Hi everyone

As a complete beginner, I challenged myself to build the YFR068 bike from scratch. Although I am familiar with bikes, it was my first assembly of a carbon bike with fully integrated cables.

After around 4 months of work, I finished the bike and rode 500+km. I want to share my building experience with you and especially those who want to give it a go

My experience with the seller

I bought the YFR068 frame directly from Airwolf website. I advise sending an email first and then someone will get in touch with you on Whatsapp. The seller (named Nicole) quickly answered all my questions. I even got a 50 USD discount

All in all I paid 691€ on May 24th 2025 for the full frame set (frame, fork, seatpost, stem, handlebar, mounting pieces)
I received the package on June 20th without having to pay any custom fees. I live in France. Pretty quick I feel

However I noticed a default on my fork so I asked Airwolf for a replacement (see my post from June 24th in this thread). They quickly agreed to give me one but the communication with the seller rapidly deteriorated. Upon asking when I would receive the new fork, the Nicole didn't respond at all. I had to ask dozens of times to get any progress. At that point I wondered if I would receive anything.

However, the seller finally shipped a replacement fork on July 31st (5 weeks of delay !) and I received it on august 14th

All in all, I would say you can trust Airwolf and directly order from their website. However don’t expect clear or fast answers to your questions if anything goes wrong. But still, they will answer.

Issues I had

• Seatpost fit:
  Upon arrival, the frame couldn't accept the very long seatpost. There seems to be a carbon junction in the frame that prevents the seatpost from going any further down. Cutting the seatpost is required
  
  
• Seatpost screw:
  The seatpost screw is quite small and when tightening the seatpost, it bends. That's because the compression piece gradually shortens but when tightening to 5.6Nm, there is so much stress on the screw that it bends. I applied some loctite on the screw + some carbon paste on the seatpost and that did the job. I have no slipping. However the screw must be changed every time you untighten the post…
  
  
• Headset fit:
  The bottom bearing is too thin to allow steering without having the fork rubbing on the frame. I ruined my fork paint so be careful ! Buying a SL7 bearing worked well as they are 0.5mm thicker (But I kept the top Airwolf bearing + compression ring and it worked well)
  I don’t understand people saying here that you need the SL7 compression ring (). It will NOT FIT with the fork spacers and the stem if you route the cables internally.
  
  
• Headset play:
  After riding some kms I noticed a play in the headset area. This is a common problem in this thread and I think everyone had it
  As I kept the original C ring that came with the bike I was afraid not to be able to remove the play
  What I did:
  
  • Grease the conic contact in the compression plug
  • Put Loctite 243 on the nut
  • Put carbon paste inside the steering tube
  • Lightly tighten the stem screws so that there is contact with the steering tube
  • Tighten the compression plug to 10 Nm (Cervelo advises 8Nm max but I read some people here could reach 10)
  • Put carbon grease on the contact between the steering tube and the stem
  • Tighten the compression cap screw so that the steering feels smooth and without play in the headset + loctite 243 on it
  • Tighten the stem screws to 5Nm with loctite 243 on them
  After that I had no play
  Update after 500km of riding: I can feel a small play when I press the front brake lever and I swing the bike back and forth while I am sitting on it. The play isn’t huge but sadly I think there is no way to improve it
  
  
• Compression plug fit:
  The compression plug top cap is bigger than the fork. As a result, the stem can’t be inserted on the fork with the compression plug in. I had to file a little bit of the compression plug
  
  
• Bottom bracket fit:
  My drive side BB bearing cup has a very tight fit. With the tools I made, I could insert it but I am afraid I am putting too much stress on the frame while doing so. Sanding the carbon might work to improve the fit but I am not sure it is safe
  
  
• Stem burrs:
  The carbon inside the stem is not well finished and made HUGE dents on the cables as I was trying to get through. I advise sanding the bottom of the stem vigorously so that the cables can get in as smooth as possible
  
  
• Stem to handlebar fit
  The cables gaps between the stem and the handlebar are too tight to allow 2 cables out on each side. I had to purchase new hose and derailleur cables as I pinched them too hard 😢
  I advise sanding (a lot) the inner of the stem so that the cables can get out with no pinching when the handlebar is attached and tighten
  
  
• Front derailleur cable fit:
  There is no cable guide that allows the front derailleur cable to go out of the frame from the bottom of the BB and in again. There is only a guide inside the frame
  It is also very hard to cut the housing cable at the right length if you have first attached the cable to the levers. The cable needs to make the biggest loop as possible so that the crankset doesn't touch it.
  I taped the cable inside the frame at the BB level so that when steering, the stress applied on the cable between the stem and the BB. That way the loop that allows the cable inside the front derailleur guide at the BB level will not undergo too much stress and disconnect
  
