It feels a heck of a lot like a Specialized Enduro, or an Evil Insurgent. Probably more luck finding a Specialized at a store. The S4 or S3 size would be the ones to check out, but neither are exact reach matches.  This bike feels like a "modern" bike. Coming from old-school narrow handlebars and NORBA geometry, it's very different. I had to sit on a few new bikes before I knew I needed and wanted to get into something like this.

What is that stand you're using there?

In general, Horst link will have a better anti-squat and anti-rise than a single pivot. It's possible to design Horst links badly, and to design single pivots well. But I would say the available crop of Horst Link or even VPP carbon frames from china are probably better than the single-pivots. The consensus seems to be the Horst link Chinese suspension designs are pretty consistently good. I like how LightCarbon gives suspension curves for their latest frames, even though they are barely readable. You can at least get an idea of how it will ride, and it at least looks like they gave the design some thought.

Quote from: SimonPeaime on July 26, 2021, 08:32:45 AM
Hi,

The chainstay protector actually came with the frame. It is the exact same model as the one from aliexpress. Unfortunately, it is too short and the chain still nicks the paint close to the chainring and the cassette. Moreover, it has started to peel and loose some pieces. I have ordered a chainstay protector for the nukeproof mega and i plan on modifying it a bit to make it fit. Someone else in this thread did that and it seemed to have worked well. I used a mega downtube protector on the frame and it fits perfectly and its holding up great, i am hoping i can achieve similar results with the chainstay.

Hope this helps!

BTW, i was wondering if other people using this frame and problems with pedal strikes? The BB is quite low and i find myself hitting my pedals quite often when climbing. Maybe i just suck lol

I've also had a bit more pedal strikes, but I don't think the bike is to blame. It's a very different geometry than my previous ride, and I don't think the BB is that low - the chainring clears things easily. I think it's just riding style and timing. I haven't had a problem since I've "Adjusted" to the way the bike is.

I helicoper-taped the chainstay before putting the included rubber bit on. The whole assembly looks pretty good, I'm loving the heli tape.

Ha did the attachments wrong. More pics:

I should show off my build. Size lg, with LightCarbon AD940 rims on DTswiss 350's.
I love how this bike rides. It climbs amazingly, accelerates great even uphill. It handles technical climbing with aplomb. It descends like magic. Handles berms exceedingly well.

The only things I don't love about it are:
1. Dropper post insert length is very short. It's been discussed, but without experiencing it I didn't have a feel for the impact. I really need the shortest 120mm dropper available for my riding. I think I have about 180 mm from top of the seattube collar to the bottom of the clamp in pedaling position, for reference. That means my total length would have to be ~350mm. The OneUp is 360 total, so that's about ideal. I grabbed an XFusion 150 - and this was a mistake. Nice post, but way too long.

2. Factory loctite is not great.

3. Factory bolt QC could be better. I'm not let down at this price point, but it might be worth measuring and having new ones made. I did find metal shavings in the female threads of the shock mounting bolt. I also hit those with my calipers, which are fairly trustworthy. The seemed about right. I don't know what the fit/tolerance should be, but I don't think it's undersized. I got my bearing kit from OffsetBearings.com - out of the UK. It was beautifully machined brass and aluminum, with a DU bush. I don't think I wrote down the diameters, or I would look up the fit range. I could ask them, they'd know. But, I didn't have any problems too much clearance. As I said, I had to use a makeshift press for install. The thru-bolt itself took some convincing, but did not need a press. It is the bolt that most frequently loosens. I should measure it's length to keep track of elongation too. I'll take measurements when I re-do all the bolts at SimonPeaime's suggestion.

4. Cable housing rattle. I think there are some ways to fix this, but I haven't really tried. It's not a major problem.

5. I hamfisted the headset install. Forgot to do one cup at a time. I think it's fine, installed well enough. But there's a bit of a gap on the rear of the top cup. I'm not sure at this point if that's my doing, or just where the frame doesn't quite meet the headset. Not a concern, but makes the list.

