Quote from: Samuel BMR on August 27, 2026, 05:12:10 AM
Photo of the HBR20

Don't like the look from above...

+$70 if you choose THIS one.

The quote I got was indeed $719 (with the gravel handlebars) UD RAW + $153 shipping to Europe.
Carol didn't say anything about a surcharge for UD RAW GLOSSY finish instead of matte

I've also seen this riser handlebar in a few YouTube videos, and I actually prefer the way it looks. Does anyone know what model it is?

Quote from: tmhbrl on August 20, 2026, 01:01:35 PM
To save more money, only get the Force cranks and Rival E1 XPLR for the rest. RD is virtually same same and levers only miss the bonus buttons (and bleeding edge brake bleeding).
Go for some csc wheels, ordered a set off Ali last week for under 300€ (32 internal, 50 high).
Swapping the frame for Velobuild Aero Grav will save you another 3-400€. But I understand the LCR020 looks nice.

I actually found a CSC wheelset very similar to this Zen one, and it's cheaper — around $500 shipped with taxes prepaid. But I think wheels are the most important part of a build, and I've read quite a few bad reviews about CSC, so I don't want to take the risk. Zen's customer service is fast and responsive, and I believe if anything goes wrong they'd help me out much better than CSC would.

I also looked into Serenade — their wheels are cheap too and the product itself seems really good, but the replies I got from them by email were a bit rushed and not very accurate. Communication with Zen has been great so far, so I'll stick with them.

TL;DR — building a fast do-it-all gravel (races + bikepacking + winter, Riva del Garda, Italy 🇮🇹) on a Chinese carbon frame. The idea: assemble a SRAM AXS 1×13 group piece by piece (used / on-sale / third-party) to match a stock Rival price — or less — but lighter. Curious if you'd spec it better for the money.

Big thanks to this forum btw — a lot of this came together from the Zen and LightCarbon threads here. 🙏

⚡ One wheelset, two setups: 32–35 mm slicks for a super-aero all-road ride (37 mm external rim = within the Rule of 105), then swap to 45–47 mm gravel tyres for races.

🖤 On the frame: I love the LightCarbon LCG072-D — quality, finish and comms all excellent. Only niggle: at my size (170 cm, 711 mm saddle height) size S has a longish seat tube, so only ~230 mm of exposed post (aesthetic only). For the price I doubt I'll find better.

THE BUILD (weights & prices estimated, USD):

FRAMESET  LightCarbon LCG072-D S, raw ............. ~2280 g / $900
           (frame+fork ~1530 g + cockpit/seatpost)
WHEELS    Zen 50/29/37, hidden nipples, ALL-SILVER
           + H-Works SR318 hub + Sapim CX-Ray (DDP) . ~1420 g / $749
GROUPSET  SRAM AXS 1x13, piece by piece:
           - Levers: Force XPLR AXS (used, Bonus Button)
           - RD: Rival XPLR AXS
           - Cassette: Red XG-1291 (used/sale)
           - Chain: Force/Red Flattop
           - Crank: Force D1 165mm (used, no PM) + AXS ring
           - BB: DUB T47
           - Rotors: Ashima/KCNC centerlock 160
           => ~2600 g / ~$1000  (target $900-1100)
TYRES     Slick 32-35 (aero) / gravel 45-47 (race) .. ~1080 g / $120
SADDLE    S-Works Power 143 (transferred) .......... ~150 g / $0
PEDALS    Favero Assioma (transferred) ............. ~300 g / $0
FINISH    tape, cages, sealant .................... ~260 g / $90
--------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL (with gravel tyres): ~8.1 kg / ~$2860


The question: for this money, could you do better on quality and weight? What would you change?

I made a fill-in template — grab it, drop your build, screenshot it, and post it below 👇
Config template (Google Sheets)  (File → Make a copy → fill in → screenshot)

Cheers 🚵

Very interested in this topic - following

Hi everyone,

I'm planning to build up the new LightCarbon LCG072-D aero gravel and I'd love some advice before I commit. I want a great value-for-money, do-it-all build: gravel races, bikepacking trips, and winter riding so I can spare my race bike. So it needs to be fast-ish but above all versatile and reliable, not a weight-weenie special. I'll probably run SRAM 1×12 or 1×13 (XPLR AXS or a mullet setup — still deciding), so I'd need an XDR freehub.

1) Size: S or M? (my main question)
I'm 170 cm, ~70 kg, right on the S/M border. My fit numbers from a pro bike fit (currently on a Tarmac SL7 size 52, reach 374 / stack 524):

Saddle height 711 mm (BB → saddle), 165 mm cranks
Effective seat angle 74°, saddle setback ~78 mm
Bar position to replicate: BB → bar 473 mm reach / 594 mm stack (110 mm stem + 35 mm spacers, 400 mm bar)
LCG072-D geo: M = reach 377 / stack 565 (HTA 71.5°); S = reach 368 / stack 547 (HTA 70.5°), both 74° seat angle.

M: reach 377 ≈ my Tarmac 374 → keep ~110 stem, few spacers.
S: needs ~120 stem + ~25–30 mm spacers, but more exposed seatpost (which I like) and more standover — shorter front-center though (toe overlap with wide tires?).
What would you pick at 170 cm for a do-it-all bike that'll also carry bikepacking loads?

