First of all, I am very happy with my FM936 after 2 years of use. No issues whatsoever after 7k kilometers at 87kg bodyweight.

I am now thinking of replacing bearing between linkage/frame as well as screws (I would prefer them as hex instead of torx). Could anyone provide recommendations in Europe maybe there is a kit to order or buy separately from the same place?

I simultaneously emailed Wing but it would be nice to hear of options. Tried searching “bearing fm936” in the forum but did not found what is needed.

Any similar frames from carbonda or other reputable manufacturers?

Wanted to say thank you to all who contributed to this thread as it was invaluable in the first FS build for me. Have only ridden FM936 few times but it feels night and day against my aluminum HT. It did end up half a kilo heavier than expected, but 11.2kg with pedals, power meter, bottle and garmin mounts for size XL seems competitive weight for 3.8k euro. Very glad to have found this forum. Hope everyone has a great summer on their bikes.

 

You can but your HT angle will decrease either to ~66 or 65 degrees (120 or 100 versions, respectively). Same to ST angle (decrease by 2 to 1 degree).

You can use google translate and read https://www.mtb-news.de/forum/t/carbonda-fm-936-erfahrungsaustausch.941960/page-107#post-18638616 where someone has already setup 140/110 FM936. Also read this - http://chinertown.com/index.php/topic,2079.msg24785/topicseen.html#msg24785 .

Thank you for feedback Medico, will order the headset with frame then. It will have to be replaced at some point so if it holds for a season it will be enough for the price paid.

That's a fair question. I generally have similar thoughts in relation to contact points in bicycle and especially front ones as broken saddle may not do much damage, but broken handlebar on the jump might cause serious issues. I would say that based on research in this and other MTB forums, as well as my own (although quite limited and not with handlebars) experience, if you buy from a reputable (ie present for the market for a long time, lots of feedback, etc) source it should be OK. Although, again, I am 85kgs so what is ok for 20kgs lighter person might not be for me. Then, generally, if the item costs more, the quality is also better (not always), so buying from aliexpress should not be just taking a random cheap carbon piece. The handlebar choice is essentially aesthetically driven, rather than performance related, hence I cannot justify paying ~350e for original syncros - it does not give ANY performance benefit, just the look. So, I am taking a calculated risk to buy and try a contact piece from aliexpress. If I notice anything during initial riding that does not make me feel confident in the item, then I guess there will be a loss on investment. In terms of my riding, my terrain does not have almost any jumps, so mostly it's just rutty, slightly hilly forest. The specific handlebar is this https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003652531612.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.12.21ef1802mtK1GP and it has a significant amount of feedback over past half a year.

A more general question on rear shock choice. In particular, choosing between 2pos and 3pos shock. What are your experiences with your setup, have you tried both options (not necessarily on the same bike) and what led to choosing one way or another (other than lighter 2pos weight).

Looking at most other models, NS synonym, orbea oiz, vitus rapide, bmc fourstroke, etc tend to use 2pos shock,  but scott spark is with 3.

In my case, primary riding conditions will be forrest, sometimes a bit hilly and rooty, but no mountains whatsoever, unless I would go stage racing abroad. Bike would be used for XC, havent decided on 120 or 100 front.

Thank you.