This video just popped up. I didn't look at your number of subscribers until the video was done. I was a bit surprised that video with this quality only has 946 subscribers.
Thanks so much for that, Dave. Really nice to hear and glad you enjoyed it. I started the channel 5 months ago and the subs have been rising steadily since then, so I’m hoping that growth continues, especially if people continue to enjoy the stuff I’m putting out. Really appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment too. 👌🏻🌟
Because most people want to ride a product that's been tested and proven to be safe as well as has a warranty. And let's not ignore the innovation. These companies have brought to cycling in the past 10 to 15 years. There are so many styles of bikes and equipment that would not be possible if the companies we should be supporting wasn't involved in the sports and trying to make the product work in certain categories. It's 2024 and there's no excuse for not understanding or accepting this as a hard truth.
I am also a folower of, 'As always....Luke'. I have built up a cheap Chinese frame, with 105, $400 50mm carbon wheels, and I love it. I got mine in carbon primer as you did. After a couple of years I painted it, with the logo on the down tube of 'Cx3', which is my nod to 'Cheap Chinese Carbon'. I cannot recomend this path enough. You will of course have to navigate the snobery at the bike club, but when you reveal the price, that usualy shuts them up. I have nearly 8k miles on my cheap Chinese frame, and it's still my best bike. If you are "handy" and don't mind searching YT, or reading a forum or two, this is the way.
Cx3! Absolutely love that, Christopher! 😂 Fantastic that you've done 8k miles on it though, and no doubt it will go much longer too. Luke is awesome though. I love his review vids! Really appreciate you taking the time to watch my video and commenting too.
Brands and logos sell... they get their frames from the same Chinese companies... what we pay for is the brand names... hv decided to do the same.. get a frame and install good components. Cheaper bike than those over priced logos... 😅
Thanks Max, really appreciate you saying that. I’m getting there slowly though. Hopefully it won’t be long before I’m catching up to Francis and Katie. (Let me dream! 🤣). Really appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment. 👌🏻🌟
Thanks so much for saying that! Really appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment and thanks for the sub. The numbers are creeping up slowly, so we'll get there eventually. Great to have you on board though. 💪🏼
i have my chinese battle windseeker 500 bike, that costs me $480 only with Tiagra groupset... adding all the upgrades like powermeter, carbon wheels, ee brakes, shorter stem, and made the costs to $1300... from 8.8kgs without pedals to 7.8kgs with all cages/computer/lamps/pedals... rode for around 700kms already and still doing good... hope to get more kms around it...
$480 with the groupset is an incredible price! So long as you do your research, there are some great deals on incredible quality parts out there! Ride on!
I built a rim brake Trifox X16 bike and have done about half your milage. I got the frame and Sensa shifters, and built the rest of the bike with parts from another bike that was too big for me. So far, it has been a perfect bike. Comfortable, handles beautifully, and a lot of fun to ride. With the parts I already had, it cost me about A$1000 or about 510 British pounds. To me, the X16 is the pick of the Trifox road frames.
That’s great to hear, Richard and couldn’t agree more about the X16. I’ve had a look at the other frames they do but this one just looks the best in my humble opinion. Great that you got to cannibalise another bike to keep costs down too. 👌🏻 That said, I do like the look of the blue and orange MFM100 full sus MTB. I definitely want to self build one of those eventually. Really appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment. 🌟
Hi Pete very honest and informative, I also built a Chinese carbon Bike that i purchased through eBay last year, and all in all was a pleasant experience and like you only learn by building it yourself and learning by making mistakes but on finishing the build was a very enjoyable experience.
it was a Airwolf full carbon gravel frame fully integrated cabling , GRX Di2 group set DT Swift wheels but have since sold the frame and upgraded with Scott Addict tuned @@petertreadway
Spot on mate… love that you mention owning a triban before this, your inexperince, but still managed to built such a cool cheap bike. Given the crazy prices of bikes these days i just can’t help myself going on aliexpress and just checking thing out… brings back the fun to cycling, getting parts, assembling, mixing stuf up, trying out different things… a new world opens up :)
Absolutely. Part of the fun of cycling for me, is tinkering with your bike and learning how various bits work. It’s just a giant Meccano set basically. As my buddy Jimmy says, it’s two triangles and couple of circles and some pedals and handlebars. Nothing better than riding a bike you built entirely by yourself. So glad you enjoyed the video though and really appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment. 👌🏻
Scrolled through your videos, haven’t found any updates on this build… can you please give some more feedback on the experience? Would appreciate it… seriously thinking of going the same path of building something (just to spite the industry)
@micoskico will do but just to let you know now, it’s still going strong and I’m planning on doing London to Paris on again in June. The only issue I’ve experienced it the left 105 shifter has stopped engaging the cable but from research I’ve done online, it seems like that’s a common Shimano issue.
Thanks for posting your candid build experience. I'm considering buying such a frameset and assembling a bike with the undamaged parts from my crashed Allez Sprint. Frameset quality is obviously important to me and your experience helps considerably so I'll be taking the plunge soon.
I hope you were unscathed in the crash, Ash and sorry to hear about your Allez. Sounds like a great idea to build a bike back up using the salvageable parts though. I can highly recommend Trifox though, as I've now done around 5000 miles on this bike and it's still going strong. I've also recently built a gravel bike using a Seraph frame and have been really impressed with the quality of that, so wouldn't have an issue recommending their frames either. Whatever you go for though, best of luck and I hope you're back riding soon. 👌
Great video! It really got me thinking about my next bike. The customizable color options are fantastic, especially the black. I wish there were more details in video form about the bike itself or maybe a step-by-step of the building process. Nevertheless, it's an awesome video. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much. So glad you enjoyed the video. And yes, apologies for the lighting. This was one of my first ‘studio’ videos and I clearly hadn’t got the light settings dialled in! My latest videos are (I hope!) much better now. As for the building process though, I’m currently building a new carbon fibre gravel bike from scratch, again using cheap Chinese parts and that video will be out in a couple of weeks, so watch this space. 👌🏻
I've built a carbon fiber mountainbike from a frame.from Ali, added an Aerius fork from ebay, but used (genuine) components in already had on hand. Good experience. At one point, I fitted it with an internal gear hub, for which I filed the dropouts a bit, to fit the wheel with proper chain tension - luckily finding the right sized chainring and sprocket combination for that and didn't have to file it out much.
Good video, a lot of common sense used in your explanation,sc and description of the build. I've also built a Chinese frame up with Chinese wheels and Shimano Ultegra mechanical groupset. Highly recommend anybody to do the same. You save literally thousands by DIY.
Cheers Ade, glad you enjoyed it and found it useful. The DIY route is definitely the way to go. Since building this bike, I've also built a gravel bike from a cheap Chinese carbon frame and parts, and it rides the trails like an absolute dream! Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment.
Did the same long time ago I started with the frame and transferred all the components from my triban over as a first step. Gradually step by step over 2 years I changed all components from new "cheap" ones. Totally worth it.
Nice work, Tomas. I love tinkering with bikes, putting random bits together and just seeing what I can make! Have you got a picture of it posted anywhere? I'd love to take a look at it. I'll try and get some more bike build videos together then, without making them too samey. Cheers
Over 30.000 km with my Longteng LTK036 rimbrake frameset, built with Campy at first and now with 105.Just freshened up the paint. No problem at all for a normal rider like me.
Great video Peter on building your own carbon bike and I have watched quite a few. I got into cycling around 2018 in my mid 50's in order to do a triathlon which went really well. I then discovered I loved cycling( and lake swimming) after never really taking the sport/s up earlier. I got myself a decent for it's time Trek 1.7 which has been a great work horse for me until this day even though it has been a bit clunky, it has been reliable and trustworthy and seeing as though I am never going to race the Tour de France I could not see the point in wasting silly money just to knock minutes off. I am 62 now and get around a 3 hour ride at 15-17 Mile per hour average and have always wondered how I would get on with upgrading to a light carbon bike, but not £3k or £4k interested, that's too much. £1,2000 cost for a bike like yours, now that I could justify. Keep up the videos and Thanks
Great to hear you're still going strong in your 60s, John. Always love that! 15-17 mph average is no slouch speed either, so chapeau! If you're a little bit handy though, I would always recommend the self build route. As you've seen, there are some incredible deals to be had, so long as you do your research. So glad you enjoyed the video too. Really appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment. Best of luck too if you decide to give self building a go.
Great to hear it was useful, Dan and best of luck with your build. For what it’s worth I’ve added around another 1000 miles to this bike since posting this video and the only issue I’ve had in that time is that the left 105 shifter has stopped engaging. However, having googled the issue, it seems to be a fairly common problem not specific to buying them from AliExpress.
For those out there who are bigger. I built almost the exact same bike... At 200+lbs the Zrace brakes were definitely the weak link. Borderline suicidal when flying down a steep decent. They heat up and become useless. I upgraded to the newer BR-005 (also mechanical/hydro hybrid) version and they're like night and day. They work almost as well as my Ultegra 8000 brakes
Interesting to hear, Darp. Agree on the brakes too. I’m definitely considering swapping the cable actuated callipers out for hydraulic ones but I’m just put off with the thought of having to run hoses through the bars and frame! 😖 I found swapping the stock resin brake pads for shimano sintered ones helped too. 👌🏻 Thanks for watching and the useful comment. 🌟
@@petertreadway On the plus side, since you already have cables run through everything, that does make it easier to use the existing cables to pull the hydraulic hoses through! :D
I love tinkering/building things because that’s how I learn how they work so this seems like a good and relatively cheap way to get knowledge and a great bike. Do you have any suggestions/parts you would recommend for the bar/stem if you did this build today? Liked and subscribed for excellent content.
Thanks so much. Really appreciate you subscribing and liking the video. Great to have you on board. Completely agree about tinkering with bikes though. No better way to learn what every nut and bolt does. In terms of a separate bar and stem combo though, despite me saying I wouldn’t go down that route again…. I’ve recently built a gravel bike with the same setup! 🤦🏻♂️😂. I’m clearly a glutton for punishment! However, take a look at Toseek and Bucklos parts on AliExpress. I’ve used loads of their parts on builds and upgrades over the last few years and they have all been really good quality. They do some great carbon aero bars with stems to match. Hope that helps. 👌🏻
Sadly I’m clearly a glutton for punishment, Brian, as I’ve recently bought and built a new carbon fibre gravel bike again with integrated bars! 🤦🏻♂️ It does have a round seat post though. 👌🏻😂
Am doing the same.... with new 105 components.. mechanical.❤ i dont throw boxes out toll am done... there was a time i almost threw out an extra cassettes spacer that came with a wheelset...... it sorted the cassette fixture. New follower from Kenya.
No problem at all Jeffrey. I'm glad you found it useful and really appreciate you reaching out to let me know. You should definitely self build your bike though. No netter feeling than riding a bike you lovingly researched and put together yourself.👌
My XT 12 speed stuff from Aliexpress is working fine. I still see comments about the brakes having a wandering bite point but mine are rock solid. Best brakes Ive ever used by far.
