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Re: VeloBuild VB-R-268 frame
Another topic is that there is no hole in bottom bracket to let the water out. I had to drill it too and in his video it’s visible that he also has no hole in his BB. I commented this in his first part of the video. I hope he will noticing it. But no big thing with the handlebar. I guess Velobuild will replace it. My bike is nearly finished. Pics will be coming soon. JV January 19, 2024, 12:38:21 PM |
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Re: VeloBuild VB-R-268 frame
Hi Everyone! New to the forum but I have been following many builds and decided to try it myself. I have purchased the 268 frame too - it should be on it's way and arrive the coming weeks. Chris has been very helpful with my requests, but it seems that the frame has been sent with a matte finish rather than satin as requested. Chris is helpful in trying to find a solution. I will certainly drill a hole in bottom too!  I have the most "respect" for the internal cable routing and the bleeding of the brakes, guess I will watch some youtube videos to get it right! For the parts, I will be running a mechanical 11speed 105 groupset, Ican Alpha 40 Pro wheels with 30mm Schwalbe Pro tires. Will post some pictures as soon as I get the frame! January 23, 2024, 01:40:39 PM |
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Patty's Long Rant and Guide To Affordable Frames
I’m going to be honest here: I very much miss the glory days of this forum during the pandemic years. It was a perfect storm. People were stuck at home with extra discretionary income and free-time, while major bike brands were dealing with fulfillment delays. The rise of Chinese alternatives during this time brought so much excitement to this forum. Forum members were passionate about helping each other, and the overall vibe felt like a positive community of budget-minded enthusiasts. You could easily spend hours each day reading pages upon pages of new posts. The forum was basically a party everyday. I’m lucky to have joined during COVID. Now I don’t proclaim to be perfect or infallible to constructive criticism. Quite frankly, the support of this forum is a large reason why my YouTube platform even exists. I cannot thank you all enough. Sadly, a lot of the super experienced members don’t come here as often anymore. Perhaps the negative vibes these past 12 months ran them away or just simply their needs changed. Who knows… What I do know is I plan to keep supporting the forum as long as it makes sense. I’ve started to review more mainstream bikes, but my heart will always have a place for affordable Chinese frames/wheels. It’s how I got my start (Yoeleo R6). I wanted to write up a quick guide for anyone looking to jump into the world of “cheap” Chinese bikes. While I made a video on this very topic over a year ago, a reminder never hurt anyone. PLEASE feel free to add your insight and guidance below. Step 1: Passion Project vs Functionality As a cycling reviewer, I obviously don’t have any emotional attachments to my bikes. Except for my believed T1500. To me it’s about being functional and fast. If the “best” frame for (my) price range and riding style only offers matte black…I’ll take it every time. Custom paint means nothing to me if the frame is either a noodle or destroys my back. But I’m a performance-first person. Step 2: Riding Style and Geometry Can you slam your stem? Cool for you. Do you prefer an endurance style bike? Also very cool. Geometry is critical obviously. I cannot stress seeking a professional bike fit enough. Or just comparing your current bike to your target bikes using something like Geometry Geeks. Step 3: Budget vs “True” Budget If your budget is “only $600” for a frame, ask yourself if an extra $300 will be significant to you a year from now. How about an extra $500? How about two years from now? Buy nice or buy twice. Might be worth spending the extra money if you plan to keep your bike for longer than two years. But be warned: cheap bikes are addicting. Step 4: What is your “pain” threshold for cheap bikes? Cheap bikes are cheap bikes for a reason. Sort of. The value-add for these types of bikes is you are willing to put in the work yourself to troubleshoot, should bike build problems arise. If you do however find yourself frustrated, fear not! The forum is here to help. Typically the more you spend, the less potential for problems to arise. Or the brand will be faster to rectify. Unless you’re Yoeleo…  Patty’s Brand Picks $500 - VeloBuild - Custom paint, decent customer service, and solid provided hardware. Both the VB-177 and CX002 are very solid frames for the price. Won’t be the best performing frames ever, but they are “good enough.” You won’t get dropped from a race or fast group ride due to these frames. $1000 or less - Yishun/Light Carbon - No question one of the best affordable brands/frames you can buy without