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Re: Patty's Long Rant and Guide To Affordable Frames
Also I know people on this forum who are REALLY down the rabbit whole that can piece together builds for sub 2k at similar spec. I would guess the main benefit this forum has spread is education on how to get cheaper carbon wheels. Many argue wheels are the most important upgrade ATM, you can only really save serious money if you go full low budget with direct2consumer-parts from China. I built my TT-X38 with LTWOO er9, Magene powermeter and full carbon wheels + a number of 2nd hand parts (like my Sram cranks, saddle and Vittoria tires) for less than 2.5k EUR. But to do that, you're required to invest A LOT of time researching parts, be prepared to deal with problems when building the bike up and you need to take the risk that customer service and warranty might be troublesome or even more or less non existent. I mean, there's a GIANT concept store in my city. For not that much more money, I could probably walk in there, grab a bike and come back and have the shop deal with issues, should there be any. But for me, this is also about the journey. I like to come up with the idea of "my dream bike", source all the parts and think every little detail through and then build up something that I couldn't buy anywhere else and that potentially no one else has. January 30, 2024, 01:00:15 AM |
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Re: Patty's Long Rant and Guide To Affordable Frames
Hey Pat, can you talk a bit on why Elves didn't make the cut at all? I was pretty interested in the Falath, but ultimately decided the geometry didn't work for me. That being said I like how they're setup with a distributor in the US, feels more Winspace esque than some of the other b2b brands. I meant to ask this too. If I do another build it will probably be a VB-R-066 or a Falath. Elves def seems to have a more serious distribution setup. I know they are big in Australia and Malaysia too I think. The answer is simple: My list only includes frames I've actually reviewed  - But if you really wanna know why I haven't made an effort to get the Falath Evo in my hands, just ask @PLA. I pretty much share the same views as him.I'd also like to mention that my original intentions were never to start a YouTube channel nor become the "Chinese Bike Dude". Honestly I just didn't have money for a big-brand bike at the time. The idea of building a bike for the first time intrigued me, and I figured reviewing my Yoeleo R6 would be a cool little video. The more mainstream brands don't want be to associated with anything "Chinese." Quite ironic if you ask me. So I needed to widen my scope beyond Chinese frames in order to attract new brands for reviews. Brands like Specialized and Giant aren't exactly giving low-level YouTubers like myself "free" frames, which meant I've spent more of own resources in 2023 than all the years past. Yishun R086D, Giant Propel, and TanTan x38 (plus all the associated groupsets for each) were all bought with my own money. January 30, 2024, 11:59:10 AM |
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Re: MTB conversion to Gravel
Gr9 for me is simply the get in 11s vs 12 https://a.aliexpress.com/_mNmA4DS Edit: they have both options, but you can find gr9 with hydro, either aluminum or carbon lever August 31, 2024, 04:58:37 PM |
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Re: MTB conversion to Gravel
No, it uses Shimano road/gravel 11 speed cable pull ratios.
August 31, 2024, 06:48:23 PM |
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Re: Lightcarbon: New LCR017-D (or Yishun R1058-D)
I don't know what happens psychologically but a lot of people feel shamed in voicing their complaint. Interesting perspective, i hadn't thought of that. we literally learn "esprit critique" in school, so our tests virtually never are multiple choice questions, but much more mental masturbation to lay down on 8 pages of blank paper. We're supposed to critique, think, postulate and stuff. I see in this mindset a parallel with engineering, where you ask yourself is the process good, is the material right, what can fail, why, how often, how to minimize failure and at what cost, where's the break even point beyond which you're losing more money trying to avoid a problem than letting some problems happen and only then remedy them, and so on. I do know that women often dont feel comfortable speaking up because boys are socialized to be a lot less civilised than girls, and much more conflict happy, but i didnt think about the fact that men could also feel uncomfortable telling some to eat a (metaphorical) dick. People (and therefore factories) respond to incentives. If there's no backlash from doing crap, the logical thing to do is crap, unless you happen to find a factory / workers who take intrinsic pride in their work. We have this in France for example, you'll still find craftsmen who are proud of what they make. They're never the richest dudes, but they are the best dudes. But they're a dying breed, it's an aethos (see what i did there?) that's dying as the culture rots. Who said we couldn't talk philosophy on a bike forum? September 17, 2024, 10:22:55 AM |