For that price, and that weight, you have yourself a bargain mate. And the biggest thing is you've learnt so much now that I bet you don't even have to go to a bike mechanic. The only thing I'm confident about is cleaning the bike, swapping the brake pads, bending the brake rotor, basic stuff. I won't go near my headset or BB yet. One day though.
Cheers mate. Your LBS might tell you differently, but basic bike mechanics isn't honestly that difficult. If you look at everything as just a big Meccano set, you'll see that you just take things apart and put them back together again. The most difficult thing to master is swallowing your pride when you have to take the bike to the LBS after you've tried to fix something yourself and screwed it up! 🤣
I've done 30,000 km on a java versuvio, complete bike on Ali express. It's 7.5kg I'm 105kg. Haven't died yet go 60kmph downhill haven't changed one thing on the bike. Looks 10 grand. Integrated cables and 105 Shimano groupset cost £1000 2 years ago. No cables on show. I only had to put on the wheels, pedals and seat post.
But I’ll bet you still get snobs sneering at you! Ridiculous isn’t it! Sounds like an awesome bike though. I would like a bike with fully integrated cabling but not sure I’d have the patience to put it together! 😂
Now, 1650g for a wheelset and 7.9kg for a bike is by far not light. However, given the extraordinary low cost and the stability/rigidity Trifox is known for (see the sawed open carbon bike reviews), this is genuinely good value. And seeing your face while taking about it, there's no doubt, you enjoy riding it, which is the very most important thing about cycling anyway. Thanks for your authenticity.
@@S9999Frank I said that literally in my second sentence ;) For the price yes. And the frame weight is not important, for me. But the rotating mass (=the wheels) should be light. This makes a huge difference for any rider. There lies also a big advantage in the disc brakes: the rims, the very outside weight of the wheels, can be made much lighter. Thus, 1650g is quite some mass.
@@eis_baer918 but due to the power of the brakes, disc wheels need to have stronger construction, I do believe they are usually heavier than the equivalent rim brake versions.
A few brands that you can trust based on a lot of reports: For frames, ICAN, Yoeleo, Winspace, Elves. I have an ICAN A10 and a Yoeleo R12. They are great. I have thousands of trouble free miles on the A10.The Yoeleo is still very new. I am happy with my ICAN and Elite Carbon wheels too. I can't say anything about cheap groupsets. I put Ultegra Di2 on both.
Similarly I’ve heard great reviews about all of those frame makers. It just shows that you really don’t have to spend multiple thousands to get a great, lightweight bike. I’m glad you’re getting some decent miles in on your two bikes. 👌🏻
@myxti3669 I only have ICAN wheels for my rim brake bike. They have been bulletproof. I should mention, though, that I live in a relatively flat area, and I hate riding in the rain, so the braking surface on my wheels is not subjected to a lot of abuse. Right now, I'm using the Elite Carbon 50D wheels on my Yoeleo R12 disc bike. On an earlier bike, I had ICAN disc brake versions, and they were excellent. They have been ridden at least 10,000 miles, and they have lots of life left in them. But they are sitting in my closet as a spare set for the Yoeleo. I prefer the Elite Carbon wheels because the rims are wider on the inside and the outside. It makes for a super comfortable ride while improving aerodynamics with wider tires. They probably wouldn't have worked on my previous bike, which was an early generation road disc brake bike with much more limited tire clearance.
Thank you very much for a very instructive video...maybe I will build my own...just like you I am not a bike mechanic but maybe I will give it a try...thanks again
Thanks Rui, happy that it may help some people. You should definitely give it a go yourself though. As I say, I’d never built a bike prior to this but it wasn’t difficult at all. There are so many videos on UA-cam to help you along the way too. 👌🏻
I had built a endurance velobuild with a full 105 rim brake groupset. I had used the ican carbon rims with tires, handle bars and saddle from my previous bike. It cost me a bit less than yours, but you have bought everything. I would probably have looked the new groupsets that are available now. Oh yea I didn't go fully integrated cabling. I Road it alot last summer, very comfortable and fast. Love it so far.
Great to hear, buddy. I love hearing about other people’s custom builds. Funnily enough, I’ve been looking at Ican’s Carbon gravel frames recently, as I really fancy a light, off roader. I hope you get many more miles out of your bike though. 👌🏻
Would triathalon/aero bars be able be installed on this build without issues? Just getting into into ironman training and may replicate this build but with aero bar. Subbed btw great quality content mate
Thanks so much. Really appreciate the sub. I don’t think you could get tri bars would fit on these particular bars, due to the flattened shape of them. Nothing to stop you putting a more standard bar on to fit the Tri bars though. 👌🏻
Almost exact bike as mine. I built it in 2022. X16qr, Elitewheels Drive, ali express Ultegra group and the same issue with an integrated carbon handlebar 😅. Subscribed.
Sounds like just as beautiful a machine as mine then, Steven! 😉. I said I'd never buy another integrated bar and stem combo again... however, I've just bought a Chinese carbon fibre gravel frame that comes with, you guessed it, an integrated bar and stem! Here we go again! 🤣 Thanks so much for the sub too. Very much appreciated.
Cheers Niels, glad you found it useful. There are some great bargains to be had out there if you do some digging. 👌🏻 Best of luck with your future build. 💪🏻
I have a pair of those elitewheels ENT wheels and I love them, apart from the seals. The first gen hubs (the one with the orange seal) have very poor waterproofing. The freehub often traps water and allows the bearings to perish from the inside out. Supposedly elite have a gen 2 hub with improved seals so keep an eye out when purchasing.
Good info there, Matt, cheers. From your description, it appears I have the Gen 1 hubs (orange seals), so I’ll whip the wheels off this week to inspect the bearings. 👌🏻
The best way to build/buy a bike, is to combine everything. Buy Chinese, buy western made used or on offer. Find used bargains. Take your time, start a lot of internet bots to find bargains. I Made a 5.5kg 2006 carbon Cannondale for 800£ and a 4.4 2017 Focus with NOS frame for 1300£ I had especially luck on the wheel sets even though I couldn't profit of the UK and US markets being outside the EU
Self building with parts from multiple sources is definitely the cheapest option. That’s how I managed to build my carbon fibre gravel bike with a full GRX group for £1200. 👌🏻
Trace Velo sends his regards and some baguettes 🥖🥖 Honestly, I was thinking of getting the 'T1550' frameset from 'WinSpace' and build a bike out of it. Currently listed just below $1500.
Good old ‘as ever….Luke’ 😂 I do like the look of those Winspace frames but there’s just something so thrilling about risking an increase in my dental insurance to trial some less well tested offerings! 😂
I've had a few frames from AliExpress and never had any structural issues. Had a few little issues though like the angle of the rim brake is wrong which causes the brake pads to nearly touch the tyre even on the lowest position on the calliper. I had to get creative and file an aluminium spacer down at an angle and put that on the calliper to force it downwards slightly. People need to remember that they are buying straight from the factory though from a country where wages are lower so it will be a lot cheaper and that doesn't mean it was made in someone's shed. Quite a few of the frames you see from different brands are the same as they are purchased wholesale and then branded with their own logo. There's more than likely just a few big companies making the frames as producing carbon frames isn't something that is simple to do . I found out the name of one when I was looking on Alibaba and they have a video of their factory on there . They also have this message on Alibaba "The company was established in 2007, and we have 16 years of experience in producing carbon fibre bicycles. The factory has independent production capacity, design, research and development, and production. We really hope to cooperate with you".
Absolutely Anthony. My biggest peeve is other cyclists deriding people for buying these frames, as it’s only because they’re salty about paying 3 times as much for the same product, sometimes from the same factory! You do sometimes have to get creative with these frames though but for me, that’s part of the fun of them. 💪🏻
I don't think your groupset is fake. These parts may likely be sourced from an bike manufacturer or parts take away from bikes. One way to know is to check if the serial numbers on your groupset has been grind off. 200 USD for a set of mechanical 105 shifter (In China , these are called "small set" because they only contain shifters, FD and Rd). set isn't far ferched. The genuine 105 groupset also includes brakes, crankset, casette, bottom bracket, and chain. Adding these parts together will cost you close to 350 to 400 USD which is close to the price they are selling in China as individual parts (What we call complete set in China).
Hi Peter! I love your videos. Keep it up, and I’m sure you’ll go 1K and beyond 😊 In this video, I wish there were more views of the bike, rather that the close-ups and the picture at the end. I can only really make out the red parts in your garage studio… Anyways, looking forward to the next one 👍
Hey Peter, thanks so much for the compliment. I’m so glad you’re enjoying the videos. Also for taking the time to watch and comment and for the feedback. Yeh, it’s probably a bit dark in the studio… I really need to upgrade the lights! 😖 I took some photos of the bike just after I’d built it though, so I’ll make a post of them on a community tab on my channel for you to take a look. 👌🏻
Hey Chris, that’s a great suggestion and I don’t know why I didn’t think of it myself before! 😂 I’ll collate all the links shortly and add them in the description. 👌🏻
Bona video, Pete. The only thing that would bother me is the seatpost. I dont think i could talk myself into anything that's not round, "just in case." Not just damage either. For example,I quite like the Redshift suspension seatposts. Then again, it's hard to argue with 1200 quid when the big brands are charging 4 or 5 times that. Cheers
Thanks Brian, really glad you enjoyed the video. Regards the seat post, thankfully I've yet to have a problem with it yet, and that's after some 400 miles now, but I understand your want for something more standard, to be able to fit your own one later. As you say though, £1200 for a bike easily worth £3000-4000 is difficult to say no to!
Pete. Another great vid and review. What do you do for a living? You gotta be in sales or teacher or something like those, as you’re such a good communicator? Awesome. 😎👍🏻
Wow! Thanks so much, Steve! I’m not sure how to respond to that compliment other than I really appreciate the kind words. Im actually a photographer though. I mainly shoot weddings, so if my communication skills come from anywhere, it’s probably having to diplomatically corral drunk family members away from the bar for the family group shots! 😂 Thanks so much again.
@@petertreadway yea no worries. Kinda had a feeling you might work with people. 👍🏻 So any negatives on the china build? Anything other than the one piece bars, you’d wished you’d bought something else? Really shock at the price though! Just shows what profits the big manufacturers are making!!
@@steveindorset yeh, the price is crazy good and really highlights just how much the big brands are making (or at least, how much they’re having to charge after spending millions on marketing!). Other than the bars though, the only thing I’d really change now is the groupset for a hydraulic brake one. The mechanical discs are ‘ok’, but you can never have too much stopping power. If I was being really choosy, then maybe electronic shifting too but that would be a luxury more than a need.
