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Re: 29er XC Hardtail - Boost - Modern Geometry
Hi, Any update on this? Trifox SDY20 looks perfect, but does not have internal port for dropper. Looking for geo similar to new scott spark 120mm. Thanks! July 28, 2021, 02:42:48 AM |
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Airwolf YFM-026 - 1 month in
I learned so much from this forum, time to repay my dues! My 1 month in review of my favourite new steed - an Airwolf YFM-026[/size]
I have been eyeing up unbranded frames from China for about 20 years. I really missed a 2013 Kona Hei Hei XC bike that I had sold and liked the idea of a hardtail to replace it. I wanted something light but capable, understanding that a 100mm fork that I found on sale sets something of a limit. I wanted to build it on a budget with a focus on function and value rather than bling and ultra-light weight. I live on Vancouver’s North Shore which has a reputation for pretty gnarly trails, but wanted something that would be a blast on the less extreme trails that often get forgotten. That said, I know this bike will end up on some of the harder trails from time to time (see below!). The frame, bar and seatpost were bought through the Airwolf store on Aliexpress. Their communication was excellent. It took about 6 weeks to arrive, but would have been quicker if I hadn’t had it painted. This is one of the few frames I could find with modern XC geo – notably reach, head and seat angles and BOOST. It was extremely well packaged with no damage. The only fault I could find in the finish is some rough edges in the head tube. I did not see any of the issues that some have reported about poor dropouts or fork crown hitting downtube (this is a large frame). The crank was ordered from Zrace on Aliexpress. Their communication is OK, and I'm really pleased with them so far. Other parts I either already owned, bought second hand or found on Ebay. The build went very smoothly. Any issues I had were definitely my error, not with the frame. The internal routing for the rear brake was a lot of work, but no harder than it would be on any other frame and it looks good once done! One thing to note: the other ports on this frame are designed to run inner cable only in the frame, as opposed to a full length of outer. This means I’ll need to do some fiddling if I want to fit a dropper post. Initial impressions This thing is light! The frame comes in at about 1150g with hanger, thru-axle and seat collar. Built up, the bike is 19.6lbs without crank or pedals, so I’m expecting 22-23lbs once the new crank arrives. I’m really pleased with how it looks with matte black components and a bright colour on the frame. No-one really seems to notice my little stickers, which is fine by me. I know what they mean (UK riders may be familiar with the Mint Sauce font and quotes!). Even with the 40mm stem, it’s quite long (size large and I am 178cm tall). The steering is really quick. The brakes didn’t work (not bed in). The whole thing feels ‘tight’. First ride I was in a rush. I needed to get up the mountain by 6pm and I didn’t get home from work until 5.15. I stuffed my backpack with shakedown test musts like a shock pump and multitool and sped out the door. Coming from a big-ish trail bike the Airwolf immediately felt weird, with lightning quick steering and very fast acceleration. The beginning of the ride was mostly on road to get up the mountain as fast as possible, but the little sections of singletrack gave me an inkling of how this was going to be: playful and fast (and too long). You’ll be pleased to know I made it to the trail head on time. Everyone was interested in the new bike (most of them knew it was in the works), and there were plenty of jokes about me emerging from the forest with shards of carbon fibre up my arse. I had promised myself that I would not go straight into the gnar with this bike, but the group was heading up to a black-rated trail (7th Secret). I figured I’d give it a go and tweak the bike as I went / walk if necessary. The ride to the top confirmed what I’d found on that initial climb: a bike that is quick to accelerate and encourages you to fast. The beginning of the ride down was a different matter. The top of 7th Secret is quite steep, rocky and rooty. It was also greasy that day. I had not had a chance to bed the brakes in and I am used to a 160/150mm bike with a 65 degree head angle so I was pleased that I managed to drop in to the trail without snapping me or the bike. After about 2 minutes I put the seat post in my bag because I couldn’t drop the seat enough. If I’m going to keep riding trails like this, I’d need a