Great color and nice write up.

on the flip chip…

Mine wasn’t exactly an interference fit on the non-skrew side. So I had a bit “looses headset” feeling in the system. It was also giving off a little bit on noise.

I managed to solve it by putting a little butyl around it. Also prevents it from just falling out. Might work for you if you want to fix it in the frame.

You’ll have to tell us about the ride quality, and how you liked it.

What kind of terrain do you ride with it?

I am 179/83 and got the frame in size S. Personally, I find their sizing recommendations somewhat on the large side. I am pretty happy with my size, very sporty ride, while still being stable in the front (I only tried the 55mm trail setting). I live in Switzerland and have ridden 600km so far, about 60% gravel/CX-light and 40% road. The 45mm tires in combination with the 25mm inner width Elite Gravel wheels are great - very capable off-road. Frame clearance is about 8mm on the side with true to size 45mm tires. With the Conti RS tires its about 2kmh slower than my Venge - while being 20mm higher and 20mm shorter in front. On the downhill with 70kmh its rock solid (with balanced wheels).

The handlebar from SPcycles was only okay, as the rivets for the Garmin mount were glued in crooked - so i had to file them flat. The screw sits still not flush.... Otherwise, no complaints for the price of 120USD. Middle of the road with respect to flex. Bought it in 80/450 to match the progressive frame geo.

In conclusion: I can only recommend the frame, paint is great (except around the bottle cages and overspray on the brake mounts) and rides very well so far. Looked very clean on the inside. I am now thinking about selling the Venge.  Its a pretty good do-it-all bike when paired with wide, fast rolling tires.

I hope that helps.

Yes I asked them on the Ali store. Availability seems to be limited though only in S, M and L.

I bought a different frame in the end - the SPCycles bike with the Grail like geo.

For me UDH is the way to go, especially after the Red release. Enjoy the build.

Thanks a lot for your comprehensive and insightful reply.

Its a good point on the spacers - given that the wide and non-wide BBs are the same and only differ in the included spacers, there should be a good bit of flexibility. I will check the spacer recommendations from SRAM. Aftermarket chain ring with 6mm offset might be an alternative here.

RE frame: Carbonda, especially the 707 might be the better option. The GR048 in M might just be a tad small, when looking at it in bike-stats. The 707 in M also has a 435mm chainstay and a generally longer wheelbase.