@@petertreadway I was thinking the same about the hydraulic discs and electronic shifting. Think I may venture a build myself soon enough. Cheers for the reply. 👍🏻
@@steveindorset no worries, happy to help (if it does!). Take a look at L-TWOO for budget hydraulic brakes. Francis Cade and TraceVelo have both done reviews on them. 👌🏻
I’m inclined to agree that the groupset is legit. Luke at Trave velo has surmised that sellers just source the parts from wholesale and put them all together hence the lack of official boxes which makes sense as the quality I’ve received from Ali sourced shimano parts have been excellent
That reassures me even further then. 👌🏻 That said, they’ve caused me zero issues over the last 18 months, so it’s largely irrelevant for me whether they’re real or genuine, but good to consider that they may be the real McCoy. 😉 Thanks for watching and the comment. 🌟
Hey Jomar, do you mean the frame I used for the road bike in this video or the gravel bike frame that I built more recently? In either case, this is the link for the road bike frame used in this video: s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oEhbXJF and this is the link for the Gravel bike frame I recently built up: www.seraphbikes.com/Full-Internal-cable-Disc-Gravel-Bike-Frame-GR047-Di2-Mechanical-Compatible-T47-Thread-Carbon-Fiber-T1000-p5684874.html (use code 'SERAPHBIKE' to get $15 off purchases over $500) If it's helpful, I listed all of the products and links I used for the gravel bike build in the video description of the build video here: ua-cam.com/video/wolokZjsu8M/v-deo.htmlsi=sg-Iyzq5fLMwkmok I hope that helps
These days I think the question for anybody on a budget should be the choice between building yourself, or getting one of the complete bikes from aliexpress. Brands like sava will give you a shimano 105 mechanical equipped 2x11 disc bike with carbon wheels and frame for 1400-1600 euros, and shimano 105 di2 for just over 2000. A race version with ultegra di2 2x12 and a weight of 7.9 at 2500-2600. At my local trek dealer I would get an emonda alr with 2x11 shimano 105 for a bit more or the same as that race version with everything carbon and a much better groupset. As much as I like my trek emonda sl5 from 2018, I think my next bike will come direct from China. Soon passing the 40.000km mark on my trek.
I got new older carbon frame for 350eur model 2016. It is Bergamont brand. German subsidiary of BMC. There are few around in local shops, if someone has time, and doesn't mind Quick release. I think it is good alternative to buying from China. This one is probably also made there, but you can have a look at it before you but it.
Yeh, there are a few decent brands coming out of China now. Trifox, Elves, Yoeleo and ICAN are all great companies that seem to be getting good feedback. 👌🏻
Don't expect noname to be as good as the brand name stuff, merely based on geography. There are a lot of factories there which don't meet the standards of the big brands and can only sell noname
I tend to steer well clear of the complete no name products on AliExpress, but I’ve had some incredible bits of kit and frames from lesser known Chinese brands over the years. Some of those companies have become very well known and well respected in that time too. 👌🏻
I came to these frames from a custom Goff steel frame lovely but not carbon, they've definitely got the edge, no drag. I got a BXT frame which i now know is an original Chinese brand owned by some guy called Cream (seriously that's his name) and is 20 odd yrs on existence which the guy started with his brother i think after a couple of discussions with them. Either way i reckon youre in good hands with these makes, Trifox, BXT etc. I chose an original Chinese branded company because it's that and not a frame made for the western cycling companies and they like you supporting them too and as the price is outstanding i don't feel youre getting a bad deal imo 🤷 also if you do communicate with them i send my English message and translate it via Google to Simplified Chinese so they understand as things can sometimes but not understood 👍
I've not heard of BXT, Lee but they sound very similar to Trifox. People just naturally assume that anything Chinese will be crap and don't give them a second glance. There are some massive savings to be made if you do just a little bit of research though. Thanks so much for watching.
Hello Peter. First, thank you for your excellent series. I have a brain teaser question for you - if you have the time. I upgraded my budget Pinnacle - with an 11 speed power train. To optimise the shifting, I have had to turn the derailleur backwards on the limit screw. This has now resolved the shifting, but the setting screw is nearly at full fixing. I am concerned that it may not be strong enough - as is. I recall a comment you made in one of your build series. You ordered a mech adaptor which moved the derailleur 'backwards'. Question - do you have any info on this? Thanks in advance for anytime you give to this.
Hey Felix, not sure if my old age has finally caught up with me, but I don’t recall buying a mech hanger adaptor but I’m happy to be corrected if you can point me to the video! 😂 That aside, what size rear mech do you have? Was it a 7speed on the Pinnacle? I’m guessing on that, as that’s what my Pinny was. It may be that you need a longer cage version or a specific 9/10/11 speed one, that’ll happily push in and out the correct distance. Not sure if that answers your question, but feel free to come back to me if not. 👌🏻
i'm not sure but You probably buy bars for electronic groupset and that is a reason why You have only one channel for cables for each side. It's suppose to guide only hydraulic wires for brakes. But still, great video and it's another push for me to build my first gravel bike from aliexpress. For now I'm riding on new but cheap MTB bike and this choice was a mistake. Now i'm loorking on some gravel bike for my 2nd year of bike riding :) cheers!
Yes, I think you could be right on the bars, as pushing one brake hose through each side would have been much easier than forcing a shift cable through too. Glad you enjoyed the video though. I’ve just built a new carbon fibre gravel bike from another Chinese frame, a company called Seraph. Early indications of quality are great. The video of that build will be out next Sunday. 👌🏻 Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. 💪🏻
Honestly, I knew very little, if anything, about bikes myself when I built this. Putting a bike together is basically just a large Meccano set though. Just take it piece by piece and if there's a particular bit you're not quite sure off, then there will undoubtedly be a UA-cam video for it. 👌 Really appreciate the sub and kind words though. 🌟
I have the same wheel set and a similar handlebar (lexon brand) and i have more than 6000kms on them.. they are just as good as any other "top" branded
Genuinely really impressed by Trifox and any communication I’ve had with them (beyond the original shipping issue! 😂). I hope your build goes well. Would love to see it when it’s finished, so feel free to tag me on IG if you post it.👌🏻
Hi Pete, sorry but I did not find your e-mail and I write here. I did get my X16 frame from Trifox. While assemble it I had a quite big issue with the seat post. Not sure if Trifox need a specific saddle. What I mean is that standard 44mm center to center rail saddle does not fit. Did you install a specific saddle? If you can can you share some pictures of your seat post just to make a comparison? Many thanks for your help
Nice video. The algorithm sent this to me. If the housing is coming out of the shifter your housing has been cut too short and pulled too tight to make up the length creating tight angles on the housing. Also did you put the cable end in the shifter end? It is slightly larger than the cable and has a keyway which locates in a groove in the shifter body.
Hey, so glad the algorithm reached you with this video and glad you enjoyed it. The problem with the housing is that it's so stiff and thick, that it couldn't;t have been made any longer or with less sharp angles, because of the internal routing holes. That's why I'd never go for the integrated bar and stem again (well, not this one, anyway) As for the cable, it was definitely snug in to the mechanism, but clearly slipper out when the mechanism spun back but the cable was caught up and didn't move, causing the cable end to dislodge! Again though, that all comes down to the angles on the housing. Thanks so much for watching and commenting though. 👌
Thanks. Really glad you enjoyed the video. Regards the handlebar, I would now just buy a standard bar with separate stem. The internal routing portion of this bar only hides the cables where the bar tape is, but makes it much more difficult to run the housings/hoses than it would be just to run it on the outside of the bar and cover them with the bar tape. If it was fully internally routed (as in through the bars, along the stem and down through the steerer tube) then I might be tempted to suffer the extra work, as I like the clean cockpit look, however I wouldn’t bother again if the cables simply run through the bar and back out in front of the head tube.
Honestly, I couldn't;t be happier with them. Since posting this video, I've probably put another 1000 miles on them and they're still going strong and haven't let me down once. Also, Elite Wheels now have a UCI approved wheel set for use in world tours, so they clearly aren't some fly-by-night outfit just out to make a quick buck from a shoddy product.
I’ve had some Chinese bars go and that for me was my first and last experience with buying cheap. Pretty much the same bars from the look and shape of yours. Though 1200 squid for the lot, can see why these videos do well on YT. Good video and well done on the build Pete😊👍
Yeh, it can really depend on how they’re put together and whether the manufacturers give a toss about consumer safety! It’s got to the situation now though where the sheister manufacturers are starting to copy the cheap brands but cutting massive corners! Cheers though, James. 👌🏻🌟
@@petertreadway hear you loud and clear my friend. Part of my argument has been some of the bike shops have had their hand in this as well, selling us this shite and not saying anything. Take care buddy😊👍
Cheers Rob, yeh, can understand people’s apprehension but there really are some huge savings to be made. Appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment though. 👌🏻🌟
Thanks Calvin. Yeh, the price I paid all in is incredible. I’m so happy with it too and know it will go for thousands of miles more! So the frame isn’t fully internally routed. The only parts of the cable you can see though are where they come out of the underside of the bars and then go in to the down tube and then a small section at the back for the brakes and RD. 👌🏻
@@calvincrane sorry, I probably didn’t make that clear. It’s an integrated bar and stem, so not two separate pieces. In addition to that, the bars have holes for partial internal routing of the cables. 👌🏻
It definitely has aromas of the SL6 but it has an aero seat post, instead of a round one and the seat tube and seat stays look slightly different too. Also, I believe the SL6 has one of the chamfered bottom parts of the seat tube that the wheel runs in to but this Trifox doesn't;have that.
Interesting video Peter. I’ve never had any bike related parts from China. Not so much from a quality view more from the delivery lead times, which I know are getting better. I think given the mileage you have put in on the bike quantifies that the quality of components is high and given the prices you’ve quoted, a good project to undertake. It may be worth every now and then getting a magnifying glass and checking around any areas you have filed as carbon and ceramic can get micro-cracking. Great video though and you’ve definitely got my mind thinking! 👍
Cheers Paddy. Yeh, can understand people’s frustration with the delivery times, especially in these times of ‘prime delivery’. I was researching this project over a number of months though, so the couple of weeks it took for any of these parts to arrive wasn’t too bad. As for quality, I’ve actually been seriously impressed with the frame but especially the wheels. I definitely check the frame every now and then though and every time I change the bar tape (which is quite often it seems! 🤦🏻♂️😂). I really don’t think that cheap and Chinese equals ‘death trap’ any more though. 👌🏻
@@petertreadwayI’ve been on the search for integrated carbon bars and stem for my Dolan, and have seen some horrifically priced ones, I’ll certainly give Ali express a look later today.
@@paddymallory4080yeh, the price is the main reason I started looking on AliExpress in the first place and was blown away by the price difference! Definitely check out the TraceVelo channel though, as Luke does tons of great budget parts reviews. 👌🏻
Hello. I do not have big knowledge but considering buying wheels from AliExpress. Could you help me how do I make sure the wheels will fit my tires and rim brakes?
