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Re: Zen Carbon Wheels Xiamen
My 50/60 ultra light wheelset arrived on Friday Got out today for a short test ride wheels felt great I run tyre pressures a bit higher on first outing with sealant installed. -Rim spec : 50/60mm depth ,24mm inner,31mm external,disc brake,hook version,glossy finishing , ultra light weight -Hub: 36t ratchet system ,20/20 holes,straight pull,12x100&12x142,345g -Carbon Spokes : 3.1mm width,per weight 2.1g -Wheelset weight: 1182g with tape, valves and gloss finish -Load limitation :90kg July 26, 2025, 04:53:07 PM |
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Re: Replica Factor Ostro VAM
I have made a few enquiries and bladder mold has been confirmed. Colonel's supplier (Taiwan Glory Bike Store Store) looks to be of better quality than taiwan factory bike parts Store. The bottom bracket and head tube look much better quality. August 14, 2025, 08:33:10 AM |
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Re: Replica Factor Ostro VAM
I have now confirmed that Colonel's supplier (Taiwan Glory Bike Store Store) is the latest 2025 V2 EPS molding hence the better quality. For anyone keeping up with this thread, avoid taiwan factory bike parts Store as they could not guarantee the quality and would not confirm 100% refund it not happy. August 15, 2025, 06:26:46 AM |
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Re: Replica Factor Ostro VAM
Photos of my frame which will be sent as soon as 380x110 handlebar is available again from F-C Carbon. Also I can confirm that F-C Carbon and RK Ultra Extreme are the same supplier.
August 18, 2025, 11:10:43 AM |
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Re: Replica Factor Ostro VAM
Just thought I’d add my 2 cents to this group, as I finally received my frameset at the weekend. I ordered from Polar bicycle store on AliExpress a few months ago. However the frameset took a little longer than others,as I ordered the raw finish with the hologram logo which seems to be more difficult to manufacture and this seller was the first to have it on the market. Honestly I was a PITA customer asking loads of questions and being really picky about every detail, he answered all my questions thoroughly and promptly and never complained. For a size medium/54cm frame weight was 898g, front fork uncut was 410g, 0mm offset seatpost was 125g and a Darimo nexum drag replica in 380x100mm was 284g. The quality was outstanding and just as good as any western brand, perhaps even better. The facing on the BB shell meant there was no paint and the threads were super smooth. The handlebar and seatpost were a super tight fit with no play and the mounts for the calipers were also really well faced and the calipers were perfectly parallel with the rotors when I built it up. Anyway here’s some pictures of the final build, came in at 6.7kg without bar tape. August 20, 2025, 04:10:04 AM |
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Re: Seraph Bikes Superlight 836g X68 - Alternative to SL8 Fakes?
@Sander2177 The main issues people have flagged so far are pretty minor: • Paint overspray – sometimes on thru-axle threads or bottom bracket threads, worth checking and cleaning up. • Bottom bracket & brake mounts – not always faced from the factory, so it’s hit or miss. Sometimes everything lines up fine, sometimes it needs a bit of work. • Seatpost/saddle clamp – no torque specs supplied, so I just use the SL8 manual as a reference (grease and paste applied as per that). A few people have had cracks when tightening the back bolt on the saddle, but that seems more like over-torquing. • Head tube transition spacer – on some bikes the back end rubs slightly on the top of the head tube. I had the same issue; fixed it by trapping a bit of sandpaper upside down and moving the bars side to side until it cleared. Overall, nothing major — just small things that either come down to luck with the frame you get or a bit of extra prep when building. Seatpost fitment Quick update on this: a guy I know fitted a 15° original post (not zero). His feedback was: “Hi mate, no issues for me. I used plenty of carbon paste and tightened it to where I was happy 😁. No photos to hand but honestly, it’s just a seatpost in a frame 🤷🏻♂️ — fitted as it should. Been running it for the last 2 weeks, no problems. Did a fast 60km on Saturday and 2–3 interval sessions. The old post/seat clamp used to creak, but this one’s been mustard.” September 16, 2025, 10:45:09 AM |
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Re: Replica Factor Ostro VAM
More photos
September 20, 2025, 06:42:58 AM |
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Re: XM Carbon Speed - "Gran Tourismo" Frameset
