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Re: Replica Factor Ostro VAM
Compression plug doesn't hold any stress while riding. Your handlebar is clamped to the steerer and keeps everything together. Compression plug and top cap function only to set correct tightness for headset. Lol wtf? compression plug is super important.... have u seen world tour specialized sl7 and factor ostro vam forks both failing due to compression plug? September 28, 2023, 09:38:16 PM |
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Build Log - Carbonda hard tail for daughter's birthday.
Well, my wonderful child has just turned 12, and having 2 parents over 6' - she has been growing like a weed. She currently rides a Polygon Cleo 2 in XS that she got for her 8th birthday which has rapidly become too small for her. After joining this forum, lurking and looking at AliExpress I thought it would be a good opportunity to use the collective knowledge of the forums and build my daughter a lightweight Chinese carbon bike! My goal is pretty simple - I want to build a 29er bike that will last a good few years, and I want to to be as light (or lighter) than her current bike (XS frame, 27.5" wheels), I want it to be comfortable and capable on suburban streets, but I also want her to be able to to come riding with me on the MTB trails. So I have started making purchases, and should hopefully have it ready to ride in a month or so. Frame I have gone with the Carbonda FM1306a. I had sent an email to Wing last year enquiring about one of these frames for myself - but heard nothing back - that is when I found out that the emails had most likely ended up in my junk mail! Wing has been an absolute dream to deal with, super quick with replies, very detailed and helpful. The frame ended up costing a bit more than I had hoped (US$230 shipping is a hard pill to swallow), and I also paid extra for the chameleon paint scheme as my daughter had requested it. Fork I was lucky to snap up a second hand RockShox SID off Facebook marketplace for AU$450. It was un-used, and taken off a 2024 Giant Anthem Advanced 29 3. Wheels I bought some EliteWheels off AliExpress - I will add more details later. Brakes ZTTO MTB Team Brakes in Silver and Gold. I will update this post over the coming days with more information - been stuck busy at work... May 02, 2024, 02:30:15 AM |
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Re: Tavelo Aero Frame
A bit much of negativity here…blaming companies to make money especially when considering the „mark up” of western brands. Which most likely have the same origin in the Eastern. Anyways…from my perspective here in Europe… PP prices are all incl. … so no more charges for shipment and taxes. And here, US brands are also insanely overpriced e.g. Spec. and SRAM…so Besides that I had a very positive experience dealing with PP. And the Tavelo Attack … or Adept frame is sold here under western branding for 9000$ Dura Ace equi. the chinacycling YT about Shanghai bike show and the people behind the brands was very interesting regarding their goals and visions. Cheers May 12, 2024, 05:53:46 AM |
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Re: Build Log - Carbonda hard tail for daughter's birthday.
Well, the build is complete! It was very straight forward for my first full bike build. There are a couple of things that I will need to change: the 1 x 12 groupset came with a 30t front ring, which just is not big enough for the wide range 12 speed. We don't live in a hilly area, so the bigger rear cogs aren't getting used at all. I will change it to a 34t - unless anyone has any suggestions? The brakes are big and bulky - they look lovely, but the rear caliper only JUST fits, pressing up against the frame. I might get a mixed set of brakes - 2 pot on the back, 4 pot on the front like the magura trail sport, OR a custom order from Lewis bike. The current weight is, and I will remind you this was not a weight weenie build, comes in at 9.86kg (the aim was to be lighter than her old, smaller 27.5" wheeled bike that was just over 12kg) I will reply when I get some more time with the final costs (spoiler: it was significant, but still half that of a similar build from a boutique brand) June 03, 2024, 04:01:22 AM |
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Re: Carbonda FM-1306A a 69° Hardtail
I did post in my other thread, but just to reinvigorate the thread that gave me the initial inspiration - here is my build that I did for my daughter. Chameleon paint scheme FM-1306a Rockshox SID 110mm Elitewheels 29" xc wheels Chinese carbon handlebars, seat post and saddle Ltwoo brakes Now I have been bitten by the bug, I want to build up a fully rigid XL size bike for myself as a "super gravel" bike, inspired by the Dangerholm Scott Spark - https://www.instagram.com/dangerholm/p/Cy3VYMEMfHI/?hl=en&img_index=1 June 03, 2024, 04:07:34 AM |
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Re: Carbonda 505SL Integrated Stem
Here's a new build with a mulet with the new SRAM Red shfiters/brakes - GX Transmission derailleur - X0 Transmission cassette and chain And the Lexon gravel bar https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004788375665.html which is very nice and stiff To have a better chainline (49mm instead of the road limited to 47.5mm) I did put a non boost MTB crankset. So there was no more rubbing of the chain. The setup app is limited to 38T, so with this 44T I did add 6 links(inner+outer) to the 118 advised. But had to remove one after testing. From two other builds, for better shifting, the setup key had to be set on B even if the app was saying A. But not on this one. So the setup app is not really accurate for mullet builds. Edit: I forgot the wheels, these are the WR40 from lightbicycle with their carbon aero spokes + ceramic hub v2.0 June 13, 2024, 11:58:25 PM |
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Re: Interesting Aliexpress finds! - good deals, interesting stuff, new products etc!
