This is the first bike I’ll be building from the ground up in terms of choosing my own group set, cranks, cabling etc, so what I’m planning is
– SRAM wireless or Shimano Di2
– hydraulic brakes, internal routing
– lightweight wheels of some kind
– will keep the handlebars but I’ll look for integrated cockpit later on
I have built up bikes before, but all external routing.
How easy or difficult are these frames to work on, and how good are they long term?
I am also considering getting it sprayed as the raw carbon look, to me, is a bit boring.
The seller has offered quite a nice price on it so I’m tempted by it.
I’ve also been considering Chinese carbon frames custom from Sp-cycle but can’t bring myself to do so.
by coffeefuelledtechie
2 Comments
It is probably a chinese carbon frame. The difference between this listing and a product from Aliexpress is that this frame has already been exported to the UK so availability is within days. You probably pay a 200£ overcharge vs an Aliexpress offer.
One thing that sucks on these cheap carbon frames is the front derailleur mount which is riveted to the seat tube. I was “given the opportunity” to work on a chinese frame (which was a “replica” of the Colnago V3RS). I had to install a 2×12 AXS Force drivetrain. The mount was so poorly riveted that the shifting was subpar (which is a shame for an AXS drivetrain). The mount was slightly misaligned, it was eniugh5to severely hurt shifting quality. On higher-end frame, the mount is part of the carbon mold, it’s not a small alloy part added afterwards.
The frame itself looked very good, the paint work was excellent. Frame was about 600€. Someone that is not a road bike expert couldn’t tell it was not a genuine Colnago frame.
> How easy or difficult are these frames to work on, and how good are they long term?
There’s nothing remarkable that would make building / maintaining this easier or more difficult than any other entry-level retail carbon frame. “Long-term” is too open-ended to answer with any certainty: that will vary drastically depending on how you build it out, how you ride it, where you ride it, and a thousand other factors.
> I am also considering getting it sprayed as the raw carbon look, to me, is a bit boring
There are _so many_ options for bikes with similar geometry around this price point. If you want a bike of a certain colour, you will save money, effort, and stress by finding a frame set that looks the way you’d like it to look. Stripping down and refinishing a bike is a serious undertaking when done properly, and things can go awry in a hurry. Doing it for a new / new-to-you frame set is not the practical or economical choice.