r/ChineseCarbon

My Waltly is now 6 years old — I built it during COVID.

It was originally meant to be a dedicated gravel bike, but it quickly became my main ride for almost everything.

For gravel and winter, I run a set of 650b Yoeleo wheels (32 mm deep) with an 11–42 cassette: "the tractor."

For road riding, I switch to 700c Yoeleo wheels (46 mm deep) with an 11–34 cassette for flatter and rolling terrain. If I'm heading into the mountains, I simply swap the cassette back to an 11–42.

Bonus pic: I also built my commuting bike around the same frame. The photo shows carbon wheels, but I'm actually running alloy DT Swiss wheels. Lots of Chinese components on this one: Scenicx crankset, OG Evkin seatpost, OG Evkin integrated handlebar.

Hello guys! I’m looking to build a bike to race on witha budget of around 2000 usd and I’m currently trying to find a frame do build up at a price point of around 600 usd. My best finds at the moment are the infamous Tantan X68 and the VeloBuild 2024 VB-R-268. Do you guys have any other suggestion for frames around this price point and weight?

Swapped stock tires with GP 5000s. This thing is a beauty

Yes, the image is an AI image, however, it is an exact image of the bike. It's been built up with GRX/XTR Di2, Zipp 303's, Rotor Rex 1 power meter. I'm just trying to find any info I can about the frame itself, can't seem to find anything online.

I've emailed and messaged Worx on socials, but have received nothing back.

I started this build in January 2026, and I have now reached 2,500 km on it. At this point, I am very happy with the bike.

At the time of purchase, the frame didn’t have many sales yet, so I was a bit skeptical. However, the geometry and overall look appealed to me more than an aero-style frame. For the rest of the parts, I decided to keep the cost as low as possible, while still choosing components with enough previous orders to feel confident that they would perform the way I wanted.

The entire build went smoothly. After three evenings, the bike was pretty much rideable. However, it was initially set up with an Ltwoo R9 groupset, and I spent a lot of time — probably around 1,000 km — trying to dial it in before eventually giving up.

With the rear derailleur, I believe a part may have been missing when I received it, as the B-screw didn’t seem to have anything to catch onto. The front derailleur worked, but felt inconsistent, most likely due to my own setup rather than the component itself.

Either way, I decided to replace both the front and rear derailleurs with Shimano 105. Even then, the shifting still wasn’t great, so I rewired the entire bike using original Shimano cables and housing. This made a big difference: the cables were much easier to route, and the shifting is now spot on.

The bike is set up with the following components:

Frameset: BXT SL-115, including fork, cockpit, seatpost, bottom bracket, and headset

Saddle: RYET 3D Printed Saddle

Crankset: Senicx P3, 165 mm

Chainrings: 52/36T

Cassette: 11/34t Shimano 105, 11-speed

Chain: Shimano 105, 11-speed

Front Derailleur: Shimano 105 FD-R7000

Rear Derailleur: Shimano 105 RD-R7000

Shifters: Ltwoo R9

Brake Calipers: Ltwoo R9

Brake Rotors: SRAM Paceline, 140 mm rear and 160 mm front

Wheelset: Elitewheels ENT 2.0, 55 mm

Tires: Continental GP5000 S TR 32mm

Tubeless Setup: Tubeless

Tubeless Valves: Bucklos 80 mm

I also have a Magene PES P515 power meter that I am planning to install. Since I live close to the coast, it is almost always windy. Because of that, the 55 mm wheels can make the bike feel a bit nervous in crosswinds on certain days. This has made me start looking into shallower wheels. I still don’t know whether I will go for another pair of Elitewheels, a different set of Chinese wheels, DT Swiss, Zipp, or ENVE AR40.

For the past 1,500 km, all I have had to do is check the tire pressure and go out for a ride. The bike is very comfortable and feels good on the road. Overall, I recommend this frameset.

