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Messages - hellomrko

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29er / Re: Epic 9 knockoff is already out on AE
« on: May 20, 2026, 11:43:09 PM »
Good. I’m glad. At least some OEMs are willing to cater to extra requests like adding side cable ports. The headset cable routing is a showstopper for me. The newer frames from most major brands are all no-go for this reason.

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29er / Re: Spcycle Super Light 29er Hardtail MTB Frame M038
« on: May 11, 2026, 07:18:02 PM »
I won't name specific other brands. But... I've recently worked with another, fairly well-regarded OEM manufacturer, to add side cable ports on their full-suspension frame that don't have them by default. Whether they execute correctly on our final agreed-on spec (READ: not just *MY* spec), we'll see when I receive my frame.

The whole press fit BB and headset cable routing is a complete drag. I'm not sure if they even want to sell mountain bikes anymore.
For this reason (plus the obvious cost reason) I've skipped all the big western brands now.
Some Chinese frame manufacturers are willing to accommodate, and even accept custom paint jobs, so it's probably worth asking.


3
29er / Re: LightCarbon 918?
« on: May 07, 2026, 10:15:16 AM »
They have a nice way of visualizing the received custom paint job specification.

You do need to be attentive about reviewing the provided documents, since your specification in English is received an interpreted by someone who is not a native English speaker.
I was in the US time zone so I could reply back maybe up to twice per day over email.

There were several days' worth of minor corrections like "I meant <this color> for the decal but you have <that color there>," or "your text color description doesn't seem to match the appearance in the drawing." It's aggravated by the fact that I decided to use dark gray and light gray for subtle effects - it's easy to mix them up.

I appreciate Wendy at LightCarbon for staying patient through 2-3 rounds of respins, until we had this schematic that I could approve. Even the placement of the logo was customizable - the lower logo section wraps around to the bottom of the down tube. They were able to accommodate the internal cable routing holes on the side of the frame. I'm looking forward to receiving the finished frame.

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29er / Re: LightCarbon 918?
« on: April 29, 2026, 04:41:15 PM »
Yes, I got the same option presented by Wendy too, when I asked about LCFS911 and received minimum order quantity of 100.
There's no way I'm buying 100 frames; but she followed up with the "LCFS918 + side ports" proposal.
We should all keep doing that to inform them that no one wants the headset routing business.
I like that they can quickly pivot and offer something that customers want. I'm guessing they'd simply drill straight into the baked carbon frame. I'd guess is a no-no from "proper" perspective, but it should be fine in practice, right? Right???

Anyway, I'm trying to see if they can do the side ports with the custom paint scheme here.

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29er / Re: LCFS911 full suspension
« on: April 28, 2026, 04:32:07 AM »
Okay I give up, they must have stopped manufacturing this model or something. I was just informed by their contact that their minimum order quantity is 100.

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29er / Re: LCFS911 full suspension
« on: April 27, 2026, 11:32:20 PM »
How are folks liking this bike?
It seems to have the nice things that newer release have utterly failed on: threaded bottom bracket, internal cable routing through the side ports (not headset).
Plus they're open to custom paint job, so that's great.
I just took it to MS Paint and AI to create a quick-and-dirty concept art, to see if they can do this.
I think this came looking really promising, reminiscent of Orbea's paint style.
There was some Fox 32 Factory SC (100mm travel) that I managed to snag during the sales, but haven't found a frameset to put it on, so this paint scheme might work really well.

7
29er / Re: BXT 2025 New 29er T1000 Carbon MTB Hardtail Frame - MTB-066
« on: February 27, 2026, 12:20:12 AM »
74 deg seat tube angle, threaded BB… seems really promising. I’ll come back if they make a version without the headset internal cable routing.

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29er / Re: Spcycle M09 new hardtail 29er MTB frame
« on: February 07, 2026, 11:42:23 PM »
I’ll sign back on next year and will ask if y’all have had enough of this headset internal routing business. Who’s asking for this to be the design norm? I’ll pass thank you very much, please consider my single data point for your next frame development.

