It's curious because I built a very similar one to you last year for me:)

I managed to keep the budget on 999€ for everything including pedals and shipping. And I love it. Honestly it's super confortable and lightweight.

I did some compromises like I preferred to have it painted than to have a "lighter" crank.

For me it's performing as usual

Nice one!
Been looking to that but prices keep not justifying towards local markets.

Never tried Tideacebike but would be nice to try a first build.

Quote from: raisinberry777 on August 03, 2025, 06:33:17 PM
Here's my recommendations.

- not many frames these days with round seat posts or non internal cable routing. I'd suggest compromising on those things to ensure that the rest of the build is overall as you want it
- ditch all the 9 speed kit and go straight to 11 or 12 speed. Might as well go straight to 12 because the initial cost isn't much more than 11
- if you want easy maintenance, go hydraulic disc brakes. They're dead easy to set up, bleed, and you only have to do it once every 12-24 months. Heaps of good YouTube videos out there on it. Mechanical disc brakes are more fiddly, brake worse, and often don't work well with fully internal setups.
- there's not really such a thing as 'most reliable'. We have very limited sample sizes here. Most of them are good, most of the time - you just have to hope you don't end up with a dud.

- frame: Cecotti RF33 or SPCycle R088 or Velobuild VB-R177 ($500-600 USD) - the Velobuild uses a round post so that's something in its favour.
- groupset: L-Twoo RX 12 speed ($150 USD) or if you can stump up the extra, the new L-Twoo ER9 ($350 USD) or just jump straight to 105 Di2 ($600 USD) (but you'll need to stretch the budget)
- crank: Riro Racer R9 ($45 USD)
- bottom bracket: whatever fits for the Shimano crank ($20 USD)
- cassette: Zrace 12 speed ($30 USD)
- chain: Shimano M6100 ($20 USD - buy locally to avoid fakes)
- wheels: Tagoola ($350 USD)
- saddle: whatever you like off AliExpress ($15 USD, or $40 for 3D printed)
- stem/bars: kalloy stem ($10-20 USD) + Kocevlo carbon bars ($35 USD) if not going fully internal
- tyres: Continental Grand Prix TR 32mm ($25 USD x 2), or 30mm if you go with the Velobuild

Key thing with AliExpress is to wait for sales periods, stack with coupons and use cashback offers.

I've built one two weeks ago with that configuration. Went for the Cecotti RF32 and LTWOO r9 hydraulic.
Managed to get all under 1k€ for a fully built carbon bike.

It's actually not bad for the price. And the good part is that painting in 1 colour was included.

Quote from: gribs on July 09, 2025, 03:58:13 PM
I've got a frame on order and I'm trying to decide between Di2 and mechanical for the build. For those of you who've used mechanical on this frame how was it? It'd be quite nice to use the money saved over Di2 for a power meter but not if the shifting is sub optimal.

I have mechanical 105 on mine.
Works fine. It's just tricky to pass the 4 cables on the integrated hb

Quote from: ProtonClimber on July 09, 2025, 09:44:47 AM
Hello,

Searching through the web, I stumbled upon the Mondince website and 2026 FM116 model specifically. It has:

• FULLY INTERNAL CABLE ROUTING
• T47/UDH
• 31.6MM CLAMP
  
• 27.2MM SEATPOST
• 850 (+-30)g weight for 54 size
• 32mm tire clearance

link: https://mondincecycle.com/product/2026_super_light_road_endurane_bike_frame_fm116.html?_gl=1*1823ms7*_up*MQ..*_gs*MQ..*_ga*MTkwODk0NjI3MC4xNzUyMDcxMzEx*_ga_NN7HB5R2VR*czE3NTIwNzEzMDkkbzEkZzEkdDE3NTIwNzEzNzIkajYwJGwwJGgw&gclid=CjwKCAjwprjDBhBTEiwA1m1d0ljacnrgba_tQ2R4OKTUaRsc66P_FybKIQWEHiO3vF5xnTSxK0cmQxoC7TYQAvD_BwE

Do you have any knowledge or experience with that company? The specs look very nice for an all rounder bike, I haven't asked for a quote yet, and am still looking for some lightweight climbing frameset like Ican FL1, that would be very versatile and easy to maintain. Im still not sure if they make direct to consumer sales though, but someone mentioned a gravel frameset on this forum that was linked to mondincecycle.
What are your thoughts on this FM116 frame?

Frame is a bit heavy no XD 850kg

anyway this is the (same as) tantan

Quote from: Mircenzo on July 09, 2025, 12:31:13 AM
Hi Guys,
Long time lurker here. Based on what I read on the forum, several months ago ordered my first frame, the SC-R55D.
Coming from a rim brake SS EVO, I had high hopes and wanted something better than the Aliexpress frames.

