Building a Gravel Bike in the Living Room - Carbonda CFR 696

[@datdudeinred]

I am really loving these pure chinese brands who offer so much for so little. brands like trifox for mtb, yeoleo, winspace, & now carbonda thanks for adding another brand in my list of brands to look out for. Was such a soothing calming video to watch ❤️

[@vongdong10]

Dude you just helped me make up my mind about this. I just took a R7000 105 groupset off my current roadbike for Di2 and was going to sell it but seeing this makes me want to have another bike for commuting while keeping the other for pure speed. Top work!

[@bobschwarz702]

Sehr schönes Aufbauvideo und sehr schönes Rad. Mein Carbonda ist auch gerade unterwegs zu mir, und wenn mein Aufbau startet , werde ich bestimmt noch des öfteren in dein Video schauen.

[@joeszeto310]

Awesome video. Love the focus on the tranquil process of the build and not be distracted by all the technical aspects. Choice of music also took the video up several levels. I play similar music while building or tinkering on my bikes... along with a nice glass of red wine. Great job and look forward to seeing more of your videos!!

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Thank you very much!! :)

[@ManuelCimadevilla]

Hi very nice video, I have done exactly the same during the lock down, first dreaming about that bike and then building it in the living room during summer, now after 6000km I'm very happy with it.

[@aidanmasterson50]

Enjoyed that. Thanks for the upload.

[@paulmay5779]

love that build, colour scheme looks great. I already own a On One Free ranger which is a rebranded Carbonda 696 but am going to look at building up a second one

[@mordseesurfer]

Moin Simon Respekt für dein erstes Aufbauvideo, da können sich einige nee Scheibe von abschneiden. Ich hoffe es fährt so schön wie es aussieht. 👍🏻

[@Carftymk]

this is my 4th or so time watching this video and i only just noticed the tip where you put the spacers on the fork to cut them at the right angle. this is really smart. my carbonda hopefully arrives next week finally

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Thank you, that means a lot! Wishing you a lot of fun with your bike!!! :)

[@Carftymk]

@@simoneizenhofer856 My frame got here but I had a bad surprise with the axles I bought, the thread pitch is not standard sadly. I'm looking at the ZTTO axles you have in your spreadsheet but the sizing is confusing. They don't label them 12*100 and 12*144 but weird numbers instead. Do you remember which models you bought to fit the 696?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

@@Carftymk Front Axle is: 12x121LxM12(P1.5)x17 and Rear Axle is: 12x171LxM12(P1.5)x19

[@Carftymk]

@@simoneizenhofer856 Thanks! They fit in just fine. I'm now stuck at the cabling part, the sharp 90° angle under the bottom bracket wont allow the shifter cables to pass, do you have any tips for this? Did you take off the liner plate under?

[@VinceBTZ]

Excellent ! Nice Bike !! Thx for sharing

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Thank you very much! :)

[@Hakikat-Se7en]

I always enjoying videos like this without disturbing musics. well done

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Thank you so much! :)

[@flowngrowchannel3762]

Im searching on how to assemble a gravel bike for my kid then your video affair so i got your channel and its very informative and it will difinitely a big help for us . Thank you for sharing

[@simoneizenhofer856]

You are welcome! Have a lot of fun building up the bike for your kid! :)

[@josephlyne8290]

Beautiful mate beautiful

[@lordalfa600]

Can't wait for my custom frame in Martini Racing colours. I'll be going Di2. GRX 2x11

[@treestotrails]

Fantastic build. I built up the Carbonda 696 last fall. Absolutely love this bike. Curious to know the components used. Cheers!

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Thank you very much! Hope you enjoy riding it :) I have a list with the parts used for this build: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18VpkH4FgnmS3lZgQh5a-m_-T9mZoCZHEsGhlc49EWqM/edit#gid=0

[@davidalhoff7190]

@@simoneizenhofer856 thanks for the list. Though this creates another question related to my previous one about the 11-36 SRAM cassette. Which 105 cage is needed to shift the biggest ring? Will the medium cage work? I am thinking to reuse the mechnaical 105 groupset from my current 2015 cube crossrace. Thanks in advance for your info cheers David

[@simoneizenhofer856]

@@davidalhoff7190 There are two versions of the rear derailleur (Short (SS) and Long (GS)) I am using this version: "Shimano 105 RD-R7000 GS" which officially works for 11-34T. I had to turn the B-Screw have way in to get it shifting flawlessly. I also saw a video of someone using it together with an 11-40T cassette, but I am not sure whether this would work without a wolftooth roadlink. If your bike is from 2015 you will probably have the Shimano 105 RD-5800-GS which is officially usable up to a 32T cassette. I'd say that 34T will probably work, but I'm not sure about 36T or more.

