Chinese Carbon MTB Forums
News:
Happy Holidays!
See likes
See likes given/taken
| Post info | No. of Likes |
|---|---|
|
Re: Advice on fake frames
Well I was unsure if I should post anything regarding my new racebike project since it is a copy of a well known brand... I was curious enough to place an order and build up the bike after checking the inside of the frame with a camera and all looked good. Seller was the mentioned Rocking cycling store, I ordered the frame on October 19th and it arrived just before Christmas. The paint quality leaves room for improvement but the rest of the frame, seat mast and handlebar look good. Only the break areas and the handlebar spacers needed some manual work with file and sandpaper... Here a picture of the finished bike with 105 Di2, Elite Edge wheels GP5000 28mm: Total weight 7.6kg. First ride was excellent, the bike accelerates fast and holds speed well. Position on the bike is comfortable.  Honestly speaking, if I would have found a similar frame design from a Chinese manufacturer like Seraph or Winspace I would chosen one of their frames instead. But I always liked the design of this particular frame so took the risk to give it a try... if it does not work out it will end up as my indoor bike  BR Chris January 15, 2023, 03:01:49 PM |
1 |
|
Re: Advice on fake frames
The S-works SL7 frames are TFSA Jh-33 frames painted.. January 16, 2023, 06:43:02 AM |
1 |
|
Deng Fu R13
Hi everyone. Longtime lurker, first time poster. I've learned a lot from the forum over the years so it's time to give back by sharing some knowledge. The first frame that I ordered directly from a Chinese manufacturer was a Hongfu FM069 in 2014. It felt a bit more like gambling then. Fewer people doing this, less knowledge about the producers, and not knowing anything about how customs would work. I was out of the game for some time because that frame lasted until spring 2022. The only trouble I had with it was due to a small design flaw. Shimano changed the front derailleur when they came out with Ultegra 6800 and the arm of the derailleur pressed on the frame, but like I wrote, it lasted for years and thousands of KM, until last spring. I noticed what looked like a slight crack on the top tube while sitting at a cafe after riding. It felt a little soft when I pushed on it, but I couldn't tell how bad it was. I road it a few more times and pushed on it, and pulled on it with my fingernail, etc. I eventually decided that I wasn't going to feel safe riding it at speed on the open road, so I dissected it the best I could around the crack. Long story short, I'm convinced that it is next to impossible to properly inspect a carbon frame without professional tools. Full stop. Sure there are visually obvious flaws, but we won't catch anything internal. The other side is just as true. I'm happy I retired that frame, but I'm not 100% that is was necessary. So I decided to order a new frame and use my existing grupo and wheels. It was spring and I needed a frame asap so I panic ordered a Rinasclta 2020 light weight rim brake road frame. They were professional, I got the frame relatively quickly, even with a custom paint job. It rides nicely and generally does what a frame should do: let you focus on riding. I had a little problem with the rear derailleur hanger. It was misaligned and there is so little carbon where it screws to the frame that I'm afraid to use a derailleur hanger adjustment tool to bend it into place. I made a shim out of thin plastic and that got it close enough that it shifts without problems. I can share photos or a tutorial if anyone has questions about what I did. I'm happy with that bike and it is now on my indoor trainer and I use it as my winter bike. I was ready to take a big step forward after putting in the training time the last few years so this autumn I started looking for a new frame to build up from scratch. My priorities were integrated cables, disc brakes, and somewhere on the aero spectrum of frames. After much lurking on the forums, I finally settled on a Deng Fu R12. The Yeoleo R12 (completely different from the Deng Fu R12) did work with me for geometry and taste. A few final contenders had BB86 bottom brackets, which don't play nicely with sram dub cranks. So the Deng Fu R12 with its BB386 was the call. Mia was helpful and answered my questions promptly. The price was nice. Everything was good until I changed my mind about the size. I wanted at 56cm frame instead of 58cm. The 56cm frame was out of stock. I was disappointed because I was ready to pull the trigger, but she got back to me to let me know that they had the new R13 in 56cm. She said it was very close to the R12, sent me a photo, but didn't have a geometry chart to share. I decided to order it anyway. It came about a month later. Mia shared a tracking number when it shipped and it arrived very well packaged in my country without incident. I tried to look at the inside of the frame the best I could without a proper insertable camera. Everything checked out. The only thing that I noticed was some latex leftover from the molding process. I built it up with sram force. The brake cable routing was easy; I didn't need anything other than tape and the plastic tubing that came pre-inserted in the frame. I'm not 100% happy with how the headset spacers are fitting into the integrated bar/stem. The spaces have a little dot that fits into a corresponding hole in the spacer above and then the stem. The space match up perfectly, but the carbon stem is tightened around the steerer tube, which changes its diameter, making this last interface slightly misaligned. It's about 99% there, just not perfect. Certainly not a safety issue. I have zero other comments other than it was easy to build. I used a Token thread together ninja bb. Besides having to find their tool in stock to buy, it was easy and tolerances checked out the best I could tell