  
• Front Brake caliper alignment with the disc:
  The fork caliper mounts are not machined flat. I had some trouble finding a good angle so that the disc doesn’t rub against the pads
  

The torque values I used

Brake calipers: 5Nm
Seatpost screw: 5.6Nm
Stem to fork screws: 5Nm + loctite 243 + carbon paste
Stem to handlebar screws: 5Nm + loctite 243 + carbon paste
Compression plug: 10Nm
Levers: 4Nm

The tools I used

Bike related tools and materials that you must have:
- Bike stand
- Torque wrench
- Bleeding kit
- Sand paper
- Isopropyl alcohol (very useful for cleaning grease)
- Hose cutter
- Barb inserter
- Light lithium grease (for bearings)
- Thick waterproof grease (for bottom bracket)
- Saw with high TPI (32 works) metal blade for cutting the fork and the seatpost
- Loctite 243 Threadlock (for all threads)
- Hose foam (prevent cable rattling noise inside the frame)
- Caliper guide to align with the discs

Tools I built myself but you can buy (must have)
- custom tool 1: Fork and seatpost cutter
- custom tool 2: Bottom bracket press
- custom tool 3: Bottom bracket extractor

Assembly process I followed and I would suggest

• Check VERY CAREFULLY for any dent on all carbon parts. My fork had a huge dent and I didn’t notice it at first
• Build the above tools if you don’t buy them
• Cut 5 to 10 cm of the seatpost so that the seatpost height will fit you (without cutting, the seatpost is way too long). Use custom tool 1
• Remove all bearings seals and fill them with lithium grease (BB + headset bearings)
• Insert the Bottom Bracket (custom tool 2)
• Assemble the fork to the stem without cutting the fork tube. Put the wheels, the crankset and the pedals on. Mount the bike with your cycling shoes and cleats in order to validate:
  
  • the seatpost height
  • the fork height (number of spacers you need)
  • the levers positions on the handlebar
• Cut the fork accordingly (custom tool 1)
• If needed cut the seatpost again (custom tool 1)
• Mount the fork back and this time use the compression plug to check if the headset bearings work well under load (see Troubleshooting section, I advise replacing the bottom bearing with a SL7 one as it is thicker)
• Check that the fork can steer without any play in the headset
• Go outside with your wheels and pedals on and check for any play in the headset or rubbings at the frame/fork contact point
• If all is good, disassemble the fork, the crankset and the bottom bracket (custom tool 3)
• Route all cables in the frame using foam
• Deburr the sharp edges inside the stem so that the cables can go in without damage (I ruined mine and had to change them)
• Route the cables through the headset and the stem. Don’t forget to use hose foam to prevent rattling in the frame while riding
• Check that the fork can steer with the cables in and the neutral position is well in the middle
• Attach the handlebar.
  
  • Be VERY CAREFUL: the handlebar to stem gap is very tight if you have a mechanical transmission (2 brake hoses + 2 derailleur hoses). I advise putting a derailleur cables inside both the breaking and derailleur hoses and then check while tightening the handlebar if they can still move freely (if the cable can’t move, your hose is pinched)
  • If the fit is too tight, don’t over tighten but sand firmly the stem inside instead and then repeat
• Go outside and feel how the bike steers with the cables on and through the handlebar. Is the neutral point with the front wheel straight ? Can you steer all the way to the left and right ? (At this point I didn’t mount the BB again, I just went outside with my feet in the air)
• Connect the derailleur cables to the levers and check you can shift freely (and you see the cable moving at the derailleur side)
• Put the wheels with discs on and attach both brake calipers. Tighten the calipers on a position where the wheels can move freely
• Connect the brake hose to the levers and the brake calipers
• Bleed the brakes (be careful not to contaminate your disks or your pads with oil)
• Attach the rear derailleur. Check that you can shift gears with the lever
• Pull the front derailleur cable through the appropriate hole. Be careful: don’t cut the derailleur hose cable too short or your crankset will touch it when riding. It should make the biggest loop possible in your frame
• Put the BB on again (custom tool 2)
• Put the crankset on
• Attach the front derailleur and adjust it to the crankset
• Mount the chain
• Tweak the front and back derailleur so that gears shift correctly
• Put the bar tape and the bottle cages on
• Ride slowly to check if everything works and you still don’t have play in the headset
• Enjoy !

