Sure you need an XC frame? New gravels become more XC nowadays. Check SPCycle G028/Mondince FM366 (57 mm clearance) or Mondince FM356 (61 mm) in the neighboring forum branch. Can't comment on anything special about them, just the first frames popped up in there. Perhaps there're some other options.

Also, there was a thread here somewhere about a beach racing bike, don't remember the frame.

If one's willing to build a carbon dropbar monster cross, "a lot of the hardtails" becomes pretty "a few". The problem is the seat tube length, which is short in size S almost everywhere. Probably alu/steel/titan are less concerning in this case. Flatbar (your actual frame size) is no problem.

Quote from: Wil on August 26, 2025, 04:43:48 AM
- CFR505SL : 660USD + 195 USD shipping

They recently advertised the older generation for 400 bucks only.

There's a story about the EDGE wheelset.
They originally claimed 120kg max weight and pressure up to 120psi. A guy bought them from alix exactly because of those specs. Yes, he double-checked with the shop about the working pressure (90-120psi), and they confirmed it. According to them, some fancy light carbon was used that didn't compromise strength, ofc. And guess what, after a short while, running the specified high pressure, the rear wheel shattered during a ride (yeah, delamination thing).
Elitewheels fuqed around for some time with classic: "please close the dispute friend, we will send (or already sent) a new replacement friend, trust me bro and close the dispute". Eventually, alix stepped in and asked for a formal diagnostic certificate from a workshop to confirm it was unrideable. The guy did the stuff, sent the docs and got a full refund.
Happy end! Kind of.
PS: the dispute took three months.

I see. If it's a kinda of bikepacking purpose, probably not the best solution. My idea was to use a small bag for little things like phone/battery/some spare/whatever, so not much load. Can't say anything about it for now since I haven't received the frame yet (technically, the frame is ready to ship, but I asked to postpone for a while).

You can ask them to add/remove whatever mounts you want for 10 USD/pair. I added 2 on the top tube and removed ones on the down tube (near the bottom bracket). Gotta pay 20 USD extra.

I picked 39-27a 430g (see the pic) for my mid-travel enduro (carbonda 1002), 28H and tapeless. If I remember correctly, you can't go tapeless if the height is 20mm or below. The hubs are M1 (305-330g) from THR, about which they got no clue. BUT, you can find contacts on the THR website and annoy an actual manufacturer (well, I believe so) with your questions on wechat. So far, the THR guys told me that a freehub, a ratchet, bearings, and end cups of M1 are interchangeable with dt swiss. How real is this statement? No idea.

I also asked them if their hubs can survive a bikepark. I showed a video from a random dude on black trails and said "I WANT RIDE THIS!!11". They said it was okayish, but ideally would advise their topnotch fancy M2. Since I'm not super heavy, I will stay with M1. But the full run will not be earlier than next summer. Anyway, I will test them first on some local trails or in smaller bikeparks if there're any open in the mid season in Europe.

Yeah, the DFS full pricing (with shipping to EU and taxes included) was 599$ equipped with sapim cx-ray and pillar brass nipples. M2 hubs are +200$, which is beyond my understanding, since I can get equally a pair of DT350 or maybe even cheaper.

EDIT
I think DFS have quite some MTB options, check all the pics in there:
https://dfscarbonwheels.myshopify.com/products/280g-29er-carbon-mtb-rims-xc-tubeless-carbon-rim-ud-3k-12k-3k-twill-matte-glossy-29in-clincher-hookless-new-asymmetric

Quote from: frewster on July 22, 2025, 01:12:14 PMconcerned about durability

Yeah, been there. My first random wheelset from aliX with similar rim specs and weight (about 450-460g) served me quite well in big mountains: a month in a bike park, half on local trails (still big mountains) and another half (or slightly more) on rocky hills. But I ran inserts. Now realized, that it was probably overkill and my next options will be around 420-430g. I'm 70kg naked weight, so if you're not fat big, they're gonna serve you well on harsh terrain (with inserts at least).

And, good to hear that they offer different hubs. It's a bit difficult to find a supplier who does that. I guess I'll go with them next time. So far I chose DFS and their THR hubs. From my understanding, they can build whatever weight you want for a certain rim geo. Although, my wheels will be delivered later on, so no feedback yet.

Quote from: frewster on July 21, 2025, 11:45:04 PMTME9038

460g AM version? Or custom weight?

They are sourcing hubs neither from THR nor from H-works. They offer whatever in-house hubs (with ratchet) or dt swiss. Zero details. Any questions about schematics/replacement/compatibility were ignored.

I'd recommend rebuilding the frame from the very beginning. Check all bearings (type, grease inside) and mounts (seat surface, play, tolerance, geo, rubbing). Just to be absolutely sure and aware of potential problems in the future, which you can negotiate with the seller.

The lightcarbon quality is kinda questionable.
I got the LCFS958, which I use from time to time. Yes, it's rideable (in a bike park), it does not disintegrate and will likely hold for a while. But the quality of pivot mounts and bearing seats is average and below: there're plenty of cavities/porosity/signs of delamination. I made a mistake when I didn't check everything on arrival and only took a good look one month after the end of the warranty during bearings replacement (yeah I rode the bike quite rarely on vacations).
Another thing to remember is the warranty: it counts from the date specified in the invoice (that excel sheet with the quote you got from them). All the time required to get the frame built/painted/shipped is included within the warranty period, so you can confidently remove these few months from coverage once you get the frame.

Would I buy anything from lightcarbon ever again? Absolutely not. Would recommend? Certainly not.
560 bucks frame + 140 shipping + VAT was probably an okayish deal back in 2021, but still have a feeling (in a bad way) that I bought something from aliexpress on sale. Looking now at their frame design, my experience and others' (check the road bike section), I will stick with another supplier (which I did, actually).

Quote from: Bonus79 on June 27, 2025, 08:27:59 AM
which one do you suggest I use?

Any marine grease, calcium-based. Lithium can mess with rubber (rings, gaskets) and there're some horror stories about lithium-greased aluminum + water.

So, a new guy in the first message advertising a new store (less than a month fresh) with zero rating/feedback and the only crankset available with an inadequately low price for the carbon+titan combination? I guess nothing's wrong here, let's buy, everyone, right?

I got 505 similar-like frames list. Have no idea about weight/TT/BB, the main criteria were geo and 35c tire clearance.

LTK 266
RD301
SC-G54D
VeloBuild CX-002
TanTan GR039
TanTan GR040
yishunbike G065-D
ICAN GRA02
SP-G20
FM686

Enjoy investigation.