Chinese Carbon MTB Forums
News:
Happy Holidays!
See likes
See likes given/taken
| Post info | No. of Likes |
|---|---|
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 |
|
Re: Best and worst overall quality/value components/tools/gear from AliExpress?
Good: - Sportspy aero socks. Aero socks are already the best drag saved per $ item, but you can get 90% of what R28 sells from sportspy for less than 1/2 the price - Ridenow TPU, in the 19g guise - XCADEY crankset with spider mounted powermeter - various carbon handlebars: integrated, drop, MTB, you name it, I've pretty much never ordered a terrible handlebar on aliex - various carbon seatposts - knockoff sunglasses of all kinds - Ardunel Mandible knockoff bottle cages. Most recently bought a pair from Yao Bin, they're dec - CCN light overshoes: if your shoe size is small enough, I quite like these - 1-piece SROAD CNC steel cassettes (SRAM x-dome knockoff). I know a lot of people shit on these, but I frankly find them to be fine and exceptionally light for the price. I've bought 4 so far I've had examples in 10, 11, and 12s. All perform great. Mid: - LTWOO hydraulic groupset: pretty alright performance but shifter broke over a pothole Bad: - Magene QED P325 powermeter crankset with integrated chainring: chainring is soft and gets out of true. Expensive. Magene has been terrible to work with on this for warranty, I'm basically screwed. The crankset isn't compatible with any other chainrings. Power meter isn't exactly accurate. Crank arm+power meter design is pretty un-aero since the strain gauge units protrude a lot. - ZRace direct mount brake calipers: they suck. Not well manufactured. Leaky. Don't bleed well. Wide/bulky, which makes them un-aero. October 19, 2023, 10:17:52 PM |
1 |
|
Re: Interesting Aliexpress finds! - good deals, interesting stuff, new products etc!
May be not as interesting but if you are pissed (rightfully) for Canyon using an odd proprietary lower bearing (AC3748 37x48x7 45/90) for their Acros headsets on Ultimate CF bikes from past decade I finally found one on AliExpress by Fushi which seems to make a lot of bearings. Apparently this is the only one on AliX or at least I wasn't able to find others thanks to horrible search functionality. Just ordered a pair to service my 2014 CF SLX and for future use> https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256802045063170.html Canyon wants $80 for the set - they don't sell just the lower bearing. The sellers who do sell it are all in Europe. I figured it might help someone in the USA. October 25, 2023, 12:19:42 PM |
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 |
|
Re: TideaceBike New mold Road Frame FM-CR068 groupbuy
Sorry for my mistake, it is for 700*32C for the new mold FM-CR068. Thanks April 23, 2024, 09:07:03 PM |
1 |
|
Serenade 4550 Wavy Wheelset SUB 1200g steel spokes 500USD
First impression of these wheels. I think these are a winner in terms of bang for your buck. I bought this wheelset from serenadebikes.net which is the brandname of 7-Tiger Bike Components. These wheels are clearly modelled after the Princeton Carbonworks 4550 Evolution wheels, but obviously a LOT more affordable and a lot less over the top in terms of decals and design. They're 529 USD with Pillar Wing20 spokes and 569 with Sapim CX-Rays (which are what the original wheels use). Personally, I've built and own wheels with both types of spokes and, I think they're pretty much the same and they're certainly indistinguishable when riding. The Pillars might be a touch less aero, being 0.2mm wider but I believe that's splitting hairs. The specs The standout feature obviously is the weight. As you can see, I've measured them to weigh 1190g. Frankly, I think that's absolutely bonkers for a 50mm deep clincher wheelset with steel spokes. Inner width is a more traditional 21.5mm hooked. Externally, I've measured them to be 29.75mm. My other wheelset has an internal width of 25mm and personally, I've come to the conclusion that I like a narrower internal rim width more because the tire cross section of a 28mm is rounder and steering and handling feels better. More like I'm used to from a tubular. Also, particularly when climbing out of the saddle, I really didn't like the feeling of a squishy front tire squirming underneath me with a 25mm internal rim. I'm talking the exact same tire pressure. About 60psi in the front for me. I think 21-23mm internal is the sweet spot for 28c-30c tires which is what I ride. It just feels better and more nimble to me. So are they aero? Obviously I need more riding time to at least assess whether there's a discernible difference in the data on my usual