9
26er & 27.5 (650b) / Re: Meinier 24 inch kids MTB build
« on: November 07, 2025, 01:18:24 PM »
Roughly $1300 total in parts and labor. These wheels, cost probably about as much as the frameset. If I had more time, I suppose I could have ordered parts and built the wheels myself. But it's okay, everything works. No more cheap grip shifter or v-brake nonsense now.

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26er & 27.5 (650b) / Meinier 24 inch kids MTB build
« on: November 07, 2025, 01:03:34 PM »
Post-build video in the attachments.

Hello folks.

I saw a 26 inch counterpart of this thread subject, so I thought I'd share my experience with my 9-yo's new bike build.
We had to size up our child from the 20 inch to 24 inch bike, and we couldn't find a hardtail with modern spec (disk brake, thru axle) and the requested color, so we took it to aliexpress. The basic idea was to go for something that Trailcraft would make, maybe pay less, and totally purple it out.


We didn't skimp out much around the drivetrain and cockpit parts. We're not doing any "serious" mountain biking - just occasional rounds around the pump track and riding around town - so it's bit overbuilt for the actual riding that we do. It's been working out well so far, nothing broken. I think it's actually lighter than our 20" Specialized Riprock. Don't have the bike scale here, sorry.

The positives were:
  • Faster than expected delivery. I received it about 3 weeks after ordering.
  • I took it to the LBS for things that I couldn't do at home: installing headset, cutting steering tube to length, cutting the handlebar, BB and crankset installation. Zero complaints about parts not fitting.
  • The frameset is compatible with modern standards: thru axle, boost width, internal cable routing, not *headset* internal routing, disk brake caliper mounting points
  • The frameset is light, being carbon and all
  • Very nice color options, well done Meinier. That's important for kids. I don't mind the logo. Compared to other brands with awkward names, I think they did well with their name and logo.

The negatives were:
  • From start to finish, I think the build process took around 4-6 weeks, waiting for last bits and pieces to arrive, and wrenching during the weekend. Fortunately no one was clamoring for a new bike.
  • Poor frame finishing around one of the internal cable routing holes. The hole was not a clean round shape, and some section was wider than the plastic grommet.
  • Poor customer service about the above point. I sent them the same photo, and they said they would send a wider side grommet. They never followed through on it. Shame on them, but for the price that I paid for, whatever...
  • Internal cable routing #1: you won't be able to do dropper posts. There are left and right holes, and the plastic grommer (cover) allows for only 1 cable.
  • Internal cable routing #2: you guessed it. "Only 1 cable per side" means that you have to route your rear shifter cable on the left side, and rear disk brake hydraulic hose on the right. Or vice versa. Pick whichever you're more comfortable with. It doesn't look bad, but is different from a typical setup.
  • Kickstand: I know, no kickstands on real mountain bikes. But kids still like to prop their bike up. I ordered a ztto kickstand that you can put on your thru axle, but it requires about 6mm longer thru axle, so back to the aliexpress for that. Actually I just went to amazon for the same part (faster).

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29er / Re: Meinier XC hardtail Frame Boost 148x 12 T47 BB
« on: July 01, 2025, 03:27:38 PM »
I was wondering about the Meinier "Snake" 29" hardtail frames also. Just started noticing these since about 1 year ago maybe, but haven't been able to find any reviews on them yet.
I really wish some folks start uploading youtube videos about them, since their product listing looked pretty legit on aliexpress.
So, aside from having to source 7mm tall headset bearings specifically, folks didn't have any issues installing parts? No notable quirks of having to internally route up to 3 cables (rear derailleur, rear brakes, dropper) through the headset? Was there any need to deburr threads, face spray off the bottom bracket shells, or sand anything down? Is there any vent holes of sorts around the bottom to let some water drain when the bike is washed?

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