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Re: Mondince new 2026 Aero Gravel
Ordered a S and an XL FM316... the small arrives this Wednesday October 8 (had to pay $81 import fee in the US 🤔) The XL is due late Oct/early Nov October 06, 2025, 04:15:31 PM |
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Re: Mondince new 2026 Aero Gravel
The small arrived. The XL goes into production at the end of October.
October 08, 2025, 01:55:35 PM |
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Re: Mondince new 2026 Aero Gravel
Finally had a chance to take a look in the box, here's the hardware they included.... Pleasantly surprise they included an internal routing headset. Internal storage  Top of head tube - a little rough on one side but fine...  Bottom of head tube  Bottom bracket  Seat tube  Closer look at the seat stay  Overall, I'm impressed with the build quality given the price point. I've seen some complaints about the aggressive geometry but I think it's overblown. Here's a comparison between a Medium FM316 (in the updated geometry put out by Mondince) and comparable Canyon Grail:   I don't consider this to be extreme at all. I'm a gravel racer and have seen the natural progression of reach from novice to experienced rider over time. If speed is your concern then you run the risk of capping potential if you hem yourself into a restrictive range, IMO. Many here had similar gripes about the Yishun R086 but I've been perfectly fine with it, even with a 130mm stem. October 12, 2025, 01:56:53 PM |
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Re: Mondince new 2026 Aero Gravel
My frame arrived eventually, I'm quite impressed with the paintjob, it looks very well done Frame and fork are quite well finished, seatpost looks a bit cheap but nothing to worry about Also the frame storage it's not just a cutout but an bathtub shaped insert inside the downtube, everything seems allright I'll just to measure everything and make it work Edit updated pictures October 19, 2025, 02:51:22 PM |
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Re: Mondince new 2026 Aero Gravel
How much seatpost is left inside the frame? 188mm (I'd say ~70mm usable...sorry I forgot to measure to max line  ) left @ 685mm saddle height on size S: Oh and do they offer some kind of pouch for the storage compartment or do you just throw your stuff in? Yep, here's a picture of the provided pouch: 
November 05, 2025, 11:36:27 AM |
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Re: Mondince new 2026 Aero Gravel
Today was my 3rd ride on the FM316, 1st on gravel at a race in West Texas. The bike was amazing. As reported in my 1st ride on tarmac, it feels very much like a road bike while maintaining compliance and stability. I felt in full control on loose turns amidst a pack, managed washboards without much discomfort, and descended w/ ease. It accelerates much better than what I was previously used to. In short, it performed flawlessly. (I, on the other hand, did not) Some shots after the race:   
November 09, 2025, 12:34:47 AM |
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Re: Mondince new 2026 Aero Gravel
Some pics of the FM316 in action this past Saturday    
November 14, 2025, 09:35:31 AM |
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Re: Mondince new 2026 Aero Gravel
I took mine out for a quick test ride this morning before taping the bars and it rides well. It feels very stable though I'll need to experiment with tyre pressures to get some grip in the woods at the moment.
December 06, 2025, 08:25:59 AM |
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Re: Mondince new 2026 Aero Gravel
I couldn't reach it with my fingers but improvised and created this tool. Some sandpaper glued to the tip of a thin screwdriver. This allowed me to get to the problematic spot and remove enough glue that the wedge now fits. Problem solved. Other than that, frame looks ok. The bottom bracket screws in easily, without any issues. The headset and fork assembles well, with no significant gaps. I'm starting to assemble it, but to finish it I still need the wheels, which I only ordered 3 days ago. December 06, 2025, 12:43:23 PM |
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Re: Mondince new 2026 Aero Gravel
Finally managed to swap fork and test the bike also with the 420mm one I did 600km with the 395mm fork and around 250km with the 420mm FM316 with 395mm fork -Ride feel is more similar to a road bike. -Stable also downhill on gravel as you feel more "in" the bike rather than on top of it. -Using the flip chip with 50mm rake steering feel was alright with cheaper aluminium wheels but using carbon Tagoola XPLR it's started to be a bit twitchy on uneven gravel, I'd probably switch to 45mm rake. I'm using a negative 6 deg 80mm stem, which can give its contribution to the steering responsiveness. -Main drawback of this configuration for me was ground clearance, no problem on flat gravel roads but on very easy trails with rocks and roots pedal strikes are quite frequent even if I ride carefully. I had to keep in mind ground clearance also pedaling in roundabouts on tarmac where I never had problems with the road bike. 170mm 2x grx cranks. FM326 with 420mm fork - Front end of the bike is definitely higher, I completely slammed the stem and I'll change it to a -17deg to lower it even further. - The steering feels much more solid and precise especially on fast but uneven gravel. - Agility of the bike is not compromised though, the feeling of being "in" the bike vanished but the bike feels more playful overall; agility is now more a side-to-side freedom of movement rather than linked to steering responsiveness. - I tried my idiotic roundabout test and the limit of pedal strike is definitely higher now, it makes little sense but it gives me peace of mind when pedaling mid-corner. - Drawback of this combo is mainly related to my positioning on the bike, I really liked the 75deg seat tube angle and now I have to run my saddle all the way forward on the rail to try and replicate the same position. All things considered I think I like the 420mm fork more because it's more versatile for the type of terrain around here and overall the bike feels more playful. The FM316 stack and reach figures with a higher BB would be ideal. 
December 27, 2025, 11:09:17 AM |
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