Chinertown
Chinese Carbon Road Bikes => Road Bike Frames, Wheels & Components => Topic started by: Vasegaard on November 29, 2025, 07:13:40 AM
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Hi community.
I am planning to build up my long term bike for the next season and I am trying to determine which frame is best, and I could use the help from someone more knowledgeable than myself. I'd prefer a more aero style frame due to living in a flat country. 1-2% of inclination is max unless you wanna do repeated hill climbs.
I've got roughly 2-2.5 K usd to spend on the frameset.
Been looking at the following:
Quick Pro ER:One and AR:One
Tavelo Arow
Cima Evovle
Seka exceed RDC and regular
Intropy Incolor SR
Avenger Shuttle SL.
Speeder SC-55RD.
What would you recommend based on your knowledge on how these frames ride if you've got experience or their aero performance? Granted some have done testing and therefore proof. Do you have any other recommendations?
Hope this makes sense.
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Morpheus Reppit
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I would go incolor intropy
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From the ones that you mention, the QuickPro ER One is the only real aero frame in your list. The others are more allrounder frames. Not that they will be slow, but that one has more aero features that in theory will result in a frame with less drag.
To make the analogy with an SL8: it's definitely not the most aero bike, but it doesn't mean you will have a big disadvantage on the flats compared to other pure aero bikes. Similar here.
I would say, pick the one that you like the most.
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From the ones that you mention, the QuickPro ER One is the only real aero frame in your list. The others are more allrounder frames. Not that they will be slow, but that one has more aero features that in theory will result in a frame with less drag.
To make the analogy with an SL8: it's definitely not the most aero bike, but it doesn't mean you will have a big disadvantage on the flats compared to other pure aero bikes. Similar here.
I would say, pick the one that you like the most.
Thanks! I pretty much like them all.
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It would be the Quick Pro for me, as they are the closest to having an international reputation IMO.
(and I've ridden with Harry Hudson 8) )
https://road.cc/content/feature/chinese-bike-harry-hudson-rode-world-champs-gold-316143
Second choice is the Incolor.
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Haven't ridden any of these but this has me interested in the Quick Pro ER One
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Quick Pro is the safe choice.
Interesting choice is the Intropy. Particularly the SSR.
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Quick Pro is the safe choice.
Interesting choice is the Intropy. Particularly the SSR.
It is nice looking, but price is waayy too steep for a Chinese brand IMO.
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A lot of us have gone for SP Cycles R088. Which is not a copy of, but similar to Tarmac SP8. I’ve gone high end with a slightly higher budget than yours. Weight was my priority over a full blown aero build :)
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I’m sure some of these frames are great, but it gets to a point where you might as well just buy a discounted SL8 frame.
At least it will have some resell value if you decide to sell it, plus it’s a known performer.
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It is nice looking, but price is waayy too steep for a Chinese brand IMO.
I don’t think we should look at where it comes from, but the specs it offers.
Mych more innovative than anything else this year bar the Factor One.
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Eh, that seatpost... one step forward, one step back.
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I’m sure some of these frames are great, but it gets to a point where you might as well just buy a discounted SL8 frame.
At least it will have some resell value if you decide to sell it, plus it’s a known performer.
Are you saying you don’t think the £500 R088 is worth it, and that I should get a £4000 SL8 instead? Not sure you’re on the right forum for that my friend! There’s a lot of people on this forum that have the R088 frameset and like it. My build would cost x4 if I went with a western brand not OEM.
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Are you saying you don’t think the £500 R088 is worth it, and that I should get a £4000 SL8 instead? Not sure you’re on the right forum for that my friend! There’s a lot of people on this forum that have the R088 frameset and like it. My build would cost x4 if I went with a western brand not OEM.
No mention of an R088 on that list 🤷🏼♂️
Of those frames that are listed, some are 2k plus. You can get an SL8 frame for 2.5k. ( depending on size and colour )
That’s my suggestion.
So please read things before jumping to conclusions - thanks
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Eh, that seatpost... one step forward, one step back.
On the SSR?
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At this price point, you have already missed some crazy BF deals from places like Bike 24 on branded frames that would have put them in your price range. If you are (un)lucky there might be a Bianchi Oltre in your size within your price range.