Are you looking for road or gravel wheels, Aleks? Do you want them to have a deep aero profile (like my ones) or are you happy with normal depth wheels? Also, does your bike have thru axles or quick release skewers instead? Finally, do you want to run tubeless or with inner tubes? If you let me know the answers to those, I can point you in the right direction. 👌🏻
@aleks-gv8nk do your wheels have a lever that you pull back to release the wheel from the bike and then it has a long thin skewer or is it a long, thick bolt looking thing that screws directly in to the other side of the fork? If you google image QR Skewers and they axle, you should be able to see the difference. 👌🏻
@aleks-gv8nk if you look at the ETRTO website, that will tell you what width wheels you can use with which width tyre. However, if they are road wheels, then you’ll generally be fine using any tyres between 23mm and 32mm. The wheels on this link should do you. These are the same make as mine but these are the rim brake version with QR skewers. Just make sure to choose the correct depth and width that you want from the options. 👌🏻 s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_EvHvqLJ
might be good to point out how much you weight. Might be a difference if youre 70 kg speed hound than 100 kg behemoth. Might say something else about durability of that carbon. Nice video. Informative, nice and clean
My weight tends to fluctuate between 80 and 90kgs (although usually sits around 85kgs). I’m certainly not a 70kgs speed hound though, as much as I might like to be. 😂
Very good point actually, Mark. Cheap implies ‘crap’ whereas in expensive implies ‘well priced quality’. I like that. Really glad you enjoyed the vid too. Thanks so much for watching and commenting. 👌🏻⭐️
@@TheOracle1994 I’m not far off that weight currently, Oscar and have been that weight previously while I’ve had this bike. I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t be able to use this exact frame then. Most carbon frame manufacturers will stipulate weight limits of 100-120kg (220-265lb) but bear in mind that those limits will be lower than actual tolerances. Hope that helps. 👌🏻
@TheOracle1994 oh man, I’ve been coveting that MFM100 frame for as long as I can remember! I just don’t do enough off road riding to justify a dedicated MTB, but that frame looks incredible. Being an MTB frame though, it’ll likely have higher tolerance, so I’m sure you’ll be fine! Man, am I jealous of you though. 👌🏻
Yep, I've had that comment a few times now, John. This was one of my first studio videos, so I hadn't got my lighting settings fully dialled in at that point! 🤦🏻😂 I did post a few pics of it on my community feed though, if you fancy taking a look: ua-cam.com/channels/WR8VZ3i75GICL0Ggrkv27w.htmlcommunity?lb=UgkxAvV1wRVC9H2XQpMVTckbl7aMeZUy1jP5 Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment though, John, 👌
Very informative and great video. I have come across the Sava brand recently. Do you know much about the brand? It says it’s a German brand but as most bikes, are produced in China. They have nice bikes with great group sets for the fraction of the name brands. Your thoughts?
Thanks Derek, glad you enjoyed it. Regards Sava, I’d never actually heard of them but having done a bit of digging, they definitely appear to be a Chinese ‘brand’. That is to say, they take generic frames from a manufacturer and rebrand them as Sava. I can’t really find any reviews on them, so it’s difficult to comment on how good or bad they might be, so you need to be cautious if you decide to spend any serious money on them.
Not all frames but all big name brands will have at least one of their frame lines made in China. Some companies will use the phrase 'Built in (insert romantic European country here)' but that usually means the frame was manufactured in the far east but all the parts were assembled together to make the full bike in another country.
Absolutely! I love tinkering with bikes but this was my first full build and I learnt so much. Would definitely recommend building your own bike to others.
Unfortunately Trifox don’t (yet) make a bike with wide enough forks/stays to accommodate anything larger than about 28mm tyre, which would be pretty pointless on a gravel bike. If you’re looking for a cheap, carbon gravel frame though, take a look at ICAN. I’ve been eyeing up their gravel/CX bikes for quite a while and will probably end up grabbing one. 👌🏻
Something I'm considering for a gravel build, would you say the bars would be fine with an electronic groupset with hydro brakes?! In regards to the wheels, that is an awesome price, but buyers be warned to do homework on weight load capability. £1200 absolute bargain! And I'm a bit of a home mechanic for my fellow riders, so should be a breeze!
Difficult to say regards the bars, as I’ve not yet had the pleasure of building a hydro brake bike, so not sure of the hoses would be any more difficult to bend than the Kevlar Jagwire ones. It would certainly be easier having to run just one set of cables through the holes though. As for the wheels, absolutely agree on the weight. These are fine for road riding but I’d be wary of putting any extra weight on the bike, as is sometimes the way when riding gravel. Good luck with your build though. I’d love to see it once it’s done, so feel free to tag me in any post of it on IG when you’re done. 👌🏻
Greetings from bike factory, guys, that is a lot information for our factory, we have two brand,Twitter and Twister, I will serious consider your comments on our bike and pass it through to the production manager and seeking for any improvement.appreciated all of you!
@@petertreadway seems the owner allegedly stickered up some Aliexpress open mold frames with uci approved stickers when their bike sponsor pulled out..all sad really.. seems like another team on the brink of financial ruin.
@@bengarside79 oh dear! That’s not cricket! That said, there are some Chinese frame makers with some UCI approved frames and the same for some wheel makers too, so the days of having to take a real chance on a Chinese frames are starting to fade. I assume St Piran were trying to save face, by playing them off as big name frames but should look a Chinese sponsor. Sounds like they could do (and have done!) worse!
I've recently bought a sub fork form a UK company called AirBike. I haven't used it yet but I've heard good things about them and the fork was only about £65! Bargain!
For a couple of years now, tax has started to be added by AliExpress at checkout, so the chances are you’ve already paid it. Prior to that, it was a bit hit and miss whether you were later invoiced for customs import duty.
I had 30yrs of experience working with Chinese manufacturers, you know what those foreign famous brands productions in China are under extremely tight control by the brands. You have to understand the mentality of Chinese manufacturer, once they are not controlled by foreign brands, they will do all the tricks in all directions for cost saving, especially tight QC & QA. I am not saying every single output from them are crap, but the output quality is not consistent.
I appreciate that there will be a plethora of fly by night manufactures in China, and even slightly more reputable manufacturers who don’t mind cutting corners to save a few quid. However, just as DJI started out as a cheap Chinese drone manufacturer and Zhuiyun as a cheap gimbal maker, they’ve both now grown in to fully reputable and trustworthy outfits (as much as any ‘for profit’ company can be trustworthy, that is). I’ve always said that as long as you do your research, there are some great companies out there wanting to build a name for themselves, to grow their operations and are therefore willing to stand behind their products, even when things go wrong. When I bought the carbon wheels for this bike, they cost £277 for the pair and barely anyone had heard of Elite wheels. Fast forward 2 years and they have a full range of different spec’d wheels and are UCI approved for racing. My ones haven’t failed me once! Sadly, there are rogue manufacturers all over the world, the trick is being able to spot the good from the bad. 👌🏻
This video just popped up. I didn't look at your number of subscribers until the video was done. I was a bit surprised that video with this quality only has 946 subscribers.
Thanks so much for that, Dave. Really nice to hear and glad you enjoyed it.
I started the channel 5 months ago and the subs have been rising steadily since then, so I’m hoping that growth continues, especially if people continue to enjoy the stuff I’m putting out.
Really appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment too. 👌🏻🌟
966. He got me now.
@flaviodemoura absolute legend! 💪🏻
Also subscribed immediately 😂 just a great video, good shots…nothing missed. See where it takes us!
Because most people want to ride a product that's been tested and proven to be safe as well as has a warranty. And let's not ignore the innovation. These companies have brought to cycling in the past 10 to 15 years. There are so many styles of bikes and equipment that would not be possible if the companies we should be supporting wasn't involved in the sports and trying to make the product work in certain categories. It's 2024 and there's no excuse for not understanding or accepting this as a hard truth.
I am also a folower of, 'As always....Luke'. I have built up a cheap Chinese frame, with 105, $400 50mm carbon wheels, and I love it. I got mine in carbon primer as you did. After a couple of years I painted it, with the logo on the down tube of 'Cx3', which is my nod to 'Cheap Chinese Carbon'. I cannot recomend this path enough. You will of course have to navigate the snobery at the bike club, but when you reveal the price, that usualy shuts them up. I have nearly 8k miles on my cheap Chinese frame, and it's still my best bike. If you are "handy" and don't mind searching YT, or reading a forum or two, this is the way.
Cx3! Absolutely love that, Christopher! 😂
Fantastic that you've done 8k miles on it though, and no doubt it will go much longer too.
Luke is awesome though. I love his review vids!
Really appreciate you taking the time to watch my video and commenting too.
Brands and logos sell... they get their frames from the same Chinese companies... what we pay for is the brand names... hv decided to do the same.. get a frame and install good components. Cheaper bike than those over priced logos... 😅
@krissk77 there are some huge savings to be made by buying components from China, so long as you do your research before hand. 👌🏻
Which Chinese frame did you get?
My bike is a Trifox frame and it’s worked flawlessly over the last 4000 miles. 👌🏻
First person I see posting link to all components, well done mate!
Cheers Buddy, really appreciate it.
+ for that, unfortunately much of the stuff is sold out/ not available.
An unusually precise explanation. This is what attracted me to this video and kept me watching it to the end.
Thanks Emil, really glad you found the video informative and interesting. Really appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment. 🌟
Great review , you deserve more followers !
Thanks Max, really appreciate you saying that. I’m getting there slowly though. Hopefully it won’t be long before I’m catching up to Francis and Katie. (Let me dream! 🤣).
Really appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment. 👌🏻🌟
How do you not have tons of subscribers!? I love your videos! Subbed
Thanks so much for saying that! Really appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment and thanks for the sub.
The numbers are creeping up slowly, so we'll get there eventually. Great to have you on board though. 💪🏼
i have my chinese battle windseeker 500 bike, that costs me $480 only with Tiagra groupset... adding all the upgrades like powermeter, carbon wheels, ee brakes, shorter stem, and made the costs to $1300... from 8.8kgs without pedals to 7.8kgs with all cages/computer/lamps/pedals... rode for around 700kms already and still doing good... hope to get more kms around it...
$480 with the groupset is an incredible price! So long as you do your research, there are some great deals on incredible quality parts out there! Ride on!
I built a rim brake Trifox X16 bike and have done about half your milage. I got the frame and Sensa shifters, and built the rest of the bike with parts from another bike that was too big for me. So far, it has been a perfect bike. Comfortable, handles beautifully, and a lot of fun to ride. With the parts I already had, it cost me about A$1000 or about 510 British pounds. To me, the X16 is the pick of the Trifox road frames.
That’s great to hear, Richard and couldn’t agree more about the X16. I’ve had a look at the other frames they do but this one just looks the best in my humble opinion. Great that you got to cannibalise another bike to keep costs down too. 👌🏻
That said, I do like the look of the blue and orange MFM100 full sus MTB. I definitely want to self build one of those eventually.
Really appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment. 🌟
Hi Pete very honest and informative, I also built a Chinese carbon Bike that i purchased through eBay last year, and all in all was a pleasant experience and like you only learn by building it yourself and learning by making mistakes but on finishing the build was a very enjoyable experience.
That’s great. How are you finding the bike to ride now and what groupset/components did you use?
it was a Airwolf full carbon gravel frame fully integrated cabling , GRX Di2 group set DT Swift wheels but have since sold the frame and upgraded with Scott Addict tuned @@petertreadway
Spot on mate… love that you mention owning a triban before this, your inexperince, but still managed to built such a cool cheap bike. Given the crazy prices of bikes these days i just can’t help myself going on aliexpress and just checking thing out… brings back the fun to cycling, getting parts, assembling, mixing stuf up, trying out different things… a new world opens up :)
Absolutely. Part of the fun of cycling for me, is tinkering with your bike and learning how various bits work. It’s just a giant Meccano set basically.
