Stock wheels on the f5 deserve to be changed, and 105 di2 aint so far off from ultegra, is it?!

Stunning F5! This is honestly your best bet to get a proper pina frame.

Or you go full chad and buy this one for science 
(Even though it's a tt bike)

https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/1005012506751809.html?spm=a2g0n.productlist.0.0.19433EiY3EiYBO&browser_id=92337d309e0c46bcb41c6a38cbbe9f70&aff_platform=msite&m_page_id=oxgikqsrycavyast19f6f70857a2143751f4c337b1&gclid=&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22order%22%3A%221%22%2C%22eval%22%3A%221%22%2C%22fromPage%22%3A%22search%22%7D&pdp_npi=6%40dis%21EUR%21165.64%21154.69%21%21%211253.92%211171.01%21%400b88abba17842810729906031e118f%2112000058787708149%21sea%21FR%210%21ABX%211%210%21n_tag%3A-29910%3Bd%3Ad05f64d0%3Bm03_new_user%3A-29895&algo_pvid=774060f9-576a-4f51-bc09-fca58d818193&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A%7Cx_object_id%3A1005012506751809%7C_p_origin_prod%3A


Trolling aside, I wonder how did they get the mold for the wave patern on the seatpost and seattube et why do they put an ita bb...

Would you go full GRX or since it's made for a lot of road (thus 2x) you would put a 105 (or other) fd + crankset ?

Forumers will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Quickpro got the exclusivity on this frame, you therefore can buy it only through them.

Thx for the first impressions! What are the internal width? EW ?
They look cool, but what is supposed to bring this new "texture"?

Quote from: Dark17 on July 02, 2026, 06:05:53 AM
Well, sometimes a 4W is a big difference between 2 sprinters on the finish line on a bike throw.....

Professionally yes. When you optimized every other aspect of performance it is natural to squeeze every few watts here and there to have an edge on the competitors.

On the amateur side, it's not so clear. There are tons of parameters that will limit you performance before the bike itself (better training, better nutrition on and out of the bike, better recovery, etc). And the 4w are at 45km/h. Let's be honest, not so many peeps here ride that pace on a daily basis. And let's also remember, 4w in lab test environment, very specific, very much not applicable to real world conditions.

What I'm the most amazed at, is the power of a good marketing, or here, I will call it marketing gymnastic.
Let's take the statements here and analyze them.

Specialized is openly saying :
This bike is also not the lightest. (even sl8 is lighter).
This bike is not the most aero. (even by spec own numbers, they admit to be behind in term of aero compared to the competitors).
All this wrapped up in their new "time to finish" metric which is a proprietary method to estimate the speed of a bike based on their methodology, with their data, on their own wind tunnel, comparing to competitors they picked, on courses they picked (in which there is this story of the Women TDF lost to 4s, what a great story telling example, nothing to say here, except bravo to the marketing team, they are good I have to admit).

So basically: not the lightest (not even vs their own last model), not the best in aero either, but somehow the "fastest bike ever made" according to a metric they invented, tested with their own gear, using their own data. That's about as textbook conflict of interest as it gets in the scientific community, and yet it'll probably sell like crazy.

What do you think ?

Quote from: Eddy_Twerckx on July 01, 2026, 10:35:21 AM
2W from new wheels. 2W from new cockpit being 2cm narrower. Frame is not doing much. I bet money you could put those wheels and cockpit on an SL7 and it's just as aero.

Don't be rude (to the cult) those 4w are hugmonguss and will make every true beliver win a lot races!
I mean, Spec is serious business, they would never say something like that just to sell overpriced bikes, would they?

They are showing what looks like the prototype they already showed in Shanghai (3d printed i/o carbon made), cf Hambini video (at around 5:02).

Quote from: Serge_K on June 24, 2026, 05:38:46 AM
Obviously? Why?

the "obviously" should prolly have been a "most likely" to reflect the fact that I don't really know but I'm projecting the fact that it is considering these few factors:

Peter's is known on this forum to be quality driven in his business and most of the reviews on the gran tourismo are great (seatpost clamp aside, which, if my understanding is good, is a system problem, not a frame quality's one).
Pat seems to have liked the new frame while testing it.
It is lighter for roughly the same shape therefore I conclude the materials used are higher quality.
There are likely more R&D on the XMCS side, as shown with the wind tunnel testing as an example.
And finally I'd say brand positioning (and price sort of),  XMCS is now targeting a premium segment and can't get away with "good enough" frames if they want to maintain the reputation that brings them clients.

Though as I said, whether the average rider would actually feel any of that on the road is another question entirely.

Quote from: Swatt on June 23, 2026, 02:47:52 AM
Most of that price difference (I suppose) is given by the fact that it is a standard frame construction rather than a monocoque construction (XMCS). Another big difference I suppose is in the amount of high modulus fiber (that is the reason for the higher weight) and in the refinement of the layup (again another reason for higher weight).

I think that's an interesting question, though we shall never get a proper answer. The quality will obviously be better with the XMCS, but since it will be two times more expensive, will it be two times better? (What does that would even mean?)

Concerning the ride quality, there is very little chance anyone will own both and do a comparative review unfortunalty, but my take is, for most riders, I'd bet that we wouldn't even notice the difference (just like there are few people that would notice the diff between CF5 and CF5?)

In definitive, I'd say it's a matter of taste, they are both good looking and (most likely) potent frame, way cheaper than what the west is offering (first hand), so you can't really go wrong I'd say.

Quote from: Chineseweaklegrider on June 18, 2026, 11:00:56 AM
All the other brands, our opinion is if they do not sell frames for more than 2200USD or 3000USD, we will give them a shot to try, but for 2200USD or 3000USD, bruh, let them go to hell, or let the rich people take care of these brands.

Thanks for your answer. Just one last thing and I'll stop the Off topic.
I do agree with you concerning this part and I guess this is why we are on this forum in the first place. You mentioned the high prices brands but what about the reputation of the other side of the spectrum, the companies that actually provides frames that are "affordable", like Velobuild, lightcarbon, hongfu, mondince, spcycle, carbonda, bxt, tideace and so on ?

So, if I get it right, some chinese brand have a really bad reputation on the domestic market, including SPEC (and winspace, per the other thread).
I know it's slightly off topic, but could you list the chinese brands that have good reputation on the domestic market ?

6000€+, not a gravel frame by any means, unless you are adventurous enough to take this 28mm clearance on anything else than tarmac!

Quote from: Serge_K on June 12, 2026, 11:27:25 AM
Are they good at making bikes though?

Earlier in this thread, I've seen people assume they are.
I wonder what makes one think this will be good quality. Is it because on the pics it looks good ?

Without any info, the safe (and rational) bet would be to assume the opposite until proven wrong.

Quote from: Ulkem on June 11, 2026, 05:43:32 AM
Did you have the chance to test it already?

I have received them. I have tried the toptube bag, the frame one and the handle bar one during a weekend trip with 1 night in the tent.
I have to say that I'm pleasantly surprised. They seem to be of good quality,, fabric seems strong, zip looks strong too. Waterprofing remains to be tested. And can't really say any thing about longevity for now.

I'll get the chance to test the whole set this summer during a full week, lets see how it goes!