It's been a while since I shared reviews, so here's a fresh batch covering all the fun knockoff stuff I've bought and tested: Paul Components "Royal Flush" Crankset & 46T chainring URL: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806034748468.html Review: 9/10. Details: Surprisingly well-made copy of this iconic crank set that's been out of production for several years. There's a number of knockoff versions of this crank set kicking around AliExpress, most of which use a SRAM GXP-style of chainring mounting system. This one uses the identical system that the original used, which is four bolts on the backside of the ring. The crank arms are bright polished silver and include the Paul Components logo and crank arm size. The 46T chainring I got was black, and like other Paul Components copies on Ali, it seems that Chinese manufacturers prefer a black coating over actual anodizing. I don't think there's much choice available in chain rings; all I could find was black or silver 46T. Given that there's a lot of similar knockoff chainrings but they use a different mounting system, I'd stick with buying the 46T from the same seller to ensure compatibility. Following Paul Components' instructions, I mounted this crankset to a 111mm ISO square-taper bottom bracket. It fits fine, although enough of the spindle taper is showing to make me wonder if these knockoffs might do a little better with a JIS spindle. I've been riding these on a fixed-gear for the past month and have no complaints. They get a lot of attention and oohs & ahs. It's a "statement piece" for sure, but if you're looking for a cool fixed gear / single speed crankset and are happy with a 46T chainring, then this one is a great buy. Paul Components "Love Lever" URL: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805644578947.html Review: 6/10 Details: Passable copy of the Paul Components lever. Similar to the Royal Flush chainring, it's not anodized black, but rather some kind of coating. They arrived in a copy of the Paul Components box, so points for that, I guess. Overall, they work as expected and are a decent budget copy. One issue I had was that they use an adjustable grub screw to pre-set the lever pull; this is normal, but the grub screw on the right-hand lever won't stay put. I backed it out fully, and over the course of one ride, it screwed itself back in. That caused a problem of the reducing the lever pull to the point where the rear brake was almost fully engaged. This happened twice. After the second time, I removed the grub screw entirely, fixing the issue. However, it loses a point in my review for this problem. Paul Components "Mini-Moto" Brakes URL: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806929778574.html Review: 6/10 & a warning... Details: These were sold out on Ali for a while, so I bought a front & rear set through eBay. The first set the seller sent me was unfinished and totally unusable, on account of them lacking the mounting holes in each brake arm where the tension spring inserts. Some of the arms were also missing the Paul logo. I complained to the seller, and had to send several photos before they agreed to replace them. I later found similar negative reviews on Ali from buyers who received the same junk. Surprisingly, a few weeks later I received a new package from the seller that had two sets of front & rear brakes. All of these sets had the correct mounting holes and logos. However, all of the sets I received were missing the front & rear rubber gaskets that are part of the legit ones (each arm should have two gaskets). These aren't essential, and replacements can be purchased from Paul Comp if you really want them. Still, points off for that. Also, the tension springs may be reversed - one side is silver and the other gold, to delineate which go on the right side and which go on the left. It seems the kock-offs were the opposite of the real ones; another weird detail that took me a little bit to figure out. I installed a set on my bike and have been riding them for a few months. No complaints on performance. They work as expected and pair well with the knockoff Love Levers, since they have the same black coating finish as the levers and the Royal Flush chainring. Still, with