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Looking to build a futureproof Chinese framed road bike.
-Carbon
-Race geometry-not cx
-Disc compatible.
-Bolt thru rear
-15mm bolt thru front fork
Pretty certain this doesn't exist yet but are there any Chinese suppliers who will do a little custom work? Any experiences?
I'm looking to run American class argent road tubeless disc wheels on the build, with probably a Sram red 22 build. A fast race bike with thru axles and discs.
I agree it doesn't exist and tbh I'm not so sure that thru axle road forks and more so, frames are going to be around any time soon. I'm intrigued why you want them though.
Stiffness. Same reason I want thru axle f&r on my mtbs.
I'll have one as well please. But if we're going bolt thru on the rear, can we go 142?
This hongfu one is my current favourite, despite being qr f&r. but I guess if the argent wheels are convertible I could always wai maybe and see if a thru axle road bikes appear.
There is one road bike that offers all that, but it's €8000
Do you really find road bikes that flexy that it matters? Given that we managed just fine on steel frames that were flexy as hell compared to any of my current bikes, I just don't really see stiffness being a driver for it on road. Not to mention that the flex in road bikes doesn't really seem to be from around the axles (and obviously rigid forks remove the issues of suspension sliders moving independently).
Now if you said safety, I'd not be convinced but I could at least sort of understand.
Pretty certain this doesn't exist yet
It does, there's quite a few available. Not sure about direct-sellers but there's a few in the usual catalogues.
Thru-axles on a road bike - aside from lawyer-fear and planned obsolescence, why?
On a rigid frame you can do a lot more with layup or tube choice than the difference a QR to thru-axles will make. Thru-axles are a more useful helper for suspension parts that can't be joined rigidly.Stiffness. Same reason I want thru axle f&r on my mtbs.
Jameso-link?
I just want an individual bike, and I find every time I go for something stiffer bike-wise I prefer it. I see there are a few cx bikes with 15mm carbon forks, I just fancied the same for a road bike.
By all means go for it if it's available but I just don't see that it would be worth paying a large premium to get it custom made. YYMV of course.
And FWIW, if you really do want it and it's not easily available, I wouldn't write off CX bikes - I use mine on the road and really it works just as well as my 'proper' road bike when using road tyres and a proper road position.
I guess with everything else being the same a thru-axle can be stiffer but a thru-axle spec chinese carbon road bike may be a flexy bag of tosh compared to anther brand's QR bike, that's all I'm getting at. Frame design and wheel spec will be a lot more influential. Thru-axles on road bug me at the mo as it's the latest trend to be jumped on, often without really thinking it through. On a CX bike front wheel, I see a point - I don't race CX and can fit my MTB 29er wheels on there. That's about it..
No links sorry, just catalogues I have from suppliers over there. None are direct-sellers that I know of but they may sell open-mold stuff to the ebay channels. Look up some reports from this year's Taipei show, thru-axles and fat bikes were the 2 trends that factories over there are catering for.
I should add that my bias comes from an MTB I own, by far the best tracking, hardest front-braking rigid bike I've ridden. QRs front and rear. Absolutely no need for thru-axles there.
I have the Hongfu 166 disc and it's stiff-as-you-like.
The Storck disc roadie runs bolt-thrus doesn't it...? Lots of £ though.