Are you saying you don’t think the £500 R088 is worth it, and that I should get a £4000 SL8 instead? Not sure you’re on the right forum for that my friend! There’s a lot of people on this forum that have the R088 frameset and like it. My build would cost x4 if I went with a western brand not OEM.
OP clearly set a price point well above the R088, probably because the R088 is technically inferior and not a bike developed with aero in mind. Do those differences matter? IDK. We have no idea of stiffness values for the R088, and 200-250g of weight for the whole frameset doesn't matter to most people, but to the person looking at the Evolve Cima, they have already decided that it does.
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At this price point, you have already missed some crazy BF deals from places like Bike 24 on branded frames that would have put them in your price range. If you are (un)lucky there might be a Bianchi Oltre in your size within your price range.
OP clearly set a price point well above the R088, probably because the R088 is technically inferior and not a bike developed with aero in mind. Do those differences matter? IDK. We have no idea of stiffness values for the R088, and 200-250g of weight for the whole frameset doesn't matter to most people, but to the person looking at the Evolve Cima, they have already decided that it does.
Been looking at Bike24 but haven’t round anything in my size except the bianchi, however I am not a massive fan of the frame
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On the SSR?
yea, not the biggest fan of the bayonet execution either.
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Although I have SC-R55, I bought it because of really shitty roads in my area. I had several aero bikes before and I am tired of being beaten up after long rides. I wanted to retain some aero, gain decent compliance and modern geometry, so for me the choice was obvious.
For your use case I'd say the Qucick Pro will be the best. As others mentioned, rest of the frames are more in all-rounder category. If you have nice roads and mostly flat routes, go for all-in aero bike.
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Although I have SC-R55, I bought it because of really shitty roads in my area. I had several aero bikes before and I am tired of being beaten up after long rides. I wanted to retain some aero, gain decent compliance and modern geometry, so for me the choice was obvious.
For your use case I'd say the Qucick Pro will be the best. As others mentioned, rest of the frames are more in all-rounder category. If you have nice roads and mostly flat routes, go for all-in aero bike.
Thank you!
I think we have semi decent roads here but there are definitely better roads in other countries.
I think we have semi decent
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No mention of an R088 on that list 🤷🏼♂️
Of those frames that are listed, some are 2k plus. You can get an SL8 frame for 2.5k. ( depending on size and colour )
That’s my suggestion.
So please read things before jumping to conclusions - thanks
Yup, my bad, I read 2.5K for build not frameset only 😉
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Has anyone got experience og reviret from intropy?
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So I found an Intropy SR on a cheap and ordered it. Looking forward to a comparison to my Quick Pro ER One.
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Where did you find it?
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Cyclegears sold it for 1470 EUR including handlebar because of dead stock. Only one available in Size 58 but with a 150x395 handlebar. I need to change that.
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Been looking at the following:
Quick Pro ER:One and AR:One
Tavelo Arow
Cima Evovle
Seka exceed RDC and regular
Intropy Incolor SR
Avenger Shuttle SL.
Speeder SC-55RD.
I am curious about the reasoning for including the Speeder SC-55RD?
It seems like the odd one out. The rest of your list (Seka, Tavelo, Intropy) are higher-end proprietary designs that actually fit your $2.5k budget, while the Speeder is a standard OEM frame that usually sits in the <$1k bracket.
If you are open to that category of frame, why Speeder specifically and not LightCarbon? Just trying to understand if there is a specific attribute you are looking for, or if the price difference isn't a factor for you.
Not saying the speeder is shit: it still is a reputable OEM supplier for BAAS (SC-R49D), State,...
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I am curious about the reasoning for including the Speeder SC-55RD?
It seems like the odd one out. The rest of your list (Seka, Tavelo, Intropy) are higher-end proprietary designs that actually fit your $2.5k budget, while the Speeder is a standard OEM frame that usually sits in the <$1k bracket.
If you are open to that category of frame, why Speeder specifically and not LightCarbon? Just trying to understand if there is a specific attribute you are looking for, or if the price difference isn't a factor for you.
Not saying the speeder is shit: it still is a reputable OEM supplier for BAAS (SC-R49D), State,...
I think because the price is higher than the usual OEM brands like lightcarbon. I have a frame from Adapt(which is basically the same as Speeder) and it cost me 1k usd whereas if I buy from lightcarbon, it will just be 600 usd
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I think because the price is higher than the usual OEM brands like lightcarbon. I have a frame from Adapt(which is basically the same as Speeder) and it cost me 1k usd whereas if I buy from lightcarbon, it will just be 600 usd
Can you tell me where that ~50% price increase actually comes from? AFAIK they both use Toray carbon, have minimal yet decent R&D, and good QC.
