Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

damn, really? i want to get back racing ASAP.

the funny thing is i will be pairing it with a set of Enve 65s which are worth 3-4 x the frame's value

I was hoping the ripped call wouldn't come up.
My fm098 was US730, but that included PayPal, paint, handlebar, spacers, headset, bottle cages & extra seat clamp and rd hanger.
I was happy with the price at the time though had seen some cheaper prices - mainly group buys though.


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I'm not sure if this is really the best thread for this, but I'll try my luck anyway ...

Long story short I've just scored a set of DT Swiss 180 hubs for a bit of a steal on eBay, and now I'm just trying to figure out the easiest / most economical way of building them up into a complete wheel set.

I know that most of the Chinese makers will happily sell just the wheel rims, at which point I imagine that I'd just need to suss out somewhere local to actually have everything put together?

Would I be correct in assuming that most places wouldn't really have any major issues with me supplying my own rims / hubs for a wheel build?

Finally, if there are any places in Melbourne that you'd feel like recommending then I'm all ears!

DavidTomic wrote:I'm not sure if this is really the best thread for this, but I'll try my luck anyway ...

Long story short I've just scored a set of DT Swiss 180 hubs for a bit of a steal on eBay, and now I'm just trying to figure out the easiest / most economical way of building them up into a complete wheel set.

Considered getting a quote to get them built up in China? Might be worth a few emails and find out how much postage is to China

this is my built-up HongFu FM139. based on previous Azzurri Forza Pro with Ultegra Di2.

i only just rode it to work for first time this morning - the XL frame feels very tight (small), but seems to fit OK.


these photos show the Di2 wire routing. basically the shifter cable is fed into the downtube, through the gap in the BB shell. same for the battery cable - mounted on the downtube. from there the junction box is connected, and the other 2 cables (for front and rear mech) are plugged in to the junction box.

then you just stuff the junction box/cables into the downtube - the front mech cable is routed over the BB shell, and the rear mech cable under (you can see it hanging down, with the inspection cover removed).




if Ian is reading this, i have included some more pantoufle p**n in this pic.

one thing that threw me was the need to remove the mechanical cable guides. the were installed/supplied with the frame, but you don't need them for Di2. this may seem obvious to smarter people than me, but you can thread the Di2 cables through some of them (i.e. the plastic cable guides that bolt under the BB shell). no need..

there was no need to cut up any of the Di2 cables - they fit without modification. again, i mucked this up as the cable bosses (see first pic, near the fork crown where the shifter cable enters the down tube) fitted to the frame as supplied were for mechanical cables. the Di2 cable end-connectors didn't fit through these, so i started cutting and re-connecting (solder) them before it dawned on me that Di2-compatible cable bosses (with bigger entry) were supplied - at first glance they look the same as the mechanical bosses..

Di2 cables need to be positively located at junctions, or you may not have an electrical connection. check that you have F+R mech action before proceeding with the rest of your build - i.e. while the cables are still accessible.

Nice jules! i'm somewhat regretting not going for UD carbon, but oh well.

have just ticked over 6 months with frame, fork and wheels. somewhere around the 1500-2000km mark. not a problem with anything... i prefer riding the chinese carbon bike over my alloy Norco Threshold.

what's UD carbon?

yours looks nicer than mine - which is covered in battle scars!

the carbon weave. i've got glossy 3k, but would prefer a satin UD... next time.

jules that looks tidy.

This is mine

Crawf wrote:jules that looks tidy.

This is mine

i always have bike envy with your pics...

are you running the One's tubeless? interested in trying them when my ZX's die.

Where did you get the wheels

Heres mine...FM066SL. 1 year old and done about 10000kms on it and still going strong.

mitchy_ wrote: are you running the One's tubeless? interested in trying them when my ZX's die.

Yes, One Tubeless 25mm on both race and commute wheels, holding up very well so far.
Dont expect to get as much mileage as Hutchy tyres but they do roll better.

What is the wet weather braking like with the Chinese carbon wheels? Are there any that are standouts?

very nice crawf and defy. some smooth looking machines on here..

defy - i reckon your seat needs to be tilted up though - i always run mine horizontal.

15,000 on the FM098 61cm since August 2012. Now stripped hanging up waiting for a new groupset after making some donations.

Old pic... shortly after build up. Trimmed rear cable and steerer + different stem and saddle.

Hi guys, I'm looking into building up a carbon frame. I'm pretty handy on the tools and have built up several bikes, however I've never worked on carbon before. The part I find most intimidating is installing the headset and crown race, as I've only done this on steel bikes where a hammer and screwdriver/pipe get the job done. Do the Chinese frames come with any of these bits pre-installed, or will I need to buy/improvise specific tools or take it to the LBS? I'm most keen on a FM066 from Hongfu.

I had never built a bike before but installed my own headset. Only tool required was some threaded rod, a few washers and nuts for a headset press.
I read a bit before building as I heard in the forums that carbon was a bit tricky and got a torque wrench to make sure no threads got stripped
I think the Chinese frames are made so that the majority of people could build them up with few issues.


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Most carbon frames use an integrated headset, so the bearings literally just drop in.

As for the crown race, I find cutting a notch through one side of it makes it extremely easy to install and remove as required. (My hope headset came with a pre-cut crown race, best idea ever.)

the chinese frame i got - the headset wasn't fitted like on an aluminium one.

the fork crown race was a split race that sat loosely on the fork crown - no tools needed, no interference fit.

the headset was an integrated model that sat on the head tube - no interference fitting of the bearing race.

piece of cake.

Awesome. Thanks guys. I might shoot off an email to Jenny...

Hey guys, looking at getting a set of Chinese carbon rims for a track wheelset. I can't seem to find any 50-80mm rims with 32h. Anyone know if any companies do them?
Cheers.

Pravda wrote:Hey guys, looking at getting a set of Chinese carbon rims for a track wheelset. I can't seem to find any 50-80mm rims with 32h. Anyone know if any companies do them?

32h? that's old school! why do you need so many spokes on the track? are you matching to hubs?

jules21 wrote:

Pravda wrote:Hey guys, looking at getting a set of Chinese carbon rims for a track wheelset. I can't seem to find any 50-80mm rims with 32h. Anyone know if any companies do them?

32h? that's old school! why do you need so many spokes on the track? are you matching to hubs?

Yup, matching to a set of DA hubs I have. Plus weight isn't a huge concern.

That's pretty busy at that depth.
Farsports did custom 32h drilling for 38mm rims for me.