My Chinese Carbon : Updates
petemadoc
Posts: 2,667
Finally built up and finished with decals.
Frame & Fork - bought through carbonzone off ebay, cost £400 with the paint job, as far as I know this is the same frame as the De Rosa R838 and the Ribble stealth and the Pedalforce RS3, frame weighed 1100 grams and uncut fork 400 grams
Shimano 105 groupset with the exception of the chainset which is Sram force as the BB is a BB30, this upgrade cost me just over £100 after selling the 105 chainset . . . . was it worth it? Well my ankles never clip the crank arm
seatpost - FSA carbon
Stem - Deda Zero
Saddle - my old Selle Italia G2, not sure what to replace this old tatty thing with, tried an Arione but not for me. Might give the Selle Italia SLR a go
Wheels - Aksiums
Tyres - Veloflex open corsa
Pedals - Speedplay Zero
Tape- Fizik microtex
After a few rides the bike feels super stiff and pretty aggressive. Not given it a longer ride yet but hop to this week sometime. I'm still riding with a couple of spacers under the stem and one above, I hope to loose the spacers and cut the steerer soon but want to make sure I'm happy with it first. I've swapped the saddle and tyres over a couple of times and come to the conclusion that the frame has much less to do with comfort than tyres, saddle and tyre pressures. My other bike is a alloy cyclocross bike and the most noticeable differences are much quicker acceleration and quicker up the hills.
Anyone thinking of using carbonzone, I'd highly recommend them, great service and bike was shipped with a tracking number in just over 7 days, considering the custom paint job I'd say that's good going. Things to note, you do not get downtube barrel adjusters or bottle cage bolts with these frames. The Neco headset and the BB30 bearings were so easy to fit and I've never fitted a headset before so really it must be fecking easy. Cutting a carbon steerer just needs a decent hacksaw and some bottle.
Frame & Fork - bought through carbonzone off ebay, cost £400 with the paint job, as far as I know this is the same frame as the De Rosa R838 and the Ribble stealth and the Pedalforce RS3, frame weighed 1100 grams and uncut fork 400 grams
Shimano 105 groupset with the exception of the chainset which is Sram force as the BB is a BB30, this upgrade cost me just over £100 after selling the 105 chainset . . . . was it worth it? Well my ankles never clip the crank arm
seatpost - FSA carbon
Stem - Deda Zero
Saddle - my old Selle Italia G2, not sure what to replace this old tatty thing with, tried an Arione but not for me. Might give the Selle Italia SLR a go
Wheels - Aksiums
Tyres - Veloflex open corsa
Pedals - Speedplay Zero
Tape- Fizik microtex
After a few rides the bike feels super stiff and pretty aggressive. Not given it a longer ride yet but hop to this week sometime. I'm still riding with a couple of spacers under the stem and one above, I hope to loose the spacers and cut the steerer soon but want to make sure I'm happy with it first. I've swapped the saddle and tyres over a couple of times and come to the conclusion that the frame has much less to do with comfort than tyres, saddle and tyre pressures. My other bike is a alloy cyclocross bike and the most noticeable differences are much quicker acceleration and quicker up the hills.
Anyone thinking of using carbonzone, I'd highly recommend them, great service and bike was shipped with a tracking number in just over 7 days, considering the custom paint job I'd say that's good going. Things to note, you do not get downtube barrel adjusters or bottle cage bolts with these frames. The Neco headset and the BB30 bearings were so easy to fit and I've never fitted a headset before so really it must be fecking easy. Cutting a carbon steerer just needs a decent hacksaw and some bottle.
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and I really want a headtube badge but no idea what to use or where to get it
Twitter
Blog: Riding Circle
Thanks for the comments
Carbonzone will do the decals under the clearcoat for you but I wanted to put them on after in case I decided to sell the frame one day. I got the decals from these guys
http://www.spincollective.co.uk/acatalog/index.html
Good quality vinyl and good service
Mind you - for a bit more bling - howabout 50mm carbon clinchers from Carbonzone: :twisted: ! Nothing against the Aksiums - they are good "do it all" wheels - but just think they'd look the business!
http://100hillsforgeorge.blogspot.com/
http://www.12on12in12.blogspot.co.uk/
Looking good - just a few words of caution about cutting carbon fibre though - you can buy special blades dedicated to cutting carbon fibre (not sure whether they're essential or just recommended), but you WILL need a decent facemask - the microscopic dust fibres generated when you're sawing are carcinogenic, so best keep them out of your lungs!