dropper. As the brakes started to bed in, I started to appreciate the quick steering on the tight switchbacks. As 7th Secret merges into the lower trails, things start to mellow out. This is where I realized the bike is exactly what I was hoping for. This is no 90s alloy hardtail throwback – there is quite a bit of flex in the frame and it’s pretty comfortable for a hardtail. That quick acceleration is addictive coming out of corners! I’m sure the fastish rolling tires helped here, and it’ll be interesting to experiment with North Shore go-to Maxxis DHF and DHRs at some point. From the first ride I learned a few things. First, I really like this bike. It makes the ‘easy’ trails a hell of a lot of fun, which is just what I was hoping for. I would far rather have this than a gravel bike, and it’s probably not much slower on dirt road. Secondly, a little faith in the established Chinese manufacturers is probably warranted. I really hope this frame lasts and becomes great value. I don’t think it will take long for me to trust it. Thirdly… rushing out for a ride down ‘big’ trails on a bike that isn’t really set up yet is probably not a great idea. Go and bed the brakes in, tighten any loose bolts and realize you need a dropper before you go out in public. One month in I would highly recommend anyone looking at this frame to be careful on sizing. It's long. I have got the seat nearly all the way forward and it's fine now. Just after I got the YFM026 working a friend of mine bought a gravel bike and we went for a long but gentle ride. I loved it - fast, comfortable and light but much more capable than a gravel bike. I have some fast singletrack trails close to my house and I absolutely love this bike there. So much fun! A couple of tweaks to come! The bars are too wide. I'll cut them down to about 760mm. I have a seatpost shim on the way so I can install a dropper. A clip for one of the cable port covers has snapped and I also want some more to run full length inner cables for the gears and dropper. Airwolf have been really helpful and, after a bit of a language barrier, I think are sending some. Pics Lastly… pics! No post would be complete without pics of the bella machina. [/list] September 17, 2021, 11:12:33 PM |
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Re: 29er XC Hardtail - Boost - Modern Geometry
Just bumping this thread to see if there are any 29er Boost HT frames with geo close to 66° HA and 75° STA with a 120mm fork? I've read a bunch of posts but seems like this sort of frame is not being made in the open-mould market...
September 21, 2021, 02:22:37 AM |
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Re: Airwolf YFM-026 - 1 month in
So I am 3 weeks into riding this frame and have done just over 1000 miles all told. The most “extreme” riding I’ve done is in the New Forest UK, not very extreme…! Anyhow, have developed a hairline crack between the upper exposed seat tube section where it curves onto the downtube. My seatpost has plenty of length in the frame so I’m disappointed in this frame right now. It’s a shame because it looks lovely and rides great too. Have contacted Airwolf this evening so will see what there customer service is like October 11, 2021, 01:29:09 PM |
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Re: Lexon "Riot 10"
I just pulled the trigger on Lexon Riot frame, Matte. I got them to throw in an extra hanger. First time buying, fingers crossed it all works out. I'll continue to update on how the purchase and bike build goes... ******** Update********* I ordered from Everjoy Industry Ltd (I know, kind of sounds like a porn name), which AliExpress indicated it was Official Lexon store, but there seems to be another seller also titled Official Lexon Store. I went with Everjoy because they had a good rating (96) and I could get the frame in matte with the Rockshox Monarch RL shock for about $50 cheaper than if I purchased it separately from the lowest I could find here in the States (hoping this wasn't a mistake). The frame and shock shipped within 2 hours of me placing the order. Communication with Everjoy has been good, I happened to be working late last night when I mad the purchase so it was daytime in China. They replied to all of my questions quickly and included photos of what was in the package. So far very pleased with the transaction. Attached is shot of the frame from Everjoy prior to shipping. October 13, 2021, 10:21:29 PM |
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Re: Lexon "Riot 10"
Thanks for sharing your experience rongearbob I also had an exchange with everjoy, the frame in size L/19 weights 2103 gr. Looking forward to see your bike soon! 
