Butterbean

My choice was made for me. I couldn't bring myself to spend 30-40k on a bike, and then still be unhappy with the components and have to change them. For those who think it's cheap carbon/resin, materials, etc, it actually comes down to the add ons. Take a bike like Scott (I wanted a foil). You pay for a frame, right? Since all the other components are made by someone else, and certainly sourced cheaply with bulk discounts, you're paying for: Materials Chinese/taiwanese labour Paint Shipping Quality control (you hope) Pro team bikes Retailer signage Importer/agent profit margin Retailer profit margin Cost of carrying stock Marketing materials/people Cost of warrantees. Now, after paying for all this, sure, it's what it costs nowadays. But what do you pay for in a Chinese unbranded frame? Carbon and resin. Chinese labour. Online shop. Shipping. Done. It's that simple for me. You, the consumer, is paying for that pro team. You, the consumer, are paying for all those pretty signs outside your lbs. And I'm sick of that. Cause I get nothing back. I think we have to make the distinction between FAKE and UNBRANDED. Fakes, I do not in any way condone, or believe should be on the market. Unbranded? I believe is the perfect solution to making your dream bike a reality. After building your Chinese frame with all the components you've dreamt of, it's still an expensive bike. But nowhere near the expense that a branded porno bike would have cost! I love mine. I've had it for a week, and I'm completely infatuated. I will never buy anything else after this. It's just not worth it.

What you seem to be implying is, that a branded frame from any other well known manufacturer, like pinarello, colnago, Scott, giant, etc etc, don't ever fail? Why don't you worry about the same thing on your branded bike? Perception. We get lulled into believing its safe, cause it must be, right? Like south Africans tenancy to think that doing 120 on the highway is fine, but 122? Now you're going at an "unsafe" speed. Anyway, I did a lot of searching, and it seems that fake bikes fail just as often as the real thing. I'm 100kgs, and the roads around Bedford are some terrible ones... And it's held up to the punishment on my rides so far.

That is correct. Spez romin pro! Got that bad boy on special, so super stoked... It's a brilliant saddle.

Mate not yet weighed... And not sure where I'd get hold of an appropriate scale! Haven't built it with weight as a major factor, as I'm quite heavy myself... But it is light, and once the carbon wheels are on, I'm sure it should be sub 8kg...

well, here is the pic, as everyone was too impatient! the light sucked this morning, but best pic so far. first test ride this morning, and very very impressed! the frame is stunning, and the ride quality is superb. i haven't ridden any top end bikes, but this is sublime! very stiff and responsive - when you stomp in the pedals, it accelerates like a cheetah on cocaine, and absolutely no sideways flex in the frame. you feel the road bumps, but don't get hurt by them, and absolutely no vibration or road buzz, even with the alu bars. bike is Velominati Silent, and is so so awesome to ride! looking forward to losing the heavy wheels and riding something much smoother.. but that's in a few weeks time, and will be for another thread:) Enjoy!!

Aghtar and everyone were super helpful and loved seeing the bike in the flesh today! I love Solomons and they definitely will keep getting my bike money. Always a good atmosphere, actual interest in my needs, and I like their brands a lot. Prices are great too... The bike is almost done, just need a new chain and online barrel adjuster that I'll fetch from kiwi tomorrow, before figuring out that tricky damn front mech! Will lower my standard and post pics tomorrow! Just want a good one in the sunlight... Then, wheels baby! Order placed last night!

well! one month later, and I'm the proud owner of a gorgeous Chinese Carbon road bike! for anyone who's still undecided, i say, take that plunge! here's my tale: spent ages deciding what frame to buy, which manufacturer to use, and if i had the cash to afford it. i settled, after many emails and much calculations, on the Flyxii FR322 frame, as i previously mentioned. their communication wasn't wonderful, but we understood each other. payment made, and tracking number provided on Easter Weekend. First hiccup. tracking number tracked to arrival in South Korea! heart in mouth, preparing for the worst, i sent the mail and they responded that the mailroom guy had screwed up - no rice for him that evening! - and they would resend. they did. took 8 days to arrive, and it was only really delayed in the JHB INT MAIL CENTRE. it was there for 3 days before i got antsy, drove around searching for it, found it, only to arrive and be told the package has been dispatched earlier. at my local PO. went there, and found it without hassle, and paid my R120.00 extra fees for who-knows-what? Second hiccup. box looked badly damaged, but still sealed. paid my money, and held my thumbs all the way home that some snot eating crotchfeasant at the PO hadn't used my frame as a lunchtime stool! got home, and voila! frame was perfect. wrapped nice and tight in dense foam, fork in between, and headset in a teeny box, i almost missed it! unwrapped, and a little carbon dust on hands, but wow! what a stunning frame - gorgeous matt finish, very consistent, and looks just as good as anything on the LBS floor. Tapered fork was beautifully constructed, and headset looked proper quality. i had asked a bunch of lbs what the cost to build over components from the old frame, but eventually decided that i would just try it myself! went to Solomons this morning, who seated the fork headset race, and sold me some cable ends and a BB removal tool - also gave me some good tips and answered my inexperienced questions - came home this evening, and started. took a bit to strip the old frame, and made haste. used my work provided plumbers pipe cutter to cut the steerer (thank god that actually worked!) and a nail file to smooth it all out. cue lots of YouTube videos on installation procedures. fitted headset, and the most fun was feeding the gear cables into the nicely provided tubes running internally. everything else was a breeze! literally too easy! only things left now, are to replace front and rear gear cables (they're too short!) and set the derailures! so build is as follows: 3T alu bars and Doric Team carbon seatpost Ritchey comp stem (change to 3T ASAP!) Spez Romin Pro Carbon saddle Ultegra 6700 shifters with 6600 Components Shitty alex training wheels which are soon to be ditched in favour of Carbon Clinchers gonna keep it all unbranded till i find something interesting enough to waste time on! all in all, i must say that despite being extremely apprehensive at first, i have had the most fun buying a bike part, and am more excited than ever to ride! i have now ordered two sets of Chinese Carbon clinchers, 60mm & 38mm, and have decided to use them whenever i feel like it, no more designated "race" set. if they can ship to SA first time round, ill be smiling in a few days! TL:DR awesome experience, stunning bike, on the cheap! will post pics once the carbon wheels arrive!