As my buddy Jimmy says, it’s two triangles and couple of circles and some pedals and handlebars. Nothing better than riding a bike you built entirely by yourself.
So glad you enjoyed the video though and really appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment. 👌🏻
Scrolled through your videos, haven’t found any updates on this build… can you please give some more feedback on the experience? Would appreciate it… seriously thinking of going the same path of building something (just to spite the industry)
@micoskico will do but just to let you know now, it’s still going strong and I’m planning on doing London to Paris on again in June.
The only issue I’ve experienced it the left 105 shifter has stopped engaging the cable but from research I’ve done online, it seems like that’s a common Shimano issue.
Thanks for posting your candid build experience. I'm considering buying such a frameset and assembling a bike with the undamaged parts from my crashed Allez Sprint. Frameset quality is obviously important to me and your experience helps considerably so I'll be taking the plunge soon.
I hope you were unscathed in the crash, Ash and sorry to hear about your Allez. Sounds like a great idea to build a bike back up using the salvageable parts though.
I can highly recommend Trifox though, as I've now done around 5000 miles on this bike and it's still going strong. I've also recently built a gravel bike using a Seraph frame and have been really impressed with the quality of that, so wouldn't have an issue recommending their frames either.
Whatever you go for though, best of luck and I hope you're back riding soon. 👌
I love your channel and Luke's channel. Pure gold mate 🎉🎉
Cheers Bathiya. Really appreciate that, mate. 💪
Great video! It really got me thinking about my next bike. The customizable color options are fantastic, especially the black. I wish there were more details in video form about the bike itself or maybe a step-by-step of the building process. Nevertheless, it's an awesome video. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much. So glad you enjoyed the video.
And yes, apologies for the lighting. This was one of my first ‘studio’ videos and I clearly hadn’t got the light settings dialled in! My latest videos are (I hope!) much better now.
As for the building process though, I’m currently building a new carbon fibre gravel bike from scratch, again using cheap Chinese parts and that video will be out in a couple of weeks, so watch this space. 👌🏻
I've built a carbon fiber mountainbike from a frame.from Ali, added an Aerius fork from ebay, but used (genuine) components in already had on hand. Good experience. At one point, I fitted it with an internal gear hub, for which I filed the dropouts a bit, to fit the wheel with proper chain tension - luckily finding the right sized chainring and sprocket combination for that and didn't have to file it out much.
Which make of frame?
Whats the frame brand?
@ventsislavpanov Trifox 👌🏻
Good video, a lot of common sense used in your explanation,sc and description of the build. I've also built a Chinese frame up with Chinese wheels and Shimano Ultegra mechanical groupset. Highly recommend anybody to do the same. You save literally thousands by DIY.
Cheers Ade, glad you enjoyed it and found it useful. The DIY route is definitely the way to go. Since building this bike, I've also built a gravel bike from a cheap Chinese carbon frame and parts, and it rides the trails like an absolute dream! Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment.
Did the same long time ago I started with the frame and transferred all the components from my triban over as a first step. Gradually step by step over 2 years I changed all components from new "cheap" ones. Totally worth it.
That’s the perfect way to upgrade your bike and an even better way to learn the ins and out of maintaining your bike too. 👌🏻
Always more builds! Love them :D just did my first gravel build this weekend from a dump on a rubbish pile bike
Nice work, Tomas. I love tinkering with bikes, putting random bits together and just seeing what I can make! Have you got a picture of it posted anywhere? I'd love to take a look at it.
I'll try and get some more bike build videos together then, without making them too samey. Cheers
Over 30.000 km with my Longteng LTK036 rimbrake frameset, built with Campy at first and now with 105.Just freshened up the paint. No problem at all for a normal rider like me.
Sounds like a beautiful build and a great quality frame too. 👌🏻
Dude. Absolute banger of a video. I love it and will price the parts. Lighter and cheaper than an entry level Trek Domane SL5 carbon.
👌🏻
Great video Peter on building your own carbon bike and I have watched quite a few. I got into cycling around 2018 in my mid 50's in order to do a triathlon which went really well. I then discovered I loved cycling( and lake swimming) after never really taking the sport/s up earlier.
I got myself a decent for it's time Trek 1.7 which has been a great work horse for me until this day even though it has been a bit clunky, it has been reliable and trustworthy and seeing as though I am never going to race the Tour de France I could not see the point in wasting silly money just to knock minutes off.
I am 62 now and get around a 3 hour ride at 15-17 Mile per hour average and have always wondered how I would get on with upgrading to a light carbon bike, but not £3k or £4k interested, that's too much.
£1,2000 cost for a bike like yours, now that I could justify.
Keep up the videos and Thanks
Great to hear you're still going strong in your 60s, John. Always love that! 15-17 mph average is no slouch speed either, so chapeau!
If you're a little bit handy though, I would always recommend the self build route. As you've seen, there are some incredible deals to be had, so long as you do your research.
So glad you enjoyed the video too. Really appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment. Best of luck too if you decide to give self building a go.
Great video. I am in the process of shopping for a new bike and this was very helpful.
Great to hear it was useful, Dan and best of luck with your build.
For what it’s worth I’ve added around another 1000 miles to this bike since posting this video and the only issue I’ve had in that time is that the left 105 shifter has stopped engaging. However, having googled the issue, it seems to be a fairly common problem not specific to buying them from AliExpress.
For those out there who are bigger. I built almost the exact same bike... At 200+lbs the Zrace brakes were definitely the weak link. Borderline suicidal when flying down a steep decent. They heat up and become useless. I upgraded to the newer BR-005 (also mechanical/hydro hybrid) version and they're like night and day. They work almost as well as my Ultegra 8000 brakes
Interesting to hear, Darp. Agree on the brakes too. I’m definitely considering swapping the cable actuated callipers out for hydraulic ones but I’m just put off with the thought of having to run hoses through the bars and frame! 😖
I found swapping the stock resin brake pads for shimano sintered ones helped too. 👌🏻
Thanks for watching and the useful comment. 🌟
@@petertreadway On the plus side, since you already have cables run through everything, that does make it easier to use the existing cables to pull the hydraulic hoses through! :D
I love tinkering/building things because that’s how I learn how they work so this seems like a good and relatively cheap way to get knowledge and a great bike. Do you have any suggestions/parts you would recommend for the bar/stem if you did this build today? Liked and subscribed for excellent content.
Thanks so much. Really appreciate you subscribing and liking the video. Great to have you on board.
Completely agree about tinkering with bikes though. No better way to learn what every nut and bolt does.
In terms of a separate bar and stem combo though, despite me saying I wouldn’t go down that route again…. I’ve recently built a gravel bike with the same setup! 🤦🏻♂️😂. I’m clearly a glutton for punishment!
However, take a look at Toseek and Bucklos parts on AliExpress. I’ve used loads of their parts on builds and upgrades over the last few years and they have all been really good quality. They do some great carbon aero bars with stems to match.
Hope that helps. 👌🏻
Spot on, Pete! I avoid fully integrated cockpits like the plague. And I'd never buy a bike without a round seatpost.
Cheers
Sadly I’m clearly a glutton for punishment, Brian, as I’ve recently bought and built a new carbon fibre gravel bike again with integrated bars! 🤦🏻♂️
It does have a round seat post though. 👌🏻😂
Am doing the same.... with new 105 components.. mechanical.❤ i dont throw boxes out toll am done... there was a time i almost threw out an extra cassettes spacer that came with a wheelset...... it sorted the cassette fixture. New follower from Kenya.
Thanks so much for the sub, Kriss. Great to have you on board.
And yes, I now check every box completely before throwing them! 😂
Thank you for your information on this because I was thinking about buying parts just as you did and build my own bike .
No problem at all Jeffrey. I'm glad you found it useful and really appreciate you reaching out to let me know.
You should definitely self build your bike though. No netter feeling than riding a bike you lovingly researched and put together yourself.👌
My XT 12 speed stuff from Aliexpress is working fine. I still see comments about the brakes having a wandering bite point but mine are rock solid. Best brakes Ive ever used by far.
There are some incredible products at great prices to be had!
For that price, and that weight, you have yourself a bargain mate. And the biggest thing is you've learnt so much now that I bet you don't even have to go to a bike mechanic.
The only thing I'm confident about is cleaning the bike, swapping the brake pads, bending the brake rotor, basic stuff. I won't go near my headset or BB yet.
One day though.
Cheers mate.
Your LBS might tell you differently, but basic bike mechanics isn't honestly that difficult. If you look at everything as just a big Meccano set, you'll see that you just take things apart and put them back together again.
The most difficult thing to master is swallowing your pride when you have to take the bike to the LBS after you've tried to fix something yourself and screwed it up! 🤣
I've done 30,000 km on a java versuvio, complete bike on Ali express. It's 7.5kg I'm 105kg. Haven't died yet go 60kmph downhill haven't changed one thing on the bike. Looks 10 grand. Integrated cables and 105 Shimano groupset cost £1000 2 years ago. No cables on show. I only had to put on the wheels, pedals and seat post.
But I’ll bet you still get snobs sneering at you! Ridiculous isn’t it!
Sounds like an awesome bike though. I would like a bike with fully integrated cabling but not sure I’d have the patience to put it together! 😂
Now, 1650g for a wheelset and 7.9kg for a bike is by far not light.
However, given the extraordinary low cost and the stability/rigidity Trifox is known for (see the sawed open carbon bike reviews), this is genuinely good value.
And seeing your face while taking about it, there's no doubt, you enjoy riding it, which is the very most important thing about cycling anyway. Thanks for your authenticity.
Thanks for your comment and taking the time to watch.
It is pretty light, considering that some pro teams are actually on bikes of similar weight. So for the cost it is really light.
@@S9999Frank I said that literally in my second sentence ;)
For the price yes.
And the frame weight is not important, for me. But the rotating mass (=the wheels) should be light. This makes a huge difference for any rider. There lies also a big advantage in the disc brakes: the rims, the very outside weight of the wheels, can be made much lighter. Thus, 1650g is quite some mass.
@@eis_baer918 but due to the power of the brakes, disc wheels need to have stronger construction, I do believe they are usually heavier than the equivalent rim brake versions.
A few brands that you can trust based on a lot of reports: For frames, ICAN, Yoeleo, Winspace, Elves. I have an ICAN A10 and a Yoeleo R12. They are great. I have thousands of trouble free miles on the A10.The Yoeleo is still very new. I am happy with my ICAN and Elite Carbon wheels too. I can't say anything about cheap groupsets. I put Ultegra Di2 on both.
Similarly I’ve heard great reviews about all of those frame makers. It just shows that you really don’t have to spend multiple thousands to get a great, lightweight bike.
I’m glad you’re getting some decent miles in on your two bikes. 👌🏻
Which do you prefer if on rim brake, elite or ICAN?