all the issues I encountered, I can't recommend them. You might get a junk set, and even if not, they will be missing some bits. Paul Components "Klamper" Brakes URL: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806567943125.html Review: 8/10 Details: I got these back in December and have been riding them for six months now. I am completely satisfied with them. They are paired with SRAM rotors and SRAM Rival levers, with the Kool Stop pads ordered from Paul Comp. From day one, I've gotten excellent braking and modulation from them. Before them, i was running hydro-mechanical disc brakes, and these have a smoother action. Adjustments have been simple, and overall "set it and forget it". One thing I did notice is that the parts specs are slightly different than real Paul Components Klampers. I ordered orange anodized adjusters from Paul, and when they arrived, they would not mount onto these knockoffs. Overall, I would recommend these without hesitation, and at currently $70 a set on Ali, I'd consider them a good value for the money. Paul Components "Gino" light mount URL: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805193813992.html Review: 10/10 Details: It's just a piece of machined aluminum, so pretty hard to F this up. They come in a copy of a Paul Components box, and do what they're supposed to do. POC Air Rapha helmet URL: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805171124727.html Review: 5/10 Details: It looks cool, but didn't fit my head right. I later tried on a real POC Air helmet in a bike store and it fit perfectly, so the issue is with the knockoff. Normally I'd consider fit a personal thing, but given it's not a problem with a real POC helmet, I'd say pass on this one. Rapha handlebar bag URL: Can't find it on Ali right now Review: 9/10 Details: Good quality copy of the Rapha handlebar bag. I've seen / handled one at a Rapha store, and this knockoff is indistinguishable from the real thing. I paid $25 with shipping from AliExpress, which is a good bargain considering the real one is close to $100. No complaints here. Rskit portable mini electric pump URL: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806009816913.html Review: 4/10 Details: Not a knockoff, just a piece of junk. When it works, it can inflate a tire to ~80 PSI within about 20-30 seconds. The problem is that after more than one tire, the thing overheats and shuts down. Then it won't turn back on unless connected to a charger for a while. It's let me down twice, and I only carry it right now until I can get a better one, and I still bring a backup manual pump. Do not buy. Another update on the Ingrid RD-1: I've now been riding it for 6 months and am very happy. Early shifting issues turned out to be related to the shifter (a Sensah Empire) and after I upgraded to SRAM Rival, it's working well. This is another knockoff that has proved to be a good investment and I'd recommend it to folks interested in a visually different, cool derailleur and who are using a mechanical shifting setup. My original review can be found here: https://chinertown.com/index.php/topic,3910.msg53365.html#msg53365 June 21, 2024, 10:25:24 AM |
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And the Winner is...
The winner is... bremerradkurier! Just email petercycles@foxmail.com and order your Carbon Speed GR-01 gravel frameset! Congrats! Hope you enjoy it. Please do share a build thread... It's always cool to see what people choose to do with their freebies. Thanks to all that participated!
July 11, 2024, 08:12:04 AM |
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Re: And the Winner is...
Wow! first time I've ever won something on an Internet forum in 20 or so years of surfing and it's a major item.  This would be my first gravel bike (have ridden a lot of road and MTB bikes since the early '80s, never got into cyclocross or hybrids), so I have a lot of research ahead of me for sizing, groupset, and tire size. July 11, 2024, 09:51:00 AM |
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Re: TideaceBike New mold Road Frame FM-CR068 groupbuy
More feedback picture. How deep should we make the head tube? Yes. July 11, 2024, 01:38:19 PM |
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