Ya real balls up by dstv today... Right at the attack I get to learn about ******* coffee.... Retards!

Yeah, push it back as they can have a tendency to slide backwards anyway when riding... Don't have the exact seat post but my 3t doric team has the exact same clamping system...

Haro would have been the make... Had one when I was in high school 6 years ago... Miss that bmx... Was my ticket to freedom when I had no licence... If only in had realised sooner it wasn't just my movement that was unrestricted while on a bicycle...

Oh! And it's a good idea to take your wheels in when you buy the extensions... Some of the valve holes are smaller than other rims, and extensions may not fit through comfortably... I struggled with a certain brand when using the American classics, so just make sure so you save yourself the extra trips...

Valve extensions should run you about 100 bucks... I find the ones that you need to remove the valve core and then extend are the best. Depends, most lbs should supply them. The nice thing is, you can run normal 48mm conti tubes and they're cheaper than the log valve tubes normally. Also easier to carry spares. Mine are ryders if I remember correctly! As for brake pads, lbs again! Although check with your cities chinese carbon wheels suppliers, they normally have carbon blocks in stock and at decent prices. That's concept carbon wheels in jhb/pretoria, and darkhorse wheels, black spade, and a few others in Cape Town.

Check out booth bikes

Haha true, that... Feel for the guy thought. It's done now... Let it be...

I dunno... Can you revisit a trial where a witness lied? I think since it was voluntary, they had to assume the testimony was true and made a decision based upon that. The decision was theirs to make. I assume the other option was to take it to court? But since they voluntarily settled, they can't go back. I'm no lawyer but that makes the most sense to me...

I see dstv is broadcasting the giro on normal super sport channels. Hd even for a few of the stages! 9 may on sshd7 at 6:30. Tour of california also being broadcast... Yay!

I would get a Scott foil with shimano 105, for that kinda budget... Have a couple of k left over for a proper bike fitting and the essentials!

If they were coming out of the cradle, it's an easy mistake to make. The cradle is an area where you can ride like that, and so you get comfortable with it. They do need to think a lot more about what they're doing. But at the end of the day, they made the choice!

Just got my winter gear today... Arm warmers Leg warmers Neoprene toe caps Long finger gloves All from anatomic, cost me 1033 randelas exactly! Rode through last winter with no winter gear (couldn't afford it back then!), freezing in the dips but otherwise was okay. Looking forward to being warm this year!

Chris willemse had some great deals

I get everyone's point of view on this, but I have a few cents to add... I think she was unprepared and unpracticed. She should rely on her own skills and not a passing cyclist. What if none were around? I have recently helped a mate start cycling, a fun and exciting exercise. But he didn't like it when we came home from the bike shop with all the cool goodies, and I made him take off both wheels, deflate tyres, remove, and reinstall tubes. One with a pump, one with a bomb. He got the hang of it. On our training ride last week, he punctured and fixed it all by himself! My point is, if she had practiced, she would have known she had an issue with getting the tyre off(a very common problem, especially with those gatorskins!), and would have either practiced till she could, or known she needed to replace them with something easier to work with. Would you let your daughter drive a car without teaching her to change a wheel? Come on. It takes some sense. I have helped so many people stranded, from those who couldn't do the simplest of fixes, to a guy with a bike costing easily over 100k but had a crappy inflator that didn't work. You should at least ask if someone needs help, before rushing past, but also, you shouldn't need help for a minor repair task.

Super easy set up man... Idt is the way to go, but gets boring and is hard to stay motivated when that's all you work on... Good luck!

Thanks, really appreciated! I must explain my choice, too! I first wanted a fake pina.... It looks good and would have stayed blank, but can't be more that 10% different feel to the real thing, so why not? Unfortunately, the cycle science issue took place and didn't feel like being involved in any way, sharp or form, even though the pina copy was the cheapest road frame! The next choice was a fm098, which I was loving, but the more and more i looked at a spez venge, the more I disliked it. Fears were confirmed when the shipping costs worked out ridiculously! Almost as much as the frame, from Dengfu... So I settled on the fr322, as the specs will fit everything on my current frame, so I don't have to change anything. So my frame will run ultegra, with 3t bars and 3t carbon post, spez romin carbon saddle, and for racing, mavic cosmic deep sections... Have a super sweet, and as far as I know, very original decal scheme planned! Will post pics and feedback ASAP!

So, ive finally manned up and pulled the trigger! After much emailing, calculations, and pouring over different shape frames, I finally settled on a Flyxii fr 322. Seems the frame looks most similar to the Scott cr1, but fork looks like a foil... If anyone knows better, let me know! I must say, Flyxii have been awesome. This pricing includes shipping (so no extra costs there), they advertise the stock they have, and delivery times promised are the shortest I could find, 7-21 days. They were even so helpful as to accommodate me changing my mind after payment, when I realised matt would be far cooler than glossy! So now we play the waiting game... Super excited to play and see the final design!

I got my spokes for similar Wheelset (rs20) at Solomons in woodmead. The should still have some.