. I went with Saint 820 hubs as well but I had to get an adapter for the front hub to work with the boost rotor spacing on the fork. the rear hub is a 150mm spaced so I need two 3.5mm spacers to work with the 157mm frame spacing.
Wheel build specs:
Hubs are Saint 820
Rims are DT Swiss FR 541's
Spokes are DT Swiss champion race.
Rotors are Shimano MT905 6-bolt - due to boost adapter for fork.
Cassette is Shimano XT M771 11-36 10 speed
Inserts are Rimpact V2
-
pics
-
Since this is a DH bike, i know that the weight weenies among us will want all the weights. ;)
Wheels (rim, nipples, washers, spokes and hubs): 2164g
Cassette: 335
Rotors (2x MT905 203mm):406g
Inserts 2x: 110g each
-
For the drive train. i went full Saint 10spd. weights and pictures below
Cranks: Saint 820 w/ 36T chain ring 165mm - 822g
BB: Saint bb - 93g
Derailleur: Saint 820-SS - 272g
Shifter: Saint 820-ispec - 189g
Chain Guide: Shimano CD50
Brakes: Saint 820 - 606g set
-
Tires are going to be Schwalbe's new radial Magic Mary (F) and Albert (R) in the Gravity Pro casing. i have the weights below but no pics. i will post some pictures once I get them mounted up. I will have tubes in them first to stretch them out and then i will set them up tubeless with the Rimpact inserts. i am hoping the Albert is a little closer to actual size. i have a trail casing Albert on my trail bike and it is a few mm under size.
Magic Mary Gravity 2.5 - 1258g
Albert Gravity 2.5 - 1313g
-
Few more parts came in. Big one is the fork, I found a fox 40 performance for a great price. i swapped out all the steel m6 bolts for that sweet sweet titanium. massive savings of 25g. ;D Also the stem, seat, seat post, handlebar and grips. the stem got the the Ti bolt treatment too. 17g baby!!
Stem - Tharsis 3Five DM - 177g Ti bolt upgrade 150g
handlebars - Tharsis 3Five - 203g
Grips - Wolftooth fat paw Cam - 89g
Saddle - PRO tharsis 9.8 - 198g
Seatpost - Elita one - 143g
Fork - Fox 40 Performance w/Ti bolts - 2787
-
I went with a Fox 40 Performance myself, so I can upgrade it to Grip X2 for a little less than a brand new Factory and spread out the cost. Plus I think the black look with red metallic decals will look better than Kashima next to all that gloss Nukeproof red 8)
It’ll be interesting to see how I feel about my choice when it’s all finished and dialed in…the Dissent is pretty and arguably more refined than the 1286 but I love how my FM1003 handles/jumps and the idea of scaling that up to full DH without changing it too much was appealing.
I’m nervous that the Dissent won’t jump as naturally because its kinematic is more tuned to racing and staying on the ground (higher leverage off the top, pivot further forward).
-
Some definite similarities in our builds…I’m going for DT FR541 rims, Saint drivetrain and Schwalbe Albert radials too. I hope they don’t run small because I’m used to 2.6 Hans Dampfs on my FM1003.
-
Yes the kashima coating was king of a turn off for me. Too flashy. I think your set up should look pretty sweet. I have a set of the Albert's on a trail wheel set and unfortunately that tire and the gravity version for this build are both undersized. I will get some new measurements in case they stretched at all but both of them were at about 59.5mm on a 30mm internal rim. The trail wheeler set is a DT Swiss xm481. I am hoping that the new fancy casing will make up for the smaller footprint. I have not had a chance to ride either one as it is still snowy here.
I was very tempted by the Dissent. I think it looks more DH bike that the 1286. I do live a crazy linkage set up. I am just too cheap when it comes to frames to go that route. But you should definitely post a bunch of pics. Since it was made by Carbondale I think it qualifies for this foru
-
Some definite similarities in our builds…I’m going for DT FR541 rims, Saint drivetrain and Schwalbe Albert radials too. I hope they don’t run small because I’m used to 2.6 Hans Dampfs on my FM1003.
What hubs did you end up going with for your build?
-
What hubs did you end up going with for your build?
Wheels are my next step, I’m thinking Hope Pro 5s. Decent price for beefy hub bodies and very low drag with their new seal and freehub designs.
