Chinese carbon other

24 replies · 3,340 views

Turbogrover
96 posts
#1Jul 18, 2021, 6:02 PM
I'm looking for a Chinese carbon gravel bike with geometry similar to the Specialized Diverge.
Any suggestions?
I really like the 80mm bottom bracket drop, and so far I've only seen frame geometries with 67 - 70mm drop.
I'm 172mm tall and usually ride a 52cm with a 53.5cm tt length.
I demo'd a Diverge, and really like the geometry but can't afford the pricetag.
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widerisfaster
253 posts
#2Jul 20, 2021, 7:47 AM
I looked for Chinese frame similar to a a Ridley Kanzo Fast with short chainstays, and one. couldn'tMost of the chinese gravel bikes are pretty middle of the road with their geometry choices. The Diverge BB drop is at the extreme with 80mm drop. The alternative is to have Waltly make you a Ti Diverge for about US$900.
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Turbogrover
96 posts
#3Jul 20, 2021, 8:23 AMedited
Thanks for the advice. I found one on Alibaba that has the geometry I'm looking for. I have been riding/racing bikes since I was 11, and I always preferred to have as low a bottom bracket as I could get away with. It feels better to my body alignment. There's less leg flex required at the top of the pedal stroke, and less extreme drop to the handlebars.
I'm not a ti fan. For the cost of a Waltly I could have a custom painted frameset + handlebars, full internal cable routing, and less weight.
For gravel I would choose aluminum over ti. I was considering a Diverge aluminum frame as another option.
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owly
328 posts
#4Jul 20, 2021, 2:58 PM
Nordest Albarda steel (and ti) frame has similar geo but a lower 85mm bbdrop.

420mm chainstay. Short reach with taller stack.
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Konass
33 posts
#5Jul 21, 2021, 6:37 AM
Can you share a link to the frames that you found that you are considering?
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Turbogrover
96 posts
#6Jul 21, 2021, 7:23 AM
Konass wrote:Can you share a link to the frames that you found that you are considering?

https://m.alibaba.com/product/1600227624088/Super-Light-Carbon-Gravel-Frame-Max.html
I'm gonna go with this one. I don't plan on running 650b on this bike after testing out several different wheel/tire combos, and I have a nice mtb for going into single track, so 700c x 48 is as big as I'll ever go. I will never have issues with pedal strikes on gravel roads.
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Turbogrover
96 posts
#7Jul 31, 2021, 1:11 PMedited

This geometry is actually the same as the 2018-2020 Diverge which I prefer over the 2021 geometry update.
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Tschemsa
4 posts
#8Aug 2, 2021, 4:16 AM
Has anyone some reviews about that frame:
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Monocoque-Open-Mould-700c-Carbon-Fibre_1600178380669.html?spm=a2700.9114905.0.0.8hZumw

it looks pretty promesing.
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Turbogrover
96 posts
#9Sep 23, 2021, 5:02 PM
I have placed an order for a frameset! Won't be ready til mid December, but I don't mind the wait. Gives me time to gather a parts group and misc goodies.
I'm getting a frame,fork, integrated bar and stem, seatpost, clamp, bottom bracket and headset as one package.
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Tschemsa
4 posts
#10Sep 28, 2021, 3:06 AM
Which frame did you order??
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Turbogrover
96 posts
#11Nov 5, 2021, 12:37 PM
This just arrived at my office today.
Ordered 9/19 from SP Cycle, Hong Kong.

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Turbogrover
96 posts
#12Nov 5, 2021, 12:39 PMedited
Full internal cable and hose routing should be interesting to work on.
I'm working in another country right now, so I'll have a nice project waiting for me when I get home.
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Thijsvanderwal
209 posts
#13Nov 12, 2021, 9:47 AM
That looks a lot like the Carbonda 707 but with a BB86 instead of BSA BB
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Thijsvanderwal
209 posts
#14Nov 12, 2021, 9:47 AM
Tschemsa wrote:Has anyone some reviews about that frame:
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Monocoque-Open-Mould-700c-Carbon-Fibre_1600178380669.html?spm=a2700.9114905.0.0.8hZumw

it looks pretty promesing.
It does indeed, has that Cannondale SuperSix EVO SE vibe going pretty well.
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Turbogrover
96 posts
#15Nov 13, 2021, 2:44 AM
Thijsvanderwal wrote:That looks a lot like the Carbonda 707 but with a BB86 instead of BSA BB

The dropped seatstays look similar.
Looks to be modeled from a Cervelo Aspero.
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Turbogrover
96 posts
#16Dec 14, 2021, 10:09 AM
I got home last weekend and started assembling my new ride. Bare frame weighs 1080 grams, size small (52).
Fork weighs 408 grams cut down and no extra screws for side bags. I'm assembling with ultegra di2/GRX shifters, and Light Bicycle carbon wheels. The wheels are around 1400 grams. It was hard to get a good weight with a little scale. 700x42 Challenge Gravel Grinder tires setup tubeless. No name carbon saddle from Ebay which is surprisingly padded and shaped well for my butt.

Assembly was simple, and the frameset was nicely made but not perfect. Same for the paint. I went with a simple single color, but I can see variations in the color at different points. I'm using 2x 46/34 ultegra 8000 with a stages power meter and it fits without any clearance issues.
The biggest issue I had was the location of the front derailleur mount. I had to bend it and slot the screw holes in order to make it line up the fd correctly.
I'm not finished with everything since I got a covid booster shot Sunday evening, and I was out of it for the next day.

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Turbogrover
96 posts
#17Dec 15, 2021, 9:31 PM

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Turbogrover
96 posts
#18Dec 26, 2021, 1:21 PMedited
Finally finished my build. It looks great, and rides amazing. I went on my first ride today in 40 degree farenheit weather.

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Turbogrover
96 posts
#19Jan 4, 2022, 9:59 PM
I had some time to make a mount to fit my Wahoo elemnt to the stem. It turned out very nice! I plan to paint it soon when the weather gets a bit warmer.
I measured the tires and frame clearance for a friend looking to run 50mm tires on this frame. Looks like there's plenty of clearance in there. These are 42mm Challenge Gravel Grinder tires, and they measured 47mm on this wheelset with plenty of room to go bigger.
I'm building a 650b wheelset for myself to run 2.1" tires.

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inasia99
3 posts
#20Jan 10, 2022, 5:24 AM

I bought the Tantan cycling GR042 size 48 (they only had one size available) after looking at many different options. The geometry is very close to a 3T Exploro Racemax size54, close to a Kanzo fast as well. 382reach 573 stack w/extra spacer, 420 length seat stays, short wheel base, very stiff and responsive. Hambini racing bottom bracket, with Farsports gravel wheels, Curious to see how it handles anything really rough and technical. Plugged the cable routing holes in the front as I wanted a clean look and set up Di2. Aero racy gravel bike. Added an extra spacer to increase stack. Had it painted locally here in Saigon. It's flat here so a 12-25 cassette works well with 52/36 cranks.I have some XTR pedals that I changed to after this pic. The weight on the website is correct, with the seatpost actually being 40 grams lighter than they claim. Seems like a poor mans 3T exploro racemax. I might add a Canyon seatpost later to make it a bit more compliant for long days in the Fabric S Line carbon saddle. around 8.3 kg in weight. I was put off by the size 48 but when I looked at the geometry I could see it is actually larger. Cheers!
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