Quote from: JG4700 on June 20, 2025, 01:01:01 PM
As a side note, when I ordered I did pay extra for the "frameset+seatpost+shock" thinking that it would include a shock with the frame. Not the best shock but I wanted something on there temporarily. An extra $80. However, it did not come with a shock, only the seatpost. The seller verified that it did not come with the shock so I have chatted with Aliexpress customer service about it and am waiting to hear back. Hopefully a refund for the difference.

If its anything like the "with shock" I got, the shock is a pretty crap DNM one but thats expected. The comical part was the hardware they used for the shock might as well have not even been included. It wasn't sized appropriately and there was nothing on either side of the upper shock hardware to prevent the shock from sliding back and forth along the top bolt.

Quote from: JG4700 on June 18, 2025, 04:01:11 PM
Looking for what I need to mount this 2025 Fox Float SL? The bushings that came installed out of the box stick out too much for the shock to even fit inside the linkage as pictured. I've built up a number of frames but haven't dealt with mounting a shock before so I want to make sure I order the correct parts the first time around.

I believe the rear shock eyelet requires 14mm hardware because I 3d printed my own offset bushings and thats the length I used. The upper shock eyelet requires ~20mm. Both fit an 8mm bolt through them.







As you see with your shock hardware they always include tiny washers that fit over the insert to stabilize the insert, but with the lower eyelet being only 14mm you're looking at 1mm washers which are hard to find, so I just 3d printed my own (not pictured above, they're installed on the bike right now).

In an effort to check the bearings and service them (if needed) I came across this somewhat comical, somewhat sad visual when I removed the shock extension. Look at how poorly aligned the front and rear triangle are when the shock link and extension aren't forcing things into alignment. The gap should be the same between the shock link and rear triangle eyelets but theres virtually no gap on the drive side and a big gap on the non-drive side.



Really symbolic of the corners cut when making these things. Explains why the bearings are significantly more worse off on one side of the bike vs the other, and why the finish on the bolts that attaches the upper eyelet in the rear triangle to the shock extenson is very worn on one side while its pristine on the other side.

Quote from: veeTee1Pah on May 30, 2025, 12:30:15 PM
My guess is that there isn't a big mountain bike culture in China yet. Companies with a lot of manufacturing experience are designing and building mountain bikes from a CAD file without a lot of practical experience, testing, and feedback. That's how you get bikes with suspension that gets stuck a full compression and downtubes that won't clear fork crowns (not this bike but another on this forum).

I think you hit the nail on the head there. I've built up a few Chinese carbon full sus frames and the experience has been similar across all of them:

• Some degree of binding when cycling the suspension with no shock installed
• Incorrectly sized spacers for the linkage
• Questionable threads (the BXT ones have been fine so far, but on my Epic Evo clone frame one of the threaded BB inserts came out when removing the BB, and on my Stumpjumper clone frame the rear pivot threads in the frame stripped out at 4nm of torque)
• Travel that is honestly probably not what is advertised -- especially with the Epic Evo clone frame. All the sellers of that frame swear that the rear travel is 110mm but people have measured it, and its closer to 80mm

It's great that people love building bikes that aren't mainstream. But if the frame is more than $500 I'd look elsewhere, theres a lot of people selling quality bikes and frames for very low prices these days.

Quote from: ChinaCruz on May 30, 2025, 08:25:38 AM
Very nice, uberamd. Thank you for writing all that. Can you share how you chose the type of epoxy?

I'll be honest, I just had a tube of j-b weld 2-part epoxy in the drawer so I went with it without a whole lot of thought knowing that j-b weld 1: epoxy and 2: known to have a lot of holding strength (4000lbs or so) once cured, which should be more than enough for this application.

Quote from: Kactusdog on May 20, 2025, 10:13:35 AM
Hey again, how has this repair held up? I've just about given up waiting for the replacement triangle, and i think i'm going to try and repair the inserts myself.

Any instructions or tips you have would be super appreciated.

Repair is holding up great! The biggest thing you need to get right is that the repaired side needs to be in perfect alignment with the non-broken side, because if you just eyeball it and let the epoxy set and the BB inserts end up being out of alignment with one another the frame will just eat through bottom bracket bearings, or more likely put excess strain on the BB area and cause the threaded bond to fail again.

