Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but Lightcarbon's specification doesn't mean you must have a crankset with ~49 mm chainline. It is merely the reference value for determining clearance. If you have a crankset with a smaller chainline value (i.e. more inboard), you probably will run into clearance issues with the specified max of 42T.

The ideal chainline for a 12x142 through axle back wheel is around 46 mm, but cranksets, especially gravel specific ones, sometimes compromise and are a bit more outboard to gain more clearance between chain/crank/front derailleur and tire. Or they might compromise to be more inboard to work better on "classic" 10x130 mm QR where the ideal chainline is 43.5 mm (e.g. 44.5 mm on Shimano road cranks).

Around 49 mm is the ideal chainline with boost (148 mm) axle standards, but those are almost exclusively used on MTBs.

I'm looking for an integrated cockpit similar to the Roval Rapide integrated cockpit. I was going for the real deal, but first, it's not made in the size I need (380x100, only 380x90 and 380x115 exist) and second, the availability is pretty darn bad (even for other sizes!). There are a bunch of straight "knock-offs" (some even with fake Roval branding.... ugh) on Ali, and many of them even come in the stem length I need.

Any recommendations? Something a bit more reputable and less fake perhaps? The Avian handlebars look interesting, but I don't really like the compact reach and -10° angle.

Edit: FYI the cockpit needs to fit an original tarmac SL8 frame.

Few questions about the frameset, still deciding what frameset to go for in my build. I skipped through the whole thread, but obviously didn't read all and every post, so bear with me if this was discussed already.

Do we have any geometry info on the integrated handlebar that VB provides? CAD drawing or something? Ideally I want a compact bar with just a bit of flare, i.e. drops maybe 2 cm wider than hoods.

My understanding is that the geometry isn't as aggressive (only 536 mm stack in size 54) as it seems, as there is a special mandatory spacer that is around 15 mm in height that comes on top of the frame stack. Is that correct? OTOH, on some photos it still did look super aggressive, but maybe that was due to individual sizing decisions. I'm 176 cm and I need around 73 cm saddle height and considered size 54 so far. Goal is 8-9 cm saddle to bar drop.

Is there any verdict on saddles with 7x9 rails? Supposedly there were issues with the clamps, and VeloBuild knew about it. Have they fixed it?

What kinds of accessories do you typically want in addition to what VB ships? From what I've read it should be 1. grommets for cables, 2. Di2 battery holder and 3. maybe a better expander plug.

Edit: another thing... how stiff are the integrated bars? I think I read they are quite wiggly. Is that (still) true?

At least it's not a BIG*OCK. But man, what is it with those Chinese names.

Fuck you mean it's not an exact replica? I bet that shit was 3d scanned, imported to cad and went straight to mold design

I guess you're right... I just want to spin it positively perhaps.

They also sent me another pic of the fork (didn't even ask for it) with 28 mm tires installed. Good clearance for wider tires as well as far as I can tell.

Still not sure if I should go for it. I really want a lightweight-ish frame though and the geometry is just spot on...

ETRTO actually went back in the 2024 spec and now requires 29+ mm tires on 25 mm rims. Pretty sure because combinations like 28 mm tires on 25 mm rims turned out to be problematic. There were some incidents, at least one in the pro peloton as well.