Good catch! That bike looks really nice built up. The rider mut be quite tall, with that long stem and reach. In regards to the pix of the rear brake caliper. Is that paint chipping? There are black splotches in the red/orange paint. Think it is ok? Sweet frame otherwise. I want one!

I saw those black splotches, too, but it looks like the bike was just washed before the photos. It's probably wet brake dust.

If I was to guess the frame size, it's maybe a 17"? The reach listed on the geometry charts is so long that riding one frame size smaller would be necessary to achieve the old-school XC position of being farther over the front wheel with a longer stem. Its 500mm reach in size 19" is even longer than the reach of the new Santa Cruz Megatower in size XL. This Carbonda/Stevens might be the most modern XC frame on the market.

On Absalon, perhaps that's the reason he didn't win. He is tall enough not to need one and carrying the extra weight would probably moved him back. Any proof reference ?

The extra weight of the dropper would likely impact Absalon less, as he is a relatively heavier rider at about 70.5kg. He produces more absolute power than a smaller rider with the same W/Kg ratio, and has a smaller ratio of bike weight to body weight, both of which would offset the extra weight of the dropper post.

Show me one of top 3 podium on World Cup XC race using dropper and you will change me.

Maxime Marotte used a dropper at the opening round of the XC World Cup this season in Stellenbosch. He finished 3rd, a few bike lengths behind Gaze and Schurter. Other racers in the top-10 who used droppers were Florian Vogel (7th) and Titouan Carod (5th).

How is the frame holding up now that you've put some miles on it? Have the pivots or pivot bearings developed any play?
I'm seriously considering ordering an FM058, but want to be sure that the frame won't wear out after a few months, as is the case with my Ican S8.

The fact that Xmiplay wouldn't honor their warranty on a two-week old frame would scare me off from doing any business with them in the future. It also definitely doesn't help their case that they sent you the wrong chainstay. A LBS might be able to create some kind of temporary fix for your pivot play issues, but you might just as well served going to a hardware store and finding some kind of nylon spacer that will press it together.

As for differences between the two frames, the FS029 is not the same as the FM258. The FS029 has a 2.1 degree slacker HTA, a 180mm minimum rear disc brake rotor, shorter reach, and different pivot assemblies, to name a few differences to the FM258. The FS029 is also made by XM Carbonspeed, which has a reputation for good communication and warranty policy. You can find the geometry chart here http://www.xmcarbonspeed.com/Productinfo.asp?f=1527. Both frames have a "flex pivot" where the rear pivot would be on the 036, so they would both be much stiffer.

Although I do not own either of those frames, I have seen a few build threads on the FM258 variation, the FM058. I would go that route given the documentation that exists on the frames. The Hongfu frame seems very solid, and is also being sold by the European companies Megamo and Price. Russian World Cup XC racer Anton Sintsov appears to be racing on an FM258 frame currently, and Swiss rider Martin Fanger just completed the Absa Cape Epic on an FM058.

Yep. And I wrote they have a 142x12, a 650 boost and a 29er boost.
But as of this morning the 29er boost is not available until May at earliest.

Is this rear spacing information for the FM258 or FM058?

It appears that the FM058 has been rechristened as the "FM258." There's no difference between the two, and it is still possible to find the product page for the FM058 through a Google search. I sent Hongfu an email asking if the new frame was finally available in size 21", but the Lunar New Year shutdown is in full effect until the 26th of this month.
http://www.hongfu-bikes.com/html_Products/Mountain_Frame/29ER_Mountain_Frame/2017/0622/482.html

Hey everyone,

Long time listener, first time caller here. I recently built a size 20.5" Ican S8 and found to my great displeasure about 2mm of side-to-side play in all of the pivot bearings on the frame. I disassembled them and found that instead of Loctite, they were secured with c-clip springs.
I've never seen, heard of, or read about c-clips being used to hold suspension pivot bearings into a frame. Unfortunately, the bike is in the shop, so I don't have any pictures. Has anyone ever experienced this with a frame? I've browsed every build thread I can find, but everyone else's bearings seem to be properly installed in their frames.
I decided to go with the S8 based on the geometry and other users' positive experiences with their P8 frames, which seems to be as close to a trail bike as the major Chinese manufacturers produce.

I had my local shop loctite the bearings into the frame, but that has only solved about 75% of the flex in the back end of the bike. It's also interesting that KHS is selling the S8 as a "Team 29 FS." http://khsbicycles.com/bikes/2018-khs-models/team-29-fs-18/ Other than the weird back end looseness, the bike rides great and absolutely rips downhill. This frame is certainly one of the most progressive XC bikes on the market at the moment.