I built up a 27.5 hardtail while living in Thailand, and raced it in more than 50 xc races over the past 7 years, and it has held up perfectly. The vast majority of Thais I raced with, raced Chinese hardtail frames because of courses that were hardpack to loose over hardpack, and they went to the Thai nationals and won on them often against Spec, Cannondale, and Scott high end bikes. I won a majority of races against my closest competitor who rode a real Epic because he could afford to. Mine cost about 2,200 in total to build up. I did use DT Swiss x1700 wheels on it and nice components like DT Swiss forks and Shimano pedals. I'm 5'7" and about 68 kilos, and so I'm not very big, and I don't take it off huge jumps. I'm now 64 years old and I stay on XC trails and a few small dropoffs and descents down moderate rocky trails including some big descents in the Breckenridge races, a race in Salida, Co and one in St George , Utah, which have plenty of rocks. I only paid 400 dollars for the frame and was putting about 300-400 kilometers on it every week on road and trails combined, and it never let me down. I've crashed it numerous and broken my wrist, lost more than my share of skin, and snapped a middle finger, but the bike frame never cracked. Anyone who says all Chinese carbon frames are inferior to brand name frames (often made in the same factories) is completely ignorant of what's going on in the carbon frame market.
I raced xc in Thailand on a cheap Chinese bar and never broke it until I crashed hard and it hit pavement at high speed. I was left with a broken wrist, lots of missing skin, but my carbon frame didnt crack, just the bar that took the majority of the force of the fall. I replaced it with another cheap carbon flatbar and raced it for three more years without incident. It finally broke on a crash hitting hard dirt and rocks when I went down. It didn't break CAUSING ANY crash, only when subjected to very hard hits, as I've seen pro mtb racers break their high end bars in the same type of terrain at speed. I'd still buy a cheap carbon bar and if I crash, replace it with another.
Thanks. I have about 70 trail miles on the bike already and working on my review video, which will include some recommended changes to anyone planning to build a budget bike like this.
You say Malaysia? I'm from Malaysia and as far as I know there aren't any big factories producing generic MTB frames. I think you may be referring to Indonesia (it's a country next door to Malaysia). They have the capacity to make MTB frames. Polygon is an Indonesian brand and is an example of this business model you're talking about. They're like Giant and big bike companies with factories in China where apart from their own brand, they will make generic MTB frames for other companies to put their sticker on As with cheap Chinese frames, people need to be aware that the factory in China that makes frames for half or a third of the normal price most probably is also the same factory that makes MTB frames for Giant, Trek, Santa Cruz, Scott etc.
@@jiwakacau3693 tula pasal kan? Kalau ada takkan MTB riders kat Malaysia semua pakai frame frame omputih yang mahal kan? Tapi ko pernah terfikir tak kenapa tak ada syarikat kat Malaysia nak buat business macam Polygon. Kan bagus kalau ada engineer Malaysia yang juga rider nak buat bike company. Boleh offer kerja kat orang Malaysia lepastu manufacture basikal carbon pada harga mampu milik
Mostly because of reliability and compatibility. I know from the frame manufacturer that the Sram Groupset would work. That's not to say a no-name brand groupset wouldn't fit. Yes, I plan on purchasing a super cheap groupset to see how it compares to this Sram Eagle one.
@@gravitycheckmtb My SRAM SX Rear Derailleur ripped its cheap plastic body in half and left me stranded a long way from home on my 3rd ride on a new bike. Absolute garbage. I bought an aliexpres LTWOO AX11 11 spd for $30 and it has an alloy body, shifts reliably and smoothly....its better in every respect. I've had sram NX (its ok) and GX (good but still not shift smooth as shimano) and shimano SLX (best i've ever owned) drivetrains so i do have experience with the higher end stuff. Check out Trybo's youtube channel he reviews the LTwoo thoroughly. Also, the fork is the LAST thing I would cheap out on. I bought a suntour Raidon takeoff brand new on pinkbike for about the same price as that Baloney spaghetti fork. great job otherwise!
Nice video. I think i would have also spend a little more on a Fork. Bought myself a suntour axon fork. Will probably be easier to service in the future by a bike shop because they know how to get the parts.
