Yesterday i asked chris if the painting of my frame was finished and didn't get an answer yet. But i just got the automated shipping confirmation mail from velobuild. Chris promised that they will send pictures after painting is done. Hasn't happened yet. As long as i receive my frame without any issues it's not a major problem for me but still worth sharing in my opinion.

Btw. is page 34 of this thread broken for anyone else? Can't access it for some reason but the other pages are working fine.

So here's my followup on the Thinkrider X2 i ordered for my brother. The price was 277,69€ using a choice day coupon. Shipping took only four days from Madrid to my address in germany. The parcel wasn't damaged or anything and the trainer was well packaged. I was actually surprised by the fact that there was an english manual. All the necessary adapters for through axle or quick release are included. The only thing that seems a little cheap is the power supply. If i compare it's weight to the one of my kickr core i can't imagine it will be the same quality. So if i had to guess one thing that will fail on this thing it's the power supply but that should be replaceable fairly easy. Apart from that the build quality looks and feels solid. The base is attached by four screws and seems solid. I calibrated the trainer using the Thinkrider app which worked like on the kickr.

I did two rides on the trainer, one relaxed zone 2 ride in erg mode and one ride up alpe du zwift (on 50% trainer difficulty). The only real difference i noticed between the x2 and my kickr core is that the x2 leans slightly more to left and right, which isn't a bad thing in my opinion. ERG mode was really smooth and the resistance adjustments were fast. Resistance up alpe du zwift also seemed realistic.

This is absolutely not an in depth review, i just did some test rides before my brother picked it up. But so far it really felt like a great alternative to the kickr. With the right deals you can get it for half the price of the kickr which is insane. The only questions are longevity and warranty if something fails, only time will give answers to these. Apart from these two questions it's a great cheaper alternative to the kickr core. I kinda regret not going for the x2 myself and saving 230€.

If you have any questions feel free to ask. If my brother faces any issues with the device i will let you know here.

Nice to see some alloy frames on here. Looking forward to see the final build.

I ordered on october 30th and was told painting will take around a week and shipping around two weeks. I asked about the status of my frame yesterday and got a reply this morning (due to timezone differences). Chris told me they will finish painting this week and send it out. He has been pretty responsive so far. I asked a few questions after the purchase and during the time our timezones aligned he answered within minutes. If they keep their promise to finish the frame this week i'm happy. Hopefully they will

I ordered one for my brother it will hopefully arrive this week. Price from aliexpress was 277,69€ with shipping from spain so there should be no tax issues. Since i will receive and unbox it before my brother comes to pick it up i will hopefully be able to do a first impression and little comparison to my Wahoo Kickr core. I couldn't find any reviews about this particular unit but in the end after some hesitating my brother said fuck it let's go for it. Really interested on how it will perform.

Thank you that helps a lot. I will be running the newest 12 speed 105. Seems like the newer cables are thinner than some older ones so i guess i won't have to drill either. I ordered some grommets from Aliexpress but also saw that there are official Shimano ones (see attachments). Guess i will just try what fits best when i get the frame in hand. Small details like that can take their time. The bike will probably only see the indoor trainer until spring anyways.