To me the whole thing is staged. At the end of the day, GNC isn't an unbiased YouTube channel and a video of him saying that all went well and had zero issues wouldn't get them.views or people talking about. Just look at us.....we are reacting to Alex's video that is exactly what he was looking for before making it.

Good afternoon. Today I decided to tinker with the frame a bit. I wanted to see if there would be any fork play, like some people here are experiencing. I assembled the frame with the fork and bearings, compression ring, and top cap. And indeed, there is some play back and forth. Measurements showed that the bearing seats are not perfectly aligned. In my opinion, the fork play is not due to the compression C-ring (although I consider this type of ring to be incorrect), but due to imprecise bearing seats.

Quote from: Garp on January 18, 2026, 11:51:40 AM
Good afternoon. Today I decided to tinker with the frame a bit. I wanted to see if there would be any fork play, like some people here are experiencing. I assembled the frame with the fork and bearings, compression ring, and top cap. And indeed, there is some play back and forth. Measurements showed that the bearing seats are not perfectly aligned. In my opinion, the fork play is not due to the compression C-ring (although I consider this type of ring to be incorrect), but due to imprecise bearing seats.

When you put tension on the both sides (both bearings) they sit on the angled part of the cup. You are not supposed to press the bearings in. It should be like that.

If you already have bearing in hand. Are there any marks like P16 or P16K?

Hi,

I have the pleasure of presenting the bike I built for my wife.

Of course, the frame is an SPCycle R088 in size 49 with metallic pink paint (number 9) and a mix of glossy and matte finishes.

The transmission is based on the SRAM Force XPLR AXS E1, except the crankset, which is the standard SRAM Force AXS E1 road version with a single aero chainring from STONE (42T).




And below, the spare list with the different weights (without the peadals, my wife still uses flat pedals  )

Wow that looks great.

Maybe I can convince my wife to build a new bike....

Quote from: davidnp76 on January 13, 2026, 04:54:20 AM
Well, I'm having trouble with the frame. I've half sorted out the steering issue, but now I've noticed the rear wheel is much closer to the left chainstay than the right (the one on the drive side). It doesn't seem right to me. Does yours stay centered at the same distance? I checked with other wheels and it's the same, so it's not the wheels.

Hi, I checked on my frame with Tagoola Dao 50mm wheels and GP5000S TR 28mm tires....they seem to be centered to the seat stays and the seat tube of the frame.

Quote from: zwags0406 on January 17, 2026, 04:05:15 PM
Hey Bonus, I wanted to follow up on this. Your posts were very helpful for me figuring this out. I got the spacer kit attached, and it fits perfectly with the Kocevelo Roval Rapide clone. Couldn't be happier honestly. See attached photos.
Nearly done with the build now, just need to wrap the bars after I take it for a spin.
Bought everything on Aliexpress:
Full Ultegra Di2 groupset
EliteWheels Edge
Kocevelo integrated handlebar
Ryet 3D saddle
Frame is color #1 glossy.

The only issue I had during the build was the battery in the seat tube fitment that everyone has talked about. I also made the mistake of pulling all the slack in the di2 wires up the seat tube and then trying to jam it all back in like I was loading a musket. That didn't work so I had to pull some of the wire slack and stuff it into the downtube.
I also did have to sand down the brake caliper mounting points a bit.
All in all, it was pretty easy considering it's my first time building a bike. It comes in right at 7kg without pedals and bottle cages.

Hi, I see the assembly is going well! I'm happy for you!
Thanks for the feedback on the spacer kit.
The kit you purchased looks the same as the one I bought a while back, but mine is more gray in color than matte black, and the finish appears smooth and not "rough" like your kit (see photo).
Since I didn't really like the color combination with the handlebar, I tried ordering a new Ullicyc handlebar with a spacer kit identical to yours and the one I'd already purchased.
However, the "converter" piece through which the cables pass has a "rough" finish, similar to that of your kit (or the MagCad mount I got for my bike computer), while the spacers have a smooth finish... so aesthetically, it's not the best either.
I found the kit you purchased on Aliexpress (see last photo)... if you could confirm that all the parts in your kit have the same finish and that the color is matte black (from your photos, it looks like it, with a very similar shade to the handlebar), I could order it too and return the rest.
I'll take this opportunity to ask you a question: did you use the C-ring or the crown to install the headset?
Thank you so much!

