My FM356 is way out of tolerance and the direct mount transmission wouldn't fit. I've asked Jack to replace the frame but he's trying to fob me off with a small £100 refund. Alternative is to charge back with my bank but I don't want to do this yet.

Quote from: Er7ik on October 02, 2026, 05:29:03 AM
Been following this thread while building my FM356, so here's mine. It's my
dedicated rough-gravel rig (fast-road duties live on another
bike), so the priorities were tyre clearance and high stack.

Spec
- Frame: Mondince FM356, size L. Mondince headset with their integrated
  cable routing - the included C-ring is actually really good.
- Drivetrain: SRAM 1x13 mix - Force crank (165 mm) + Force 10-46 cassette,
  Rival XPLR AXS derailleur, Rival levers/brakes.
- Chainring: 38T Alugear oval
- Wheels: Elite Wheels Gravel Aero+ (32 mm internal)
- Tyres: Specialized Pathfinder Pro 2.2, tubeless - a true 56 mm WAM on the
  32 mm rims
- Cockpit: Deda 90 mm alloy stem + PRO 44 cm alloy ergo bar (two-piece for now
  while I dial in the fit)
- Rotors: IIIPro rotors 180/180 - brake performance is not diffrent to 160mm rotors
- Seatpost: Mondince 20 mm offset
- Weight: 9.2 kg ready to ride (pedals + bottle cages)

A few build notes
- Up top the clearance is great - 56 mm tyres with 10mm room to frame. But chainring
  clearance to the chainstay is tight: I went 38T partly for the gearing, but
  anything over ~44T would want less than the usual ~6.5 mm offset to clear,
  especially with the SRAM DUB XPLR Wide crank. Worth checking before going big
  up front.
- Minor gripe: there are almost too many mounts - three bolts around the fork
  crown just for a mudguard feels like overkill.

Ride impressions: versatile and comfortable - the big Pathfinders float over
loose gravel without feeling draggy on tarmac, and the 1x13 range covers
everything. But it feels kinda slow: Been on the Tideace GV201 before, and this was quicker.
(Attatched photo with Schwalbe G-One R Pro 50mm, 53mm WAM)

How did you make the direct mount derailleur fit? My bike shop can't fit one, they said the width should be 12mm and my frame is 10.8mm. Jack is saying the bike isn't meant to take a direct mount derailleur and I need to use a hanger

Sorry you had a bad experience. I ordered my FM356 and it arrived last week -2 weeks later than promised. Some mistakes along the way -initially they got the colour slightly wrong (glossy instead of matte) and I rejected the offer of a replacement frame with a close enough colour. I changed colour and they shipped it with UPS so it arrived quickly and I didn't have extra duties to pay which I was worried about. Still shipped the wrong fork (with holes) but when I held it in my hand, I actually prefer it so this isn't a big issue.

Jack was happy to issue small refunds throughout (£70-100) for the delays and mistakes. Same as you, he would say painting next week and it would be the week after I would hear that its painted. He offered me an extra seatpost and integrated handlebar for free at some points. I declined the handlebar because their sizes weren't compatible with my bike fit but it came with an extra seatpost and hanger.

Frame looks to be ok quality. They have faced the interfaces but at the end of the day its a £500 frame. There are 1-2 random carbon threads visible inside the frame at some points but for the price I think it's acceptable.

Buying from china directly means you save 70% on the price of the frame but you have to tolerate the unreliable timescales.

Quote from: eins4eins on September 14, 2026, 11:17:40 PM
Yes, UD glossy. Incl DPD shipping, the price was 720USD.

Built it to see what it looks like and i thinks its a very nice machine.
A friend will eventually buy it, once my new bike is here.

Lovely bike. Im trying to get stickers for my new FM356 frame. What type of stickers are those and where did you get them?

Great bike, stance looks awesome. How tall are you if I can ask? I have a L on order

Quote from: clayp on August 23, 2026, 01:01:20 AM
Not being able to use both bottle holders is concerning. Would it be possible to mount the one on the cover further up if it had slots instead of holes, or would that interfere with the cover's handle?

You can get cage extenders to move the bottle up. I also wonder if this is specific to certain sizes. Mine is a L and when it arrives, I will let everyone know whether I can fit a bottle on the hatch + seat tube

Lovely colours for both bikes. Waiting for mine...

Do the brake mounts look flush or faced?

what is the handlebar?

Great colour choice. Headset and cockpit look fine -what do you have to 3d print?

Quote from: xcelrec on August 10, 2026, 05:18:58 AM
Just got a video of my painted frame, looks really nice already, prob. gonna look even better in the sun. This is size medium.

https://streamable.com/xd3k19

This is absolutely beautiful. Great choice

I went with Topo Green (matte) from the Enve Mog collection

I placed an order today. Size L, custom paint. My invoice said shipping within 15 days of payment

Quote from: clayp on August 06, 2026, 03:49:17 AM
Jack told me that they now have size L in stock. I have just placed my order. I will report back once the frame arrives. I paid €767 including shipping for the frame, custom paint job, fork without strap holes, zero offset seat post, axles, headset and bag.

Is the shipping with tax included?

Same here. I also want to see the colours first.

I wish they could build the sizes, fit them with a groupset, and show the colours so that we can see how the bike will look like fully built

Im on the other side. I will be replacing my 2022 Revolt Advanced ML with a L FM356. On my Revolt I have to use a shorter stem (70mm) and have two spacers under the stem. It's almost like the FM356 is made for my fit. I just need to see a complete build in the flesh before I make my purchase