[@davidalhoff7190]

@@simoneizenhofer856 o.k. thanks good point that I will need to check before I commit myself to the build

[@marcing7684]

Great, clean and well executed build. Nice work

[@eco2hk774]

The music was so good. It made me so sleepy!

[@bricegerard9128]

Hello, thanks for your nice video. The headset is it provide with frame and fork ? Spacer and expander also ?

[@nickadkins7878]

Hi, great video. What hubs and Thru-Axles do your wheels have please and did you need to fit end caps to fit the drop outs? Thx.

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Hey Nick, thank you very much! The hubs are just simple 105 hubs and the through axles are from ZTTO - 121mm in the front and 171mm in the back (173mm in the back would be perfect) The End-Caps that came with the hubs just fitted perfect.

[@jamiebrydontmess]

Sick bike, would put a dropper on if it was mine

[@teliib]

Great video and awesome looking bike! Which RAL colors did you choose?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Thanks man! RAL code for grey is 7047 and black is 9005

[@bikepacking330]

Very nice bike

[@JörgMiller-i2y]

Hallo Simon 🙂. Welches bsa innenlager hast du verbaut und mit welchem Abmessungen?Finde keine vernünftigen Infos hierzu. Danke

[@timothydoyle8269]

Great video. I have a question about the internal cable guide liners. I noticed you cut the at the bottom bracket area. Can I ask why you decided to cut it there? Was it to easily have the cable route up into the front derailleur grommet? I currently have a bombtrack hook ext c frame I am building and am unsure of what to do with the internal cable liner. Should I leave them inside and cut down on the entry/exit points or do similarly what you did and cut at the bottom bracket are and leave the liner from headset/downtube? Thanks, I hope to hear from you.

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Hey Timothy! I cut the liner because I was unable to push the shifting cable all the way through in one go. This way I was able to push the shifting cable from the entry at the steering tube down to the bottom bracket - reinsert it at the bottom bracket to the other half of the guiding cable und push it to the rear derailleur. I removed all liners after I routed all shifting cables and brakehoses. Hope that helps :)

[@giovannizorra3803]

Hello, Simon. Here is Giovanni for another question. I am waiting for my frame and I am buying parts around. I am not able to understand unequivocally which kind of bottom bracket is required for this bike. May you share the model you used? Thanks

[@simoneizenhofer856]

The Bottom Bracket for this bike depends on the crankset you are planning to use - if you are using SRAM you need GXP or DUB, for Shimano you need Hollowtech II, etc - what they all have in common: They need to be BSA for 68mm. I am using this BSA-DUB www.aliexpress.com/i/4000831209917.html which was delivered with the crankset. When it needs to be replaced I will use a BSA-DUB by SRAM. Hope that helps :)

[@thomaslmadsen3782]

Great video. Have the same frame and are about to start the mounting. About the inner-hoses for the break-hoses and the gear cable. For the break-hoses, you took them out completely and only had the “new” hoses in or did you just putter the “new” hoses through the hoses in the frame ?. About the gear cables, it looks like you just out the bare wire through the hoses in the frame and then had the normal black outside of the wire only when the wire was out of the frame, like start and end, correct ?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Hey Thomas, thank you! Concerning the brake hoses: The "plastic hose" that is already in the frame helps to put the new brake hose through the frame. So yes - I pushed the new brake hose through the guide-hose and removed it afterwards. Only the real brake hose remains in the frame. Concerning the shifting cables: Yes there is only the bare cable inside the frame. The thin plastic hoses in the frame help you to guide the shifting cables through the frame - if you are finished, you should remove them. The black shifting cable outers are only outside of the frame. Hope this helps! Good luck and have much fun with your build!

[@Vicktorioo2010]

Hi Simon. How did you order the frame? Directly from the manufacturer?

[@sitd0168]

Moin Simon, sehr sehr schönes und für mich perfektes Video! Mein Rahmen ist noch im Zulauf und wird auch mein erster Aufbau jemals. Eine Teileliste (vor allem Steuerlager, Achsen) wäre noch geil. Aber dafür gibt es ja das Forum. Danke Dir und ich bin gespannt auf das nächste Video ;-)

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Schon jetzt viel Spaß mit dem Rahmen, dem Aufbau und dem fertigen Bike - den wirst du auf alle Fälle haben! Hab hier auch noch die Teileliste zum Rad: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18VpkH4FgnmS3lZgQh5a-m_-T9mZoCZHEsGhlc49EWqM/edit?usp=sharing

[@sitd0168]

@@simoneizenhofer856 Cool Dankesehr!!