I know, I cover this in great detail during my carbon 29er build. I explain exactly how it works from my time spent in China. It’s not alway defects, often time factories lie about production numbers and sell the surplus.
@@gravitycheckmtb Course you do, you know more on this than i do. Was more or less meant for anyone viewing just this video and browsing the comments. Also by not meeting the quality standards doesn't translate to inferior products per se. Usually if the factory has their house brand or factory name linked they do offer reasonable quality.
bru his bars will brake too like those are 2 things you need a well good brand for cozz there what save you a wheel breaking is shit but you don't have to crash from it fork or bars you gonna be sore
Important question. I have a specialized rock hopper. I want to use this frame but i also want to use all of my parts from my rockhopper. Can this be done?
Hey I did the same thing except I have a trek marlin. It works well yet some things you might have to check like the rear brake rotor which might have to be a specific size and check if your tire sizes are compatible with the frame. If it's a 29er frame, you can use any tire that's smaller than that.
This fork was ok in performance. Jumps, double blacks, and drops with no issues. The ZTTO fork on the electric eMTB build and the new Himalo fork are much better options. Check those out.
@@gravitycheckmtb i've only seen a segment of the video though. Maybe that was just bad luck coz even high end forks break. Will definitely check these forks out.
Not at all. If you watch the video the bars did not break from use but from the crash. They turned 180 and I landed on top of the bike driving them into the ground. This bike and these bars have held up through snowshoe, Dr. J Drops, jumps and other crashes without any issue. I have no hesitations about their quality knowing what abuse I have put them through in the last 6 months.
However, I’ll always be completely transparent. This entire bike is an experiment to see how good are cheap components. With that said if these bars or this frame breaks under what I consider normal use I’ll be the first to say “DON’T BUY THIS!” Everything has its limits, even a $6000 Santa Cruz frame can break if you come up short hard enough on a jump.
It really depends on the terrain you ride. It’s an ok fork at a great price, however if you ride trails that get very rocky or with lots of roots or drops then it really struggles to handle it. Especially without rebound adjustment.
its probably good for like EZ grade 3 or less but if your gonna do jumps and stuff it will snap also if it has no rebound control will defiantly struggle to do anyhting dumpy
Yes, this stunt jumper frame or the Aliexpress market place about 3 months ago. It’s a clear example of how manufactures will simply sell unbranded frames under a different name. No doubt it’s identical to the real thing.
US $108.19 42％ Off | 29 Inches MTB Bicycle Fork Magnesium Alloy Bike Front Fork Air Suspension Wire Control Bicycle Part Bike Fork - Tapered Tube a.aliexpress.com/_dU7hXCs
could you list out all the items that you've purchase? i'm very confuse when it comes to purchasing these stuffs. I really wanna make some references. or maybe you could email?
This video has all the links in the description as well as an updated parts list to some of the changes I made. ua-cam.com/video/UF9PgpRGIoU/v-deo.html
Funny how some people are like cheap this cheap that, where do you think your so-called high end from! Most are outsourced from China, they just won't tell you because your paying 10-12k for a bike...
A few things - It can run bigger rotors, you just need an adaptor. 160s are way too small. That fork is no good. Fork is not something to cheap out on.
I have a follow up video to this coming out this. It’s a long-term review video covering how well the bike has held up to this point and the things I’ve changed since building this bike. I also cover what I think other people should do differently
I have a follow up video to this coming out this week. It’s a long-term review video covering how well the bike has held up to this point and the things I’ve changed since building this bike. I also cover what I think other should do different/look for in a Chinese carbon fiber bike.
Head tube angle looks pretty steep...probably 69 or 68. Typically see that on most of these bike. I am guessing that these couldn't sell to big bike companies, so they are dumped on eBay and Ali.
be aware of the whole grey market thing, where these can be very slightly defective and rejects for the name brands. I'd still absolutely do this if I had the money and the frames were aluminium though
After living in Thailand for more than 8 years, and racing OVER 50 xc races against Thais almost all riding Chinese frames like myself, I have NEVER seen a Chinese frame crack or break from racing XC. I HAVE seen broken flatbars after hard crashes, just like I have seen world class pros break high end carbon bars in world cups. Big deal. I have never seen rejects as you call them, they are just copies or prototypes of final finished products where designs and styling have changed for particular requests of OEMs. I have personally visited two bike factories as well as the SUNRACE factory in Taipei only 4 km from the airport in Taipei, and a cheap cab ride while on a 7 hour layover. I think they may make some of the Shimano cassettes too believe it or not. I'll be happy to send you pics of myself in Thailand racing my Chinese carbon bike if you like, and the hardware I was fortunate enough to accumulate from successful races on mine up thru the national champs level.