I’m used to Industry Nine hubs for snappy little bursts of sprinting but wanted less pedal kickback on harsh landings so the 108 POE is a nice middle ground. I just hope (no pun intended) that they aren’t too quiet, the Hydras and my past Pro 4s are good for letting slower riders know I’m coming up behind them ;)
I thought about Saint hubs but didn’t want to deal with any classic Shimano cup and cone bearing shenanigans. Hopefully that turns out not to be an issue for you — I’ll be curious to see how your use of adapters on both ends plays out.
-
I was very tempted by the Dissent. I think it looks more DH bike that the 1286. I do live a crazy linkage set up. I am just too cheap when it comes to frames to go that route. But you should definitely post a bunch of pics. Since it was made by Carbonda I think it qualifies for this forum
It’s at my LBS right now getting the reach adjust headset installed (trying +6mm to start, default reach is the same as the large 1286 but 465mm seems a bit short to me) and a couple other build steps done to save me from trashing my arthritic back like I do with all my other build projects.
I’m planning to make a build thread with some pics this week when I get it back. Should start to get an idea of what it will look like now that the fork, stem, bar, shifter and brakes will be on.
-
Those are all great choices. i have had Shimano hubs for years and have just gotten used to the cup and cone thing. gives me one extra thing to fart around with. here are some pics of the wheels with tires and some measurements of the tire widths. i have tubes in them at the moment and they are at about 35psi. i am hoping to stretch them out as much as possible before i put the inserts in and set them up tubeless.
-
the shock arrived. another pink bike special. went with an air shock as it was a pain in the butt getting the coil sorted out on the 1266 enduro bike. i will probably end up on a coil on this bike but this popped up and was too good of a deal to pass up. i know the shock was going to be big but i was still surprised at how big the shock is.
-
the shock arrived. another pink bike special. went with an air shock as it was a pain in the butt getting the coil sorted out on the 1266 enduro bike. i will probably end up on a coil on this bike but this popped up and was too good of a deal to pass up. i know the shock was going to be big but i was still surprised at how big the shock is.
Even my Bomber Air (Float X) looks pretty big in 250x75. The negative chamber bulge is proportionally bigger than smaller sizes which looks slightly weird but I’m not even sure if high volume shocks fit the Dissent since it sits so low in the frame and has cables running along both sides. I figured the stock tune Bomber Air was a good starting place since DVO (my usual go-to) doesn’t currently sell an air shock in 250x75.
The X2 makes a lot of sense for the 1286. That bike is going to be an absolute weapon.
-
Those are all great choices. i have had Shimano hubs for years and have just gotten used to the cup and cone thing. gives me one extra thing to fart around with. here are some pics of the wheels with tires and some measurements of the tire widths. i have tubes in them at the moment and they are at about 35psi. i am hoping to stretch them out as much as possible before i put the inserts in and set them up tubeless.
I’ll be curious to see another measurement when you have those set up tubeless at that same kind of pressure…pros are running several PSI higher than non-radials so for me I’m guessing mid 30s in the rear and 30 front.
I’ve ordered an Albert Gravity 2.6 to test tire clearance in the rear. NP says 2.5 but that’s with generous mud clearance and probably the shortest (440mm) rear axle flip chip position. Maybe the 2.6 will be fine at 445. If only the 2.5 really fits, I’m not sure what I’ll do. Different tire sizes front and rear have always felt weird to me, but what I want is more like 2.55 not 2.45.
Tire clearance is one of the gambles I took with the Dissent. On the 1286 you can definitely fit 2.6s with room to spare. I’ve always run 2.6 Hans Dampfs on my 1266 (that are really closer to 2.7) and would only consider switching it to the Alberts if I’m really happy with them on the Dissent.
-
I will get some measurements once I convert the wheels over. Did you see that Nuke proof is alive again. You may snagged a frame at just the right time. I had reached out to DIY Carbon about my frame since we are coming up on 30 days and I had not heard anything. Long story short, the price they were charging was for the non-UDH version which was actually the Dissent frame. If I wanted the 1286 frame, I had to pay another $200. They said the shock was a different size on the non-UDH frame and since I didn't want to have to deal with the shock issue, I paid the extra money. Hopefully they can ship quickly now. We just got 11" of snow so not like I can get out any time soon but I want to be able fondle the bike in my office. Hahahah.
