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Re: Lightcarbon: LCR018-D (endurance all-road)
As this thread gets longer and longer there are many questions that come over and over again. I made a AI-summary based on the full content. Hope that is helpful. If you consider it spammy, than I will also delete it, but it's hard to navigate 34 pages already, and also hard to link back to the answers  Pros
Cons
Key Specs
FAQs Q: What is the delivery time for the LCR018-D? A: 52 cm available from August 2025, 54/56 cm from September, 58 cm from October–December 2025. Custom paint adds 2–4 weeks. Shipping to Europe/US takes 2–3 weeks. References: #80770, #82579, #84147, #89735, #94428 Q: What is the maximum tire clearance? A: Officially 38C, but some users report fitting 40 mm tires (e.g., Wolfpack Gravel Superspeed) with tight clearance. Actual fit depends on rim width and tire brand. References: #86577, #88166, #90644, #93865, #93972 Q: Is the frame UDH compatible? A: Yes, it uses a "mini UDH" hanger that is lighter but functionally identical to standard UDH. Standard UDH hangers can also be installed. References: #86137, #89638, #93324, #94270 Q: What is the maximum chainring size for 1x setups? A: SRAM up to 54T (45 mm chainline). Shimano up to 42T. Larger chainrings require chainline adjustments. References: #87210, #88339, #88440, #89637 Q: Does the frame have internal storage? A: Yes, an optional downtube storage compartment is available, free for early orders (includes storage bag). References: #80788, #84475, #84625, #84664 Q: What bottom bracket standard does it use? A: T47 (85.5 mm shell width), compatible with Shimano 24 mm, SRAM DUB, and other cranksets with adapters. References: #90220, #93826, #93845, #93934 Q: What handlebar options are available? A: Integrated HBR17 handlebar with stem lengths from 80–130 mm and widths from 360–420 mm. Rise is 8 mm, reach is short for a modern fit. References: #84621, #86835, #91712, #93808 Q: Is custom paint available? A: Yes, custom paint jobs start around $120 for simple designs and go up to $200+ for complex schemes (e.g., Eurobike demo). Decals cost extra. References: #82643, #90228, #91263, #94467 Q: What is the frame weight? A: Approximately 1000 g for size 52 (without storage door), fork ~430 g, handlebar ~300 g (380×80 mm). Total frameset around 2.1 kg. References: #92694, #93422, #93480, #94746 Q: How does the geometry compare to other bikes? A: Similar to Enve Fray, Cervelo Caledonia, Canyon Endurace, and BMC Roadmachine — endurance-focused with higher stack and moderate reach. References: #80878, #84320, #86818, #89513 October 21, 2025, 04:23:15 AM |
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Re: Lightcarbon: LCR018-D (endurance all-road)
Finally an update, painting is finished and ready for shipment. I had to change from the 400/100mm handlebar to 380/90mm, due to the ordered one is out of stock and would take another 2 weeks to make. Also added the 15mm SB seat post for 50USD to my order, just to be a bit more flexible with the position and adjustment. Here some screenshots from a video which Wendy send me. October 28, 2025, 04:16:50 AM |
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Re: Lightcarbon: LCR018-D (endurance all-road)
My size 50 frame is finished and will be shipped soon 🤩 It's raw matte carbon with black logos and a storage compartment 😊 November 06, 2025, 01:50:49 AM |
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Re: Lightcarbon: LCR018-D (endurance all-road)
Have just placed an order for a size 54 frame (am 178cm tall), in Chameleon green/blue (08HS), no logos, with extra top tube and bottom tube accessory mounts, a DUB BB, spare accessory cover and bag, and both seat post types - total shipped to UK was $1045 inc PP fees. Bagged some EliteWheels Aero+ 53 wheels in 11:11 sale and now I need to start shopping round for the groupset to put on it. Looking forward to seeing what the paint looks like IRL!
