This weekend, I passed the 4,000mi mark on my cheap FM015-ISP carbon frame that I bought from Hongfu last May.  If you’d like to see photos of the frameset before I built it up, go to this post and check it out.

Other than a longer stem, new tires, a seat mast topper with less setback, and fresh bar tape, it’s still the same set-up as it was a year ago.  The cheap-o headset that came with it is holding up fine, and the frame and fork are just as stiff and responsive as they were on my first ride.  I’m still really glad I saved a fortune and went with a carbon frame direct from the manufacturer, instead of one built by the same guys, but slapped with big brand-name logos and a price 4-6x higher.

If you’ve never considered buying an open-mold frame direct from the manufacturer, head over to RoadBikeReview.com and spend some time in the ever-growing discussions about them.

Along with the frame, the Stan’s Alpha 340 ZTR rims and BikeHubStore hubs have held up great.  Built with DTSwiss Revolution spokes up front, and a mix of Revolution and Competition spokes in the rear, with some of the lightest aluminum rims on the market, I wasn’t sure what to expect long-term.  However, they’ve only gone out of true once, and that was about 500mi after I built them.  I’d tensioned the spokes to 100kgf, only to later discover that Stan’s recommends 120kgf for all their rims, despite their website suggesting 90-100kgf.  So, after re-tensioning them, they’ve never gone out of true again.

The front hub has been flawless, although the "cones" on the rear have slightly loosened a couple times.  It’s a very easy fix with a pair of 5mm Allen wrenches:  just remove the skewer (you don’t even have to take the wheel off the bike), tighten, then put the skewer back in.

The freewheel sound hasn’t really changed since the beginning, and I haven’t noticed an issue with performance, either.  I guess I should take it apart and see if anything needs overhauled, but I’ll get to that when I have a weekend that I’m not riding.  And considering the weather we’ve had this year, I don’t remember the last time I wasn’t able to ride.

That’s it for now.  I just wanted to share my own experience with owning a Chinese open-mold OEM frameset.

As I mentioned before, I decided to build a geared road bike to help take the stress off my knees.  After a lot of research, I decided to go with an unbranded Chinese carbon frame, model number FM015.  Many companies offer this frame, but I went with Hongfu due to extremely good feedback they’ve gotten on RoadBikeAction.com.  As is the case with previous customers, I’m happy with my decision, and Jenny, the CS rep who all Hongfu customers will deal with directly, made the whole process go very smoothly.

Originally, I’d thought about the FM028, but discovered the top tube was longer than I like.  The FM015 is very similar, albeit 100g or so heavier.  I’d rather have fit over light weight, so that made my decision for me.  Specifically, I went with the FM015-ISP, as in, integrated seatpost.  It requires a little more work, since the seat mast has to be cut to fit, but I like the looks better.

Here are some initial photos before I begin the build:

The frameset came straight from China in about 5 days.  Hongfu did an great job wrapping the frame to protect it along its journey, and it reached me in perfect condition.  Mojo is impressed with the packaging.

The frame and fork both come with plastic stabilizers in the dropouts, and the frame also has sturdy, plastic plugs inserted in the BB shell and head tube (sorry, I didn’t get photos of those).

Here it is fresh out of the box:

(check out that massive headtube)

(uncut seat mast & w/o seat mast topper)

(uncut steerer)

I ordered a 3K glossy finish, although 3K matte is also available (glossy matches my Sram Force cranks).  They also offer it in 12K and unidirectional, glossy or matte.  The frame can also be ordered without the ISP option, and with a BB30 shell.

For more info on this frame and all other unbranded Chinese carbon frames, you should really check out the discussions on RoadBikeAction.  The discussions began about 3 years ago when Chinese sellers started offering bare carbon frames on eBay.  A few guys decided to be the guinea pigs and took the plunge, only to report back that they liked what they bought.  Since then, the number of models has gone frame a handful to maybe 20-30 models, and they’re offered from multiple manufacturers and resellers.  More info can also be found on Weight Weenies.

Do your research, as I did, and decide if it’s right for you.  Price are a fraction of what you’ll pay for a brand-name frame, and they’re built by the same manufacturers who build them for the name brand companies.  On the down side, customer support after the sale is still lacking, although it’s improving over time.

I’ll post more photos in the days ahead as I finish the build.

In the mean time, here are a couple additional resources:

http://chinarello.wordpress.com/
http://cheapcarbonframes.com/