I've seen the new Aero frame but i'm interested if anyone knows when will the other one - All rounder come out? There was a prototype in a Youtube video. Any info on that from anyone?

New ride. Size Small

This was a super exciting project! 5 years ago, I never would’ve believed I'd be touring a Chinese carbon factory. Today, I'm taking you inside Xiamen, China, for the biggest and most expensive project I've done.

After visiting 3 Winspace factories, conducting hours of interviews with the CEO and employees, and spending over 50 hours editing, the Winspace Factory Tour is finally live.

The biggest eye-opener? How manual-labor intensive the process is. 

Why you need to watch this:

• Carbon frame manufacturing process from A-Z.
• Hands-on demonstration of the QC processes.
• Sneak peek into the photo studio.
• I saw things I shouldn't see.
• And much more!

A huge thanks to Steven Cai (CEO) and the entire Winspace team for opening their doors and making this project possible. 

Watch the full factory tour breakdown here (I recommend turning on ENG subtitles): https://youtu.be/dDWPA5Lemdc

Here is the full spec list with weights for those who are interested! It was a very precise project to get it under 7.5 kg.

Total Weight: 7460g / 16.44 lbs (Incredibly light 29er XC Build!)

| Component | Description | Weight (g) |

| :--- | :--- | :--- |

| **Frame** | Trifox SDY20 Raw Carbon (Size M, incl. UDH, axle, clamp) | 944g |

| **Fork** | Fox 32 Step-Cast Factory (incl. star nut, crown race, axle) | 1372g |

| **Drivetrain** | SRAM GX AXS with Garbaruk Cage (Black) & Jockey Wheels (Gold 12-16T) | 408g |

| **Shifter** | SRAM eTap AXS Wireless Blips Remote Shifter Buttons | *Incl.* |

| **Crankset** | E*thirteen XCX (Custom project: paint removed by hand to raw carbon, 2K clear coat) | 340g |

| **Chainring** | Gemini Rigel Forged Carbon 32T | 42g |

| **Cassette** | ZTTO SLR2 12-speed | 296g |

| **Chain** | KMC X12 TI-N Gold/Black (126 links) | 276g |

| **Bottom Bracket** | CeramicSpeed Alpha MTB BSA (30mm shaft) | 82g |

| **Brakes** | Shimano XTR BL-M9200 + BR-M9200 (2-Piston) + Titanium Bolts | 410g |

| **Rotors** | Ashima Ai2 160mm Black + Titanium Bolts | 164g |

| **Wheelset** | Elitewheels EDGE MTB Ultralight 29er, UD Raw Weave Carbon 50T | 1190g |

| **Tires** | Specialized Air Trak Flex Lite T5/T7 29x2.35 | 1234g |

| **Valves** | Barbieri Presta Carbon (45mm) + Titanium Caps | 14g |

| **Rim Tape** | Tubeless rim tape | 30g |

| **Tubeless Fluid** | Stan's NoTubes - 70ml / wheel (140ml total) | 140g |

| **Cockpit** | Darimo Epsilon Stem-Handlebar Unit (UD matte / 9° / 740mm / -12° 70mm) | 150g |

| **Headset** | Stock headset + Raw Carbon Top Cover | 63g |

| **Top Cap** | Porte Ahead Topcap UD Carbon + Titanium Bolt | 5g |

| **Grips** | Ultra light foam grips | 25g |

| **Seatpost** | Darimo T1 Loop Carbon (UD matte / black) | 91g |

| **Saddle** | RYET Carbon Ultralight | 60g |

| **Pedals** | KINAN Bicycle Carbon (4 Bearings Ultralight) | 139g |

| **Bottle Cage** | Topeak Feza Carbon R10S | 12g |

| **Internal Routing** | Anti-rattle foam sleeve | 17g |

| **Modifications** | Cutoffs (trimmed brake hoses, chain links, etc.) | -44g |

After a few upgrades, I think my Grandurance Expert is finally where I want it. Bougt it new a few weeks ago for 1799€ - total cost about 2300€