October 14, 2021, 02:13:18 PM |
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Re: Airwolf YFM-026 - 1 month in
That's not a good look.... How much seatpost did you have in the frame? Was it below this join? Any seatpost shims? Let is know what they say. You should also be protected by credit card. October 15, 2021, 11:45:22 AM |
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Re: Lexon "Riot 10"
I've finished assembling mine, and I wanted to leave some thoughts for people who are thinking about getting this frame. 1: The need to have the BB threads chased is real. The provided BB worked fine for me, but not with my 30mm spindle, and the bsa30 BB I was going to use worked fine for the left side, but I ended up cross threading the drive side cup. I was lucky enough to get it mounted and square in the end, but it is now a permanent fixture of the frame and I will just replace the bearings only when the time comes. 2: The description for the white frame states that a chainring up to 40t can be used. There is just no way this is going to happen (unless the white frame is different somehow). A 38t for sure will not fit, a 36 might, but it would be awfully close. I think 34T is the realistic max chainring this frame will allow. 3: I am 5'10" on a good day, normally proportioned, and I find the frame fairly small (reach). I have back issues, and I like to be more stretched out. I could have easily fit a larger size. (i'm using a 70mm stem, and 0 offset seatpost) Overall, I'm happy. I'm took a chance on a chinese derailleur and I suspect I'll quickly get something more reputable. Weight is a hair under 21lbs. (I am a hair over 20lbs overweight...) December 27, 2021, 10:35:48 PM |
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Re: Lexon "Riot 10"
Finally got the build completed and took it out for a ride yesterday...unfortunately on gravel due to a lot of recent rain. While I wasn't able to pedal on miles of singletrack I did manage hit a few short rocky descents and climbs along with some wet roots and the bike handled it all very well (I set 3 new PRs without even trying). On these features the bike felt very secure and the rear wheel really planted, I'm coming from a hardtail so this is one of the riding aspects I was looking forward to in a full suspension bike. On the gravel trails it felt exactly like how an XC bike should feel, quick and snappy. On that point, based on current categorization the Riot is an XC bike, however when compared to my 2014 Specialized Crave with its 71.5 degree headtube angle, to me the Lexon Riot felt down right "Downcountry" with its 68 degree HTA and longer fork travel (120mm vs 100mm). My build is a couple pounds heavier than what I was shooting for weighing in at 27 pounds, than the targeted 25 pounds. However I don't think this will be too much of hinderance for the trails I ride along with the 2-4 races per year I compete in (CAT 2 middle of the pack). I've never been overly concerned with weight, I like having a dropper post and BIG flat pedals, therefore if I wanted to shed some weight I could, change out the seat post, pedals, go with carbon rims, etc. For now I think I'm set. By the way, I ended up mounting the new Mavic rear wheel and e13 cassette, the DT Swiss rear wheel that I was planning on using during the winter needs some new bearings in the hub. Below are all of the components: Frame: Lexon Riot 10 Shock: Rockshox Monarch RL - Purchased with the frame Fork: Rockshox Reba 120mm travel with Charger 2 damper - I upgraded the internals on old 100mm Reba Wheels: Mavic Crossmax (142mm rear with spacers to conform to boost)- The wheels are a warranty replacement and Mavic wouldn't upgrade it to boost, the new front wheel hasn't been mounted yet but fits the fork without any need for spacers Tires: F - Maxxis Ardent / R - Continental CrossKing - I like this set up, Ardent grips the corners well and the CrossKing is very efficient, good traction and rolls well. Cassette: e*13 11 speed, 9x46 - New and doubtful I'll be using the 9t cog too much, but the 46t granny gear is nice Crank and Chainring: Sram dub 32t (non-boost) - This pairs well with the non-boost rear wheel, drivetrain shifting is spot on. (Never used before, I had purchased it for my old bike) Pedals: Pedaling Innovations Catalyst (I like big flat pedals, my 5/10 shoes really stick to these pedals) and from my old bike Shifter: Sram GX 11 speed - From my old bike Derailleur: Sram GX 11 Speed - From my old bike Dropper Seat Post: PNW Loam 150mm travel - New Dropper lever: Wolftooth - From my old bike Saddle: Fizik Gobi M5 - From my old bike Handlebars: Nukeproof Horizon (carbon) - New, 780mm seems a little wide but want to ride them for awhile before making any adjustments Stem: Ragley 50mm - New, It seems to be the right length Brakes & Rotors: Shimano Deore (older reservoir version) F - 180mm, R - 160mm - From my old bike Grips: ODI waffle (old) - Switching up to PNW loam grips once they arrive Cables: Jagwire - Also used the Jagwire foam in the downtube to keep the cables and brake hose from rattling Wrap: Ride Wrap Covered - Help protect the frame from scratches along with some mastic tape in a couple of spots Final thoughts, I'm pleased with Lexon Riot. I've always done my own bike maintenance, but building a bike from the ground up was quite an experience and took a lot of patience. The challenging part was using some old bike parts for the build and figuring out how to make them fit the latest standards. Also, be prepared to buy the necessary tools if you don't already own them: torque wrench, headset press, brake line cable cutter and barb driver are the tools that I purchased during the build. I'm going to need to get a bearing press sometime as well for future maintenance. I have named my bike...The Rocket! Many thanks to this site and those who contribute, I don't think I could have researched, purchased and built a mountain bike without Chinertown.com. January 03, 2022, 10:31:14 AM |
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Re: Cheap hardtail...Spcycle SP-M05 vs Airwolf YFM026?
Be careful of dealing with Airwolf — if you buy from them just assume zero post sale support. There are a number of unfortunate stories on here and also the usual general forums like MTBR/Pinkbike.
January 11, 2022, 01:00:58 PM |
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