2) Availability
LightCarbon (Jim) told me size M can be booked now (~1–2 months), but I'm unsure about S — worried it might be M-only for a while. Anyone ordered an S, or knows the real lead time for the smaller sizes?

3) Budget wheels (XDR, ~50C max frame, winter + bikepacking proof)
Looking for good-value gravel wheels that are durable and easy to service (winter grime + loaded trips), not the lightest. Got a quote from Zen for a 45mm-deep, 32 mm internal superlight set. My frame maxes at 50C and I'll run 40–45C, so I worry 32 mm internal is too wide (better for 60c frames?).

Would 25–28 mm internal be the smarter pick for my tire range?
For winter/bikepacking I'm leaning to 24/24 Sapim CX-Ray over carbon spokes — agree?
Recommendations among value brands (Zen / Winspace / Yoeleo / Farsports / Elitewheels), XDR, ~1300–1400 g, bombproof?
4) Cockpit / handlebar problem
The dedicated integrated gravel bar for this frame (HBR18) is currently only available in 40 cm (other widths = much longer wait), but I'd probably want a 38 cm (my road grip width is fairly narrow). So I'm considering alternatives: another LightCarbon integrated bar (the HBR08 gravel comes in 38/40/42), or a separate stem + flared gravel bar from another brand for more fit flexibility.

With this frame's full-internal routing, can you actually run a standard stem + bar (does the headset/top-cap allow external-to-internal cable entry), or are you locked into LightCarbon's integrated cockpit?
Anyone running an alternative cockpit on an LCR/LCG LightCarbon frame? Recommended 38 cm flared gravel bars?
5) Anything I'm missing?
Open to any advice — the proprietary seatpost, tire choice, bikepacking mounts, or general build tips for best bang-for-buck on a do-it-all rig.

Thanks a lot in advance! 🙏

Hi @ZenCarbonBike and everyone 👋

I'm building a new 700C aero gravel bike (frame max tire 50C, flat-mount 160mm, 12×100/142). I'll most likely run a SRAM XPLR AXS 1×13 groupset (not 100% decided yet — but if so I'd need an XDR freehub). I've seen the 45mm hooked / 32mm internal / 40mm external superlight gravel rim posted here and I have a few questions before ordering:

Tire range: what's the recommended min/max tire width (ETRTO) for that 32mm-internal gravel rim? My frame tops out at 50C and I'll likely run 40–45C — is the 32mm internal actually meant for wider/"60c" frames? Would one of your 25–28mm internal gravel rims be a better match for me?
Freehub: is XDR available on the ZSL / ZC270 / SR270 hubs (in case I go SRAM 13-speed)?
Spokes: for gravel use at ~70 kg, would you recommend the 24/24 Sapim CX-Ray build over the 20/20 carbon-spoke one? I saw a report here of carbon spokes rotating on the rear under load on gravel.
Hub/spoke combinations you offer for gravel (hole counts, ratchet, bearings) and the weight of each.
Rim bed: is a no-holes (tubeless, no rim tape needed) option available?
Other options / recommendations: is there anything else in your gravel range you'd suggest for my setup that I might have missed? I'm open to advice on the best depth / internal width / hub / spoke combo for an aero gravel build on a 50C frame.
Thanks a lot — really impressed by the feedback in this thread! 🙏

Quote from: Bike.Man on February 01, 2026, 01:36:45 PM
So, I'm finally done 😄

And yes, I've gone in a completely different direction than everyone else I've seen so far 😉

-LightCarbon LCR-018 frame, size 50, raw carbon matte finish
-LightCarbon HBR17 handlebars, 380/90mm
-XMCS 50/36/28 wheelset with Sapim CX-Ray spokes and In-House hubs
-Schwalbe G-One R Pro tires, 45mm front and 40mm rear, tubeless mounted with Orange Seal Endurance Sealant
-SRAM Rival XPLR derailleur, brakes, grips, cassette, and chain
-SRAM bottom bracket DUB Wide T47 / 85.5
-SRAM Red Dub Wide crankset, 165mm, with Raketa Components 46t chainring
-Chaser Ultra Light brake rotors, 160mm/140mm, with Absolute Black Center Lock rings
-Ryet Ultimate Carbon saddle
-Wolf Tooth LoneWolf Aero Chainguide from Rose BACKROAD FF
-Wolf Tooth del Gravel Pedals
-Elite Leggero Carbon Bottle Cage
-SYNCROS Handlebar Tape RC Dark Grey

The bike weighs 7.83 kg as pictured, complete with pedals, bottle cages, and tubeless sealant 😎

I'd like to order this frame as well. Could you also tell me what your saddle height is? I'm trying to decide between a size 50 or 52 too, and I'm trying to understand how much seatpost would be exposed. My saddle height is around 70–71 cm.
Did you put a 40 mm tire in the rear because a 45 mm doesn't fit?
I'm also trying to figure out which gravel wheels currently offer the best value for money, with an internal rim width of at least 24 mm — someone does have any wheel recommendations?