spending money on a Winspace. Sadly…paint options and frame availability may be questionable since (Yishun) is setup for B2B. But the quality and performance is all there. Fit and finish is really good, except for the plastic headset dust cover on my particular application. $1600 or less - Winspace - The T1500 has been talked about to death now for 4 years so there really isn’t anything left to cover. If you have the budget for it…buy it. Proven race bike. Fit and finish on par with the major brands. Wheel Brand Recognition - Elite Wheels, Winspace, and Magene - All 3 brands are great at what they do. The main thing these brands all have in common is they offer solid customer service. Each of them secretly lurk these forums, which means they are making an effort to listen to what customers want. Despite the fact Yoeleo makes solid bikes too, their customer service has been awful (again) based on customer feedback sent my way. Unfortunately my dealings with these brands for reviews does not translate to me being able to escalate customer complaints. Always remember the forum is here to help. There are no stupid questions if you’ve taken a little bit of time to research previous threads and watch a few YouTube videos. The more honest and transparent we all are with our questions, the quicker and meaningful the responses will come. Spend the love! January 25, 2024, 04:12:15 PM |
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Re: VeloBuild VB-R-268 frame
My frame arrived! Well packed and undamaged. Mine even had the bottom bracket hole already drilled, and the holes in the handlebar were good too. The additional derailleur hanger that I asked for wasn't included. On the back of the seatpost was a text, GRAAL. Anyone heard of a brand with those? The paintjob looks like good quality, and my decals were neatly placed. Just a question, I have 105 brakes but no adapters for mounting (160mm disc in front, 140 in the back) - anyone knows which one specifically I need? I ordered one but it seems to be the wrong one, will wait until I get it. Now awaiting the last few parts such as a threaded BB from Aliexpress (ZTTO I believe). Edit: @ Dank_ganks, please see pics  Cheers! January 30, 2024, 01:47:27 PM |
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Re: VeloBuild VB-R-268 frame
@hazzer19 how does it ride? ie How responsive to your pedaling (stiffness)? What's the weight of your build. Have to say kudos to VB, they are now good at painting frames. Rides amazing, probably my fave road build so far. Weighs in at around 7.7 Kg, so have some room to improve there (32T cassette in the back isn't helping!) Nice build, could you please show a picture of the front derailleur di2 wiring especially the parts you drilled. Thanks! Not sure if you can see a ton from the photo but here is the FD cable stop. I just drilled out the original hole until it was wide enough to pass the di2 wire February 11, 2024, 08:22:37 PM |
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Re: VeloBuild VB-R-268 frame
Good to see these nice builds coming along, and to hear that it rides well! Can't wait to try it, although in Sweden that might need some more months... My build is coming along too - Yesterday I routed the cables and installed the headset. While routing, I kinked one of the brake hoses close to the stem area and now I'm wondering if I should replace the whole hose. I was also smart enough to cut the front derrailleur cable too short (when steering all the way to the right, the cable got constricted by the BB..) so I will have to replace that one either way... I am planning to actually drill out the the FD cable stop hole you drilled out for Di2, but want to run the shifter hose all the way to the derailleur. Good idea? Well, its a first build and overall it's going well February 12, 2024, 05:17:09 AM |
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Re: VeloBuild VB-R-268 frame
Hi guys, here is my build. Nice Colour! February 12, 2024, 09:15:57 AM |
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Re: VeloBuild VB-R-268 frame
From last year, i dont think I posted these. Wrong thread... -> 168 February 12, 2024, 12:13:43 PM |
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Re: VeloBuild VB-R-268 frame
@Cnasta If you mean my colour and not jardoOo's, its a very light greenish I am 182cm tall and ordered the size 56, also Chris confirmed this size. The geometry is similar to the Specialized SL7 I believe, in case you can try one? February 15, 2024, 10:25:21 AM |
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Re: VeloBuild VB-R-268 frame
Using the rough schematic from velobuild's website, I modeled the integrated handlebar in order to get the real reach measurement. I guessed on the stack of the headtube cover, would be much appreciated if anyone could provide an accurate measurement.
February 15, 2024, 05:57:46 PM |
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