Anyway, roll forward to this week and was watching Joe’s video on ChinaCycling about the BigRock Sohea, which he has started selling on PandaPodium and got me thinking about an experiment to see how close it a well built Chinese frame can get on ride quality, but with the improved aesthetics (at least in my opinion!) of full cable integration. Looks wise there are clear differences, but the geometry is pretty much identical.
Picture below, but there is so little online about them, this is the all there is. My view is that whilst Aethos inspired, it is clearly not a clone; fully integrated cabling, T47 BB, scalloped seat tube, different fork profile, etc
The lighter Team version in size 56 comes in at 675g for Frame and 285g for the forks (plus metal parts, which I think includes the T47 sleeve, and the website suggests about 60g) - if they are within tolerance, that puts it very close to the Aethos).
However …. My only reservation is taking a $1700 punt on a frame that, if it is rubbish, I will end up effectively throwing in the bin (as it will be worth almost nothing second hand, given the brand is unrecognised in the UK).
I therefore looked at alternatives (some of which are picked up the threads below. The one that caught my eye was the ICAN FL1. A really new frame (UCI registered in 2024). A bit heavier than the Team Bigrock, but pretty much the same as the standard. It should be light enough for me to get a build sub 6kg with Ultegra di2. Frame picture below, but not much online at this stage:
I am a long term advocate for Chinese bike brands (early adopter of Farsports 38 for those on here for a while, and currently own a wide array of parts) and think it is really fascinating to see these businesses develop really fabulous products.
When considering the build, I realised quite how much I have bought! The build list is further down the thread, other than the Groupset is mainly from China - it includes the cost for each item, so total build should be around £3,300
If I can make it happen, I am off to Majorca on 14 April which would give me a chance to put some good miles into it, and then in May off the Alps with 2 friends. That could be really interesting as we all ride 56 with Speedplay pedals and they both ride Aethos, so can all do a comparison.
Anyway, if you like China direct products stuff, what this space …. Subscribing to the thread would also help it build momentum (rather than get added to a long list of ‘good ideas’ that ended up in bin
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