I've finally managed to put in some decent mileage over the past few weeks, so I'm able to write a short review of the bike. This is the third bike I've built this year, so I'll mainly be comparing it with my other builds and focusing on geometry details. I had my eye on this frameset even before EuroBike, but initially crossed it off my list after running some calculations based on the geometry. However, after seeing it in person and with Peter offering me a generous discount, I couldn't resist and took the frame home. Fun fact: I even got caught in the act in this YouTube video (https://youtu.be/4aRrWVxKaZ8?t=268) by forum member zealot128 at the XMCS booth. Meeting everyone was a fun experience, and I definitely recommend visiting EuroBike. With every new bike, I try to learn a bit more about bike geometry in my quest for the perfect frame. This year, I've been mainly riding the Factor Ostro V2 in size 58, which has the same wheelbase length but a very different composition - making comparisons particularly interesting. The standout feature of the GT is its massive 422mm chainstay length. For context, the Ostro's chainstays are 14mm shorter. This gives the GT incredible stability when descending or riding over 60 km/h. On paper, you might expect this to compromise agility, but in reality, it's still very flickable and corners exceptionally well. I would even argue that it feels more playful than the Ostro. However, part of that might be due to running the GT slammed with a stack about 2cm lower than the Ostro. Climbing and going out of the saddle feel great as well. On some setups, I sometimes get out of sync when going out of the saddle, but that never happened with the GT. It feels intuitive and responds exactly as expected. As for stiffness and comfort, I honestly can't tell much difference compared to the Ostro. Nothing stands out in either direction. On the downside, the long chainstay doesn't really improve rear tire clearance, which is limited to around 35mm if you want 4mm of clearance on each side. The tire makes contact with the chainstay before the seatpost, so there's always going to be a noticeable gap. Another downside is the relatively short front end, causing toe overlap with 30C+ tires for me. It's not a huge issue, but it's something to keep in mind. The biggest personal issue for me is the slack seat tube angle (73°) combined with the setback seatpost. Even with the shortest saddle, I can't move my position as far forward as I'd like. This was initially why I crossed the bike off my list. I tried convincing myself it wouldn't be a big deal, but I remain very aware of it on every ride. This is the main reason I probably won't be happy riding this bike long-term and am already considering replacing it with the Intropy Speedster. So for anyone in Germany interested, this one may be up for sale at a heavily discounted price once I move the parts to the new build - so HMU. My build includes a mix of high-end and premium Chinese components: - SRAM E1 Red/Force XPLR 1x13 - XMCS 40/50 Wheelset with 30C GP5K STR (32C in future) - Black Inc Aero 120/380 Cockpit (custom 3D-printed bearing cover) - Leese 165mm crank with ArcRayo PM and 52T PassQuest chainring - Kinan Kore Ti Pedals - Arundle Mandible bottle cages (clones) - SLT-style headset bearings from kugellager-shop - Custom Garmin Varia 3D-printed frame mount - Rainbow Ti-bolts throughout As mentioned in previous posts, I found some "Gran Tourismo" stickers on AliExpress and also added a random Black Inc decal on the headtube that I had lying around from a wheelset to make the bike look less empty. Bonus Fact: the exact same build of the Ostro would have been 93g lighter on the GT. September 23, 2025, 05:04:05 AM |
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Re: Replica Factor Ostro VAM
Following up on my previous comment Re: with Yohobikes. They do offer the "Black" raw carbon paint with dark reflective decals. I'm 90% certain I will order a size 56 without decals in the next week. Will keep you all updated on how it goes 
September 23, 2025, 07:36:59 AM |
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Re: Replica Factor Ostro VAM
Ok, I have ordered a 56cm from Yohobikes. Their photographic Dutch angle is slightly less than perfect to see inside the frame but gives me enough confidence to pay rest of the 80% payment. Note: frame weight is including FD hanger, Rear TA, bottle cage bolts. So considering clearcoat is probably ~80g, frame 56cm is ~1000g. ~200g off genuine but I doubt I'll notice that with my 85kg chassis 570 USD to Australia (excluding any taxes). 1month sea freight. I have a 2023 tcr adv at home so will give a direct comparison (with photos) when it arrives September 24, 2025, 02:45:15 AM |
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