+1
yeah interested in the answer too
the reynolds like C14 decal made me laugh
LOSE
Thanks for pointing that out
I do plan on getting some 50mm carbon clinchers . . . . . or some nice lightweight wheels, can't decide and can't afford at the moment so they'll have to wait.
As previously mentioned Carbonzone will put decals on for you underneath the clearcoat finish but I opted to have some vinyl stickers printed by spincollective.co.uk. The stickers seem pretty good quality and I can always change them if selling or whatever.
Cannondale Synapse
Enigma Etape
Genesis Flyer Single Speed
Turn the corner, rub my eyes and hope the world will last...
What do you guys think would go better, some of the normal elite race cages or something more retro like this
Carp_P Yeah I think they can do all colours, I just sent them a pic of what I wanted and they did it.
2015 Specialized Roubaix Sport sl4
2014 Specialized Allez Sport
As you have purchased some wondered your opinion on quality??
I've been really impressed with the quality of my frame and the service from carbonzone.
However some people buying from Chinese sellers have had annoying problems such as internal cable routing friction, cable guide issues, messed up bottle cage threads. Such issues are rare but they do happen and you are expected to return the frame at your own cost which isn't great. Just worth considering.
What I can tell you about mine is that the quality seems good, it's very very stiff and I'm very pleased with it. Longevity? Well I'll tell you in a few years time.
Have a Look for Cannondale GT40 waterbottle cages, very simple design. Think it may go well with your bike; http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=15172
Brett
PS Love the rear stay vinyl
Quintana Roo Cd01
Project High End Hack
Cannondale Synapse SL (gone)
I like Carbon
ITEM DISCONTINUED
Who'd have thought bottle cages could be such a worry
You can find them, just CRC don't do them any more. I posted the link to show what they looked like... jeez, sometimes you are tough audience.
Found them here in UK: http://www.cycleworld.co.uk/product/147 ... ottle_Cage
or here in the US: http://www.cannondaleexperts.com/Cannon ... _p_34.html
I've used the US people quite a few times for my Cannondale parts and the postage is v reasonable.
Quintana Roo Cd01
Project High End Hack
Cannondale Synapse SL (gone)
I like Carbon
Under 1100 quid including the price of the wheels which I already owned. You could build it for 160 ish less if it wasn't for the custom paint and the BB30 chainset. I compromised on the Groupset a little using shimano 5600 which you could say is a little dated now.
Chris, I don't know anyone with a laser cutter
Wheels: Mavic kKsyrium Elites
Shifters, front & rear mech - Dura ace 7900
Deda Ditrissmo inline seat post
Steerer cut down and a headset replaced with a Deda one
Been riding this for a year now and it feels fantastic, weight is down to a smidge over 7Kg. Change of wheels made a big difference.
Yes I know the pic is censored , and yes I know it shouldn't have clip on TT bars but I was doing a TT the other night. . . so there.
Thing that I feel might be letting it down, the brakes are still 105, do I care about this, I'm not sure. White hoods, I really don't like them! I've bought some black ones but I didn't realise that you have to take all the cables out and take the shifters off to change them *sigh*
(re: hoods. Yeah it's a censored to get the replacement hoods on/off from the front but give it a go...I've used dabs of some water based lube on the tricky spots. Makes life a little less sweary and leaves no residue.)
http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/cate ... e-12-46168
Err ok then, are they real or an April fool?
Braking is fine, the only reason I see to upgrade the brakes is weight. To be honest upgrading the groupset has little benefit. My old 5600 105 is as slick as anything, money is most likely better spent on wheels but if you've got the cash then why not I suppose. The only reason I did was because the shifter broke on my winter bike so through some strange logic and an irresistible deal on the DA this bike got the upgrade. Switching from Mavic Aksiums so Ksyrium Elites did make a noticeable improvement to the ride.
from other reviews I have seen, they look to be pretty good