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Re: LTWOO ER9 & ERX - Electronic groepsets
Another masochist eR9 beta tester chiming in: As with the user above I also had sub-optimal interactions with their customers service, with typically 1 business day gaps in the reply time, so getting a replacement part which I had damaged took a total of 5 days to be dispatched. Regarding the shifting performance, it's quite good. A few rides so far and no missed shifts or issues with the groupset not waking up. Shifting under load up to 200w is crisp and the app integration is very good. Being able to adjust each cassette and chainring offset through the app is fantastic for setup, during my first ride I was able to whip the phone out and fine tune the trim whilst riding. Regarding the trim function, I'm not sure if it is a result of the latest update but you can now trim in both directions (however) the trim direction is not controlled by the user. Essentially whenever you hear front chain rub, pressing shift again will trim the FD if the system determines it needs trimming, and there seems to be several steps. I.e if I shift from the 11th cog to 9th there is a trim step, then 9th to 3rd it will trim again, then the same the other direction. Install wise it was easy, not having to run gear shift cables saves some grey hairs especially if you're fully integrated. The YouTuber Klein concept has a solid 90min install video which walks through all the steps. September 23, 2023, 09:52:40 PM |
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Re: LTWOO ER9 & ERX - Electronic groepsets
I've just spent 6 days riding out to watch each stage of the Tour Down Under with my full AliExpress build, including er9 12 speed set up. 600km and 7000m of climbing and it didn't miss a beat. Still no rides in the wet but given other reported issues I added silicone around where the cables plug in to enhance the waterproofing.
January 21, 2024, 05:41:25 AM |
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Re: Seka Exceed RDC Broken Frames: Source of Concern?
You can see the photos of the windtunnel testing setup here: https://imgur.com/INTX8Ca It seems pretty basic. Wheels handlebar and frame that's it. It was made fun of because its so basic, but that basic testing in the tunnel is about a lot more than marketing; it should be part of the development process to get real data that confirms the models they are using to develop the bike; the same way that you test to confirm the results of FEA. Sharing the pictures and the plots IS marketing since the results are likely to be not very representative to a rider. Ideally, they would have also tested rider interactions and had components attached to the bike, but that is yet another level of complexity and a different run of testing, which would add additional cost. However, saying that the process to validate models was done at all is a sign of a more mature engineering process. To me thats a big deal and huge step towards closing the gap to big brands. February 20, 2024, 09:18:04 AM |
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Re: WheelTop EDS TX Full Wireless Groupset (Chinese SRAM)
I must be lucky/special. Based on youtube videos i've seen, L-TWOO has removed features that were patent pending. The auto trim is one that comes to mind. But Wheeltop seems to be much more reckless about that (I think with Sram related features especially, I think?). I'm not interested in that group so havent been paying close attention, but that's the impression i got. And the US is the land of lawsuits. And US cyclists keep complaining that road cycling is dying there, vs Asia is on the rise, and Europe is its birth place. And Sram is affordable in the US, while it's not in Europe. So that's my 5 cents. What i dont understand is why these channels are touting wheeltop electronic as the di2 killer when it's worse than l-twoo's erx in more ways than 1 (worse app, no garmin integration just to name two), and the er9/erx just works great, and having installed 5 and used 2, it feels premium alright (the rubber on the hoods for example, is great). April 09, 2024, 09:13:38 AM |
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Re: LTWOO ER9 & ERX - Electronic groepsets
Yesterday I took the ER9 bike out with extra padded shifters and using gel padded gloves. Adding bar tape strips on the inner top part of the shifters helped on comfort and probably using the gel padded gloves as well. Though it's still not as comfortable as bigger Shimano hoods, but at least I didn't get any hand numbing. Also I needed to do some more gear fine tuning specifically in the small/big and big/small combination. I was having slight shift issues shifting up and down the three biggest cogs while on the small chainring. Its most noticeable on climbs constantly shifting while adjusting for elevation and cadence. I'm hoping I have it dialed in now, if not I'll have to do the gear fine tune while riding. Other than that, the ER9 has been running great. If I was building a new bike now, I wouldn't hesitate using Chinese electronic groupsets. My old semi-internal TFSA frame definitely feels like a new bike with all the component upgrades! April 19, 2024, 12:41:13 PM |
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Re: LTWOO ER9 & ERX - Electronic groepsets
I have 2 ER9 groupsets and had a few bug. Took apart both systems to figure out the problems and managed to fix all issues. All my cable connectors are rubber cemented in with dielectric grease and I use alloy chain catchers. I'm not a particularly good bike mechanic, but even I've been able to get two of these ER9 systems to work properly. I clean my bikes after each ride and rotate my immersive waxed chains on a regular basis to keep the drivetrain spotless. Also I just don't ride my road bikes in the rain. I go straight to my mechanical gravel bike when it comes to wet or rainy weather. Maybe it's just this younger generation that can't figure s**t out. They go straight to cry baby mode when any minor problem occurs! Lol July 25, 2024, 09:34:56 AM |
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Re: Wheeltop EDS GeX
Did Joe say anything about when the embargo will be lifted? I am very much interested in the Magene groupset. No sorry no word on dates. wheeltop GEX releases oct 8 but no word on sensah, magene or updated ltwoo September 27, 2024, 03:31:07 AM |
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Re: Affordable lightweight frameset (not Winspace SLC 3)
