These are the reasons I went Wheeltop, I intend to upgrade one wheelset to 12sp and leave the other as 11sp.  I hoping that wheeltop, in the future, add a wheel/bike profile feature where you can setup different indexing for different wheels and then swap between easily.

With this flexiblity the Wheeltop isn't just cheaper, but it's also technical ahead of Shimano and Sram..... in this specific area. Downside of flexible configuration of indexing and gearing is that it can take a lot of work to get it perfect - as I am finding with my GeX ATM, some learning on my part. So for Sram and Shimano, if they want a great customer experience and minimize support calls, having it 'just work' Apple style is important for the wider consumer market.

An excellent example.

The setup issue you mention is one thing that gives me a moment's hesitation with the Wheeltop. Only per-sprocket tuning is powerful but a challenge. I'm hoping that normally it's just basically right in the first place.  The SRAM model of only a meta setting works ok. But if you have any sort of glitch for whatever reason, there is no way to adjust it. LTWOO's approach is pretty good IF you read the instructions     I did not read carefully and started tuning each sprocket. Yeah, no. They do it right and you are supposed to set it on a mid sprocket and only tune the separate ones if needed.  But I don't see a profile capability like you ask for there either. (It's a good idea)

With all due respect, Making America Great Again is more important to me than poor shifting $25 cassettes.

I love how these MAGA Trumpers are basically vegans telling you they are vegan.I swear they literally have to tell everyone how they like another man or they explode. So weird that PLA literally made his forum signature about Trump on a carbon fiber forum. This literally is a non political space lmao

Please see the picture, the gap is large and there is play when holding the brake and rocking the bike. The torque settings are correct to manufacture settings.

Long Teng 301D. I have a 268 and love it. the 301 is more recent, lighter, and takes wider tyres. It's a chonky looking boy. And because their marketing budget is a grand total of zero, it's cheap. They OEM for Argon 18. I've built 2, very well finished. And i've ridden mine over 8k km this year, so i'm confident saying they make good stuff.

I was really considering getting this frame, but I just can't get over how flat the top part of the down tube is... It just doesn't fit the rest of the frame, looks very non aero

I’ve come to trust the Carbonda 1003/1266 through a full season of high intensity park riding (nearly every week since mid May, most 17,000-20,000 vertical) and am aiming to build a 1286 alongside it for next year. It’s really impressive what it’s stood up to for such a complex shock driver linkage and such a little known factory.

I’d be a bit nervous to trust the ICAN version to do the same, given that it is likely of significantly different construction and just uses the same molds. But I hope that eventually we hear from X17 owners that it does just as well.

I have some 1266 vs 1286 sizing questions to ask y’all soon and some Carbonda build threads to post at last…now that park season is over, I’ll be a lot more active here again leading up to (hopefully, since I’m very attached to this idea now) the 1286 build.

X17 owner here.  i love mine.  my understanding is that the ICAN version uses different fibers.  not sure if it matters but i don't really care.  I just did the Whole Enchilada in Moab with mine it was great.  i am not a light rider either, 105kg plus riding gear.  i think durability is going to the same for both Carbonda and ICAN.  there is not much of a secret sauce when it comes to building bike frames.  none of these frame are pushing the boundaries of weight so the layups are not exotic or ground breaking.  if ICAN made a 1286 and i could save $250 i would go that route instead of the Carbonda.  i am hoping that by the time i am ready to order, ICAN have got their own version.  just snapping up Shimano Saint parts and building wheels at the moment.