Finally received the frame yesterday and I am not sure some things are acceptable.
1. There is a weird peeling near the front derailleur mounts(img_7247).
2. Bottom bracket, delamination(img_7243). This is the most worrying for me. Can it be damage from transport or it left the factory like this ? From what I know once it starts delaminating it is risky to ride, especially in the BB area.
3. Top of headtube, damage on the rim of the tube and on the bearing seat.
4. Seat tube, cosmetic damage on the rim of the hole and what looks like a lot of filler on the inside of the seat tube.
5. No di2 battery hanger included but 3 screws on the downtube. Where should I mount the battery, seatpost ?

I expected a perfect frame for the price but now I am a bit lost as it is my first frame buy.
Could someone please advise if these things are "normal" and acceptable to ride ? pictures attached

I'm sorry that you faced this.
I'd contact them as this is NOK.

Quote from: Serge_K on July 02, 2025, 03:19:26 AM
Did you actually read the 17D thread? Have you seen all the people with swiss cheese internals, sometimes squishy, sometimes not frame walls, sometimes clean inside, sometimes trash AF, poor customer support, and so on?

The X21 is the same open mould as my LTK 268. I can tell you i'm not swapping mine for a LC 17D

I just hope that when u make a mistake/when a problem appears in your work you don't get tagged with that... I've seem people complain literally about every brand here in the forum so...

Quote from: Hanirie on July 01, 2025, 01:53:14 PM
Hey!
I am riding the Tantan X-21 Frame since about three years and I am still quite happy with it. Made some changes (headset/Bb) and know it is pretty straight forward.
Since all the hype about the lcr017 Frame and the good reputation of lightcarbon I am considering a change of the Frames and Cockpits.
Do you think the change is worth it?
Thank you!

Anyway, and just to complement my "No" from before. If you are happy and fit well with your current frame, changing for the sake of changing doesn't make sense. You won't get much advantage from it. Whether you want a new frame. Don't try to justify it logically Want is a good enough justification

No

Quote from: Serge_K on June 25, 2025, 01:45:51 AM
that's interesting. Do you have more details?

I believe this is the ICAN EG03.

just note as well that a 0 offset seatpost puts more pressure on the hands so one needs to look into the seat tube angle.

Quote from: pavlo.k on June 09, 2025, 05:05:13 AM
Since I have a little over 2,000 km on the bike, I thought I'd do a short update.

I'm a little conflicted about the bike, but it has nothing to do with any problems with the bike itself—rather, it's about the bike it's intended to replace.
I built it to replace my Rose Reveal endurance bike, as I wanted something that looked faster and cooler so I could show off my race rig in front of my mates on a coffee ride and try a more aggressive position. Since I don't race, actual performance and aerodynamics make little difference to me. I was mostly going for looks, weight, and fit.

The bike is awesome. Frame quality is really good—it's stiff, and it's the lightest bike I've ever owned (currently 7.3 kg ready to ride, with pedals and Garmin mount, in the largest size). So far, so good.

The cracks are starting to show, however, when I switch back to my old bike for some rides. After riding exclusively on the Speeder for a few months, it's instantly clear how much better the Rose is—at least for me.
Comfort is just a night-and-day difference. I wouldn't say the Speeder is necessarily uncomfortable—I'm pretty happy with my position (even though I still struggle with saddle choice)—but my old bike is just on another level.
I don't usually notice things like "compliance" or "rolling resistance," but the Rose just floats over rough surfaces in comparison. I have the same tires set up tubeless on both, at the same pressure. I also used the same saddle. So the difference really comes down to frame and seatpost compliance.
Frankly, the Rose has a gimmicky, super-flexible seatpost which—until now—I thought didn't make much difference. But the front-end comfort is also superior on the Rose, so it's not just the seatpost.

I initially planned to sell my endurance bike as soon as the new build was finished...
But now I have to keep both bikes 

your post is clearly on spot of what i usually see. people want fast looking bikes, pro, long stems etc etc. But for most of us, endurance frames still rock a lot. FM202, FM1136, etc are great choice for this.

Good reporting, and great looking bike

it's strange. i think they have changed sth lately. last frame i bought from them was about a year ago. it was mint condition and quality. before that all were perfect too.

the fork if i remember correctly had the hole on the side and fork had a serial number. but maybe it's because i'm seller.

in my view it's safe to ride, but finishing seems to be decreasing. anyway the only reason why i haven't been buying from them is because clients want different frames. i'll be happy to negotiate with them again if a customer wants a frame which falls into their portfolio

Quote from: Livingmannequin on June 07, 2025, 08:01:59 AM
Exactly, apart from that I can't stand the look of the TT-X18  Will probably go with the Ceccotti C27 as I can get it for sub 500 incl shipping + taxes. Won't pull the trigger before gettong a quote from long teng for the 268.

cecotti is a nice one if it fits your needs in terms of geometry, look and colour options. not the best finish but u get what you pay for