[@faltentoni]

Hey Simon , hast du beim Umwerfer dieses Blech am Rahmen geklebt und welchen Steuersatzexpander hast du installiert? Baue meines ebenfalls gerade auf und mache meine Einkaufsliste :)

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Das kleine Blech für den Umwerfer hatte ich im Video vergessen. Habe das Blech nachträglich noch montiert. Die Schaltung funktioniert theoretisch zwar auch ohne, mit jedoch noch besser. Den Expander aus dem Video hatte ich ebenfalls nur temporär montiert und ihn später gegen folgendes Modell (weil deutlich länger) getauscht: "Deda Expander 1 1/8" - 70mm (HSS)"

[@faltentoni]

@@simoneizenhofer856 top danke dir. hab den gleichen expander. muss nur schauen woher ich dieses Blech bekomme 😉

[@jacobilil]

Hi Simon, thank you for your video. Could you please suggest some reliable site where I can buy Carbonda frame. You inspired me to build a bike by myself.

[@cycobikes]

Can I ask a question, for the shifting cables where did you run the cable outers to?? End caps seem to slide through the down tube glide thingy!!

[@simoneizenhofer856]

There are two plastic inserts for the steering tube - one with big holes to run the cable with cable housings through and one with small holes that keep the end caps in place. I used the one with the small holes so I could run only the cables without housings through the frame.

[@cycobikes]

@@simoneizenhofer856 ah that makes total sense. Thanks

[@faltentoni]

Hi, Warum wurden die gelben Schläuche unterm Trettlager getrennt? hast du diese dann im Rahmen gelassen oder ne Zugführung verbaut? Möchte mir ebenfalls eines aufbauen aber muss noch zugführung verstehen:)

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Ich habe diese getrennt um bei der "Hälfte" eine weitere Zugriffsmöglichkeit beim Verlegen der Schaltzüge zu haben um diese dadurch leichter verlegen zu können. Ich hatte zuerst versucht die Schaltzüge auf einmal (ohne durchtrennte Führungshilfen) von vorne nach hinten durchzuschieben, das hatte allerdings nicht geklappt. Die gelben Hüllen/Schläuche dienen nur dazu die Schaltzüge durch den Rahmen zu führen. Sie werden anschließend entfernt. Viel Freude bei deinem Aufbau! :)

[@faltentoni]

@@simoneizenhofer856 Dankeschön

[@zdyboo]

Great bike, great video, great build. I just watched and I did't almost the same at the end of February. :) Assembled gravel on custom built and painted frame in my living room. Difference was mess after, my room was far away from nice and clean. I just would like to ask how the SRAM cassette works with Shimano derailleur? I build my bike with full GRX 810, but use the cassette XT 11-42 and wonder if I can change to SRAM in the future.

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Thanks Tomasz! Being able to pain the frame you self is an awesome skill! Nice! The SRAM cassette works without any issues with the Shimano derailleur - zero problems with shifting.

[@brettrobertson2744]

Love this build!! Do you get any rattle from the front and rear derailleur cables inside the frame?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Thanks a lot! There is only the cable for the shifters inside the frame with no housing and the cables are under tension. That's why they won't wobble around inside the frame and won't be able to hit it and rattle. But you are right if you would guide the cables with housing through the frame, they wouldn't be under tension and therefore they could rattle. Same with the brake hose for the rear brake: The hose is not under tension so there is a possibility that it could rattle - luckily mine doesn't but it would be better putting some foam-housing around the hose :)

[@davidalhoff7190]

And sorry for asking more and more questions. From your partlist I saw that you are using 2 wheelsets. Do the discs od the breaks easily align with the calipers, or is a re-alignemnet and setting needed every time you swap the wheels? Furthermore, is there anything you can tell about the elite Wheelset? Are you happy with it, do they keep true? Thanks fpr sharing your really great project. I will try to share mine as well if I have the faith to order;) Cheers, David

[@simoneizenhofer856]

No problem, hope I can help :) Unfortunately realigning is needed every time I am swapping the wheels. Even though it only takes about a minute, it really would be much nicer, if I could swap them without realigning. Maybe I'll get some spacers in the future, but the problem is, that the centerlock rotor needs to be adjusted - and therefore you need a centerlock to 6Bolt adapter to be able to use spacers. Not sure if I really will do that :) I saw the Elite wheelset in the video of tracevelo and thought I'd give it a try. The wheelset stays true so far, I really enjoy riding them. BUT: I'm not sure if I would recommend them. I ordered the 27mm version and received the 25mm version (17mm vs 15,6mm internal width). Furthermore the hub caps of the front wheel had an outer diameter of 21mm (which is for mountain bikes) instead of 19mm (which is for road bikes). Luckily my father was able to fix this for me :) So riding them is really nice, but you don't get peace of mind for the price ;)

[@davidalhoff7190]

@@simoneizenhofer856 thanks a lot for your detailed answer! Häppiehh Rihdes

[@drmagyar8146]

Great vid! What are those clear inner tubes? What pressure do you run them at?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Those are "Schwalbe Aerothan". They advertise it as lightweight (which it actually is with 61g for a tube) with little rolling resistance and being robust at the same time. I thought i give it a try. I am currently running them at about 40 psi, but got no longer ride experiences yet, so i can't tell what's the perfect pressure.

[@wibe3778]

Awesome vid and bike! What framesize is this? I'm planning on building one myself and doubting between size 54 and 56.. How tall are you?(i'm 182cm). Thanks alot!

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Thank you very much! I am 184cm with 88cm inside leg. The frame size is 54. I was also struggling between 54 and 56 as a lot of people would recommend 56 for my size. But I went with the 54 because I am using this bike with two wheelsets - one for gravel and one for road. Therefore I wanted a little more aggressive setup. Long story short: 54 is the perfect size for me and I am glad that I followed my own thoughts on this. The saddle is about 7cm higher than the handlebar. It's far away from being to small - 56 frame would have been also ok (with no spacers at front and a shorter stem). In the end it's hard to really recommend something as everybody has its own needs and usecases for the bike. I used Bike Stats a lot to compare the frame against bikes I know that fitted me well to find out which size I wanted. It's really a great tool. (Add handlebar, stem, saddle etc to get better results) bike-stats.de/en/geometrie_vergleich?Bike1=Carbonda_CFR696_2020_540&Bike2=Carbonda_CFR696_2020_560

[@wibe3778]

​@@simoneizenhofer856 Thanks for your complete response. This helps a lot. Bike stats is great! I didn't now it had the addition (Add handlebar, stem, saddle) feature. My inseam is 85cm and wingspan 189cm. Leaning towards a little more aggressive setup, so 54 might suit well then. Want to use the bike for bikepacking and maybe some singletrack too. Due to covid, bikeshops are closed here. So thanks again for this helpful information.

[@jelbic]

Awesome video and bike. I am about to purchase a 696. Hope you don’t mind that I copy the paint job with different colors😀 How did you communicate the paint pattern to carbonda? Did they have patterns to choose from?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Thank you very much! Of course you can copy the design - would love to see pictures of the bike :) I don't know whether they have patterns to choose from but I think you could do a screenshot from the video and change the colors in Photoshop - or tell them you want the design like me with different colors :)

[@jelbic]

@@simoneizenhofer856 Thanks for the reply. I found a color option that was so nice I went with that for the whole bike. Green and purple chameleon👍 Wanted to ask about your crankset as well. Are you happy with it? There’s not much information about it out there.

[@simoneizenhofer856]

@@jelbic nice! The crankset itself works fine so far, also no problems with the bearings. Only thing to mention: It was really hard to get the powermeter Spider mounted onto the the crankset, because the spider was not perfect flat. Even after I got it mounted it was not flat - as a result the chainrings were movin about 1mm when I looked at them from above while spinning. Got it fixed with some 0,5mm Spacers. So long story short: Crankset is light and stiff and works great. Powermeter Spider is working after some initial difficulties, too :)

[@jelbic]

@@simoneizenhofer856 Great. I am not planning on getting the power meter, so I will not have to worry about that😀 Now I just have to find a groupset somewhere, it seems like they are in short supply. Thanks again for your replies👍

[@Carftymk]

@@jelbic Hey do you have a picture of green and purple? I'm also considering a similar paint scheme

[@bricegerard9128]

DOes Carbonda provide you instructionc for screws tightening torque ?

[@moshet842]

Do you get rid of those plastic white/yellow shifter cable guides that come with the frame?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Yes I removed them after I used them to guide the cables and hoses through the frame (they are really helpful for that purpose)

[@moshet842]

@@simoneizenhofer856 Did you run a full shifter cable housing through the frame or is the cable bare inside?

[@gngui]

Great work. Final weight?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Thanks! The weight is about 9,3 - 9,5 kg including pedals, bottlecages, etc. in Gravel Mode and about 8,5 kg in Road Mode with the other wheelset. (The scale isn't the best)

[@corvus400]

Well made video! What kind of tubes are those? What is the name of the wheels?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Thank you! The tubes are "Schwalbe Aerothan" - very lightweight (61g per tube) and no problems so far. The wheels are pretty basic alloy wheels. WTB i21 rims with Shimano 105 hubs. They do work fine, but I am thinking about upgrading them for some lighter carbon wheels (lightbycicle or carbonbeam.

[@corvus400]

@@simoneizenhofer856 thank you brother! I will look into those tubes. I'm thinking if I want to buy little cheaper Carbonda wheels or go with gravel Farsports with cost couple hundreds dollars more:)

[@corvus400]

@@simoneizenhofer856 I loved my Dt swiss alloy for commuting on my cyclocross, before it was stolen.

[@omarmahariq]

Great video! May I know what's your height? I'm 183cm and after bike fitting they recommended to go no lower than size 58.