with calipers. The other part of the project was building wheels. I bought light carbon rims (Hi everyone. Longtime lurker, first time poster. I've learned a lot from the forum over the years so it's time to give back by sharing some knowledge. The first frame that I ordered directly from a Chinese manufacturer was a Hongfu FM069 in 2014. It felt a bit more like gambling then. Fewer people doing this, less knowledge about the producers, and not knowing anything about how customs would work. I was out of the game for some time because that frame lasted until spring 2022. The only trouble I had with it was due to a small design flaw. Shimano changed the front derailleur when they came out with Ultegra 6800 and the arm of the derailleur pressed on the frame, but like I wrote, it lasted for years and thousands of KM, until last spring. I noticed what looked like a slight crack on the top tube while sitting at a cafe after riding. It felt a little soft when I pushed on it, but I couldn't tell how bad it was. I road it a few more times and pushed on it, and pulled on it with my fingernail, etc. I eventually decided that I wasn't going to feel safe riding it at speed on the open road, so I dissected it the best I could around the crack. Long story short, I'm convinced that it is next to impossible to properly inspect a carbon frame without professional tools. Full stop. Sure there are visually obvious flaws, but we won't catch anything internal. The other side is just as true. I'm happy I retired that frame, but I'm not 100% that is was necessary. So I decided to order a new frame and use my existing grupo and wheels. It was spring and I needed a frame asap so I panic ordered a Rinasclta 2020 light weight rim brake road frame. They were professional, I got the frame relatively quickly, even with a custom paint job. It rides nicely and generally does what a frame should do: let you focus on riding. I had a little problem with the rear derailleur hanger. It was misaligned and there is so little carbon where it screws to the frame that I'm afraid to use a derailleur hanger adjustment tool to bend it into place. I made a shim out of thin plastic and that got it close enough that it shifts without problems. I can share photos or a tutorial if anyone has questions about what I did. I'm happy with that bike and it is now on my indoor trainer and I use it as my winter bike. I was ready to take a big step forward after putting in the training time the last few years so this autumn I started looking for a new frame to build up from scratch. My priorities were integrated cables, disc brakes, and somewhere on the aero spectrum of frames. After much lurking on the forums, I finally settled on a Deng Fu R12. The Yeoleo R12 (completely different from the Deng Fu R12) did work with me for geometry and taste. A few final contenders had BB86 bottom brackets, which don't play nicely with sram dub cranks. So the Deng Fu R12 with its BB386 was the call. Mia was helpful and answered my questions promptly. The price was nice. Everything was good until I changed my mind about the size. I wanted at 56cm frame instead of 58cm. The 56cm frame was out of stock. I was disappointed because I was ready to pull the trigger, but she got back to me to let me know that they had the new R13 in 56cm. She said it was very close to the R12, sent me a photo, but didn't have a geometry chart to share. I decided to order it anyway. It came about a month later. Mia shared a tracking number when it shipped and it arrived very well packaged in my country without incident. I tried to look at the inside of the frame the best I could without a proper insertable camera. Everything checked out. The only thing that I noticed was some latex leftover from the molding process. I built it up with sram force. The brake cable routing was easy; I didn't need anything other than tape and the plastic tubing that came pre-inserted in the frame. I'm not 100% happy with how the headset spacers are fitting into the integrated bar/stem. The spaces have a little dot that fits into a corresponding hole in the spacer above and then the stem. The space match up perfectly, but the carbon stem is tightened around the steerer tube, which changes its diameter, making this last interface slightly misaligned. It's about 99% there, just not perfect. Certainly not a safety issue. I have zero other comments other than it was easy to build. I used a Token thread together ninja bb. Besides having to find their tool in stock to buy, it was easy and tolerances checked out the best I could tell with calipers. The only difference that I can see between the R12 photos I've seen online and my R13 is in the seat stays. The R12 has slightly flared seat stays that are separate when they leave the seat tube. The seat stays on the R13 come off of the seat stay as a single, joined piece that then separates to each side. The other part of the project was building wheels. I bought rims from Light Carbon (https://www.lightcarbon.com/super-aero-undulating-rim-depth-700c-disc-brake-carbon-clincher-rims_p207.html). Super easy to deal with. Prompt emails. Answered questions. Shipped with a tracking number and I'm completely satisfied and enjoyed building the wheels. Last, I used a matte 2k clear coat on the frame and semigloss on the rims. I had more elaborate painting plans, but not a place to warm and dry to realize them in the winter. January 19, 2023, 09:38:30 AM |
1 |
Re: Fake/chinese frame or legit western brand bike ? (
Ok thanks for the suggestion, between the top manufacturers (Carbonda, Speeder, Dongfu, Hongfu, Workswell, etc) is there one that really stands out or all they all good ?I started with frames from Peter, until he left. I've built a few workswell hardtails, never had an issue with them but it looks their service is non-existent. I almost exclusively build bikes from Carbonda now. January 23, 2023, 04:58:00 PM |