Brands command a premium, for what benefit? With Giant being the exception (a brand that owns / is the factories), you have factories that make frames for brands, and brands distribute and sell. Each layer needs to eat. The further away from China, the more expensive the layer, and the less relevant (carbon bike market is now so commoditized with all frames looking the same and within 5w of each other). Therefore, the closer to the factory, the better the value & the less bullsh1t. It is telling that Pinarello has frames made in china and they paint them in Italy. You can get real custom... because of the paint. Factor is the same: their frame looks open mould, but you get to really tune... the paint. There's something to be said about where the expertise really lies. Take carbon layup. Is it Specialized that's really the expert, or Specialized suppliers? I dont have the answer, but it's important when thinking about light frames: as of now, T700 is ghetto. T800 is the gold standard, most legit carbon things are made with it. And then you go into fancy territory, with T1000, T1100, and increasingly, you see exotic things like M30, M40, and others. As brands brand (ie differentiate), there's also the question of how much a brand is making shit up (what does specialized's Fact carbon actually mean? Ditto with Pinarello's different carbon tiers). T1000 is "known" (rumoured?) to cost about 2x T800, so you will NOT see a frame made with T1000 for $500. If T1000 and $500 are seen on the same page, it means they (at best) INCLUDE T1000 in the frame, but it could be 1% - obviously, that's unregulated, Chinese are known to basically lie, and, maybe most importantly, you can't test it yourself -. The biggest benefit of higher tiers is you can use less of it for the same strength, so frames get lighter. And so, you're left with the usual questions: - Do you want to pay extra for a brand? The Chinese market now has brands, including Specialized equivalent brands (ie social media fluff fest). As a westerner, i'd say buying a Chinese brand is the worst choice possible: you pay a premium, but you're not in China, so you can't flex at the cafe your branded bigcock frame that nobody knows, and you can't lean on the bigcock bike shop for help / maintenance / support / warranty / i spent money here please be make me feel important and refer to me as your lordship. - If you buy a western brand, (1) you (usually) get to rely on your local LBS, (2) you get a frame that's been QCed (questionable truth), (3) and if you buy something high end, you buy a vibe around layup technology, ride properties, the secret sauce that makes it so that when you jump on a specialized, your hair grows back, your biceps get more defined, and the ladies look at you like "ooh myyyy". (3) goes back to my point above on who actually has the layup know how. So, a rational actor will wonder: how much more over an equivalent spec (features & weight) OEM frame am i willing to spend to benefit from 1-2-3? - If you buy an OEM frame, you have to trust that (A) the factory / broker actually exists (people on this forum still using paypal insurance scheme to send money to Farsports is money down the drain, as far as i'm concerned), (B) they will ship you what you ordered (when Airwolf on Aliexpress sells you a frame for 12 dollars made of full T1100, spoiler alert, they're lying), (C) they will ship you a frame that's not a dog, and that's been QCed enough (Light carbon shipping cheese, Tavelo with undersized BBs whose shells crack during install, and all the horror stories you can find on here with Airwolf, tantan, workswell, and so on). - On (C), because a seller will usually tell you not to worry, then ship you swiss cheese anyway, you have to factor in an element of risk: more often than not, seller A (after careful consideration on your part to choose that seller) will ship good frames, but occasionally, they will fuck up, at which point you need to be qualified enough to understand where they fucked up, and complain. Also, let's be honest, in many instances, people complaining about frames is USER ERROR, or such trivial niggles that the factory should indeed ignore the noises you make. And you have to complain loud enough, to a seller that is honest enough / has enough of an incentive to listen and help. And so, this forum is invaluable in helping identify (a) where the value is, (b) good sellers, (c) and bad ones. For light frames, it depends on what you deem light (and what tyre clearance you need). A lot of 2024 frames are around or below 1000g in Medium (starting with the Velobuild 268, which really is the standard of value). SP Cycle claims a 880g frame (30C, R025-SL), Yishun has an endurance frame at 900g, Long Teng claims their chonky boy 301 is 980g. I havent mapped out the lighter side of the market, because i'm over 80kg myself, but i would say: reach out to OEM with a good reputation on this forum, ideally order 2 frames and build 1 for a friend (or more), as you will command better care and attention, ask questions, accept the risk that no matter what you do, you may have problems to solve, but deal with someone who will more likely than not agree to help you rather than ghost you, and have fun. Or buy a Giant TCR, ofc, once you've swallowed the upfront cost, rarely do people regret buying a branded frame. Notes: - on light carbon, recent precedents make them look bad (1 example of awful cheese carbon, 1 example of a down tube you could deform by hand, off the top of my head, but they generally have great reputation, and they're linked to Yishun (if i'm not mistaken), which also has great reputation. - on tantan, plenty of people report horror stories, but they also OEM for big brands, and they are huge (assuming a constant error rate, the bigger you are, the more errors). As such, and because perfection is an ideal, nor a reality, they're probably still a good counterpart. - Airwolf has an error rate so high it makes errors part of who they are, so you probably dont want to buy frames from them. But i've been buying cockpits from them, and i love their cockpits. So even that is more nuanced than just "avoid airwolf" What do i know? I've been riding bikes for a long time, most of my friends ride bikes and many of them are champions, and i've built 9 chinese bikes in the last 2y. These opinions are my own and as a matter of course, i tend to agree with what i say, which doesn't make it truth. October 01, 2024, 03:02:53 AM |
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Re: LTWOO ER9 & ERX - Electronic groepsets
for those interested - the eR9 brake levers work with the eGR rear derailleur and vice versa, the eR9 rear derailleur works with the eGR brake levers
November 20, 2024, 01:33:24 PM |
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Re: LTWOO ER9 & ERX - Electronic groepsets
I checked it for you, mounted rear derailleur eGR front eR9 works together, gear change works RD reacts to the right brake lever FD reacts to the left brake lever so the sets can be swapped. A large beer is due
November 20, 2024, 03:30:41 PM |
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