Anyone tried them?

Such as these:
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mLwaRQC

Hi all.

I'm looking to build an xc bike up for my 11yr old (short) daughter.
I've found the Tantan Fm599 , which comes in 13.5".

Anyone know of any other options?

Thanks

How do you like it?

It's top of my list now, but I'm a bit concerned about the short headtube. Might be too low at the front end.
Possibly thinking of going from a small to a medium with a shorter stem.

Quote from: numberzero on June 12, 2019, 07:57:48 AM
There are a lot of people going with carbonda frames. They currently have 2 models, you can find a huge thread on carbonda frames on ridinggravel.com forum.

But there are so much different ways to do gravel it's hard to give advice.
For instance : do you want a sporty bike (long stem, low stack) or a relaxed bike? do you want to go 650b or stick to 700 with skinny tires? do you need to put luggage for long days on bike? ...

Thanks. I'm waiting to hear back from carbonda about prices.

I think I'm looking for 700c wheels. 45 to 50mm preferred. Lighter gravel riding. Maybe some racing.

I'm liking the idea of forks that take a 15mm TA, because I have some Chris King hubs I ban rebuild.

I'm wary of full internal cable routing. Seems like it could be problematic., And I'd like some flared bars, which the fully integrated bikes don't Naeem to come with?

Anyone know what tire size the gf01 takes?

I'm looking to build up a new gravel bike. Have my eye on a Tantan GR029 https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32817696490.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.5cd499f9iV3oeb&algo_pvid=516fc115-1668-413c-b9fd-723121c11244&algo_exp_id=516fc115-1668-413c-b9fd-723121c11244-11&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22sku_id%22%3A%2264689755771%22%7D because I have a Tantan road bike which has been great. The Gr044 also looks good, but I'd like a flared handlebar, and am not ready to commit to a particular stem length, as this will be my first gravel bike.

Have also looked at Carbona and Workswell, but their frames have longer chainstays (and bigger tire clearance). Not sure if this is a good or a bad thing with regard to handling?

Any other brands / frames I should consider?

Thanks.

I'm looking to build a new gravel bike.

GRX on AliExpress looks like a good price. Has anyone bought it? Is it genuine.

Still loving my Dashine Singlespeed: http://chinertown.com/index.php?topic=844.0

Keen to update my TT bike. This frame from CarbonSpeed looks great: http://www.xmcarbonspeed.com/Productinfo.asp?f=1482

They have the same section dimensions as CX-rays. ie 2.2mm x 0.9mm, and claim to be the same weight and strength. I don't see anything on that link that diffentiates them from CX-rays:
http://www.sapim.be/spokes/aero/cx-ray

My Cx-rays aren't particularly oval. I image the mid section is just rolled to the desired thickness, and the front and back faces are just the result of rolling a round spoke.

Call me cynical, but since these are cheaper that CX-rays, yet the same weight and dimensions, and only appear on chinese wheels, I always thought they were a copy.

Chinertown needs a wheels sub-forum!

I have the same rims as carbonazza, so LB 30mm outside, 24mm inside, hookless. Built them myself with Chris King hubs and CX-ray spokes. They've been solid, no real issues. Seal up Tubeless easily enough.

I like how the wide rims work with narrow tires (2.1 Schwalbes), which allows me to save weight.

Quote from: bxcc on June 23, 2016, 03:34:20 PM
Here is a current picture of my 062 in SS mode with a 100mm Sid XX up front. 21 pounds as it sits. I would like to get it lighter but it will have to do for now.

Beautiful scenery. I wish I lived so close to a ski resort!

What are you using as a tensioner?

Fairly sure its the same frame as my Dashine 29er:

http://chinertown.com/index.php/topic,844.0.html
http://disal.en.alibaba.com/product/60461352564-801343591/2016_excellent_light_full_carbon_MTB_frame_29er_cheap_carbon_mountain_bike_frame_PF30_china_mtb_carbon_frame_axle_142mm_or_135mm.html

Its a great frame, I love the handling of it.

The clocking on the Snail rings looks to be around 90 degrees, i.e. when the major axis of the oval is pointing straight up, your cranks are horrizontal. This isn't great.

Ideally it should come at around 110 degrees, so that your leg / foot is in the stongest position. I think rotor uses 108 degress, but allows you to change this with the OCP. Fairly sure that Absolute black ones are fixed at 110 - 116 depending on size.

The clocking being too early (90 degrees) will slow your leg down, since the major axis comes at a point when your leg isn't in its strongest position.

If anyone is looking for an innexpenive 'non round' chainring, I suggest checking out Doval on Ebay.  Can be had for about $30 and the shape of these rings is very natural - i.e. feels nicer than Q-Rings and all the other oval clones.

I love my speedplay frogs, though probably not the best if you get a lot of mud. They give a really solid conection, as they don't rely on the soles of your shoe for support.

Previous to that i was on time Atacs for many years, with few durability issues, just a bit pricey.

Thought I'd chime in with my Tubeless experiece.

My first set up was probably 8 years ago using some Maxxis Crossmarks and some Stans 355 rims. I'm not sure if Tubeless Ready (TR) tires were available then, but these tires weren't. UST was out then, but these tires tended to be at least 200g heavier than standard tires.
Stans seemed initially to be designed to work with standard tires, and so saved a heap of weight over UST. I had the usual issues getting the Crossmarks to seal - weeping sidewall which took a few days of flipping to seal.
I didn't think I lived in a particularly rocky area, but within a few rides I'd managed to put a big slash in my rear tire (and also found a huge booger of dried sealant in my tire). This was the first of many slashes that I repaired in these tires (and the first of many boogers.)
After they wore out, I tried some Schwalbe Racing Ralph snakeskins - knowing that I needed a tougher sidewall. I used this type of tire for many years. When they made them Tubleless ready, they sealed up very well - barely needed any sealant, and didn't leak from the sidewall (though after a bit of use i'd start to see small wet patches in the tread, where the sealant had done its job)

In a weight weenie moment, I tried a non Snakeskin TR Rocket ron on the front (since I'd never damaged a front tire). This saved about 100g, however the tire took a lot more sealant to seal (back to sidewall weeping), so the weight saving was much less than 100g, and it tore within 4 rides ( in the middle of a race!).

So for me, its just not worth using non Snakeskin tires, and the setup is much more problematic. I haven't tried them, but I presume Maxxis Exo tires and Continentals Protection tires are similar in sealing and toughness to the Snakeskins. I'm not sure about other brands, though I've often wondered why manufactureres bother making TR tires that don't have a toughened sidewall.

Currently I'm running some heavy Michelin tires, which so far have been fine, and no sealing or tearing sidewall issues, even though the versions I have weren't advertised as having a tough sidewall. I've also in the past run Geax Sagguaros, which weren't TR (TNT as Geax called it). These were fairly heavy (720g ish) and lasted until the tread wore out.