$3500 Chinese Carbon Road Bike After 500 Miles // In-Depth Review!

Watch me build this bike - • $3500 Chinese Carbon R...
Checkout the frame here - tinyurl.com/Yeoleo-r11
10% off all Yoeleo Products with code: jc10
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Welcome to today's video where we unravel the truth about budget-friendly cycling with an in-depth review of a Chinese carbon road bike from Yoeleo. We've heard the buzz about cheap Chinese road bikes and their potential as a value proposition in the road bike category. From examining the Chinese carbon frames to the overall ride experience, this review aims to give you clarity on what to expect. Can these frames direct form Asia truly stand up to the test? And the ultimate question: Should you invest in a Chinese carbon bike? Join us as we pedal through the pros and cons. 🚴‍♂️
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PS. When I provide a link here to gear or equipment I sometimes get a kickback from it. But I NEVER link to something that I haven't used or did use and didn't like! 👍

[@schrodingerthecat]

So glad to hear this about Yeoleo frames. Been looking for the next bike build project and Yeoleo has been a consideration - been seeing more and more positive reviews of their stuff.

[@JourdainColeman]

My experience has been good so far 👌🏼 The R11 is super comfortable

[@edafade]

Yeah! These are the videos I was looking forward to. Thank you for doing it!

[@JourdainColeman]

Glad you like them! More to come

[@whitebeardcycles]

I have had the R12 no problems and sold it for £1700 2 yrs on no problem. I currently have the R11 and I prefer it. Light, fast and comfortable. When people talk about warranty Yoeleo now offer 6yrs and there customer service was excellent so i have no worries about it at all. You are definitely getting more for your money and wheels are always a riders first consideration for upgrade.

[@JourdainColeman]

Thanks for sharing. Yoeleo have definitely established themselves as a reliable company. I hadn't realized there was a 6 year warranty, that's good going. I'm really enjoying the R11, like you said, it's fast, smooth and comfortable

[@stuartdryer1352]

I have an R12. A different model. It is beyond reproach and I would pretty much parrot your comments. Very fast and comfortable. I have Elite Carbon 50D wheels, Ultegra Di2. I haven't weighed it. Certainly light enough (lighter than an older Tarmac I had previously). And as you say, great at descending. Looks very nice in the "Mint" color. I agree about the seat post cover. As for comparison to the western bikes you mentioned, I think you would find those frames at comparable price to be at least one spec below the Yoeleo in terms of weight, stiffness, etc. At my local Trek dealer, bikes that I think were comparable to mine were $5500 +.

[@FurySpyder]

I usually find when building bikes you can easily undercut the prices of equivalent off-the-shelf bikes but the main reason I do it is to get the exact spec I want. You can't put a price on that! (well, you can, but ....😂)

[@ShawnIsBatman]

Great and a very fair review! I appreciate the comparisons to the full Western brand bikes and I believe that your conclusions are fair and valid. For me, the tipping-point would likely be choosing the Western brand only for the service and warranty from a local shop, that is the point at which the Chinese brands fall short for me. What I like about the recent influx of the Chinese offerings is that as their quality and exposure go up, they will likely press the Western brands into being more competitive, in that, the consumer wins. For this level of bike and build, I would go with the Western brand and target my first two upgrades as wheels and then bars. Great video, this is the type of video that will help the cycling public by providing them with real (not sponsored) fair information to make a decision!

[@tube8723]

Well said, totally agree.

[@jameslangedyk]

Yoeleo is now getting local distributors to help with warranties, questions and to ensure the brand understands the local markets.

[@fastbladeproductions7961]

I bought a Vitus Zenium Tiagra on sale for USD $1300 few weeks ago.... bought Vision Trimax 30 wheels and CF crank, CF seat post and seat, pedals, TPU , Conti 5000 tires .... bike weighs 7.6 Kgs without pedals.... (pedals are only 290grams but every bike manufacture lists bike weight without pedals) ...... total cost USD $ 1950 before taxes.... I'm very very happy with it... extremely comfortable to top it off.... I have no issues with the mech disc it came with... stops on a dime with change left over... I rather have the 133grams savings.... Hydro are for people without forearms... lol... I've had no issues what so ever with the Tiagra... shifts fast even under load..... Love the channel...learned a thing or two watching it... thanks and keep it going... 😀😀😀

[@JourdainColeman]

Good to hear you are enjoying your build. It's rewarding building a machine that then performs how you like 👌🏼Also good to hear you are enjoying the videos 👍🏼

[@renegadeflyer2]

I built a velobuild endurance frame bike 105 rim brake. I had the wheels, saddle and handle bars already. It cost me very close to $2000. Canadian. Very good deal. Comfortable, nice handling and fast bike. I had check out Yoelo. To pricey for me.