You can literally and I mean literally get a complete bike from a reputable brand with better components from reputable brands for around the same price. www.polygonbikes.com/shop/bikes/mountain/siskiu-d7-5/ this is just one example. So why the fuck should someone take the route of buying sketchy Chinese carbon frames and components with no warranty and replacement parts whatsoever and wait months for them to arrive? The polygon I just linked has RockShox deluxe select + shock, RockShox recon RL which is miles from those Chinese forks, reliable Deore 1x11 drivetrain which is on a completely different level from the SX shit from SRAM and even has a bigger gear.
I think you miss the point of the series. The point isn’t to say someone should buy this over that or that this is the best deal out there. The point is answer people curiosity of the quality, design, and reliability of some of the components you see on AliExpress. You are right you could purchase the polygon for the same price as this bike, which is what MOST people will do. Which is why I started this series because most people are not going gamble their money on Chinese components. I had the money and was willing to do it to show people. Don’t like it? Don’t buy it. Go cry somewhere else.
Polygon is an Indonesian company that has the capacity to make frames not only for themselves but other companies. Chinese factories also use the same business model. Don't be surprise if the factory producing those 'cheap' carbon frames is also the same factory that produces frames for other name brands like Giant, Trek, Scott etc.
@@Jzintar yes, it's an aluminum frame, but at least it's reliable and will last a long time. And how is the deore worse than the SX eagle which is made of plastic and has tons of bad reviews?
Yeah bro definitely you not riding on mtb trails you can see so many guys with breaking ankle crying there with those chinis charbons. If you viewer trying to buy one and ride on trail think 10x before you break ur ass out there
I don’t think you understood the context. That was simply an example because that was the closest frame design to this one. A better example is the new Specialized Stuntjumper where there are clearly Stunt jumper frames being manufactured in China and sold at a highly discounted price.
I built up a 27.5 hardtail while living in Thailand, and raced it in more than 50 xc races over the past 7 years, and it has held up perfectly. The vast majority of Thais I raced with, raced Chinese hardtail frames because of courses that were hardpack to loose over hardpack, and they went to the Thai nationals and won on them often against Spec, Cannondale, and Scott high end bikes. I won a majority of races against my closest competitor who rode a real Epic because he could afford to. Mine cost about 2,200 in total to build up. I did use DT Swiss x1700 wheels on it and nice components like DT Swiss forks and Shimano pedals.
I'm 5'7" and about 68 kilos, and so I'm not very big, and I don't take it off huge jumps. I'm now 64 years old and I stay on XC trails and a few small dropoffs and descents down moderate rocky trails including some big descents in the Breckenridge races, a race in Salida, Co and one in St George , Utah, which have plenty of rocks. I only paid 400 dollars for the frame and was putting about 300-400 kilometers on it every week on road and trails combined, and it never let me down. I've crashed it numerous and broken my wrist, lost more than my share of skin, and snapped a middle finger, but the bike frame never cracked. Anyone who says all Chinese carbon frames are inferior to brand name frames (often made in the same factories) is completely ignorant of what's going on in the carbon frame market.
It's even cheaper if you order a 26" frame from Aliexpress and they send you a 29" frame.
Cheap Carbon frame : ok
Cheap carbon handlebars: oh god to scary
haha
I raced xc in Thailand on a cheap Chinese bar and never broke it until I crashed hard and it hit pavement at high speed. I was left with a broken wrist, lots of missing skin, but my carbon frame didnt crack, just the bar that took the majority of the force of the fall. I replaced it with another cheap carbon flatbar and raced it for three more years without incident. It finally broke on a crash hitting hard dirt and rocks when I went down. It didn't break CAUSING ANY crash, only when subjected to very hard hits, as I've seen pro mtb racers break their high end bars in the same type of terrain at speed. I'd still buy a cheap carbon bar and if I crash, replace it with another.