Quote from: Bonus79 on January 19, 2026, 10:47:53 AM
Hi, I see the assembly is going well! I'm happy for you!
Thanks for the feedback on the spacer kit.
The kit you purchased looks the same as the one I bought a while back, but mine is more gray in color than matte black, and the finish appears smooth and not "rough" like your kit (see photo).
Since I didn't really like the color combination with the handlebar, I tried ordering a new Ullicyc handlebar with a spacer kit identical to yours and the one I'd already purchased.
However, the "converter" piece through which the cables pass has a "rough" finish, similar to that of your kit (or the MagCad mount I got for my bike computer), while the spacers have a smooth finish... so aesthetically, it's not the best either.
I found the kit you purchased on Aliexpress (see last photo)... if you could confirm that all the parts in your kit have the same finish and that the color is matte black (from your photos, it looks like it, with a very similar shade to the handlebar), I could order it too and return the rest.
I'll take this opportunity to ask you a question: did you use the C-ring or the crown to install the headset?
Thank you so much!

I can confirm all the parts of that kit have the same finish you see in my photos. I attached all the close-up photos below. Keep in mind, I hadn't actually preloaded the compression plug in these close-up photos; I was just holding it together with hand pressure. I can get other photos/measurements if you have specific needs.

In the kit, you get a metal c-ring and a crown that is plastic. I used the metal c-ring because it seemed smarter to use a metal part for preloading against the bearing. The crown also seemed taller than the c-ring, so you'd likely end up with more of a gap between your frame and headset spacers. However, I never actually installed it to check so I can't be certain.

I can say that everything seems okay using the c-ring. I did a 20 mile ride with it yesterday and didn't detect any weird behavior from the headset.

That orange is looking good! Are you in SoCal? Those photos have the SoCal sunshine vibe! 

Did anyone finally figure out if the bearings are 40x52x7 36º/45º or 45º/45º?

Quote from: jonathanf2 on January 19, 2026, 12:28:03 PM
That orange is looking good! Are you in SoCal? Those photos have the SoCal sunshine vibe! 

Thanks! I took a bit of a risk with the orange but I do love the way it pops in the sun. Close, I'm in Colorado  . Had to get a ride in before the snow.

Quote from: zwags0406 on January 19, 2026, 12:25:46 PM
I can confirm all the parts of that kit have the same finish you see in my photos. I attached all the close-up photos below. Keep in mind, I hadn't actually preloaded the compression plug in these close-up photos; I was just holding it together with hand pressure. I can get other photos/measurements if you have specific needs.

In the kit, you get a metal c-ring and a crown that is plastic. I used the metal c-ring because it seemed smarter to use a metal part for preloading against the bearing. The crown also seemed taller than the c-ring, so you'd likely end up with more of a gap between your frame and headset spacers. However, I never actually installed it to check so I can't be certain.

I can say that everything seems okay using the c-ring. I did a 20 mile ride with it yesterday and didn't detect any weird behavior from the headset.

Thanks for the feedback....I'll try to order, hoping it arrives identical to yours.
The kit that came with the Ullicyc handlebar seems identical in shape, but as I said, the "converter" has a rough finish, while the spacers are smooth....it looks like the "converter" was made and added later, but using a different material and finish (see photo).

Hi In this video, even though I tightened my rear wheel thru axle to 13 Nm, I can still move it with my finger. Is my thru axle too short?"

Something strange here. Try following these checks (even if they're trivial).

- Did you use the correct axle? (Not the front wheel one)
- How did you position the spacers? Try sending a photo of the spacers and the housing on the frame.
- What's the wheel hub like?
- Is the UDH installed correctly? Send a photo of that too.

Quote from: kaan84 on January 20, 2026, 03:15:14 AM
Hi In this video, even though I tightened my rear wheel thru axle to 13 Nm, I can still move it with my finger. Is my thru axle too short?"

Yep, something is wrong but is hard to tell what exactly. Looks like to long. Check threads in UDH and on the axle. Check wheel.