[@TheMoodyedge]

Rode mine (my first road bike) round my first Fred Whitton this year and it was spot on. Have done many miles on the shitty lake district roads here and it hasn't missed a beat.

[@JourdainColeman]

Good to hear it's been good for you 👍🏼

[@aspenyellow2963]

Great vid as normal Jourdain, any idea what was written on the path @ 5:52?, LOL

[@Osrszombie]

As much as I love building bikes I find it more fun building a used and ones loved bike. And at the moment I am working on a beginner bike for the first time and really am loving it more then the most expensive ones I've done. It's a btwin500se 😂 such a cheap bike and I am loving working on this one it's just so simple and I have ridden it today for the first time. And you can tell its an ally bike and carbon forks but it really has surprised me I've even got my hands on a cheap set of easton wheels with the blue hubs and 2 white spokes and its really pulled the bike together 😂 got some more bits coming tomorrow and can not wait to get it completed and used as a winter bike. 😀

[@cisdolce]

I own a Yoeleo R11 with Sram Red Axs and hunt wheels. I spent about 6500 USD on the build. It's a fantastic ride. Easily would choose this build over anything else at the price point.

[@DerekGreen123]

Another great video, cheers JC 👍😀 Always interested in proper real world reviews of bikes/brands like this, which offer a more 'reasonable' value proposition (at least as far as that's possible in the currently high-priced cycling world!) (P.S. Perhaps it's not the best idea to give any anti-cycling loonies 'extra ammunition', by having a publicly available video showing you cycling through the "no cycling" section of the Woolwich tunnel 😛- I know I know, most people do, and as long as everyone is respectful of those around, I have no problems 👍)

[@JourdainColeman]

Glad you enjoyed the video. I try to bring some real world experience and reviews and not just what the marketing material tells you. 👍🏼

[@belverticale]

Hmmm! I've been looking at a new frame, Yoleo or Elves. I do agree with you that it looks class. Pleased to learn it handles solidly.

[@whitebeardcycles]

I'd go with Yoeleo the quality is better, too many KZbinrs had teething issues with Elves.

[@Pablo_Coach]

@@whitebeardcycleswhat do You say about Airwolf frameset?

[@davidcarino6500]

Great write up!!!! 👍

[@JourdainColeman]

Thanks for watching!

[@kt31166]

Thanks for the follow up Jourdain! I have a Yoeleo R11 rim brake bike from 2021, They made several small changes to it for 2023 including raising the price $400 haha. I have a few thousand miles on mine now and it has been great overall. Complaints: Paint scratches easily, Aluminum shim between the stem and steer tube kept loosening. Had to use carbon past to resolve, round mount for seat post allows the seat to slip. Both the disc brake and Rim Brake models for 2023 have a better design. I reached out to see if the new seat post would fit the old frame, they said no. Your bike is heavier than I expected, but I am sure that is mostly in the 105 Disc brake group set. I built my Rim brake version with mostly used Ultegra some new Ultegra and Chinese carbon wheels. With pedals it comes in at 15.7 pounds. I could not have bought what I built for the price I paid during covid. I really cant now either. In the US people are still asking COVID money for their used bikes. Not sure what the UK market is like but I bet better. I have sourced many parts from the UK because it is simply cheaper to buy new and used parts from there. While I don't really know, I suspect the biking environment, for road anyways, is much bigger over there than in the US allowing for way more used parts and competitive pricing in general. Keep up the good work!!

[@JourdainColeman]

Thanks for sharing your experience, and good to hear it's been positive overall 👍🏼 I think the second hand market is huge in the UK, and people should utilize it more. I'm planning a few videos on second hand bikes to show the value. Prices are still pretty high for used gear but not as crazy as COVID prices 👍🏼

[@beluga600]

Could you try the ICAN enduro frame next

[@milo9414]

Nice road bike dude!

[@JourdainColeman]

Thanks! 👍

[@donwinston]

My R-11 (Rim brake) is an extra large (59cm no tube is 59cm so WTF?) It weighs only 7.5 kg. Must be the super light Elite wheels, Ultegra rim brake and derailleurs, and Dura Ace crank. Three years ago I spent a little over $4000 building it. (Not counting bike shop costs)

[@Osrszombie]

I seen you in South East London a cupple of days ago, I've come back to South shields now and wish I sed hi 👋 😊 but you looked like you was having a good cycle so did not want to interrupt it.