@myxti3669 I only have ICAN wheels for my rim brake bike. They have been bulletproof. I should mention, though, that I live in a relatively flat area, and I hate riding in the rain, so the braking surface on my wheels is not subjected to a lot of abuse. Right now, I'm using the Elite Carbon 50D wheels on my Yoeleo R12 disc bike. On an earlier bike, I had ICAN disc brake versions, and they were excellent. They have been ridden at least 10,000 miles, and they have lots of life left in them. But they are sitting in my closet as a spare set for the Yoeleo. I prefer the Elite Carbon wheels because the rims are wider on the inside and the outside. It makes for a super comfortable ride while improving aerodynamics with wider tires. They probably wouldn't have worked on my previous bike, which was an early generation road disc brake bike with much more limited tire clearance.
I've built 2 now over the past 10 yrs from Chinese parts. No issues.
Love to hear that, Keith. Just shows that you really don't have to spend stupid money to get a great product!
Great job!
Thanks so much. Appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment. 👌🏻🌟
Thank you very much for a very instructive video...maybe I will build my own...just like you I am not a bike mechanic but maybe I will give it a try...thanks again
Thanks Rui, happy that it may help some people.
You should definitely give it a go yourself though. As I say, I’d never built a bike prior to this but it wasn’t difficult at all. There are so many videos on UA-cam to help you along the way too. 👌🏻
I had built a endurance velobuild with a full 105 rim brake groupset. I had used the ican carbon rims with tires, handle bars and saddle from my previous bike. It cost me a bit less than yours, but you have bought everything. I would probably have looked the new groupsets that are available now. Oh yea I didn't go fully integrated cabling. I Road it alot last summer, very comfortable and fast. Love it so far.
Great to hear, buddy. I love hearing about other people’s custom builds. Funnily enough, I’ve been looking at Ican’s Carbon gravel frames recently, as I really fancy a light, off roader.
I hope you get many more miles out of your bike though. 👌🏻
great video thanks for making it
Cheers Dexter and you’re welcome. 👌🏻
Would triathalon/aero bars be able be installed on this build without issues? Just getting into into ironman training and may replicate this build but with aero bar. Subbed btw great quality content mate
Thanks so much. Really appreciate the sub.
I don’t think you could get tri bars would fit on these particular bars, due to the flattened shape of them.
Nothing to stop you putting a more standard bar on to fit the Tri bars though. 👌🏻
@petertreadway thanks mate, do you have any suggestions for a more standard bar? I'm pretty new to this lol
Almost exact bike as mine. I built it in 2022. X16qr, Elitewheels Drive, ali express Ultegra group and the same issue with an integrated carbon handlebar 😅.
Subscribed.
Sounds like just as beautiful a machine as mine then, Steven! 😉. I said I'd never buy another integrated bar and stem combo again... however, I've just bought a Chinese carbon fibre gravel frame that comes with, you guessed it, an integrated bar and stem! Here we go again! 🤣
Thanks so much for the sub too. Very much appreciated.
@@petertreadway Easy to say you dont want integrated bar and stem, but when it is so fashionable, it is the only thing they want to sell to us.
Great video. Will definitely consider building my next bike myself. Maybe not all parts from AliExpress, but close 🙂
Cheers Niels, glad you found it useful. There are some great bargains to be had out there if you do some digging. 👌🏻
Best of luck with your future build. 💪🏻
BSA bottom bracket! Winner!
Absolutely! Desperately didn’t want a press fit one! 😖
I have a pair of those elitewheels ENT wheels and I love them, apart from the seals. The first gen hubs (the one with the orange seal) have very poor waterproofing. The freehub often traps water and allows the bearings to perish from the inside out. Supposedly elite have a gen 2 hub with improved seals so keep an eye out when purchasing.
Good info there, Matt, cheers.
From your description, it appears I have the Gen 1 hubs (orange seals), so I’ll whip the wheels off this week to inspect the bearings. 👌🏻
The best way to build/buy a bike, is to combine everything. Buy Chinese, buy western made used or on offer. Find used bargains. Take your time, start a lot of internet bots to find bargains.
I Made a 5.5kg 2006 carbon Cannondale for 800£ and a 4.4 2017 Focus with NOS frame for 1300£ I had especially luck on the wheel sets even though I couldn't profit of the UK and US markets being outside the EU
Self building with parts from multiple sources is definitely the cheapest option. That’s how I managed to build my carbon fibre gravel bike with a full GRX group for £1200. 👌🏻
Trace Velo sends his regards and some baguettes 🥖🥖
Honestly, I was thinking of getting the 'T1550' frameset from 'WinSpace' and build a bike out of it.
Currently listed just below $1500.
Good old ‘as ever….Luke’ 😂
I do like the look of those Winspace frames but there’s just something so thrilling about risking an increase in my dental insurance to trial some less well tested offerings! 😂
I've had a few frames from AliExpress and never had any structural issues. Had a few little issues though like the angle of the rim brake is wrong which causes the brake pads to nearly touch the tyre even on the lowest position on the calliper. I had to get creative and file an aluminium spacer down at an angle and put that on the calliper to force it downwards slightly.
People need to remember that they are buying straight from the factory though from a country where wages are lower so it will be a lot cheaper and that doesn't mean it was made in someone's shed.
Quite a few of the frames you see from different brands are the same as they are purchased wholesale and then branded with their own logo. There's more than likely just a few big companies making the frames as producing carbon frames isn't something that is simple to do . I found out the name of one when I was looking on Alibaba and they have a video of their factory on there . They also have this message on Alibaba
"The company was established in 2007, and we have 16 years of experience in producing carbon fibre bicycles. The factory has independent production capacity, design, research and development, and production. We really hope to cooperate with you".
Absolutely Anthony. My biggest peeve is other cyclists deriding people for buying these frames, as it’s only because they’re salty about paying 3 times as much for the same product, sometimes from the same factory!
You do sometimes have to get creative with these frames though but for me, that’s part of the fun of them. 💪🏻
I don't think your groupset is fake. These parts may likely be sourced from an bike manufacturer or parts take away from bikes. One way to know is to check if the serial numbers on your groupset has been grind off. 200 USD for a set of mechanical 105 shifter (In China , these are called "small set" because they only contain shifters, FD and Rd). set isn't far ferched. The genuine 105 groupset also includes brakes, crankset, casette, bottom bracket, and chain. Adding these parts together will cost you close to 350 to 400 USD which is close to the price they are selling in China as individual parts (What we call complete set in China).
Thanks for that. That’s all really useful info. Definitely puts my mind at ease to think it’s probably real. 👌🏻
Hi Peter! I love your videos. Keep it up, and I’m sure you’ll go 1K and beyond 😊 In this video, I wish there were more views of the bike, rather that the close-ups and the picture at the end. I can only really make out the red parts in your garage studio… Anyways, looking forward to the next one 👍
Hey Peter, thanks so much for the compliment. I’m so glad you’re enjoying the videos. Also for taking the time to watch and comment and for the feedback.
Yeh, it’s probably a bit dark in the studio… I really need to upgrade the lights! 😖
I took some photos of the bike just after I’d built it though, so I’ll make a post of them on a community tab on my channel for you to take a look. 👌🏻
Nice video! Is it possible to link all the parts in the description? Would be nice 🙂
Hey Chris, that’s a great suggestion and I don’t know why I didn’t think of it myself before! 😂
I’ll collate all the links shortly and add them in the description. 👌🏻
Nice. DIY is going to be fun! Cheers
It’s definitely the best way to learn every part of your bike and get some great value deals. 👌🏻
Bona video, Pete.
The only thing that would bother me is the seatpost. I dont think i could talk myself into anything that's not round, "just in case."
Not just damage either. For example,I quite like the Redshift suspension seatposts.
Then again, it's hard to argue with 1200 quid when the big brands are charging 4 or 5 times that.
Cheers
Thanks Brian, really glad you enjoyed the video. Regards the seat post, thankfully I've yet to have a problem with it yet, and that's after some 400 miles now, but I understand your want for something more standard, to be able to fit your own one later.
As you say though, £1200 for a bike easily worth £3000-4000 is difficult to say no to!
Great build
Thanks Barbera. 👌🏻🌟
I just bought an steel frame with carbon fork from Tsunami. I just hope the fork is good enough. The brand is well rated.
I can’t give a personal recommendation for Tsunami but I’ve seen some decent reviews for them online, so that’s a positive. 👌🏻
Pete. Another great vid and review. What do you do for a living? You gotta be in sales or teacher or something like those, as you’re such a good communicator? Awesome. 😎👍🏻
Wow! Thanks so much, Steve! I’m not sure how to respond to that compliment other than I really appreciate the kind words.
Im actually a photographer though. I mainly shoot weddings, so if my communication skills come from anywhere, it’s probably having to diplomatically corral drunk family members away from the bar for the family group shots! 😂
Thanks so much again.
@@petertreadway yea no worries. Kinda had a feeling you might work with people. 👍🏻
So any negatives on the china build? Anything other than the one piece bars, you’d wished you’d bought something else?
Really shock at the price though! Just shows what profits the big manufacturers are making!!
@@steveindorset yeh, the price is crazy good and really highlights just how much the big brands are making (or at least, how much they’re having to charge after spending millions on marketing!).
Other than the bars though, the only thing I’d really change now is the groupset for a hydraulic brake one. The mechanical discs are ‘ok’, but you can never have too much stopping power. If I was being really choosy, then maybe electronic shifting too but that would be a luxury more than a need.
@@petertreadway I was thinking the same about the hydraulic discs and electronic shifting. Think I may venture a build myself soon enough.
Cheers for the reply. 👍🏻
@@steveindorset no worries, happy to help (if it does!).
Take a look at L-TWOO for budget hydraulic brakes. Francis Cade and TraceVelo have both done reviews on them. 👌🏻
I’m inclined to agree that the groupset is legit. Luke at Trave velo has surmised that sellers just source the parts from wholesale and put them all together hence the lack of official boxes which makes sense as the quality I’ve received from Ali sourced shimano parts have been excellent
That reassures me even further then. 👌🏻
That said, they’ve caused me zero issues over the last 18 months, so it’s largely irrelevant for me whether they’re real or genuine, but good to consider that they may be the real McCoy. 😉
Thanks for watching and the comment. 🌟
What brand of gravel frameset did you use? Can you post the share link where we can get the frameset?
Hey Jomar, do you mean the frame I used for the road bike in this video or the gravel bike frame that I built more recently?
In either case, this is the link for the road bike frame used in this video: s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oEhbXJF
and this is the link for the Gravel bike frame I recently built up: www.seraphbikes.com/Full-Internal-cable-Disc-Gravel-Bike-Frame-GR047-Di2-Mechanical-Compatible-T47-Thread-Carbon-Fiber-T1000-p5684874.html (use code 'SERAPHBIKE' to get $15 off purchases over $500)
If it's helpful, I listed all of the products and links I used for the gravel bike build in the video description of the build video here: ua-cam.com/video/wolokZjsu8M/v-deo.htmlsi=sg-Iyzq5fLMwkmok
I hope that helps
These days I think the question for anybody on a budget should be the choice between building yourself, or getting one of the complete bikes from aliexpress. Brands like sava will give you a shimano 105 mechanical equipped 2x11 disc bike with carbon wheels and frame for 1400-1600 euros, and shimano 105 di2 for just over 2000. A race version with ultegra di2 2x12 and a weight of 7.9 at 2500-2600. At my local trek dealer I would get an emonda alr with 2x11 shimano 105 for a bit more or the same as that race version with everything carbon and a much better groupset. As much as I like my trek emonda sl5 from 2018, I think my next bike will come direct from China. Soon passing the 40.000km mark on my trek.