routes. These 28c Tufo tires blow up to 30.5mm on these rims. As you can see though, the rim at least visually appears to basically be exactly as wide as the tire. The ride I've been looking for that "zingy" kind of feeling of a superlight wheelset. IME it truly transforms the way that a bike feels and it's just plain fun to ride. My rim brake Chinarello that I use for crits has 60mm deep tubular wheels weighing just 1300g. Combined with cotton tubs that makes for a truly special ride feel. Aero and still crazy responsive when sprinting up sharp inclines. These wheels can recreate that kind of feeling in a truly magical way. I had a super aero wide wheelset on there before that weighs 1450g. But it just felt sluggish every time I needed to sprint up a hill. These just GO. And I don't feel like they lack inertia on the flats. There's no discernible lack of stiffness. The hubs are the now ubiquitous straight pull ratchet centerlock hubs with 36 tooth. They're DT Swiss compatible should you have to source different freehubs. This is my second wheelset by Serenade / 7-Tiger. I can wholeheartedly recommend them. I think they offer some of the best stuff there is in the 4-700USD price range. You can order via their website. However, I usually communicate per whatsapp with Marya (+86 180 2020 4229) This is my initial impression. I've only ridden these for a week now and I'll do an update when I've done a few thousand kilometres. January 28, 2025, 05:51:49 AM |
1 |
|
Re: TideaceBike New mold Road Frame FM-CR068 groupbuy
So the first full ride. The seatpost is no longer slipping with Dynamic Carbon Paste. The bike is fast as hell. I have no issues with any creaking noises and I am a big boi with 99 kg on 191 cm. Final setup now with wheels from Peter and Bigrock Skyline handlebar on 7,85 kg. https://imgur.com/a/JUaavy6 Just two last issues: - rubber cover for the lower clamp does not follow the frame - screw for the saddle clamp was rusty after the first wet ride, will change it against a Ti one March 16, 2025, 09:23:34 AM |
1 |
|
Re: TideaceBike New mold Road Frame FM-CR068 groupbuy
So, 340 km in total ok the bike and I must admit the rides feel very good. Very stiff, agile for an bulky aero frame and the look is insane. The last two things are the screw (for the saddle clamp) and this rubber cover to follow the frame (open to ideas). https://imgur.com/a/I2V8DIr March 23, 2025, 03:40:20 PM |
1 |
Re: TideaceBike New mold Road Frame FM-CR068 groupbuy
So, 340 km in total ok the bike and I must admit the rides feel very good. Very stiff, agile for an bulky aero frame and the look is insane. The last two things are the screw (for the saddle clamp) and this rubber cover to follow the frame (open to ideas). They released an aero bottle cage for this frame. March 24, 2025, 07:37:41 AM |
1 |
Re: Seraph Bikes Superlight 836g X68 - Alternative to SL8 Fakes?
+ Yes, it’s a 54cm frame, and I’m 178cm tall. i might have the frame inspected at Carbon Cycle Solutions, where they can carry out a full carbon health check: “Thanks for getting in touch with us. We can carry out a full carbon health check of your frame and forks, which includes a comprehensive written report and associated imagery. We use a combination of microscopic and endoscopic cameras to check the inner and outer surfaces of each tube. Should anything be picked up, we will then use ultrasound to further investigate the area.” I’ve got quite an extensive list of upgrades lined up, so I’m hoping the frame checks out! Planned Upgrades: Titanium Upgrade Kit for brake callipers Shimano K05Ti resin pads TI Master titanium rear derailleur pivot bolt TI Master titanium shifter clamps Chaser direct mount hanger (aluminium) Chaser front brake mount (aluminium) Galfer Wave centre lock brake rotors – 140mm & 160mm with Shimano lock rings Overfast carbon thru axles DFS Carbon Crank with 24mm titanium axle XM Carbonspeed carbon chainring (planned 54-39T; fallback 53-39T if 54-39T isn’t possible) Ryet saddle Lucendi 1g bar plugs Lightweight expander plug (Yes, a bit controversial, but I’ve used them without issue on both my SL7 and SL8) Hopp carbon top cap with Extralight bolt Magcad Garmin mount ZTTO cassette (still undecided — mixed reports on shifting performance) Barrel & nut upgrade for seat post wedge Upgraded seat post cradle clamps and bolts Maxxis Hyper SL 28mm tyres Ridenow TPU tubes DFS 60/65 T1000 wheels with 5mm carbon spokes. Have a spread sheet and will post and list before and after weights for those who are interested and where purchased if its equipment I dont already have Fingers crossed the frame gets the all-clear! May 15, 2025, 04:54:55 AM |
1 |