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Messages - Giraffoto

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29er / Re: CS-057 is on its way! [Has arrived!]
« on: June 22, 2016, 02:33:33 AM »
My sincere apologies for how long this has taken, and for the poor quality of the pictures when we finally got there!



The frame looked a bit bare without any make or model on it, so I re-used a spare set of stickers that I'd got for my previous frame. I might get something else, but I prefer the look with some sort of sticker on the downtube. Among other aesthetic considerations, I prefer the internally routed cable and hose, and generally prefer the look of this frame with its subtle curves and blended tubes.

So, this was a fully rigid 29er with an aluminium frame, and I've only changed the frame and headset. How has it changed?



It's noticeably lighter when riding, which means it's easier to steer, but even more noticeable is the improvement in stiffness. My impression of every aluminium frame I've ever ridden has been of some of the pedalling effort being absorbed by the frame, but with this frame you feel every bit of effort doing something. For all that, the ride is also smoother - like a lot of carbon frames, this one has the lower stiff section Head tube-down tube-chain stays that keeps the pedalling effort where it should be, and the upper compliant section Top tube-seat tube-seat stays that soaks up the bumps.

So . . . under £400 to shed about a kilogram of weight, improve the dynamics, fit a better headset and look better. Totally worth it. And in case anyone was wondering, it took about two hours to swap the frame, taking everything slow and steady and getting everything torqued properly.

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29er / Re: CS-057 is on its way! [Has arrived!]
« on: May 20, 2016, 07:24:02 AM »
So, a very large and astonishingly light parcel arrived today. Once stripped of all the bubble wrap, it was even lighter - the quoted 1250 grams seems like an overestimate. The "extra" 142x12mm dropouts turned out to be the ones attached to the frame, and the 135qr ones were packaged separately - not a big deal - and absolutely everything else is to specification. Great service! I'll be building it up over the weekend - pictures (still) to follow.

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29er / Re: Question about BB....which one should I go with for my new build?
« on: May 20, 2016, 01:32:46 AM »
Quote from: Carbon_Dude on May 18, 2016, 08:34:48 AM
BSA would always be my choice . . .

Similarly, BSA. It still comes with the fewest questions about compatibility (30mm, 24mm, square taper, ISIS and Octalink will all fit) and is still probably the easiest to install, uninstall and make creak-free.

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29er / CS-057 is on its way! [Has arrived!] Now with pictures!
« on: May 19, 2016, 05:02:45 AM »
If you're planning to order a frame to the UK, this may be helpful information . . .

I contacted Mr Xu at Xiamen Carbon Speed last week, and placed my order for a CS-057 frame (size 21", UD matte, BSA BB, 135QR dropouts with the 142x12 dropouts included for future proofing). The price including delivery for that came to about £340 - exchange rates may change though.
Today I received the note from Parcelforce to say they have my parcel, and can I pay some VAT on it? The tracking details showed . . .
11th of May, I placed the order
12th of May, the parcel is passed to EMS in China
16th of May, it's in UK customs
17th of May, it's cleared customs and the charges have been assessed
18th of May, the note is sent to me asking for £37.99 in VAT and £13.50 clearance fee (corresponding to 20% of £189.95)
19th of May, I receive the note and pay it via their very easy website.
20th of May, (tomorrow!) the parcel is due to arrive!

20th of May, (today!) the parcel arrived at 09:20!



So, if all goes to plan, that will be is nine days from emailing my order to receiving the frame. Pictures to follow!


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29er / Re: CS-057 Gravel Grinder Build
« on: April 08, 2016, 04:21:00 AM »
Brake line (not cables!) are usually quoted at 1700mm rear and 1000mm front. So if you're going for full-length outer, I'd guess 1700 for a rear derailleur and 1300 for the front, or three metres in total. Are you going for cable brakes? You can get hydraulic lines in various colours now . . .

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29er / Re: CS-057 Gravel Grinder Build
« on: April 07, 2016, 04:11:13 AM »
Quote from: vicious meister on April 06, 2016, 07:12:14 PM
explain no bleed method ,por Favor

This method worked for me, with Shimano Deore (596) brakes . . .

Prop the bike in the workstand, if you have one.

Adjust the position of the lever slightly so that the reservoir is vertical, with the oil port at the top.

Get the pads out of the rear caliper. Of course you do the rear first - if you screw it up the bike will still be relatively safe to ride to the LBS. Put the pads safely out of the way

Put a folded up business card between the pistons and rotor on both sides. This is a bit of overkill to stop the two bits of metal bothering one another

Pump the brake lever until the pistons are out a few millimetres on each side.

Push back the rubber cover on the end of the hose and undo the hose joint nut with an 8mm spanner (crescent wrench for Americans), having mode a note of how far it's screwed in before you start

Pull the hose out of the lever. It may take quite a pull

Get the olive off the hose. If it's jammed, cut the end off the hose

Cut the hose off to the required length with a sharp knife and route it where you want it to go

Discard any offcut of hose (which has a small amount of oil still in it, so discard it into a plastic bag, don't just put it on the bench: there is now nothing to stop the oil pouring out of it)

Clamp the end of the hose in your Shimano clamping blocks, and hammer the hose insert in. All three of the other bits will fit over this, so don't waste time getting them on in order before you put the insert in.

Now put the rubber cover, hose joint nut and olive in place and give the hose a firm shove back into the lever. Tighten the hose joint nut until it's screwed in as far as it was before

Undo the oil cap on the lever. Screw your Shimano bleed funnel into it in case what you do next makes it overflow.

Use a couple of suitably thin levers to push the pistons back into the caliper. Put the pads back in, and don't forget the split pin. Also don't forget to spread it at the end when it's through.

Carefully remove the Shimano bleed funnel and put the cap back in. When you pushed the pistons back it will have forced oil out of the caliper, up the hose and back into the lever. And possibly out the top, too. If you're lucky, there won't be any air bubbles involved and you won't need to bleed the brakes.

Tighten everything back up, move the brake lever to where you had it before, and give it a test

This has worked brilliantly the four times I've done it, although I've only ever used it for swapping hoses left to right (and vice versa) and shortening them.

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29er / Re: CS-057 Gravel Grinder Build
« on: April 05, 2016, 08:05:53 AM »
Looks good! I'm thinking of this very frame, and a very similar build (apart from a rigid fork). I've a couple of questions:
(1) which BB option did you go for?
(2) Is routing the brake line as simple as disconnect from the lever, remove the olive and poke it through the hole?
(3) is the gear cable routing set up so that you only have a piece of outer cable from the lever to where it goes in the frame, or is it a full-length outer cable that's threaded all the way through the frame?

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Vendor Discussion & Reviews / Re: Hello, and what's happened to Carbonality?
« on: January 19, 2016, 02:06:34 AM »
Carbonality appears now to be JM Trex:



Although the website is just the tiniest bit work-in-progress at the moment. I may well change my plan to the 256-SL frame.

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Vendor Discussion & Reviews / Hello, and what's happened to Carbonality?
« on: January 10, 2016, 07:23:06 AM »
Hi there! New user, second post:  I have a 29er with an aluminium frame at the moment, but have been planning for some time to swap the frame out for a carbon 29er. Carbonal's Orion seemed just perfect for me, and I'df hoped to order one about now, but the website's disappeared. Does anyone know if they're still in business?

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29er / Re: Welcome to Chinertown - Introduce Yourself!
« on: January 10, 2016, 07:21:13 AM »
Hello everyone, and here I am introducing myself. I have a 29er with an aluminium frame at the moment, but have been planning for some time to swap the frame out for a carbon 29er - so this is a site just made for me!

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