Some of the Chinese manufacturers have really upped their game, Frank, haven’t they. There are some cracking deals to be had out there. 👌🏻
I got new older carbon frame for 350eur model 2016. It is Bergamont brand. German subsidiary of BMC. There are few around in local shops, if someone has time, and doesn't mind Quick release. I think it is good alternative to buying from China. This one is probably also made there, but you can have a look at it before you but it.
Never heard of Bergamont but I do like BMC frames. 👌
Great video! :)
Cheers Paul. Appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment. 👌🌟
got my eye on elves brands ive heard a good reviews on them.
Yeh, there are a few decent brands coming out of China now. Trifox, Elves, Yoeleo and ICAN are all great companies that seem to be getting good feedback. 👌🏻
Don't expect noname to be as good as the brand name stuff, merely based on geography. There are a lot of factories there which don't meet the standards of the big brands and can only sell noname
I tend to steer well clear of the complete no name products on AliExpress, but I’ve had some incredible bits of kit and frames from lesser known Chinese brands over the years.
Some of those companies have become very well known and well respected in that time too. 👌🏻
I came to these frames from a custom Goff steel frame lovely but not carbon, they've definitely got the edge, no drag. I got a BXT frame which i now know is an original Chinese brand owned by some guy called Cream (seriously that's his name) and is 20 odd yrs on existence which the guy started with his brother i think after a couple of discussions with them. Either way i reckon youre in good hands with these makes, Trifox, BXT etc. I chose an original Chinese branded company because it's that and not a frame made for the western cycling companies and they like you supporting them too and as the price is outstanding i don't feel youre getting a bad deal imo 🤷 also if you do communicate with them i send my English message and translate it via Google to Simplified Chinese so they understand as things can sometimes but not understood 👍
I've not heard of BXT, Lee but they sound very similar to Trifox. People just naturally assume that anything Chinese will be crap and don't give them a second glance. There are some massive savings to be made if you do just a little bit of research though. Thanks so much for watching.
@@petertreadway Not a prob at all, I really like watching these videos, great you do them 👌
Cheers Lee, really appreciate you saying so. So glad you’re enjoying the videos too. 👌🏻🌟
Hello Peter. First, thank you for your excellent series. I have a brain teaser question for you - if you have the time. I upgraded my budget Pinnacle - with an 11 speed power train. To optimise the shifting, I have had to turn the derailleur backwards on the limit screw. This has now resolved the shifting, but the setting screw is nearly at full fixing. I am concerned that it may not be strong enough - as is. I recall a comment you made in one of your build series. You ordered a mech adaptor which moved the derailleur 'backwards'. Question - do you have any info on this? Thanks in advance for anytime you give to this.
Hey Felix, not sure if my old age has finally caught up with me, but I don’t recall buying a mech hanger adaptor but I’m happy to be corrected if you can point me to the video! 😂
That aside, what size rear mech do you have? Was it a 7speed on the Pinnacle? I’m guessing on that, as that’s what my Pinny was.
It may be that you need a longer cage version or a specific 9/10/11 speed one, that’ll happily push in and out the correct distance.
Not sure if that answers your question, but feel free to come back to me if not. 👌🏻
i'm not sure but You probably buy bars for electronic groupset and that is a reason why You have only one channel for cables for each side. It's suppose to guide only hydraulic wires for brakes.
But still, great video and it's another push for me to build my first gravel bike from aliexpress. For now I'm riding on new but cheap MTB bike and this choice was a mistake. Now i'm loorking on some gravel bike for my 2nd year of bike riding :) cheers!
Yes, I think you could be right on the bars, as pushing one brake hose through each side would have been much easier than forcing a shift cable through too.
Glad you enjoyed the video though. I’ve just built a new carbon fibre gravel bike from another Chinese frame, a company called Seraph. Early indications of quality are great. The video of that build will be out next Sunday. 👌🏻
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. 💪🏻
Definetly would give this a try. Problem: I don't know nothing about building bikes...
Ps. Great video - subscribed!
Honestly, I knew very little, if anything, about bikes myself when I built this. Putting a bike together is basically just a large Meccano set though. Just take it piece by piece and if there's a particular bit you're not quite sure off, then there will undoubtedly be a UA-cam video for it. 👌
Really appreciate the sub and kind words though.
🌟
I have the same wheel set and a similar handlebar (lexon brand) and i have more than 6000kms on them.. they are just as good as any other "top" branded
Absolutely! The Elite wheels are incredible value and are good for thousands of miles. 💪🏻
@@petertreadway i will buy another set soon but the Gravel ones for my Gravel AliExpress Frame build 😆 cheers mate 🇵🇹
@@ReisHD I was looking at the gravel ones myself recently. Those 5 spokes look awesome! 😍
This video is reassuring me😅, I bought a Trifox X16 frame last week, fingers crossed!
Genuinely really impressed by Trifox and any communication I’ve had with them (beyond the original shipping issue! 😂).
I hope your build goes well. Would love to see it when it’s finished, so feel free to tag me on IG if you post it.👌🏻
@@petertreadway I will let you know when the bike is build may be I can send you some impressions
@@nicoladigerlando23 absolutely. Drop me an email. It’s under the about tab on my channel page. 👌🏻
Hi Pete, sorry but I did not find your e-mail and I write here. I did get my X16 frame from Trifox. While assemble it I had a quite big issue with the seat post. Not sure if Trifox need a specific saddle. What I mean is that standard 44mm center to center rail saddle does not fit. Did you install a specific saddle? If you can can you share some pictures of your seat post just to make a comparison? Many thanks for your help
Nice video. The algorithm sent this to me. If the housing is coming out of the shifter your housing has been cut too short and pulled too tight to make up the length creating tight angles on the housing. Also did you put the cable end in the shifter end? It is slightly larger than the cable and has a keyway which locates in a groove in the shifter body.
Hey, so glad the algorithm reached you with this video and glad you enjoyed it.
The problem with the housing is that it's so stiff and thick, that it couldn't;t have been made any longer or with less sharp angles, because of the internal routing holes. That's why I'd never go for the integrated bar and stem again (well, not this one, anyway)
As for the cable, it was definitely snug in to the mechanism, but clearly slipper out when the mechanism spun back but the cable was caught up and didn't move, causing the cable end to dislodge!
Again though, that all comes down to the angles on the housing.
Thanks so much for watching and commenting though.
👌
enjoyed video of the bike build. seems the handlebar cable routing gave you trouble. what handlebar do you suggest, if you had it to do over again?
Thanks. Really glad you enjoyed the video.
Regards the handlebar, I would now just buy a standard bar with separate stem.
The internal routing portion of this bar only hides the cables where the bar tape is, but makes it much more difficult to run the housings/hoses than it would be just to run it on the outside of the bar and cover them with the bar tape.
If it was fully internally routed (as in through the bars, along the stem and down through the steerer tube) then I might be tempted to suffer the extra work, as I like the clean cockpit look, however I wouldn’t bother again if the cables simply run through the bar and back out in front of the head tube.
Wheels look interesting. Even after VAT it's 40% less than ZIP wheels i can get locally.
Honestly, I couldn't;t be happier with them. Since posting this video, I've probably put another 1000 miles on them and they're still going strong and haven't let me down once.
Also, Elite Wheels now have a UCI approved wheel set for use in world tours, so they clearly aren't some fly-by-night outfit just out to make a quick buck from a shoddy product.
I’ve had some Chinese bars go and that for me was my first and last experience with buying cheap. Pretty much the same bars from the look and shape of yours. Though 1200 squid for the lot, can see why these videos do well on YT. Good video and well done on the build Pete😊👍
Yeh, it can really depend on how they’re put together and whether the manufacturers give a toss about consumer safety!
It’s got to the situation now though where the sheister manufacturers are starting to copy the cheap brands but cutting massive corners!
Cheers though, James. 👌🏻🌟
@@petertreadway hear you loud and clear my friend. Part of my argument has been some of the bike shops have had their hand in this as well, selling us this shite and not saying anything. Take care buddy😊👍
@@JamesSocialCycling yes, there is that too sadly! 😏
Cheers mate, you too. 👌🏻
Very interesting. I am not sure I am ready to take the plunge but I learned a lot (Including what not to do).
Cheers Rob, yeh, can understand people’s apprehension but there really are some huge savings to be made.
Appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment though. 👌🏻🌟
1200 sheets pheuuuuuuuuuw such great value! So you have the cables outside now?
Thanks Calvin. Yeh, the price I paid all in is incredible. I’m so happy with it too and know it will go for thousands of miles more!
So the frame isn’t fully internally routed. The only parts of the cable you can see though are where they come out of the underside of the bars and then go in to the down tube and then a small section at the back for the brakes and RD. 👌🏻
Ahhh I thought they were fully integrated and you changed it. My novice. @@petertreadway
@@calvincrane sorry, I probably didn’t make that clear.
It’s an integrated bar and stem, so not two separate pieces. In addition to that, the bars have holes for partial internal routing of the cables. 👌🏻
Isnt this frame more or less the Tarmac SL6 disc?
It definitely has aromas of the SL6 but it has an aero seat post, instead of a round one and the seat tube and seat stays look slightly different too. Also, I believe the SL6 has one of the chamfered bottom parts of the seat tube that the wheel runs in to but this Trifox doesn't;have that.
Interesting video Peter. I’ve never had any bike related parts from China. Not so much from a quality view more from the delivery lead times, which I know are getting better. I think given the mileage you have put in on the bike quantifies that the quality of components is high and given the prices you’ve quoted, a good project to undertake. It may be worth every now and then getting a magnifying glass and checking around any areas you have filed as carbon and ceramic can get micro-cracking.
Great video though and you’ve definitely got my mind thinking! 👍
Cheers Paddy. Yeh, can understand people’s frustration with the delivery times, especially in these times of ‘prime delivery’. I was researching this project over a number of months though, so the couple of weeks it took for any of these parts to arrive wasn’t too bad.
As for quality, I’ve actually been seriously impressed with the frame but especially the wheels. I definitely check the frame every now and then though and every time I change the bar tape (which is quite often it seems! 🤦🏻♂️😂).
I really don’t think that cheap and Chinese equals ‘death trap’ any more though. 👌🏻
@@petertreadwayI’ve been on the search for integrated carbon bars and stem for my Dolan, and have seen some horrifically priced ones, I’ll certainly give Ali express a look later today.
@@paddymallory4080yeh, the price is the main reason I started looking on AliExpress in the first place and was blown away by the price difference!