This was insanely useful and popped up at the right time. Thanks will sub.
Very interesting, congratulations. Would you have the list of components used in this bike? many thanks
I can't wait to see some videos of you on the bike! great job BTW
Thanks. I have about 70 trail miles on the bike already and working on my review video, which will include some recommended changes to anyone planning to build a budget bike like this.
@@gravitycheckmtb I hope it will be soon. great video by the way.
@@gravitycheckmtb looking forward to it man. Glad to hear nothing cracked or fell apart on ya.
You say Malaysia? I'm from Malaysia and as far as I know there aren't any big factories producing generic MTB frames. I think you may be referring to Indonesia (it's a country next door to Malaysia). They have the capacity to make MTB frames. Polygon is an Indonesian brand and is an example of this business model you're talking about. They're like Giant and big bike companies with factories in China where apart from their own brand, they will make generic MTB frames for other companies to put their sticker on
As with cheap Chinese frames, people need to be aware that the factory in China that makes frames for half or a third of the normal price most probably is also the same factory that makes MTB frames for Giant, Trek, Santa Cruz, Scott etc.
Haha..Betul bro..Terperanjat jugak Malaysia ada frame..Rasanya dia beli dari kedai reseller ni..
@@jiwakacau3693 tula pasal kan? Kalau ada takkan MTB riders kat Malaysia semua pakai frame frame omputih yang mahal kan?
Tapi ko pernah terfikir tak kenapa tak ada syarikat kat Malaysia nak buat business macam Polygon. Kan bagus kalau ada engineer Malaysia yang juga rider nak buat bike company. Boleh offer kerja kat orang Malaysia lepastu manufacture basikal carbon pada harga mampu milik
Why’d you decide against the Ali express group set? Would you buy one just to compare the two?
Mostly because of reliability and compatibility. I know from the frame manufacturer that the Sram Groupset would work. That's not to say a no-name brand groupset wouldn't fit. Yes, I plan on purchasing a super cheap groupset to see how it compares to this Sram Eagle one.
@@gravitycheckmtb My SRAM SX Rear Derailleur ripped its cheap plastic body in half and left me stranded a long way from home on my 3rd ride on a new bike. Absolute garbage. I bought an aliexpres LTWOO AX11 11 spd for $30 and it has an alloy body, shifts reliably and smoothly....its better in every respect. I've had sram NX (its ok) and GX (good but still not shift smooth as shimano) and shimano SLX (best i've ever owned) drivetrains so i do have experience with the higher end stuff. Check out Trybo's youtube channel he reviews the LTwoo thoroughly. Also, the fork is the LAST thing I would cheap out on. I bought a suntour Raidon takeoff brand new on pinkbike for about the same price as that Baloney spaghetti fork. great job otherwise!
Nice video. I think i would have also spend a little more on a Fork. Bought myself a suntour axon fork. Will probably be easier to service in the future by a bike shop because they know how to get the parts.
quick insight: often factories batches which do not meet the employers quality standards end up on aliexpress.
I know, I cover this in great detail during my carbon 29er build. I explain exactly how it works from my time spent in China. It’s not alway defects, often time factories lie about production numbers and sell the surplus.
@@gravitycheckmtb Course you do, you know more on this than i do. Was more or less meant for anyone viewing just this video and browsing the comments.
Also by not meeting the quality standards doesn't translate to inferior products per se.
Usually if the factory has their house brand or factory name linked they do offer reasonable quality.
Thanks, really helpful.
thanks! very useful video
Did you ever find an air pressure guide for that fork? I can't find one. Thanks!
I'd be careful with that Bolany fork. I've seen a few snapped stanchions, and cracked lowers from some spirited xc rides.
bru his bars will brake too like those are 2 things you need a well good brand for cozz there what save you a wheel breaking is shit but you don't have to crash from it fork or bars you gonna be sore
Great video!
Important question. I have a specialized rock hopper. I want to use this frame but i also want to use all of my parts from my rockhopper. Can this be done?
Hey I did the same thing except I have a trek marlin. It works well yet some things you might have to check like the rear brake rotor which might have to be a specific size and check if your tire sizes are compatible with the frame. If it's a 29er frame, you can use any tire that's smaller than that.
I build up a hardtail without need to but the brakes
And I didn’t get the seat post
It only costed 1109 australian dollars
I've seen videos of those forks breaking even on light trails. They may look beefy, but its a no for me. Hehe.
This fork was ok in performance. Jumps, double blacks, and drops with no issues. The ZTTO fork on the electric eMTB build and the new Himalo fork are much better options. Check those out.
@@gravitycheckmtb i've only seen a segment of the video though. Maybe that was just bad luck coz even high end forks break. Will definitely check these forks out.
Just get a manitou markhor it’s a very good fork for the price
How much does this completed bike weight ?
beauty!
So are you nervous about the frame now that you've snapped the off brand carbon handlebars in a later video ??
Not at all. If you watch the video the bars did not break from use but from the crash. They turned 180 and I landed on top of the bike driving them into the ground. This bike and these bars have held up through snowshoe, Dr. J Drops, jumps and other crashes without any issue. I have no hesitations about their quality knowing what abuse I have put them through in the last 6 months.
However, I’ll always be completely transparent. This entire bike is an experiment to see how good are cheap components. With that said if these bars or this frame breaks under what I consider normal use I’ll be the first to say “DON’T BUY THIS!” Everything has its limits, even a $6000 Santa Cruz frame can break if you come up short hard enough on a jump.
Is the bolany fork worth it for trail rides with intermediate jumps?
It really depends on the terrain you ride. It’s an ok fork at a great price, however if you ride trails that get very rocky or with lots of roots or drops then it really struggles to handle it. Especially without rebound adjustment.
its probably good for like EZ grade 3 or less but if your gonna do jumps and stuff it will snap also if it has no rebound control will defiantly struggle to do anyhting dumpy
@@Ryan-mv5wi yeah i saw it in fb too so i just bought the manitou markhor as a replacement to sr epixon
i have just found specialized stumpjumper unpranded frame on aliexpress and it is only 500$ you need to rearch up FULLSUSPENTION MTB FRAME
Yes, this stunt jumper frame or the Aliexpress market place about 3 months ago. It’s a clear example of how manufactures will simply sell unbranded frames under a different name. No doubt it’s identical to the real thing.
@@gravitycheckmtb do you think stunt jumpers are made with the same matirials and in the same campany
Can you post a link on the front forks you bought ?
US $108.19 42％ Off | 29 Inches MTB Bicycle Fork Magnesium Alloy Bike Front Fork Air Suspension Wire Control Bicycle Part Bike Fork - Tapered Tube
a.aliexpress.com/_dU7hXCs
review after six motnhs of use?
Can you put the links to all the components in a list or some word doc or something
If you go to my follow up video it has a list of all the components because somethings have changed.
ua-cam.com/video/UF9PgpRGIoU/v-deo.html
could you list out all the items that you've purchase? i'm very confuse when it comes to purchasing these stuffs. I really wanna make some references. or maybe you could email?
This video has all the links in the description as well as an updated parts list to some of the changes I made. ua-cam.com/video/UF9PgpRGIoU/v-deo.html
Funny how some people are like cheap this cheap that, where do you think your so-called high end from! Most are outsourced from China, they just won't tell you because your paying 10-12k for a bike...
what is the size of the down tube?
what fork offset do you need
A few things - It can run bigger rotors, you just need an adaptor. 160s are way too small. That fork is no good. Fork is not something to cheap out on.
You should watch the other videos as all this has been addressed and upgraded.
Man I wish I saw this vid before buying my vitus
I have a follow up video to this coming out this. It’s a long-term review video covering how well the bike has held up to this point and the things I’ve changed since building this bike. I also cover what I think other people should do differently
I have a follow up video to this coming out this week. It’s a long-term review video covering how well the bike has held up to this point and the things I’ve changed since building this bike. I also cover what I think other should do different/look for in a Chinese carbon fiber bike.
Can you also link all the parts that you bought for this upcoming review? Thanks more power
I just finished the edit and I’ll link all the ORGINAL parts used as well links to what components I’ve changed. Looks for it tomorrow.
What is the hubs' brand?
Hubs are Novatec which you can find on a lot of WTB wheels.