So the way I did it was:

• Clean the carbon on the side where the threaded insert came out with rubbing alcohol
• Insert the plastic sleeve onto the BB (the sleeve that sits over the spindle) because you definitely don't want to get epoxy on the crank spindle
• Mix up your 2 part epoxy and get a small tool you can use to apply it. I used toothpicks.
• Apply epoxy/jbweld to the frame where the threaded insert goes AND the BB insert that fell out but not so much that its bursting out the sides
• Slide the threaded insert into the frame, wipe off any epoxy excess that oozes out
• Install a crankset as you usually would -- the crank spindle will align the epoxy'd insert with the other side of the BB AND preloading the cranks (either using the plastic Shimano non-drive-side plastic preload cap or the SRAM preload ring) will press the threaded insert into the frame. Feel free to apply more preload than you usually would to ensure the insert is pushed in as far as it can go
• Leave it this way for 24-48h so the epoxy can cure (with the cranks installed)
• Once cured, remove the crankset and then try to remove the BB from the insert you have now epoxied back into the frame. It should come out no problem
• Reinstall the BB, torque to spec, and pat yourself on the back

Fairly straight forward. Just make sure you don't go overboard with the epoxy and end up accidentally welding the BB itself to the threaded insert you're trying to repair because obviously that wouldn't be ideal.

Quote from: veeTee1Pah on May 28, 2025, 01:09:08 PM
Still, given the price it takes to build up even an inexpensive frame and the depressed prices on new and used brand name bikes at the moment, I'd probably go a different route if I did it over again.

I'm with you. Frame is alright, rides great, but it was a hassle and a half to get going.

Ex: I was never provided the linkage spacers with my frame, and obviously those are required. By the time I got them from the seller (6+ weeks after frame delivery) they sent me the wrong ones (they were sized incorrectly). So I 3d printed my own in ABS after figuring out what the dimensions should be. Those 3d printed spacers are working fantasticly but still, that shouldn't be required to make this frame work.

Totally agree on the cable routing, being under the BB is odd. The dropper post routing is equally strange, so I'm using an AXS dropper to avoid needing a cable in that weird location.

The link design makes removing and installing the shock a pain in the ass because you can't access the rear shock bolt. Again, not a huge deal but still annoying.

The spacers provided that attach the top tube link to the top of the rear triangle are oversized, so getting them in the frame is difficult. Huge deal? Nah, but it probably is putting excessive load on those bearings.

The derailleur hanger is weird -- its got a threaded insert for the axle that is kinda just free floating, and the hanger itself is held together by 2 screws, one of which backed itself off during a ride and interfered with my cassette by wedging itself against the cassette lockring. Looks like the frame now uses UDH which is nice.

The holes for routing the brake/shift housing were a hair undersized, I had to use a drill to round them out a bit more so the housing/hose would fit.

Luckily I have no issue with the shock sticking on my size L frame paired with a 210x55 shock.

Overall, pretty good frame but when you factor in the price (especially now with tariffs) there are used name brand options that are competitively priced and don't have these annoyances.

Quote from: monocongo on December 06, 2024, 09:04:08 AM
Is this the same frame that Airwolf has been selling? https://www.diycarbonbikes.com/collections/fullsuspensionframes/products/dcb-fxu120-specialized-epic-evo-style-carbon-frame-29er-120mm-udh?variant=40832375881808

Any chance this is a better version, or is the DIY guy just acting as a domestic reseller? If it has better/reliable hardware and the actual stated rear travel (110mm with 190x45 shock) then I'm interested. I suspect it's just the same thing but sold at a premium due to it being a US seller (perhaps less sketchy than dealing with Chinese factory).

Most certainly the same frame, same factory, marked up due to a US middle man with potentially easier warranty dealings. I doubly think that because its the exact same hardware, same linkage, and same line about the frame being way more rear travel than it actually is.

Only speaking for myself, but if I was flirting with dropping $1000 on a chinese carbon frame I'd really dive into my local market to see what other options there are for frames. You're paying a lot, twice now, for an 80mm travel frame being advertised as a 110/120mm frame.

Quote from: akuutti247 on December 06, 2024, 08:56:55 AM
Hello

My first front triangle had a loose bottom bracket insert on the drive side. I got a new warranty replacement front triangle on the 15th of October. Today we did a 2-hour zone 2 ride and I noticed odd crank wobble during the ride. The left side BSA bottom bracket insert is loose: it shakes and rattles. The frame lasted less than 300 kilometers this time. Let´s see how Airwolf deals with it.

Aku

Seems I'm not the only one who has had bad luck with Airwolf. I have their Stumpjumper clone frame and the threads in the main pivot were so bad that they stripped out completely after a measly 4nm of torque while performing a basic bolt check. Airwolf was willing to send me new bolts () but unwilling to replace the front triangle which is where the problem actually is, and completely ghosted me.