Have you received the Dissent frame yet?
-
I will get some measurements once I convert the wheels over. Did you see that Nuke proof is alive again. You may snagged a frame at just the right time. I had reached out to DIY Carbon about my frame since we are coming up on 30 days and I had not heard anything. Long story short, the price they were charging was for the non-UDH version which was actually the Dissent frame. If I wanted the 1286 frame, I had to pay another $200. They said the shock was a different size on the non-UDH frame and since I didn't want to have to deal with the shock issue, I paid the extra money. Hopefully they can ship quickly now. We just got 11" of snow so not like I can get out any time soon but I want to be able fondle the bike in my office. Hahahah.
Have you received the Dissent frame yet?
That’s weird since the 1286 and Dissent both use 250x75, and Carbonda has the Dissent priced higher than the 1286 not lower. I do worry about replacing stuff like the flip chip integrated hanger (even with a new company taking over) so UDH is another area where I think the 1286 is a safer bet.
Fingers crossed you don’t have any more complications from them, and they can actually get you a 1286 sooner than Carbonda’s “maybe April” timeline.
My Dissent arrived over a month ago, it’s been at my LBS/wheelbuilder for three weeks having a few steps done for me like installing the reach-adjust headset and Hayes Dominions. I think they had to order the special Hayes bleed kits and such before they could finish it. Soon it will just need wheels, and I’m starting to order the parts for those.
I thought I’d have a build thread up by now but the first round of work at the LBS is taking longer than expected. In the meantime I have the FR541 rims and GRIP X2 damper for the Fox 40. Just need to get the hubs and have the wheel builds started which will probably take a few more weeks.
-
That’s weird since the 1286 and Dissent both use 250x75, and Carbonda has the Dissent priced higher than the 1286 not lower. I do worry about replacing stuff like the flip chip integrated hanger (even with a new company taking over) so UDH is another area where I think the 1286 is a safer bet.
I thought that the dissent had a 250x75 shock and was surprised when they said it was a different size. I am guessing they just mis-spoke. too late now though. Can't wait to see your new rig. I am hoping the weather here turns warm real quick so I can get mine out ASAP once it arrives.
-
Any News? In interested in this frame ;D
-
So i have ordered the frame from DIY Carbon. i am still waiting on the frame to ship. there was some confusion initially so that delayed things. i actually reached out earlier today to see where things are at. hopefully it has been shipped and i can get to building.
-
UPDATE: So i have the frame. took a bit to ship but it only took 2 days to actually travel which was incredible to watch on the tracking website. My plan was to do a custom paint job with a white to black fade. got the first coat down and then when i painted the second coat, 50% of the frame went crinkly on me. So i spent a day trying to clean it all off and sand it back down. so new plans are to just go all black with some color splotched on there.
But i am too impatient so i quickly through all the parts on and took some pics just to see what this beast will look like. The frame has guide tubes for the cable routing so that makes this super easy to install. Also the inside is super clean looking. i don't have a boar scope or anything but looking in the head tube and feeling in the BB shell, all looks good. All the mating surfaces look to have been faces. headset cups lined up perfectly and BB threaded in super smooth. no issue with the BB threads at all.
-
Looking good! One thing that surprises me is that pictures of other FM-1286s make it look like the rear triangle is basically the same as the 1266 but yours looks noticeably different: some differences in the details of the shape but in particular it looks vertically shorter…more like the super compact swingarm of the Nukeproof Dissent.
Which reminds me I need to hurry up and make my Dissent build thread, now that it’s close to dialed…made a bunch of tweaks recently after a few sessions at Highland Bike Park, installed a 2026 X2 shock and tried out the progression adjustment (went back to 21% since 28% was too mushy off the top and sucked the life out of jumps; added spacers and might try the round 25% pivot axle at some point since braking bumps are harsh at 21%).
Can’t wait until you have your build finished up so we can get some ride reports! Looks like it’s going to be a real beast.
-
Took this beast out to the local lift service trails. Short answer is, AMAZING. Now I have never had a DH bike so I have nothing to compare it to directly but I do have the Carbonda super enduro with 180mm travel and I have spent lots of time on it at this same bike park and out in Moab as well. The 1286 is just like a more burly, more squishy version of that. Everything worked great and the biggest difference is the torsional stiffness of the dual crown fork. I think that alone is making the bike feel so much more burly. The way it track through rocks and roots is so confidence inspiring. My 1266 enduro has a 38mm fork but there was a very noticeable difference between that and Fox 40 on the DH bike. I am tempted to swap the fox40 on to the 1266 and see what that rides like.
Some changes I made while riding were to suspension obviously. I need to slide the forks up a bit and see if that helps. The front seems really long and was kind of awkward on the slower flat trails. Which is expected giving this bike's purpose but I would like to see if it negatively impacts the steep trail performance. Maybe I can get a "better in both worlds" change. I ended up taking the chain guide off. It was really slapping around and making lots of noise. I HATE noise so after like 2 runs it was back to the truck and I took it off. Also I need to get some protection on the drive side seat stay. The chain hits the bottom of the seat stay and makes noise. It also chips if the paint and I don't want any damage back there. One suspension bolt loosed up a bit and cause some play so I tightened that up and all was right in the world again.
One thing I didn't realize is how horrible DH bikes are to pedal. There is a small hill from the parking lot up to the lift (maybe 50vert feet total) and it SUCKS to climb. So walking is how I got around. I kind of knew this but just interesting to experience it. I do love that the seat is low so when you stop to check something out or take a break, you can sit and relax very nicely.
Over all I am super happy with this bike. There are definitely some quirks with the DH style bike but it is awesome in the rough and chunky.
-
some pics through out the day.
-
Almost forgot the most important thing. Hahaha. Bike weight is 35.8lbs or 16.2 kg. Honestly very shocked at the weight. That weight is ready to rise with pedals. I am running an insert in the rear and a tpu tube in the front at the moment. If I do go with the insert in the front, I think I will still be at or under 36lbs. Definitely looking at playing around with one of those mass dampers.
Has anyone else run a mass damper on either their DH or enduro bike? Thoughts on them?
-
The thing I find weird about tuned mass dampers is that they’re almost always mounted off center (bolted to one of the dual crown legs near the top, etc). Also that they are almost always a fixed setup that can’t be adjusted, so it has to be tuned to your needs at the factory and you can’t use it for significantly different rides than intended (flow vs gnarly tech, etc).
They’re a good idea but I think the actual implementation of them even just for DH bikes is not very mature yet — especially for non-racers.
I think they’re best for DH racing and somewhat less so for typical park riding that is more flow and jumps. If anything they might resist that ideal feeling of “pop” off of jumps somewhat
-
As for a chainstay protector I highly recommend VHS Tape, either 2.0 or 3.0 are both great (it can be tough to find lately for some reason, so take whichever version you can find). The air-filled damping nubs work so well.
I wonder if you may have needed a different chain guide or spacers to offset it enough from the frame/chain. Also, figuring out chain length with Saint is kind of weird compared to normal trail drivetrains…I think you may have made the same mistake I did in making the chain too short. The derailleur probably needs to be more back angled in the high gears, because it can’t control slap as well when it’s that vertical.
I’m putting on a longer chain and swapping from a MRP AMg guide to an MRP G5 SL (lower pulley tensioner type) to hopefully control the intense chain shaking and super low bottom chain tension I’m currently getting on my Dissent. With the addition of the tensioner it will probably need at least 2-3 more links to get the derailleur more back tilted in the top gears and then I can reduce what was probably excessive B-tension.
-
How’s the frame holding up?
-
How’s the frame holding up?
So far so good. I will be getting it out on the trails again in a week. I have hopefully quieted down the chain noise by adding some Lizard skin carbon leather to the DS seat stay. I like that stuff as it is thicker and has a little padding built in. Also I took off the Saint chain guide and chain guard pieces and went with a Oneup Components bash guide. I have this setup on my 1266 and it has worked great. The. bash part is also now frame mounted instead of chainring mounted like the Saint on is. Everything else has been great. I have the new Schwalbe radial tires on this bike and on my enduro bike and they are hands down better than anything else I have tried. Shameless plug for them but they are great. The flexibility and grip is unreal. Had them in copper harbor a few weeks back and even in the rain, they gripped like mad on the technical rock climbs and trails. They still pedal really well too which is nice and they roll really quiet. I have onyx hubs on that bike and tire noise is very noticeably lower on the radials compared to the previous gen. I am running Magic Mary and Albert on both the enduro and the 1286, just different casings