Current setup:
Bergamont Grandurance Expert
Elitewheels 55 mm carbon wheelset
Hutchinson Caracal Race tires
SQLab Gravel
GRX 2x12

The 55 mm wheels might not be the most common choice for gravel, but they’ve been surprisingly fast on mixed terrain and hardpack. The Caracal Race tires roll incredibly fast on Asphalt( 800km without puncture)

A little wider than the original, but still pretty narrow compared to the Rhinowalk bags I also tested. I actually think I can feel the aero difference once I'm above 30 km/h, although it could also just be that frame bags in general make the bike a bit more aerodynamic. 🤷

Either way, I still think this is the bag system to get if you're an distance rider on a budget.

Picked this guy up and just finished my first 100 miles on it.

The tldr for $2100 is a really good bike out the box. For $2250 swapping to real tires makes it a fantastic bike for the price.

I've already ditched the mechanical 105 for sram rival, and my wheels for lighter ones I had laying around, but totally unnecessary. ( Moving those parts to a different frame I have )

It really is a ready to race bike out the box if you swap the tires.

Hi everyone,

I’m planning a new custom build with 50-60mm carbon wheels and I’m deeply torn between the Elves Falath EXP and Elves Eglath ARX.

I am absolutely in love with the look of the Falath EXP, but I have some serious concerns about its aggressive geometry and long-term comfort.

Here is my profile and how I plan to use the bike:

Stats: 32 years old, 185 cm height, 90 cm inseam, weight around 82 kg.

Riding style: 100% amateur, no racing. I mostly do fast solo rides on flat terrain, but occasionally I like to go for 200km ultra-endurance rides at a very chilled pace (20-25 km/h average).

The Plan: I intend to use Elves dedicated aero bars for the long-distance trips to relieve my back and core.

My main dilemma is sizing and comfort:

Given my long legs and shorter torso, I am afraid that a larger frame will stretch me out too much. I am leaning towards size 56 for the Falath EXP, planning to add about 2 cm of aero spacers under the handlebar to replicate the front height of the Eglath. Does this sound like a reasonable strategy?

For those who own the Falath EXP – how punishing is the frame stiffness on 150km+ rides? Can it be made comfortable enough with 30mm tubeless tires at lower pressure, or should I listen to my brain and go for the Eglath ARX instead?

I would highly appreciate any advice from owners of both frames, especially if you have similar body proportions!

Thanks!

Got the frame a few weeks ago, been slowly building it up at night after my little dude goes to bed. Took it for a first spin - needs a bit of tweaking (and probably some smaller bars) but feels great, looks great. Thrilled with how it came out.

From LC I bought the frame in British racing green, a saddle, their split seat post and their road bars. Size 55 frame, 42mm bars (was told they were 40 on the hoods, they are for sure 42 lol), 90mm stem.

Went with the stem version after hearing how horrible it was to try routing mechanical through integrated bars, happy I did. A lot more flexibility and a not-too-annoying routing of the bike. I do sympathize with why bike shops may not love doing semi integrated bike builds lol.

Groupset is GRX 2x11 (600 series) from my old Trek Checkpoint. Absolutely great groupset, have had it for years and couldn’t live it more.

Build was straight forward, frame came with torque specs and the rest was easy to sort out with some YouTube videos. Ran into some annoyances with my brakes/brake lines but that was nothing on the frame whatsoever.

Started this whole process after seeing a post on here about this frame and boy am I happy I did!

My only notes in the frame - I was kind of in between sizes (this is a 55, I’m normally a 56 size frame rider). I’m 5’10 with fairly long legs so went with the larger size - the standover is pretty damn high, higher than any other bike I’ve had, but doesn’t effect anything during the ride (and I can still, albeit barely, stand over it). Provably could’ve gone either way but having the higher stack does feel really nice.

Yo guys find attached my project
Final weight is 8.3 with sealant and pedals ( look keo ). Size M