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Thanks! I'm 184 with 86 inseam. I went with a 54 frame for a more aggressive geometry - I am usinng it as a roadbike with a second wheelset, too. Otherweise a 56 frame would have been perfect. With a stem short enough even a 58 would work - riding position will be comfortable and upright with a large frame.

[@omarmahariq]

@@simoneizenhofer856 Wow, we're pretty much of the same size. What stem length do you use?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

@@omarmahariq Stem is 90mm with -6 degree. Handlebar reach is 75mm. I only have a 5mm spacer below the stem, resulting in a quite aggressive riding position. I tested a 110mm stem with 20mm spacers below, too - but I like the more agile setup better (In the video you can see the old setup with the 110mm stem). As I already mentioned: I am using this bike as a gravel and road bike. For gravel only or for a generally more relaxed position on the bike, I would chose framesize 56 :)

[@DanielStrojek]

Hi Simon. Are you planning to record long time review about your impresion with useing your bike? It would be great if you whould share your opinion. I happy user a custom gravel bike based on carbonda's frameset which I built myself as well and I am very courious if bike have met your expectations.

[@darrellz]

Congrats to you for a great build and your girlfriend for great filming. Your information and video on the internal cable routing was very helpful. I am looking at the same frame from Carbonda and wonder, did you buy the headset through them, or purchase separately? What model is it? Thanks.

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Hey Darrell, thank you very much - glad I could help a little. I went with the Cane Creek 40 Headset, as I read that some people aren't completely happy with the Carbonda headset. The Cane Creek works flawless so far, but did only about 200k so far, so that doesn't really count :) But reviews on the internet are quite good, so I think it should work for a long time.(Complete Name and Size: Cane Creek 40 Short Cover Complete Headset Tapered - IS42/28.6 | IS52/40)

[@rockleet]

@@simoneizenhofer856 hi Simon. I just purchased this headset that you listed but it arrived and it doesn't look like your and it is also using a star nut and not a compression style for the carbon fork. I'm afraid to install it. Was yours a star nut?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

@@rockleet the headset I used was this one: www.bike24.de/p1116191.html?menu=1000,4,40 The star nut is for aluminium forks only - for the carbon fork you need a compression plug. I bought this one from ritchey: www.bike-components.de/de/Ritchey/WCS-Steuersatzexpander-p21261/ I also bought a different top cap cause I wanted a clean look: www.bike-components.de/de/3min19sec/Ahead-Kappe-p64730/ I hope this will help, even though the links are german.

[@rockleet]

@@simoneizenhofer856 perfect information! Thank you very much. I will use a compression plug as well.

[@ilsando3550]

Hi there, I'm building a 696 at the moment with the same bottom bracket. Did you use big and small spacers on both sides?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Hey! I did not use any spacers for the bearing cups of the bottom bracket - just screwed them in without anything. I only used one spacer (I think it was 2mm) on the crank spindle on the drive side (where the chainring is). The goal is, that there is no axial pressure on the bearings after tightening the cranks with about 50 NM. I don't know exactly which spacer is needed, but after tightening everything up the axial play is about 0,5 mm. Hope that helps!

[@ilsando3550]

@@simoneizenhofer856 thanks for your quick reply and that is exactly what I have done too. Perfect!

[@Carftymk]

Hi, may I ask how much the full build cost? If you kept track. Do you notice a significant slow down with the road wheelsets compared to a full proper road frame with the same wheels? TIA.

[@simoneizenhofer856]

The bike as shown in the video did cost almost exactly 1775 € (which I think is really decent as it got fully hydraulic groupset and powermeter crankset. I was able to buy some parts used, that's how I kept the costs low - for example the shifters and the wheelset. Second wheelset is not included in that price) I don't have a proper roadbike so unfortunatelly I can't really compare how fast it is. However I joined some local roud-group-rides and it was no problem to keep up. (in the draft :D ) I am 1,84m and went with a frame size 54 (medium) and not with 56 (large) (which probably most would recommend) to have an endurance road bike like geometry and a shorter wheelbase. Of course the frameset is not as aero and not as stretched as an race roadbike but I think it's just as good as any allroad or endurance road bike. (but that's just what I think :) ) Hope this helps :)

[@Carftymk]

@@simoneizenhofer856 This is very helpful indeed, thank you so much for taking the time to reply. I have two other smaller questions in mind; did you paint it/get it painted yourself or did they paint it themselves? If so how much did they charge for a custom paint? Second question is, do you estimate the cost of tools to be under 500 euros or more, required to build this bike? 1700 euros is indeed unbeatable for carbon hydraulic with a PM crankset.

