Looks a lot like a Hongfu FM138. Check the Geocharts and you will know

You're completely right, IT IS the FM138... Guess I never looked hard enough, but thanks A LOT !!

I started to have the same issue with my 9Velo wheelset. Its been two years riding in all conditions and 20K km. They sent me a new / updated hub and spokes with brass nipples to get them rebuilt. I will do this as soon as another one snaps.

Now THAT is a warranty, if I've ever seen one!

Did you apply grease on the BB thread? I had to on mine and changed everything!

I didn't, since I wasn't really assembling the bike, just being curious how everything would work/ fit together when I received it, so if anything was grossly wrong, I could complain or send the frame back.

I've been seeing this frame everywhere on AliExpress, didn't realize it was a Scott clone. Would have been very helpful to see pictures of the inside of the frame from the openings, to see the kind of carbon they use, and how good of a job they do. Realistically, as long as it's well made, using cheaper materials and making a somewhat heavy frame is not a bad trade-off to save hundreds compared to fancier layups and frames, for most people.
It sounds like most of your problems come from the paint job you ordered, rather than the frame itself being shit, so that's a plus.

Bought one of these from SEQUEL store on Aliexpress in the orange/yellow YS7497 color, size 49, on Aug 20th, received it on Sep 19th.
Absolutely LOVED the color, wasn't sure if I was gonna like it seeing the pics on the phone.
Overall, I didn't see any problems regarding the carbon construction inside, as far as I could see on the frame openings..

Here are some concerning points I noticed upon delivery inspection:
-Minor paint defects under the clear (don't really care)
-Front fork is "too wide" for the hub, making the axle squeeze it onto the endcaps. Makes me question if this will shorten the fork lifespan.. And LOTS of paint left on the dropout
-Rear dropout had A LOT of paint where the hub sits, making it almost impossible to put the wheel in place (I know this is easily solvable during assembly, I'm just pointing out for clarity)
-One of the bottle cage screws came broken, NO IDEA how that could happen
-Front brake hose exit on fork leg is terribly shaped, will definetely need to be filed down
-And the WORST part: one of the sides of the bottom bracket is VERY hard to screw the BB into, it goes in normally for 2 or 3 turns, then gets VERY hard, and all I could do (since I didn't have the T47 tool) was go back and forth, progressing little by little in screwing the BB in, then I gave up and took it to my mechanic.

Will probably have some updates on the next few days, as he will be swaping frames using my parts (105 group and brakes and Elite ENT wheels)

Another doubt I'm having, and the seller can't seem to solve: the wheel uses Pillar 1423 spokes.
I believe the nipples are the DSN model (also from Pillar), but I don't know what gauge they are: 13, 14 or 15.
Can anyone confirm the exact model of spoke and nipple I need to buy?

I rebuilt a mates set of Hunt alloy wheels that did the same with brass nipples and they've been fine since. Basic ali nipples and steel spokes all do this eventually.

Thanks for the answer!
Do your friend has the same "salt climate" that I have here?

I bought a couple different 3rd party batteries. They were approx half the cost of SRAM.

They worked just fine, but in both cases they lost their ability to hold a charge for more than a few days. Meanwhile my original SRAM batteries continue to keep working years later.

I'm not sure what the differences actually are. It seems like batteries should be batteries these days and they should all work similarly. Unfortunately, that has not been my experience. In a pinch I would not hesitate to use these other batteries, but go into it with reasonable expectations.


EDIT: I just searched my order history. The ones I bought were both MRX but came with different color covers. So I guess they were probably both the same battery, not different. I stand corrected.

Back when they were new, did you notice any difference in capacity compared to the original ones? Like did you have to charge them more often?