So my AirWolf frame is rocking DIY helicoil inserts secured with loctite red and some Trek branded pivot bolts to make the frame actually ridable. I already had a pretty low opinion of Airwolf after this, given the frame I bought from them was $700 USD after tax and shipping and didn't even last a single ride. But this kind of stuff confirms it for me: stay away from Airwolf.

Quote from: TidyDinosaur on December 02, 2024, 06:11:00 AM
Yeah, same here. Seems the second hand market in EU is still very strong compared to USA etc. A lot of the prices are not much lower compared to buying a new frame... For the price of a second hand frame, you can build a complete bike with chiner frame.

Fair enough. Obviously people will do what makes sense for their situations.

Its a balancing act of finding a good deal, finding a reliable frame to build your bike with, and having the ability to resell it down the road should you want to do a new build. I'd never ever be comfortable selling a knock off used frame. Not given all the stuff I've had to do over the years to keep this thing rolling. So my $700 frame has $0 resale value. Where as a $1000 used frame will still get you $750 or so in a few years if you take care of it.

Quote from: Imminent Injuries on November 27, 2024, 03:41:43 PM
650 shipped for frame, 200 shipped for a float dps performance, and like 30 for shock hardware.

Not sure what other 100mm travel frames come close.

Well, it's supposed to be a 110mm travel frame

But in all seriousness, I got a used, excellent condition Transition Spur (120mm travel) frame with a Fox Factory DPS shock for less.

Quote from: darkening on November 15, 2024, 12:17:53 AM
I was riding repaired BSA inserts for 1,5 month, including races. No signs of damage, and I was able to unscrew BB cups without any problems later on. After 1,5months I had to split frame apart, because they've sent me the replacement front triange.

Thats comforting, sounds like this should be a lasting fix then, thanks for that context!

I let the epoxy cure for about 16 hours and because I'm impatient I tried to unthread the BB cup that took the insert with it, and the BB unthreaded without issue. I was able to insert a new BB and torque it down to spec as well. So hopefully it holds. For some reason I have a soft spot in my heart for this stupid frame.

Quote from: darkening on October 25, 2024, 12:10:04 AM
Remove the cranks and inspect for cracks... Anyway, you have to remove BSA alloy insert from the frame to be able to glue it back. Mine just felt off when i was trying to unscrew BB caps.

Quite a bummer, just experienced this about 30 min ago as well after a few years riding the frame. Went to unscrew the drive side BB and out came the insert. Did the logical thing: busted out the epoxy and a set of cranks for alignment, glad thats what people here are suggesting as well. I always use a bunch of anti-seize on the BB threads so really hoping I can get the BB to thread back out once it cures as I need to switch from 24mm Shimano to SRAM DUB.

One thing thats becoming quite clear to me at this point in time, with the used bike market the way it is, these frames are overpriced. I picked up a 2023 Transition Spur frame off PinkBike that was the same cost as this Epic Evo frame, but is significantly higher quality even in its used state. As a bonus it has easy to purchase, inexpensive spare frame parts/bolts/etc from the manufacturer.

What fork? Any reason you can't just lower the travel by 10mm by swapping out the air spring?

Quote from: ken11 on September 20, 2024, 11:48:34 PM
I picked up one of these frames and can't wait to build it up. I bought a 200x57 Rockshox Monarch and it should give about 110mm rear travel like the actual Evo. Anybody else run that shock size?
Also, does anyone know where to find the rubber boot that goes between the BB and chainstay? Is there an alternative to the Specialized one? As another user previously mentioned, the cable clearance at that junction looks to be too tight. Is widening the cable routing holes is the only option? Thanks

Widening the holes was the only solution I came up with. Yeah you can remove the lower pivot bolt to pull the rear triangle away, route the cable/brake housing through, then use your muscle to pinch it all back together and get the pivot bolt in there, but that just means you're kinking your brake hose and shifter housing. And eventually it will wear into the frame anyway.

The only fix I found that wouldn't risk damaging the frame as the suspension cycled was to, annoyingly, widen those channels in the front triangle. Not by a ton, and only where the cables sit, but it made the suspension both work as it is designed without binding and made the frame usable.

As for the rubber boot, 3d printing a custom one is probably your only option (I made a custom mud guard instead, similar concept). You can see why the specialized one wont work by looking at the manual for the MY21 epic evo, the holes are simply not in the right place in the rear triangle, they're spaced way too far apart: