I actually spoke about this subject, and why I prefer BB86 and T47 inboard, in a thread back in February

https://chinertown.com/index.php/topic,6990.0.html

From @toxin

"From an engineering standpoint, yes BB86, 386EVO are better. If anything BB30 and BBRight directfit could even be considered superior, because the bearings are pressed directly into the frame, with no cups. The best would be dimensioned similar to 386EVO with the bearings pressed directly into the frame like BB30.

But that's in an ideal world. The reality is that the majority of the bike industry has simply proven too unreliable to consistently produce such standards to spec, so we're back to threaded. T47I is the closest compromise in that regard.

Personally I'm not a huge believer in driving stiffness. Humans are far too weak for there to be meaningful power transfer losses. I don't discount the fact that there is a subjective difference in the feeling of riding between bikes, but I do discount that it makes an objective difference."

The expander plug on the Tavelo Arow was a pain too. Anytime I would race on the bike I would always end up with the slightest of headset play afterwards. It wasn't a bearing or spacer issue either.

In theory a D-shaped steer tube offers better hydraulic cable clearance. But I've never had routing issues ever with round tubes.

Park's Tool T47 bottom bracket...tool is fantastic. No issues with installing or removing T47 BBs. But there is a certain level of finesse to preventing tool slip or scratching the frame. A pro tip is I usually only torque each cup to around 30-35Nm. Rather than the recommended 40-50Nm of some threaded BBs. And I use a mechanic stand for good leverage.

These days I have basically have zero patience for seat post slippage. No matter how much or little a frameset costs. If the seat post and wedge are solid and the headset bearings seat well into the head tube cups, everything else I can deal with.

This new X68 update just need not be a noodle under load. And all the parts and components fit together nicely without creaks or rattles. If TanTan can nail this I will be satisfied. The design itself has already been proven.

Incoming... 

Quote from: Bonus79 on October 14, 2026, 10:10:51 AM
however, one detail I really don't like: the rubber cover for the seatpost clamp....the shape looks a bit ugly to me

I also don't love how companies in this price range insist on bright and bold measurement markings on the seatpost.

Thoughtful to have but way overdone. My ICAN Graro is just as egregious

Quote from: Sander2177 on October 13, 2026, 11:25:15 PM
Patrick whens the seatpost turning up.

No word from Daniel about shipping yet...

With tooling be expensive like Sakizashi said, we'd probably have a better chance of just waiting for a brand like Adapt or its parent company to eventually produce a product similar to our design. And then simply share in licensing the design.

Something like what the Tavelo Arow and Oak Oak Twilight did. But again those frames are relatively pricey. Which brings us back to square one.

Quote from: Pistonbroke on October 08, 2026, 07:45:47 AM
Went out again today.
Rock solid.
Still think it's fast, comfortable and puts the power down well.
Took a 10% hill climb kom/5000
Very happy with it :-)

Between this and the Light Cycling RF10 it seems we are starting to see brands take their $500-$700 frames more seriously. More solid options in this price range means more customers who are Chinese brand curious can dabble without the huge price tag.

I'm curious though what exactly has shifted. Has both production and QC improved on behalf of the factories? More pushback from the brand owners themselves to make a better product? Either way, I'm here for it.

Quote from: Dark17 on October 08, 2026, 09:26:55 AM
Where's toxin?

LoL I was gonna call out Toxin. Hopefully he doesn't have frame design fatigue.

I'm not even saying this frame needs to be some ultra modern design like the Ridley Noah or Factor One.
And it doesn't need to be UCI-approved which should open the door to some cool designs.

I can't remember if this has already been discussed before 

We have enough passionate and experienced individuals in here to in theory design a frame that would suit the majority of us.
Of course it would be impossible to please everyone. Not to mention the cost, tooling, QC, and coordination involved. But it seems the vast majority of new frames released within the past year have had at least one or two key aspects of contention. You can pretty much find these pain points in every single frameset thread on this forum:

-Seat tube angle still too slack
-Bottom bracket height too high/low
-Stack height too low
-Problematic front center length
-Proprietary headset/cockpit systems
-Perception of being too expensive
-Taking too much inspiration from other establish brands

Group orders aren't anything new. Super common within the wristwatch and fashion community forums. And we have the various factory connections. But I actually do wonder if having a frame designed by the people could be a huge value add for both the frame manufacture and consumers.
Or would this project end up being another Homer Simpson trying to design a car.

I wanna hear your thoughts on what you would love to see in a frame design. And also why these types of projects are extremely difficult to pull off.

Things happen regardless of brand. Light Cycling apologized and were quick to ship out the seatpost as soon as the holiday ended. I should have it in a couple of weeks.

I really do have high hopes for the bike. Even just the 2 hours I managed to ride, everything felt very promising.

Quote from: Dark17 on October 05, 2026, 08:21:28 PM
Care to share where did you see that? I am also planning to do something stupid with my wallet so why not get a western frame eh

Competitive Cyclist 

https://www.competitivecyclist.com/ridley-noah-disc-3-frameset

Ridley Noah 3.0 is currently on sale for basically the same price as this Oak Marca.

I'm about to do something incredibly stupid with my wallet...

Quote from: Pistonbroke on October 04, 2026, 08:34:59 AM
Brake bosses probably need facing but got a tool for that.

What tool do you have for this?

I think I have a frameset coming at some point. In pink of all colors. Don't ask 

Question for the experts: How consequential is wheelbase length?

All of my bikes over the years have had a wheelbase between 995 and 1005mm. To me, I've always assumed wheelbase played a large role in how the bike corners and how stable it is at faster speeds or descending.

A size 56 (in reality a 58) in this frame is interesting. Stack of 583, reach of 406, and a front center of 620. No BBC stem required and no worries about toe overlap. The only red flags in my very amateur opinion are the the 73° seat tube angle and 1020mm wheelbase. No details on the standover height either.

Would the super long wheelbase feel like a boat or SUV? Even the size 535 could work too with a 130mm stem and 20mm of stack

Thanks in advance.