[@simoneizenhofer856]

​@@Carftymk The paintjob was done by Carbonda - just sent them a sketch of the design I had in mind. At that time it was 85$ for two glossy colors. The paintjob looks really good but I already got 2 chips at the chainstays. I think I hit something and the paint used is probably not the most robust you can get. But it's more than good for the money. You can contact them via contac form on their website and they will tell you the current prices and options. Tools can get expensive quick, but 500 € will be more than enough. I almost only used an "all in one toolbox" for 50 €, a small 2-20NM torque wrench (important) for 50 €, a work stand for 80 € and some other cheap special tools like bleeding kit or bottom bracket tool ... - plus some other basic tools like the saw, screwdrivers etc I already owned. The big torque wrench is nice to have but not really necessary.

[@wibe3778]

I'm currently collecting all the parts for my build. The frame should be arriving in the next week's or so! What are your experiences sofar with your chosen saddle? How is it holding up? Thanks!

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Collecting all the parts is a little bit of a challenge these days, so good luck there and have fun building the bike! The saddle is really nice so far. Using it since about 1200km and got nothing to complain about. Think this is good :) Feels good even on 4h+ outdoor rides - only on the turbo trainer 2h is max :/

[@wibe3778]

​@@simoneizenhofer856 Hi, Managed to collect all the parts! Except the frame.. Manufacturing has had lots of delay due to high demand. Did you need to use any spacers for the bottom bracket (zrace 8:32)? I've bought the sensah srx 1x11 which has BSA, should be same spec. Lastly, are the bolts for the back brake caliper (4:48) standard spec? Bolts for the 160mm adapter (M5x32).. Thanks again!

[@simoneizenhofer856]

​@@wibe3778 Great to hear, that you managed to get all your parts! Hope the frame won't take long anymore :) I did not use any spacers for the bearing cups of the bottom bracket - just screwed them in without anything. I only used one spacer (I think it was 2mm) on the crank spindle on the drive side (where the chainring is). The goal is, that there is no axial pressure on the bearings after tightening the cranks with about 50 NM. I don't know exactly which spacer is needed, but after tightening everything up the axial play is about 0,5 mm The Bolts used to screw the caliper to the 160mm adapter were included with the adapter. The bolts to screw everything to the frame are these: www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/shimano-caliper-fixing-bolt-type-c-for-rear-flat-mount-712157?currency=1&delivery_country=48 The frame is 25mm thick so you need this version: 25mm (frame thickness) - screw length 38mm. Hope this helps!

[@GrouEEf]

Hallo Simon, Franz M. hier :) Wusste gar nicht dass du einen KZbin Kanal hast. Wie es sich trifft sucht ein Bekannter gerade nach einem Gravelbike. Wie zufrieden bist du mit dem 696?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Hey Franz! Fahre das Bike ja inzwischen in der dritten Saison und bin nach wie vor mega happy mit dem Rahmen. Absolut unauffällig im positiven Sinn :)

[@giovannizorra3803]

Hello, Simon. I would like to know which size of crankset do you put on this frame. I was considering the GRX810 but it is a 31/48, but the house indicate a max size of 46. Thank you.

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Hey Giovanni! I am using a 34/50 Crankset without any problems with the size. A GRX810 31/48 will work good. :)

[@giovannizorra3803]

@@simoneizenhofer856 thanks. Funny Carbonda put wrong max size on their site.

[@simoneizenhofer856]

@@giovannizorra3803 I just checked myself what they are writing on their homepage. It's indeed 46T max if you do a 1x Setup. For 2x Setup it's max 50/34 :)

[@giovannizorra3803]

​@@simoneizenhofer856​, that makes sense. Thank you. Anyway, I ordered it. I am keen to receive the frame!

[@alanpina354]

This was therapeutic, thank you. Love the bike. Did you put the 105 groupset? Good for gravel?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Thanks Alan! The 105 Groupset is totally fine for (lighter) gravel - the 105 shifters are technically the same as GRX 600 shifters with a slightly different design. If your rides are more bumpy maybe a GRX 400 or GRX 800 rear derailleur would be a better choice because of the damping clutch mechanism (both would work in combination with the 105 shifters, but weren't available when I built the bike :).

[@alanpina354]

@@simoneizenhofer856 thanks for the info!

[@becyk_du_quebec]

How did you not run full length housing? I just received this frame and the black stopper thingie with three holes has actually no stops, it's just holes where housing go through, did you hack it somehow or did you get a different three hole piece that has stops for the cable housings? Thanks a lot for the vid btw, great filming and editing :)

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Hey Patrick, thanks a lot! I got two of the black stopper thing - one 3 big holes and the one I used with two small holes that work as a stop for shifting cables and one big hole for the brake hose. Maybe you got another one, too?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

@@kiwiwithacamera You got two options: You can either run the shifting cables with or without housings through the frame.There are two plastic inserts for the steering tube - one with big holes to run the cable with cable housings through and one with small holes that work as a stop and keep the end caps in place. I used the one with the small holes so I was able to run only the cables without housings through the frame. Hope that helps a little. Have a lot of fun building your bike! :)

[@simoneizenhofer856]

@@kiwiwithacamera Yes that's how I did it. Should work fine :)

[@josemanuelcostaferrer7107]

Hi, I just bought a carbonda like yours and also some cranks from a chainring like yours, I have a question when mounting cups. How are the spacers placed? Thank you, you have a spectacular bike!