November 11, 2025, 09:49:12 AM |
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Re: Lightcarbon: LCR018-D (endurance all-road)
Finished the build tonight at long last. What a beautiful bike - the raw carbon gloss finish really is amazing and I’m so glad I went for it. Bike was so easy to build. A quick 5 minute test confirmed the bike is solid as a rock and as comfortable as you would ever hope for - the geometry is superb. To be able to climb straight onto a bike and feel instantly comfortable and at home says it all. Ultegra 8170 is absolutely ridiculous. Silent to the point where I wasn’t even sure I changed gear and so fast across the range. Weighed in around 7.35kg with pedals which is right on target. Hope to get an hour out on it tomorrow so hopefully will be able to report back after that, but initial impressions are really, really positive.   
November 11, 2025, 05:50:15 PM |
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Re: Lightcarbon: LCR018-D (endurance all-road)
Finally it's here, Banana for scale: https://photos.app.goo.gl/nT3KeXnNwRXrJr938 Just few first impressions:
Overall I'm surprised by the quality of the frame, the paint job was a bit difficult due to the two/three layers of paint for the crystal blue effect and the edge to the white parts. By sides the few edges mentioned above the paint job looks great, no "bad" edges from blue to white on the whole frame/fork. Will take few pictures from the inside with my 3€-HD-endoscopy-cam the next days. And i have to figure out how to remove the red color on my tires... November 12, 2025, 04:59:36 AM |
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Re: Lightcarbon: LCR018-D (endurance all-road)
I'm not fully up to speed on the various functions on Chinatown, so I'm hoping links work appropriately here. My 56CM LCR018 arrived yesterday - 8 days to US from ship date. Not bad at all. As you can see, packaging was solid and well protected. I think most people's questions about the bike and components have been answered. Still I thought the photos I took last night from unpacking and weighing might still be of interest. Overall, quality seem very good. 1) Inside and outsides of tubes are clean and look as they should. BB and brake mounts have been properly faced. No issues with the paint job. 2) Seatposts have half and full cm markings on the back, as well as minimum insertion noted. 3) I'm new to UDH, so it took a while before I was comfortable with how tight the fit was in the frame. Nonetheless, it installed fine. 4) The storage compartment closes very firmly, but if the catch slips while the cover is installed, it would be a bear to take off. I'll look at that a bit more closely before storing anything in the downtube. BTW, the storage bag appears to be of very high quality (material/seams/zipper) although I haven't check its fit in the downtube. 4) Installing the rear brake hose is easy-peasy (just push it through from the rear). 5) The handlebars look like they will also be easy to thread (conveniently large openings). 6) Headset bearings look fine for now. I don't mind disconnecting hoses from the brake levers to change bearings - so not worried about cutting hoses. 7) My tool fit the bottom bracket fine, but my largest torque wrench is 3/8 drive and I need one that's 1/2. So off to Harbor Freight tomorrow. BTW I have a set of 45mm LightCarbon gravel wheels for this frame. So far they seem nice. DT Swiss style of rachet. I ordered with CX-Ray spokes (I think that was a $70 upcharge - or about $0.70 per gram saved, which is a pretty good price to weight savings). These arrived in September, and I didn't reweigh last night, but I believe they came in at 1440 gm. As you'll see in the photos, I have both the 0mm (185 gm) and 15mm (180 gm) setback posts. Ditto for the 100x380 (360 gm) & 80X400 handlebars (325 gm). Similarly, I have a LightCarbon 3D printed saddle and an Aspide Saddle, not sure which I'll run, but show weights for each. And I have lots of headset spacers, the picture is a sample which represent what should be the most I'll ever put on the bike. The weight is shown of the bungs/seatpost clamp/seatpost-cover both with and without the battery holder (which I won't be using). Finally, the frame with nothing installed came in at 1140 gm. Again this is a 56 cm, w/ black mat paint with some gold logos. the photos can be found here:https://photos.app.goo.gl/FjqEnvsMaFZnk2fo7 November 13, 2025, 11:38:25 PM |
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Re: Lightcarbon: LCR018-D (endurance all-road)