[@JourdainColeman]

Next time come and say hi for sure 👍🏽 I often head to Greenwich for coffee

[@carlip7205]

nice vid, thank u

[@JourdainColeman]

Glad you liked it!

[@brianford8493]

Sometimes its just better not knowing mate......cant go full tilt with any doubt.✌

[@lestonycyclistone]

I just done built my Yoeleo R11 with mechanical Ultegra , 7.6kg . This is my 1st impression : responsive and few lightweight , stiffness good when climb. But holding during cruising above 38 - 40+ will need effort to keep pedal if compare to aero Falath Evo bike. Tis will be great for climb and rolling hill.

[@Pablo_Coach]

frame give You marginal importance when it comes to speed, the rider's position is more important

[@christopher6943]

Hello Im considering building a bike soon and have done some research but can't decide between this and the Falath Evo. Which would you recommend and can you mention some ups and down? BTW I am new to cycling and have only ridden a somewhat aero single speed/fixie bike.

[@lestonycyclistone]

@@christopher6943 if ur nearby lots of flat and rolling hill under 6% , i will suggest Falath Evo. Its faster on flat. R11 will be more lighter 200g+ , its fee easy to start , but when up to high speed cruising lacking behind Falath Evo. I feel R11 more stiffer , its more suit climbing .

[@Pablo_Coach]

@@lestonycyclistone what is the air drag difference between R11 and Falath evo? Maybe 5W-10W at 40km/h (it depends from which yaw angle too)

[@lestonycyclistone]

@@Pablo_Coach cant tell , lol. It's just the feeling when compare both . Also based on PR i achieved, Evo break more PR compare to R11 on flat. Both used same wheelset .

[@purelyrecovery]

Great video. Would you say it’s a bike to race on? Thanks 🙂

[@stuartdryer1352]

I can talk about the R12, which is a recent model but quite similar. I would say it depends on what kind of racing you do. It might not be optimal for crit racing, but it would be really good for road racing over rolling routes without major alpine mountain climbs, especially very long routes. It's not slow up hills mind you, but it's definitely designed to be an all-round bike.

[@johnnyboy4711]

Johnny built it,cmon man

[@blinzi69]

I am running the G21 and I feel the comfort and vibration absorbing is rather low - its a very harsh feel - especially for a gravel bike that is supposed to have good flex. Idk but it might be built too stiff overall to fit my needs. Even with gloves and gel pads under the tape it feels too stiff so that it causes pain in the hands after long rides.

[@andreemurray7039]

With price of some makes are going up if you can build your own bike it works Chinese brands will slowly take over

[@JourdainColeman]

They are certainly looking more and more appealing!

[@BD4NGLES]

where do you stand on the r11 vs the falath pro/evo?

[@JourdainColeman]

They are both great. For general casual riding probably the R11, for anything speed related the Evo 👍🏼

[@picapica8209]

Great review. Not my cup of tea. A lot of time and labour and what do you get? Is it that much beter? And what do you compare it with? When checking Canyon or Rose you can find carbon frame with mechanical 105 for a great price. Often these are rated as best of their class in a comparison test with a lot of peers. Swap the wheels for chinese non brand carbon ones if you must. If you don’t like the DT Swiss alu wheels. I personaly don’t trust carbon handlebars anyway, But if one has to have them, switch the bars. Easy and you have a great bike WITH resale value

[@JourdainColeman]

It's always a balancing act of quality vs money. I try and compare like for like bike to make it as fair as possible. For example, there are great second hand eBay bikes for 1000, but it would be an unfair comparison. One thing I will say is this bike rides and feels great, which should be the main consideration 👍🏼

[@DrewsOnFirst]

Was there nothing you didn't like after 500 miles?

[@JourdainColeman]

To be honest... no. I've had no issues. I'll obviously let you all know if I do have any issues 👍🏽

[@seanbarman]

Funny riders could win the tour de france on a rim brake even in the wet, bike but now people can't ride up a local climb with out needing disk brakes, but the used market never looked so good. + plnty of rim brake bikes under 7kg for under $500 now. Most people talk about there bikes more than ride it

[@DrewsOnFirst]

TdF riders weren't riding through traffic surrounded by 5000lb SUVs with distracted drivers. Get off your idiotic high horse. Time for bed.

[@Pablo_Coach]

Problem is when You have carbon wheels and you riding in wet

[@mr.smooth6173]

Whose a naughty boy - cycling through Greenwich tunnel 😇 You'll need a fast bike to get away from the Old Bill 😄

[@sc0or]

Where did you find a “western brand”, dude? 90% of them belong to companies from either Taiwan or from China )