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Hey Jose, great choice, it's really a nice frame! I did not use any spacers for the bearing cups - just screwed them in without anything. I only used one spacer (I think it was 2mm) on the crank spindle on the drive side (where the chainring is). The goal is, that there is no axial pressure on the bearings after tightening the cranks with about 50 NM. I don't know exactly which spacer is needed, but after tightening everything up they axial play is about 0,5 mm

[@mariomoro5833]

👍👍👍👍

[@jeliano]

Hi, ist ja nun eine Weile her, würdest du sagen du bist zufrieden mit dem Rahmen?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Absolut zufrieden mit dem Rahmen. Bis auf zwei kleinere Lackabplatzer an den Sitzstreben keinerlei Auffälligkeiten. Macht nach wie vor viel Freude sowohl auf der Straße, als auch im Gelände :)

[@jeliano]

@@simoneizenhofer856 sehr schön. Spiele auch schon lange mit dem Gedanken aber kann mich nicht entscheiden ob 707 oder 696 und dann auch noch die Farbe :/ ... Aber das fast durchgängig positive Feedback zu Carbonda ist schon gut zu hören. Hoffe ich brauch nicht so lange zum Überlegen, als dass die Preise dann angepasst werden wenn ich zum Entschluss gekommen bin :D

[@thomaslmadsen3782]

Is it correctly spotted that you have a 160mm disc on the back (with adapter) ?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Yes! 160mm in the back with adapter.

[@ernestobargues4139]

Dear Simon, Greetings from Valencia (Spain) Please, could you tell me what colours have you choose for this frameset? White&black or Grey&Black? Looks awesome! Congrats for your excellent video.

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Hey Ernesto, Thank you very much! The colors are Grey (RAL7047) and Black (RAL9005)

[@PatriceDucourtioux]

Hi Simon, Are you still happy with your bike? Several months after the build, would you make different choices regarding certain parts? Thanks for your video, it was a great inspiration for me and I ordered a CFR696 to do a build based on the Ekar groupset.

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Hey Patrice, after almost one season of riding it I am still really really happy with the bike. The bike rides smooth on gravel with the 44mm ByWay tires and nice and fast on tarmac with the 28mm GP5000 tires. But of course I already switched some parts of the build and am planning to in the future but it's mostly due to personal preferences. The was only one part I really had to switch because it was crap: The chainrings of the ZRace crankset were made of soft aluminium 6xxx which made them bend under heavy load and caused several chaindrops while shifting (and scratches in the frame :( ) - I swapped them for Shimano ones made out of 7005 Aluminium and got no issues since then. The Crankset with the powermeter itself is flawless. I also swapped the 440mm gravel handlebar for 420mm road bars and the 110mm stem for 100mm. I would also invest more money in the wheelset and get a nice one from lightbycicle. That's basically it - still enjoying every ride :) Wishing you a lot of fun building and riding your bike! :)

[@simoneizenhofer856]

@@cc-000 The crankset and the powermeter are still working fine after about 7000km. I think the problem that @TraceVelo pointed out was that his axle was 24mm diameter made out of aluminium. Smaller axles like SRAM GXP or Shimano Hollowtech (Both 24mm) are normally made from steel. The ZRace crankset has a 28.99mm axle (like SRAM DUB) which means that it should be more on the safe side. One thing I don't like that much is, that there is no Preload-Adjuster-Ring like the original SRAM-DUB-Cranksets do have - so you have to use spacers to adjust the play of the axle which is a little bit fiddly. There is a crankset on Aliexpress "Senicx GR" which does have that preload adjuster. Seems to be quite decent (I think @TraceVelo uses this on his new gravel build). Maybe this could be an option to. Unfortunately I didn't do any research about chain catchers yet :/

[@fizzybubbelech]

I kind of a went WTF (in a good way) when I've seen the colours. This is EXACTLY (well 95%) the colour combo I was planning for my upcoming 696 build lol. Great build, fantastic video. Do you mind sharing the spec list? How does this ride? Are you happy with it?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Thank you very much! I really love riding it but I have to admit that 80% have been with road tyres on tarmac (using it as a road bike and gravel bike with two wheelsets) Here is a sheet with all the parts of the build (It's in German I'm sorry, but I hope it will help anyway!): docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18VpkH4FgnmS3lZgQh5a-m_-T9mZoCZHEsGhlc49EWqM/edit#gid=0

[@fizzybubbelech]

@@simoneizenhofer856 thanks! Good to know you're enjoying it. I'm planning to use this as a do-it-all bike to start with (built on SRAM Force1 HRD), with some 700c*40-42 tires. Then use this as a transition bike (w aero road disc wheels) between my current neo-retro Cannondale builds and something new-electronic-disc-road once I finally commit. Thanks for the parts list, much appreciated.