I now have put a few hours of riding into the LCR018-D so just want to give everyone the final specs of the bike and a quick initial impression. Specification: Size 54 frameset Raw carbon, gloss finish, laser silver decals (absolutely superb - despite my love of hyper chameleon finishes, this raw carbon is by far my favourite finish). 380/80 Handlebar Inline Seatpost Ultegra 8170 Groupset with titanium bolt upgrades on the groupset and throughout the bike Frames & Gear UDH Direct Mount Hanger CeramicSpeed T47 BB Go-Zone 45mm Carbon Wheelset, 24mm internal, CX Ray Spokes, brass rainbow nipples, GP5000 30mm Tyres, Ridenow TPU tubes Galfer Wave Rotors, Swissstop 34RS brake pads YBN S12 TIC rainbow chain, waxed with Dynamic Wander Wax (soon to be moving to UFO Ultra Endurance Wax) Lightcarbon 3D print saddle and carbon bottle cages Lightcarbon titanium garmin mount Assembly: Putting the bike together was a pleasure - has to go down as the easiest bike I have ever built - and this is my first disc brake bike so that is saying something! Everything is finished to a very high standard, no problem routing any cables - handlebars are easy to route through as well - everything just works. Di2 battery holder in the seatpost is custom made to fit and is a really nice finishing touch. Another feature not really mentioned is the little GoPro mount which attaches to the Garmin mount in where the mount meets the bar - not out front at the actual Garmin faceplate. This is such a great little addition - it allows me to add a light to the bike but keep it nicely tucked in close to the frame - so compact and neat and not something ive seen before, so kudos to LightCarbon for this! Initial Impressions: If there is one word I would use to describe this bike, it would be smooth. It's exactly as I hoped for, and exactly the bike I wanted. Is it as responsive as a TCR? No. Is it as fast as an Aeroad? No. Dont get me wrong, its fun and a pleasure to ride, but im trying to give an objective feel of the actual ride compared to some other bikes. BUT - its smoother than anything else ive ridden, and im willing to bet I might actually be faster over 4-5 hours on this bike than the other 2 listed, because this bike does not beat me up at all. It is so easy on the body that after 2 hours I find myself physically in far better shape than I would be on any of my other race bikes - and thats the key. I bought this bike for endurance, and it's ticking all the boxes - and then some. I went for Ultegra 8170 Di2 and ive never been as blown away by a groupset. I've been using 9150 Di2 on my Cervelo S3 which is very, very good - but this 8170 is ridiculous. Absolutely silent and shifts faster than any groupset ive ever used - even the front shifts feel like a rear shift - so smooth, fast and quiet. I wasn't expecting that much of a difference - but it is a big difference to any groupset ive used and I couldn't recommend highly enough. Ive added the little button "exaggerators" that slip in under the hoods to make the hidden buttons more pronounced (I got them off Aliexpress) - what a difference they make! I can press even with winter gloves and feel the clicks so clearly - a small but massive improvement. Another big motivator for this bike was the shift to disc brakes - I have hand and wrist problems at the minute and needed something to ease the pressure and force going through my hands - especially on wet winter roads. Overall, I am delighted with disc braking. Bleeding the 8170 was so simple as to be a joke - took 5 minutes to do both front and back. Aligning the rotors did keep me busy for half an hour as I wrapped my head around it, but now all set and silent. I was surprised by the gradual nature of the braking - to me it feels much like a very well setup rim brake bike, but the key difference being that it feels the same even in the wet! So this is a huge improvement. Im using Swissstop 34RS pads, so maybe other pads would give a different feel, but I am very happy with how these perform. Another interesting bonus is the lack of external cables. The bike looks so sleek and clean - and to that point, no cables makes cleaning down the bike SO much easier! It is such a well rounded package overall, so smooth, confidence inspiring in its stability, still agile and absolutely silent, which always brings a smile to my face when riding. One point to mention is the handlebars. I love the look of the design, and the sloping shape gives an extra few mm of height to the shifters. However that sloping shape is not great for riding on the tops as it angles your shoulders in towards each other and feels rather cramped. As someone who loves to climb, I can see this being a slight point of annoyance in the future, so I may revisit the bars after a while and think about changing them out. Its a small point, but something worth mentioning. It will be interesting to see when the good weather comes around again what I think of taking my Cervleo S3 out again - the LCR018-D is such a well rounded bike that covers every scenario so well, that I can see it becoming my go-to bike for most rides. Future Plans: There's not much more to do to the bike, but I have a couple of things i'd like to try. 1. A "best" wheel upgrade for the good days. A 50/55 ish deep set of wheels around 1200g to really make the bike shine. The Go Zones are great, and the brass nipples give me all year round confidence, but at 1380g they are a do it all workhorse. Id love a set of all out performance wheels for big days out. I'm trying to decide between DFS Carbon custom build, Serenade 50mm, Aero Raptor 50mm, XM Carbon custom build, or 9Velo - any thoughts here much appreciated! 2. A second fork. I have my current fork cut with a couple of extra spacers for maximum comfort, I'd love to get another one and cut it slammed for better aero performance on fast days. Its not that big a deal to switch the fork out, so currently debating the cost if an extra fork and an extra caliper. Sorry for the rambling, hope this is of some use to users on the forum. Anything else you'd like to know about the bike, just reach out and I'd be glad to help. 