Ressources

VERY useful tutorials made by Oz Cycle. I highly recommend.
Route cables through frame: https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQWYPxGicjU
Bike building part 1: https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3ASkSYpZxQ
Bike building part 2: https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeqlKm2CJjY
how to bleed the brakes: https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=kA-1dxCboU8
get crisp brakes: https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=brLF56banjs

Conclusion

The total cost of my bike is roughly 1500 € with a second hand shimano 105 R7000 11 speed groupset. It weighs 9kg in 58 size with aluminium wheels

All in all, I highly enjoyed building this bike even though it took me forever to sort out all the issues I had. It is stressful not to break anything but the reward is huge. I learnt a damn lot on how a bike is built. If you are curious and want to learn, this is made for you

Bear in mind though that this bike is cheap for a reason. Poor tolerances, bottom headset bearing unusable, some filing and sanding to do, etc.

Yet the paint job is marvelous

Riding feedback after 500km +

Overall I had no issues while riding the bike. I truly enjoyed it
Mid September 25 I climbed Mont Ventoux (France) on it and everything went well. Uphill … and downhill !

The headset play came back a little bit but it is barely perceptible. I don’t think it is possible to remove it completely with the crappy C ring airwolf gives.


Feel free to ask any question, I will try my best to answer

Great writeup! It mirrors my experience closely.

What's your opinion on completely removing the headset play? Every 5th ride or so I'm having to tighten things down.

... yeah? Did the magic smoke escape? You know all electronics run on magic smoke. If the magic smoke ever escapes, the electronics stop working.

It also might be the slippery pipes. The magic smoke leaks through the slippery pipes very easily.

I would appreciate it, if for no other reason than to show the picture to 80s Designer Store next time I try to order one so I can receive BOTH pieces. I received only the "long" side of the cage, which is not terribly useful on its own. I guess it's better than no replacement cage pieces.

Sorry this took so long, here they are:

I ordered the replacement cage from the 80 store, held it up against my old cage, and it's a 'like-for-like' replacement (unfortunately).

I didn't ask for the new one, and after reading these posts, I wish I had!

I'm a novice when it comes to hydraulic brakes. I did a piss poor job setting up my brakes when I first installed the eGR and after botching my first brake bleed I decided to leave them alone for over a year. I tried again to bleed them this past weekend and didn't improve them much (though, at least the process was a lot smoother and easier my second go-round). I didn't touch the "air" port on the handle. Should I have opened that port while bleeding to let more oil in the reservoir or something?

If you follow the video that Ltwoo posted on YouTube, that worked for me. Start by bleeding the brakes with the cup attached to the oil hole, then close that up, and still have 5ml of mineral oil in your syringe. Then close up the oil port, and open the air port and push in more oil from the syringe until no more air comes out. By that stage you shouldn’t have any more oil in the system. I found once I’d done that, it still felt a bit spongy, but when I dialed in the grub screw, the feel was firm and the pads locked to the rotors.

Also with disk brakes, it’s imperative you bed them in after this, otherwise they won’t work properly. Let me know how you go!

Just in case anyone needs to take apart the shifters on these because of stripped grub screws, I'll detail the process.

First, you'll need to remove the two hex bolts holding the lever on to the handlebars. With all of this, be super careful to not drop them and put them somewhere safe.

When you've removed the hex bolts (M4 & M2), you have two options - one, you 'push' up the fixed metal mechanism against the spring to expose the back of the grub screw. From there, if you're lucky, grab your 2mm Allen key and remove the bolt, and flip it so the non-stripped side faces outwards, and it's 'job done'. If however you're unlucky like I was, and strip both threads (these bolts must be made of playdoh), you'll need to drill it out. As my springs popped out, I did this without the spring mechanism in place.

It was pretty straightforward to drill out the grub screw and replace it with a 2mm grub screw from Amazon. Putting it back together is the tricky part.

This is the important bit as far as the springs and mechanism goes - thick spring gone on the outside, followed by the fixed metal lever. There's a plastic tube that runs through both of those, and a smaller plastic tube runs through the thinner spring. Put the thick spring in, followed by the fixed metal lever, then push the spring down and carefully slide in the plastic tube. Repeat then for the thin spring and smaller plastic tube. Then your lever should be reassembled.

Be careful, take your time.

I'm sorry I didn't take pictures of the process, but if anyone ever runs in to this issue where they strip the grub screw, get in touch and I'd be happy to help out. It's a pain in the arse if you stuff it up, but it's certainly fixable with a bit of patience and elbow grease. I'm glad I didn't buy a new shifter.

I can find no indication of it being an officially different version (other than the cage length). And it plugged straight in to the existing power and paired right up with the shifters.

I just ordered a new cage from 80 Design as I bent my original one. It'll be interesting to see whether it's the longer one (I hope so, as I'm running a large cassette out of spec)