Novatec Mountain Bike Hubs Complete Kit Compatible with Shimano 8-11 Speed 32 Holes www.amazon.com/dp/B07764HKSP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_GQYHTPJ4GNNA0VJCY480
Head tube angle looks pretty steep...probably 69 or 68. Typically see that on most of these bike. I am guessing that these couldn't sell to big bike companies, so they are dumped on eBay and Ali.
68 isnt the worst can make it a bit better with like a 140 fork cozz 130 rear to 120 front is kinda dumb
be aware of the whole grey market thing, where these can be very slightly defective and rejects for the name brands. I'd still absolutely do this if I had the money and the frames were aluminium though
After living in Thailand for more than 8 years, and racing OVER 50 xc races against Thais almost all riding Chinese frames like myself, I have NEVER seen a Chinese frame crack or break from racing XC. I HAVE seen broken flatbars after hard crashes, just like I have seen world class pros break high end carbon bars in world cups. Big deal. I have never seen rejects as you call them, they are just copies or prototypes of final finished products where designs and styling have changed for particular requests of OEMs. I have personally visited two bike factories as well as the SUNRACE factory in Taipei only 4 km from the airport in Taipei, and a cheap cab ride while on a 7 hour layover. I think they may make some of the Shimano cassettes too believe it or not. I'll be happy to send you pics of myself in Thailand racing my Chinese carbon bike if you like, and the hardware I was fortunate enough to accumulate from successful races on mine up thru the national champs level.
SPEND MORE MONEY ON THE BRAKES, SUSPENSION (FRONT AND REAR)
think i will stick with 1500 dollar range hardtails from brands with good quality controle, cuzz that is what kills most cheap (carbon) components
Mainstream bike companies would definitely hate you to unveil how huge profits they get.😅
Oh yea I’m building mine for only 1k
I mean I’m keeping to wheels tires fork handbags and seatpost
What are all the parts that u have to search for
There is a follow up to this video where I link all the parts. ua-cam.com/video/UF9PgpRGIoU/v-deo.html
Yo ill buy enduro bike too on aliexpress whats u instagram or somethink ill ask u something
Instagram @gravitycheckmtb
Don't do that if you are doing any riding even remotely demanding on a bike, buy a used bike instead
Change that fork it will bump. That bolany
emailed you some questions
You can literally and I mean literally get a complete bike from a reputable brand with better components from reputable brands for around the same price. www.polygonbikes.com/shop/bikes/mountain/siskiu-d7-5/ this is just one example. So why the fuck should someone take the route of buying sketchy Chinese carbon frames and components with no warranty and replacement parts whatsoever and wait months for them to arrive? The polygon I just linked has RockShox deluxe select + shock, RockShox recon RL which is miles from those Chinese forks, reliable Deore 1x11 drivetrain which is on a completely different level from the SX shit from SRAM and even has a bigger gear.
I think you miss the point of the series. The point isn’t to say someone should buy this over that or that this is the best deal out there. The point is answer people curiosity of the quality, design, and reliability of some of the components you see on AliExpress. You are right you could purchase the polygon for the same price as this bike, which is what MOST people will do. Which is why I started this series because most people are not going gamble their money on Chinese components. I had the money and was willing to do it to show people. Don’t like it? Don’t buy it. Go cry somewhere else.
Polygon is an Indonesian company that has the capacity to make frames not only for themselves but other companies. Chinese factories also use the same business model. Don't be surprise if the factory producing those 'cheap' carbon frames is also the same factory that produces frames for other name brands like Giant, Trek, Scott etc.
The bike this links to is aluminum frame with better forks and shock but lesser grade shimano components. This is not comparable.
@@Jzintar yes, it's an aluminum frame, but at least it's reliable and will last a long time. And how is the deore worse than the SX eagle which is made of plastic and has tons of bad reviews?
Yeah bro definitely you not riding on mtb trails you can see so many guys with breaking ankle crying there with those chinis charbons.
If you viewer trying to buy one and ride on trail think 10x before you break ur ass out there
bro turn on auto hide taskbar
Ghost Manufactures in Germany. Not from China
I don’t think you understood the context. That was simply an example because that was the closest frame design to this one. A better example is the new Specialized Stuntjumper where there are clearly Stunt jumper frames being manufactured in China and sold at a highly discounted price.