Definitely check out the TraceVelo channel though, as Luke does tons of great budget parts reviews. 👌🏻
@@petertreadwaywill do, thanks Peter have a good week 👍
@paddymallory4080 will do, cheers Paddy. Same to you, mate. 🍻
Hello. I do not have big knowledge but considering buying wheels from AliExpress. Could you help me how do I make sure the wheels will fit my tires and rim brakes?
Are you looking for road or gravel wheels, Aleks? Do you want them to have a deep aero profile (like my ones) or are you happy with normal depth wheels? Also, does your bike have thru axles or quick release skewers instead? Finally, do you want to run tubeless or with inner tubes?
If you let me know the answers to those, I can point you in the right direction. 👌🏻
@@petertreadway Road bike, Aero around 50mm profile, clinchers with inner tubes, rim breaks, my tires are 25mm. Not sure how to know my axles
@aleks-gv8nk do your wheels have a lever that you pull back to release the wheel from the bike and then it has a long thin skewer or is it a long, thick bolt looking thing that screws directly in to the other side of the fork?
If you google image QR Skewers and they axle, you should be able to see the difference. 👌🏻
@@petertreadway Well my friend told me it is 9mm QR. Now how do I make sure the wheels will be appropriate for my 25mm tires?
@aleks-gv8nk if you look at the ETRTO website, that will tell you what width wheels you can use with which width tyre.
However, if they are road wheels, then you’ll generally be fine using any tyres between 23mm and 32mm.
The wheels on this link should do you. These are the same make as mine but these are the rim brake version with QR skewers.
Just make sure to choose the correct depth and width that you want from the options. 👌🏻
s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_EvHvqLJ
The park tool website can make you a near expert builder.
Absolutely, Richard. Sadly it can also make you near bankrupt! 😂
Calvin Jones is a living legend though and the teacher we all needed as kids. 👌🏻
On the other hand I bought a used Novara and found out the Chinese made frame is crap .
So I've bought a gravity frame and rebuilding the bike.
Love that. mix and match is the way to go.
might be good to point out how much you weight. Might be a difference if youre 70 kg speed hound than 100 kg behemoth. Might say something else about durability of that carbon. Nice video. Informative, nice and clean
My weight tends to fluctuate between 80 and 90kgs (although usually sits around 85kgs). I’m certainly not a 70kgs speed hound though, as much as I might like to be. 😂
@@petertreadway thanks for answer man
@@WakizashiSabre 👌🏻
Need better lighting, we can`t even see the bike
Thanks for the feedback
I felt this too.. In the entire video I could not see the entire bike in clear light! Like the overall pacing and delivery though.
Maybe it's muso black painting lol 😂
@Keschoo yeh, I’ve upped my lighting game since this video was recorded! 🤦🏻♂️😂
great vid.. sive instead of cheapin the process of sourcing. your video is very very helpful. good job. My only suggestion is now WE say Inexpensive
Very good point actually, Mark. Cheap implies ‘crap’ whereas in expensive implies ‘well priced quality’. I like that.
Really glad you enjoyed the vid too. Thanks so much for watching and commenting. 👌🏻⭐️
First time viewer. Can you please get some better LED lighting in your studio space. I want to see what you are talking about.
Yeh, this was one of my first studio videos, so the lighting wasn't quite dialled in at this point. Cheers though.
would you recommend the frame for a 200Lb 6'4" rider ?
@@TheOracle1994 I’m not far off that weight currently, Oscar and have been that weight previously while I’ve had this bike. I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t be able to use this exact frame then.
Most carbon frame manufacturers will stipulate weight limits of 100-120kg (220-265lb) but bear in mind that those limits will be lower than actual tolerances.
Hope that helps. 👌🏻
@@petertreadwayupdate my *actual* weight is 230 jaja, but Ill have to get down to 210, some people got some issues with a brand named BXT and AirWolf
@@petertreadway Thanks! my actual weight is 230Lb hope it won't break the MFM100 frame
@TheOracle1994 oh man, I’ve been coveting that MFM100 frame for as long as I can remember! I just don’t do enough off road riding to justify a dedicated MTB, but that frame looks incredible.
Being an MTB frame though, it’ll likely have higher tolerance, so I’m sure you’ll be fine! Man, am I jealous of you though. 👌🏻
Any pictures of the bike would be good. It’s too dark to see the bike in details
Yep, I've had that comment a few times now, John. This was one of my first studio videos, so I hadn't got my lighting settings fully dialled in at that point! 🤦🏻😂
I did post a few pics of it on my community feed though, if you fancy taking a look:
ua-cam.com/channels/WR8VZ3i75GICL0Ggrkv27w.htmlcommunity?lb=UgkxAvV1wRVC9H2XQpMVTckbl7aMeZUy1jP5
Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment though, John, 👌
Hello, are these brake calipers ZRACE BR-002 or ZRACE BR-005?
Hey, these are the BR-002 ones. The BR-005 ones hadn’t been released when I built this bike but I understand they are a much better product. 👌🏻
Very informative and great video. I have come across the Sava brand recently. Do you know much about the brand? It says it’s a German brand but as most bikes, are produced in China. They have nice bikes with great group sets for the fraction of the name brands. Your thoughts?
Thanks Derek, glad you enjoyed it. Regards Sava, I’d never actually heard of them but having done a bit of digging, they definitely appear to be a Chinese ‘brand’. That is to say, they take generic frames from a manufacturer and rebrand them as Sava.
I can’t really find any reviews on them, so it’s difficult to comment on how good or bad they might be, so you need to be cautious if you decide to spend any serious money on them.
@@petertreadway Thanks, I really appreciate this!
Is it all bike frames are built in China?
Not all frames but all big name brands will have at least one of their frame lines made in China.
Some companies will use the phrase 'Built in (insert romantic European country here)' but that usually means the frame was manufactured in the far east but all the parts were assembled together to make the full bike in another country.
Save money but more importantly enjoy the experience of building your own bike!
Absolutely! I love tinkering with bikes but this was my first full build and I learnt so much. Would definitely recommend building your own bike to others.
could something like this be used for gravel? roads in my country are an absolute nightmare.
Unfortunately Trifox don’t (yet) make a bike with wide enough forks/stays to accommodate anything larger than about 28mm tyre, which would be pretty pointless on a gravel bike.
If you’re looking for a cheap, carbon gravel frame though, take a look at ICAN. I’ve been eyeing up their gravel/CX bikes for quite a while and will probably end up grabbing one. 👌🏻
Thanks for sharing.
No problem. I appreciate you taking the time to watch and leaving a comment. 👌🏻
Hate hydraulic brakes after having two front brake failures which could have serious if I hadn’t had cyclocross experience 😵💫
Ouch! That doesn't;t sound good! Do you know what caused the failures? Glad you avoided serious injury.
@@petertreadway both times air had been in the system. I had to pump the brakes to get them to work bring back rim brakes 🤣
Damn, that’s not good. Touch wood you don’t get any more problems from them or managed to get some brakes back on your bike soon. 😉
I thought Orbea made their frames in Basque region. Well there you go then. The more you know.
Sadly not. They are ‘designed and built’ in Spain (i.e. the bits are put together there) but the frames are physically made in China.
Something I'm considering for a gravel build, would you say the bars would be fine with an electronic groupset with hydro brakes?!
In regards to the wheels, that is an awesome price, but buyers be warned to do homework on weight load capability.
£1200 absolute bargain! And I'm a bit of a home mechanic for my fellow riders, so should be a breeze!
Difficult to say regards the bars, as I’ve not yet had the pleasure of building a hydro brake bike, so not sure of the hoses would be any more difficult to bend than the Kevlar Jagwire ones. It would certainly be easier having to run just one set of cables through the holes though.
As for the wheels, absolutely agree on the weight. These are fine for road riding but I’d be wary of putting any extra weight on the bike, as is sometimes the way when riding gravel.
Good luck with your build though. I’d love to see it once it’s done, so feel free to tag me in any post of it on IG when you’re done. 👌🏻
Greetings from bike factory, guys, that is a lot information for our factory, we have two brand,Twitter and Twister, I will serious consider your comments on our bike and pass it through to the production manager and seeking for any improvement.appreciated all of you!
No problem. Glad you found it useful.
Let me know if you have any frames you want building and reviewing. 👌🏻
@@petertreadway could, what is your whatsapp?
If I am here means you were blessed by algorithm. Good luck from now on sir.
I’m honoured that you’ve graced us with your presence, Mr. Vizzle. You are most welcome. 😉🌟
Lol.. I now realise where Saint Piran's owner got the idea!! 😜🤭
Wait! I’ve clearly missed something here… what have they been up to down in Cornwall now???
@@petertreadway seems the owner allegedly stickered up some Aliexpress open mold frames with uci approved stickers when their bike sponsor pulled out..all sad really.. seems like another team on the brink of financial ruin.
@@bengarside79 oh dear! That’s not cricket!
That said, there are some Chinese frame makers with some UCI approved frames and the same for some wheel makers too, so the days of having to take a real chance on a Chinese frames are starting to fade. I assume St Piran were trying to save face, by playing them off as big name frames but should look a Chinese sponsor. Sounds like they could do (and have done!) worse!
Thanks for info, can someone recomanded me a good suspension fork from aliexpress? no more than 300euro pls
I've recently bought a sub fork form a UK company called AirBike. I haven't used it yet but I've heard good things about them and the fork was only about £65! Bargain!
Very much true.
Thanks very much Sofianass. Appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment.
My Elite (RimBrake) wheelset are currently inbound to customs. How much tax did you pay on yours? Or did the seller pay that for you?
For a couple of years now, tax has started to be added by AliExpress at checkout, so the chances are you’ve already paid it.
Prior to that, it was a bit hit and miss whether you were later invoiced for customs import duty.
@@petertreadway thank you, appreciate the reply.
Nice video.
Thanks very much. Really glad you enjoyed it.
Appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment. 👌🏻🌟
:) 40 cm? are there 60cm bars ou tthere? ^^
@@LetsFixITJoe you have 60cm wide shoulders??? 😬
@@petertreadway jup ^^
I had 30yrs of experience working with Chinese manufacturers, you know what those foreign famous brands productions in China are under extremely tight control by the brands. You have to understand the mentality of Chinese manufacturer, once they are not controlled by foreign brands, they will do all the tricks in all directions for cost saving, especially tight QC & QA. I am not saying every single output from them are crap, but the output quality is not consistent.
I appreciate that there will be a plethora of fly by night manufactures in China, and even slightly more reputable manufacturers who don’t mind cutting corners to save a few quid.
However, just as DJI started out as a cheap Chinese drone manufacturer and Zhuiyun as a cheap gimbal maker, they’ve both now grown in to fully reputable and trustworthy outfits (as much as any ‘for profit’ company can be trustworthy, that is).
I’ve always said that as long as you do your research, there are some great companies out there wanting to build a name for themselves, to grow their operations and are therefore willing to stand behind their products, even when things go wrong.
When I bought the carbon wheels for this bike, they cost £277 for the pair and barely anyone had heard of Elite wheels. Fast forward 2 years and they have a full range of different spec’d wheels and are UCI approved for racing. My ones haven’t failed me once!
Sadly, there are rogue manufacturers all over the world, the trick is being able to spot the good from the bad. 👌🏻