china carbon frame

[jack smith]

hi all, you will know what im on about when saying those cheap Chinese carbon frames from carbonzone on ebay, im looking to build my own bike over the winter, and dont have alot to spend, are theese frames okay for just light road riding? and will most parts be compatible from my old road bike until i can afford better components, is there anything i will have to buy for it specifically that i wont be able to take of my old bike ( just a mid range viking with a few giant parts)

 

[Hacienda71]

I have ridden a cheap Chinese frame for the last two years. I have put about 12000 miles on it through all conditions and it is fine. I've TT'd and hill climbed on it. It only weighs about 7.5 kg's with a Sram groupset and relatively light wheels.
Some parts off your Viking will be compatible, some you will need to check.
Front mech band size, seatpost diameter need to be a checked.
The issue many people have is the lack of a UK warranty, if you are willing to take that risk go for it. You get a lot of bang for your buck.

 

[jack smith]

cheers for the info mate, really helpful, things like the seatpost and bars ect arent a problem i will be buying those new anyway, it was more components such as the cranks the bb deralliours and bearings im unsure about

 

[Hacienda71]

Crankset and rear mechanism should just transfer over. One tip though, buy the headset with the frame and forks, it will save you a load of hassle trying to id a compatible one.

 

[jasonmccullum]

i bought a pinarello chinese frame from Greatkeenbikes for £330. i bought sram red parts from ebay (secondhand) and weights just over 7kg with a heavy set of Shimano 501 wheels. (total build cost £950)

it came with frame, forks, headset, seatpost. and all the guides for the internal cable routing, you need to tell what BB you want ( i stated with BB68 English so i could use my existing Ultegra chainset)

i got mine in 4 weeks and its excellent quality . i was riding a Giant defy 3 (2010) and this ride is better and is 2kg lighter.

highly recommend it

 

[smokeysmoo]

There have been loads of similar threads about CCF's, so try the search function to see what was said on those, or contact @gb155, he's had a few CCF's now so can at least recommend his source, and is always happy to pass on his experiences.