1 |
Re: LTWOO ER9 & ERX - Electronic groepsets
It was 557 but with coupons and promo codes I had the discount to 412€. I ordered a lot from AE and never payed taxes so we will see if I have to pay extra tax if it arrives but probably not. I’m located in belgiumMe too, it looks like there are ways some sellers find 
October 17, 2023, 08:06:03 AM |
1 |
Re: LTWOO ER9 & ERX - Electronic groepsets
You guys are really buying this stuff even when youtubers known for loving Chinese stuff gave it a red card? Well, they are only youtubers....they seems to forget how hard sram failed when starting with their electronic groupsets..i remember a race, where 5 people were sitting at the side of the road not being able to change gears with their sram, sebastian kienle had failures on racing hawaii with sram.. So, why not give LTWOO the time to get stuff done... We are currently planning to sell these units, even with aliexpress selling it lower than we buy directly, but customers are in the market for budget custom gravel builds....and it is great for the market....we need to show shimano, that their pricing needs to be adjusted. the low prices on the shimano di2 sets are made by the dealer ships, shimano has still their high price attitude and in europe, margins are not there....a normal bike shop buys shimano stuff cheaper online at some outlets, than referring to the official distributor... October 19, 2023, 02:02:59 AM |
1 |
|
Yuanan Carbon fiber wheelsets double 11 discount promotion
Hello everyone, have a nice day! This is Leon from www.yuananbike.com. In addition to this, we are also a supplier to many international brands. Recently we have been running a Double 11 discount promotion.UNI series ultralight carbon rim+RD13 ratchet system hub/Novatec D411/412 HUB+pillar wing 20 spoke+tubeless valves+tubeless tape. We just need 500USD+tax-free channel shipping to EU countries/USA. UNI 40 ultralight carbon wheelset 21mm inner width,28mm outer width,40mm depth just 1289+-30g. UNI 45:1309+-30g.UNI 50:1329+-30g. UNI65:1489+-30g. Also, the carbon-spoke wheelset is at a discount. More than 30% off. The Gravel/MTB carbon wheelset is also in promotion—the cost-effective price for you. Anyone interested can contact me at any time. Whatsapp:+8615738274372. Email:sales@yuananbike.com. October 28, 2023, 04:33:22 AM |
1 |
Re: LTWOO ER9 & ERX - Electronic groepsets
It's like a quarter of a mm of play, tho it shifts pretty nice now but I want to know if other guys are experiencing this so I can report this to LTwoo I can move the FD cage by that amount if I try. But the motor or some sort of spring tension is acting against it. So there’s not really any play. I’ve done 100k so far on er9. It works great. I wish there was a bit more tactile feedback from the shift buttons. It’s a bit hard to tell whether or not I actually pushed the button. Apart from that all is good. October 29, 2023, 08:21:06 AM |
1 |
|
Re: LTWOO ER9 & ERX - Electronic groepsets
Well looks like I have an issue right now. I have DMed LTwoo official store on AliExpress and let's see what they can do. And so far, my er9 is working well despite the issue on my FD which it has a little bit of play. I agree that the buttons needs to be a little more tactile because I can accidentally press the FD when I am climbing and nobody wants that lol October 29, 2023, 10:09:08 AM |
1 |
|
Re: TanTan TT-X38 Build
First 100k done. No real issues apart from fit. I needed to dial the saddle in and refine the position. I tried a 170 crank on this one mainly cuz I got it cheap and there can be a benefit to shorter cranks. I absolutely hate it. I got 175s on all my other bikes and it just feels like I got no leverage on the crankarms when standing up and sprinting up hills. So that will have to go. I found a used sram crank. Luckily I won't have to get another BB. The dub BBs are merely BB30 BBs with a delrin spacer left and right. So just pop these out and put a BB30 crank in and maybe readjust spacing. Also the pedals will have to go. I got so used to the Assioma pedals on my other bike that I'm gonna get a pair of Look Keo-like pedals. The Time pedals feel just way too loose and are giving me anxiety to accidently clip out. The bike feels great and plenty fast. I got very windy autumn weather here atm. So it's hard to tell just how quick it is. It feels slightly more suceptible to cross winds than my VB-R218. The bars are a pleasant surprise. They feel super solid, very stiff and very comfy. I love the hood shape of the LTWOO. The hands just fall in place. The bike is actually very very comfy which might have to do with the wheels and wide tires. Also, the corner grip with these wheels is off the charts. It's crazy how planted it feels around bends. The handling is more neutral and a lot more forgiving than my VB-R218. That's no surprise as the 218 has a very steep steering angle and super aggressive steering characteristic. This one is a bit more muted. The only issue I got is with the front wheel. I get disc rub when standing up. And the rotor has slight play on the hub interface when I rock the front wheel back and forth under braking despite the lockring being torqued down. A bit of research reveals that this seems to be a common issue with centerlock. It might have to do also with the cheap color matched lockrings that I got on Aliexpress. Not sure. I'll get it sorted. It's annoying. This is the first centerlock wheelset that I got. I had 6 bolt interface hubs on my gravel bike where I never had troubles like this. Makes me wonder just what exactly the alleged benefit of centerlock is supposed to be apart from creating another standard. There's really not anything bad I can say about the LTWOO er9. It just works super reliable. I rode in bad weather. The group got covered in road grime. I washed the bike afterwards. Everything seems solid. So far. October 30, 2023, 12:13:51 AM |
1 |