I am not bashing Speeder/Adapt or glazing LightCarbon, but I am trying to wrap my head around the positioning here.
Vasegaard puts the Speeder SC-55RD next to the "best China can offer" (Seka, Tavelo, etc.), but in my head, Speeder has always been closer to the OEM tier (LightCarbon, Carbonda) with lower R&D/Aero testing budgets than the "super brands."
I myself would choose a LightCarbon over a Speeder because they seem to be in the exact same tier, just with a lower price tag (maybe because LightCarbon is more aggressive on B2C pricing?).
But this thread is making me doubt that conclusion. Is there something I am missing that justifies the premium or the inclusion in that top-tier list?
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I think because the price is higher than the usual OEM brands like lightcarbon. I have a frame from Adapt(which is basically the same as Speeder) and it cost me 1k usd whereas if I buy from lightcarbon, it will just be 600 usd
BTW, Speeder catalogue seems more basic, while adapt have a larger catalogue. I cant find anything from speeder that fits me and is the thing i am looking for. Speeder says they dont sell adapt models found on their site, and adapt doenst answer my e-mails for a single frame.
Where, what and how did you order?
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Can you tell me where that ~50% price increase actually comes from? AFAIK they both use Toray carbon, have minimal yet decent R&D, and good QC.
I am not bashing Speeder/Adapt or glazing LightCarbon, but I am trying to wrap my head around the positioning here.
Vasegaard puts the Speeder SC-55RD next to the "best China can offer" (Seka, Tavelo, etc.), but in my head, Speeder has always been closer to the OEM tier (LightCarbon, Carbonda) with lower R&D/Aero testing budgets than the "super brands."
I myself would choose a LightCarbon over a Speeder because they seem to be in the exact same tier, just with a lower price tag (maybe because LightCarbon is more aggressive on B2C pricing?).
But this thread is making me doubt that conclusion. Is there something I am missing that justifies the premium or the inclusion in that top-tier list?
I think the tiered list type of thinking really falls apart when you start thinking about Carbonda and Speeder.
The reason here is pretty darn simple. When it comes to how common they are in terms of being rebadged or distributed, those two reach into mainstream brands people know, and in Speeder's case, their forks can be found on really high-end custom builds featured at MADE, Spoken, etc. Speeder components are distributed in many western countries too. This is really different than just being rebadged and sold by a small brand.
Does this make them higher quality? Not necessarily. But, if their forks are willingly accepted and used on $5000 framesets it does indicate that they have reached a higher level of maturity as a business.
As for the cost, you may end up spending much more on higher-end materials and processes that don't yield much noticeable benefit for the customer. Maybe you have a higher internal benchmark for performance or a specific shape you want to achieve because you think it helps you differentiate. That can end up spanning the difference of a few hundred dollars really quickly. Furthermore, if your customers are more professional, they bring higher volumes but are also likely to demand more stringent testing for liability reasons.
Rather than evaluate these companies at a brand level, I would evaluate the frames for what they are. To my knowledge, Lightcarbon doesn't sell anything publicly that matches the Speeder SC55RD. LTK does with the 266-D-SL. Once the costs come together, the pricing isn't that different.
Speaking of Carbonda, on paper Quick Pro, right now, seems ahead of everyone else in terms of both value and specs if you are looking at the UR:One or ER:One as complete bikes.
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And speaking of Adapt, I have yet to see a brand that uses the model I have which is DP-B02. Closest I know is from Nich but the only similarity was the design and not the geometry.
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I'd have to know what size you're going for, because the Avenger Shuttle has slacker seat angles in the larger sizes + a 15mm offset seatpost.
Overall I get the feeling that Chinese bikes and components have really gone mainstream last year. I know 2 bikeshops here in the province of Bolzano who are selling Magene stuff (bikecomputers and powermeters) and one hour away from my hometown (across the Austrian border) there is a shop who is doing costum builds with the Seka Spear and the Evolve Cime (they also have Elitewheels) + another Seka dealer nearby (they are really building up their dealer network in central Europe, between Austria, Germany and Slovenia you have many options).