I bought and built up a steel frame from a brand called Hub (和博, Hebo), which was released this year, 2026, in China. I am Japanese, but I can read a little Chinese, so I purchased it directly from China on Taobao.
This frame is designed and sold by a former road racer who built it around a very clear concept. It is made on the premise of using a modern IS42/52 tapered-steerer carbon fork, and the head tube is given a tapered shape to increase rigidity. According to him, the goal is a frame that can genuinely be used in competition. At the same time, in line with the owner's own philosophy, it uses rim brakes and narrow tires.
The material is not chromoly. It is a special steel produced by a Chinese steelmaker. The only coating is a clear coat, while areas such as the head tube and bottom bracket have a beautiful heat-blued finish.
I lean toward touring rather than racing, so I will not be competing on it. Even so, I am curious how a rider in the United States or Europe would feel about this frame.
by scura_vrc
4 Comments
I actually like that frame, clear coat or not dont matter to me, but to be made by steel. Unfortunately i don’t have many options to buy something cheap in Europe, the custom steel frames are just ridiculous priced.
I like the bluing left uncovered as a feature. Personally would want it to be able to use disc brakes and/or slightly wider tires.
Wonderful combination of skinny tubes and a slightly larger headtube so one doesn’t have to search through the very limited selection of 1 inch forks now available. Great job. What website did you buy it from?
This would be the talk of the group ride in my circle for sure. Gorgeous.