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Re: Lightcarbon: New LCR017-D (or Yishun R1058-D)
Not sure what you're on about. Where does it say that something regarding QC is "optional dependent on price"? Lightcarbon specifically states that they produce their frames to the Z3 standard.. Listen mate....call it a crusade but when a manufacturer cuts costs by cheating customers and lying about obvious defects that could cause serious injury than you can bet I'm "on" it like a dog on his bone September 23, 2024, 09:18:30 AM |
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Re: Lightcarbon: New LCR017-D (or Yishun R1058-D)
They replied "we checked with our warranty department and engineers... and the imperfections won't affect the frame function or strength" You need to dispute the charges with PayPal or your credit card company at this point. They're playing games with your life now September 23, 2024, 09:24:09 AM |
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Re: Lightcarbon: New LCR017-D (or Yishun R1058-D)
Random Story Time: I've been having my business suits custom made from a factory in China. Customer direct. You select your fabrics/buttons/style, measure yourself at home, and have a ready made suit in like 4 weeks. The price is ridiculously cheap for what you get. And the fit is better than anything you'd get off the rack from a department store. After 6 years of doing this I realize the communication and process is identical to dealing with these OEM frame companies. They just want your money. The answer is always "Yes." Whenever I have an issue with the fit of my suit and I send them a photo to analyze, they always respond with: "we checked with our department of bespoke tailors and pattern cutters." I never believe them because it's all just auto-cad and machine work. They want me feel assured as if they're being proactive speaking with their experts. But again they just want me to keep buying. The difference here is an ill-fitting suit won't have me risking my collarbone and front teeth. September 23, 2024, 09:59:35 AM |
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Re: Lightcarbon: New LCR017-D (or Yishun R1058-D)
Not so random but it does go to the mindset of Chinese manufacturing and their take on QC and customer satisfaction. Interesting older blog entry about Chines manufacturing mindset. https://novemberbicycles.com/blogs/blog/gypsies-tramps-and-thieves The consumer appeal of the generic carbon is of course the irresistible pricing. You can get an unbranded road frameset for under $400 on eBay - one that certainly looks the part too. At that price, it's easy to see why every night the men come around, and lay their money down. Now let's wilfully suspend disbelief for a minute and assume that this isn't a photo of a sample from a manufacturer who supplies established brands, and is in fact a bike developed and built in earnest by a small manufacturer in China specializing in carbon fiber. At $360, it could make money on the frame. Not as much as our supplier makes selling dozens of them at a time to us, but there is some margin in that $360 to be sure. How much margin? According to "Poorly Made in China," not enough. Manufacturers in China are always looking for ways to cut costs. One story is about a manufacturer supplying shampoo to an American personal care company. They subcontracted another manufacturer to make the bottles, and over time changed the bottle spec - provided by the American brand - to use less and less plastic in the bottle in order to save on raw materials costs. The American brand was never notified of the change until the bottles became so thin that they collapsed in peoples' grasp (think bottled water, not shampoo). In China, this is seen as resourceful and clever in the way it increases manufacturer profitability. When the brand did notice and demanded that the product be built to spec, the manufacturer made the importer pay the additional costs for the thicker bottles, as if it were not the original spec but a change order. When I read that section I immediately thought what would happen if a bike manufacturer - spurred by the same economic incentive - did the same thing. Reducing the number of carbon wraps in a frame or fork or rims to save on costs would not only make the product less expensive to manufacture - it would reduce the weight, making it appear more desirable at the same time. Only that's no more strategic a route to weight reduction in a frame than drilling holes in it. I don't know if this happens. Neither do you. But the economic climate in which a practice like this flourishes exists in the very regions where generic carbon fiber bike parts are made. September 23, 2024, 07:00:55 PM |
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Re: Lightcarbon: New LCR017-D (or Yishun R1058-D)
Lightcarbon admitted this was a mistake on their QC. Hope that am the only one, and that no one has or will receive this “cheese” frame So, they're sending you a new one or they still wait for you to crash, die, and then send a replacement to your grieving family? September 26, 2024, 02:34:11 PM |
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