6. Cable housing exit grommets are iffy.

Otherwise the frame has been a dream. I ride it pretty hard. I've hit a number of drops, jumps, and technical chunky lines. Aside from the already mentioned bolt loosening, no worries or creaks. I went OTB on a missed rock drop a few weeks ago, bent a rotor, and cracked a seatstay.

Don't have pics at the moment - but I'm impressed at how well it stood up. I'll have a dissection and deep dive into it as I repair it.
Need to get a replacement. But, I've been riding it equally hard with crack, just covered by helicopter tape. It hasn't complained or killed me yet, and does not seem to have grown. So, beyond the obvious "do as I say not as I do" warning to not ride cracked carbon fiber like an idiot (i.e. me), it's impressive.

I have that problem - it does seem to become loose over time/miles. I have just been re-torqueing it. So far, I have not seen a problem doing that. They seem to be made of brass, which is nice I think. Probably less corrosion risk than aluminum. However, they are a bit soft, and I've definitely found shaving from the threading operation/machining inside the shaft. So, not the best quality control. Worth removing, cleaning, reapplying good loctite to, and reassembling to torque. I've also found the solidified blue loctite on all the fasteners is pretty terrible. So, re-torqueing everything will be standard practice for me going forward.

Quote from: Gears13th on June 12, 2021, 08:56:05 AM
New here, just wondering anyone tried doing a full internal cable routing on this frame or any other with FSA's ICR headset or similar.

HS NO.13/57E ICR 1.5"

with their full ICR stem and whatever. Is it a good idea?

You could, no reason you couldn't. My Fox 36 has plenty of room for that. I was going to run a OneUp EDC stem just so I wouldn't have to set a star nut, but no one would ship me a real one. So I have a regular OneUp, and a starnut. . .

But if  you want fully internal, go that way. It seems very seperate from the rest of the frame design, more dependent on Fork choice. The frame is intended for a 160 mm, tapered fork. So, like I said, plenty of room in mine, just not something I even thought about.

Build started - she's on the stand, with shock and bearings installed.
Forgot how to do a headset properly, learned that shock bushings are a PITA, and figured out how to do internal routing and Cushcore+tubeless for the first time. Lots of hard learning, but I'm getting really excited for the final product. X-Fusion 150 mm dropper - a bit large for the space, but we'll see how well it rides.

Quote from: marcocpl on May 01, 2021, 10:49:33 PM
Like checker_de asked earlier, would a float x2 fit? Thanks

I haven't recieved my frame yet, but from looking at the drawings - I would say that no, a Float X2 won't fit. I'm at least sure enough that I would be willing to tell you it's a bad idea to purchase one for the frame. Doing a bit more digging just now - I can't find a picture of a trunnion mount Float X2. This frame requires a trunnion mount shock - so I think that's a double whammy. I'm pretty sure that the external reservoir would interfere, and it doesn't come in the right mount configuration.

Even if mounted with the remote reservoir out of the little frame pocket - it looks like the shock body would either interfere or be very tight (see stephanB's "modified" bomber shock. . .)

In other news - Wendy tells me that they may be finishing up my frame in 15-20 days, so hopefully I'll get a frame for myself soon. I have a DPX2 already for it.

Quote from: maclojack on March 28, 2021, 10:55:19 PM
Have any of you who've built your frames run into an issue with these pivot bolts? The nut end of them is only held in place by the carbon at the corner of the rear triangle and it looks like it'll crack when I go to loosen them. All the other pivot bolts I've removed so far have been really tight also with tons of blue loctite on them.
If I wasn't planning to paint the frame I would just leave them as they're clearly pretty bomber and don't seem like they'd ever come loose.

I'm curious what your plan is for frame prep.

I have one of these on order also, and I also want to paint mine. I'm looking at the Spray.bike paints. I plan on using the carbon primer - but I'm wondering if the factory surface needs much prep.
I am assuming 800 grit wet sand and then ready to go.

Maybe to release these bolts you can either dremel a slot and use a flat head or drill some holes and use a spanner, something to give you purchase on that captive nut other than the carbon?