November 14, 2025, 03:28:54 AM |
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Re: Xiamen Carbon Speed 11 years anniversary promotion 9.24- 12.24 2025
How many spokes do I need? I see options between 16 and 20. How do I choose and what's the benefits and drawbacks of each (obviously weight is one). Weight, aero, aesthetics, and safety. I'm working on a long term review of the 16H/18H setup and so far they're solid. I've bombed them down mountains and hit a crack hard enough to snap the clips off my bike computer. Still straight, no broken bones. No major issues with the wheels so far. I also packed them tight in a bike box to fly them from San Francisco to Toronto and back. Held up to to baggage handling and a TSA inspection I'm going to ride them until the end of the year until I make the proper review, but so far I'm confident in their safety for riding, not confident in the durability if you want to fly with them, or get in a crash, and don't recommend carbon spokes for long distance riding unless your fit is totally dialed Get T1100/16H/18H/34mm if you want the best you can buy for crit racing or you just want to go fast on rougher roads. If you care about durability or value, get a lower grade carbon. You can deflect the T1100 rims by pushing the side walls with your finger. T700/T800 is much more durable If you ride 50 miles plus, stick to steel or titanium spokes. Pick Ti if you want the very best for long distances. Pick steel if you want 99.9% of the benefit of Ti for a lot less money Peter is great. I don't think I'd buy my next set from a western or Chinese brand for my next set. OEMs like Zara at Zen and Peter with XMCS don't seem beatable if you have better uses for $2,000 than a brand name + excellent warranty, or want better specs with good enough warranty care - My Elitewheels de laminated, ending my 230 mile weekend ride 20 miles from the finish line. Elite told me to kick rocks, I posted about it, and now they want me to delete my story to get my warranty replacement - A western wheel brand would have instantly replaced the whole wheel or paid to replace the rim, but that cost is built into the price alongside pricing power for branding cache. Western brands are also 5 years behind the Chinese because the actual manufacturing know how is in China, and western brands are paralyzed by litigation hell - When @JustinFox had an issue with Peter's wheels with a custom polish finish, he immediately paid to re-true the wheels, and offered a heavily discounted replacement without polish when that didn't fix the issue. An immediate rim replacement would probably have made more sense for both parties, but the discount likely would have cost Peter around the same amount - - The rims are only around $180 per, I'd guess they cost Peter $100 each to make, labor to lace the rims in Australia would be around $100, guessing shipping is around $75, so $375-$400. I'm guessing his discount for a new wheel set was around that much - - When Justin posted his story, Peter replaced the whole wheel set, and presumably didn't condition it on deleting his story. A full wheelset replacement is pretty unexpected direct from an OEM considering the price point I looked for the cheapest semi comparable option to Justin's from Zipp. Here it is: https://www.competitivecyclist.com/b/zipp-454-nsw-carbon-disc-brake-wheel-tubeless - Zipp: $3,396.38 shipped to my door - - Mine from Peter (T1100 50/65x34mm 16/18): $1,060 shipped to my door - Mine were fine, but if Justin's wheels are anything to go off, Zipp could have better wheel balancing out of the factory, or Peter's could just have had too much resin polished off his rims, throwing off his wheel true-ness when a tire is inflated. I'd imagine the polished finish has been axed anyways - 53mm - 58mm depth vs 50mm and 60mm these likely have around the same average depth - 27.8mm max external width vs 32.9mm - Zipp also has a wavy rim profile that should help in the crosswinds at that depth, but wider rims do a lot to reduce cross wind instability as is - - If I could go back and buy my set again, I think I would just go 65mm front and rear. 50mm is no problem at least at a 34.25mm width, I'd guess 65mm depth is fine as well. Justin's are only 1.35mm narrower, so I'd imagine they have similar stability - 1358g claimed weight (1500g actual weight (1509g weight in by Pat with valves)) vs an 1168g actual weight on Justin's. - - Peter quoted me 1255g-1265g for T1100 50x32mm/65x34mm 20/20. I went with 18/16 spokes (-18g) but a thicker 34mm wide front rim (+10g), so I expected 1247g-1257g, but the actual weight was 1229g. That's 18g lower than the lowest estimated weight, and 23g less than the mid point estimate vs 142g over estimate with the Zipp wheels - - Also keep in mind that 1500g weight is while cutting out the hook bead which would add 30g, and make the wheels significantly safer - Only steel J bend spokes in 2025 vs steel, carbon bladed at several depths, or titanium - Cheaply made - - Hookless trash - - 24 spokes front and rear with the same rim and same lacing pattern. Incredibly lazy or ridiculous cost cutting on a premium wheelset vs - As cheap or expensive as you please - - You can go down to T700, spoke holes, steel bearings, steel spokes, 24/24 hubs, for a few hundred dollars(Wait, I think this is just the Zipp wheel, except with a hook so you don't lose your teeth), all the way up T1100, ceramic bearings, new 16/18 hubs, bladed carbon spokes, no spoke holes, custom stickers, for 1/3 the price of the Zipp wheels, and expert advice from Peter along the way I don't feel too bad for picking on Zipp after listening to their product manager hop on the Nero show and spend a full hour spouting off dishonesty and marketing drivel: www.youtube dot com /watch?v=jB735qrgc5E (i did this to disable the embed) Peter has a solid niche with a very good value proposition. I think tweaking his warranty practices to avoid any sort of purchase by the customer mid warranty would be ideal. It feels better to get a $360 of rims replaced free than to get a whole new $1100 wheelset for half off, even if you're getting a better deal when you do the math. Maybe require destruction proof when warrantying a defective rim to dissuade bogus warranty claims since there's less margin on these wheelsets I also think proper branding on his products is an easy way to add a lot of value for many of us. I think my XMCS wheels are really cool. I paid like $50 to make some custom XMCS decals. Peter could offer nicer branding on them and it would likely cost him like $10 per set. I'd bet sexy branding could drive a couple hundred dollars of perceived value to consumers, even if it's not backed up with marketing money I had a hard time picking between XMCS and Magene EXARs even though the specs for XMCS were better. Magene simply has better aesthetics than a plain rim and are the same price as Peter's wheels This turned into a mini review by accident, but I've got a lot more to say about my wheels, and I still want to get some more time on them to get more of a feel for how they ride, and to see how they hold up over time. It took hundreds of miles until my ENT 2.0 showed an issue. Too many "they hold a line well, they're really smooth, I don't see any voids, use my affiliate code in the description" type of wheel reviews out there. The world doesn't need mine 
November 14, 2025, 05:51:55 PM |
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Re: Lightcarbon: LCR018-D (endurance all-road)
Just received pictures of my size 56 frame. Went for a modified eurobike design with Ferrari red decals. I will build it up with LightBicycle turbo 50 wheels with 30/32 mm gp5000 str and Ultegra r8170 group set.
November 18, 2025, 09:11:51 AM |
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