[@jonathanmeier4657]

@@simoneizenhofer856 Thanks for sharing this parts list! Compiling the last bits of my own build right now. It looks like you ran the shifter cables without housing internally through the frame. Did you need to buy any additional cable stoppers/frame plugs to seal the entry and exit points? If so, what size?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

@@jonathanmeier4657 Yes you're right, the cables are running without housing through the frame. I just used the caps that came with the shifting cables and did not put anything else in the frame to seal it. Never thought about something like that being nescesary. Shifting works flawless :)

[@jonathanmeier4657]

@@simoneizenhofer856 Awesome, thanks for sharing all this stuff!

[@michaelross4537]

Hi I have to agree with all the lovers of this video, your build is work of art so thank you. I realized the CFR696 is the exact same frame as the ICAN X-Gravel which I am about to build I don't know if the Carbonda ships with all the same parts. I must ask why you choose the Crane Creek 40 setup since I have not seen any Gravel bikes using this tech? 😎💯❤ btw Carbonda has much better colour options.

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Hey Michael, thank you very much! Carbonda is offering a headset for the frame, too but when I ordered the frame 1 year ago, there were some rumors that it's not the very best. That's why I went with the Cane Creek 40 headset - simple and reliable at a reasonable price. Read only good things about it :) (Meanwhile many people told that they are totally happy with the carbonda headset.) Wishing you so much fun building and riding your new home :)

[@michaelross4537]

Thank you for this additional info, I Figure there was a good reason so I researched a little bit on complete headsets, the Crane Creek 40 appears fit the quality checkbox Although. I was too quick to click the buy button before reading your reply . 🤔 So I now have the Cane Creek 40 headset I am wander if it is too small at least the large bearing race does not sit flush on the fork, did you did you use the original race from Carbonda?

[@michaelross4537]

I found my way to my friendly local bike shop and got them to install the Crane Creek crown race no drama 😆... your channel has so much useful information thanks again, 👍

[@alfred8754]

Super Video! Hat mich gerade dazu animiert mir selber mein erstes Fahrrad zusammen zu bauen. Darf ich Fragen was dich das Rad pi mal Daumen gekostet hat?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Hey Alfred, vielen Dank! Inkl. Versand und Zoll etwa 1750 €. Ich wünsche dir jede Menge Spaß und Erfolg mit deinem Rad Projekt :)

[@michaelh6949]

Hi Simon, tolles Video! Sehr viele nützliche Tipps für meinen 696 Aufbau. Ich hatte ursprünglich vor die Schaltkabel komplett mit Außenhüllen zu verlegen, aber das Thema kam die letzten Tage auch im MTB-Forum auf und anscheinend ist dies bei 2x11 nicht umsetzbar, drum bin ich froh, dass du es ohne komplette Hüllen verlegt hast und anscheinend keine Probleme hast. Ich hoffe nur, dass ich die richtige „Kappe“ mit den 2 kleinen Löchern erhalte 🤞🏼 Eine Frage hätte ich zu den Achsen. Warum hast du die ZTTO Achsen montiert? Sind die mitgelieferten nicht zu empfehlen? Dazu hatte ich bisher nichts gefunden? VG Michael

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Hey Michael, das freut mich sehr. Im Normalfall sind beide "Kappen" dabei - einmal für Züge mit Hüllen und einmal mit kleinem Loch nur für die Züge. :) Soweit ich das einschätze, sollte es aber ebenfalls möglich sein, alles komplett inkl. Hülle zu verlegen - auch bei 2x. Die Umwerfer aus der neuesten Generation (egal ob GRX, Ultegra oder 105) haben alle integrierte Anschlagspunkte. Ich meine irgendwo gelesen zu haben, dass die Steckachsen von Carbonda nicht so gut sein sollen, da die Öffnung in die man das Werkzeug steckt etwas zu weich ist. Es hat sich allerdings herausgestellt, dass Nutzer die da Probleme hatten, ihr Werkzeug nicht weit genug hineingesteckt haben und es deshalb "rundgedreht" wurde. Die Steckachsen sollte man ohne Probleme nutzen können.

[@michaelh6949]

@@simoneizenhofer856 Hi Simon, lustig dass du gerade antwortest. Mein Rahmen ist vor einer Stunde angekommen und ich hab gerade dein Video offen. Und natürlich habe ich zwei Einsätze mit großen Löchern… Gerade eben auch nochmal als Frage ins MTB Forum gestellt. Auf jeden Fall Danke für deine Rückmeldung!

[@luthfi-4032]

nice, iam very interesting to this frameset, because similiar like op3n up :)

[@paulwalker6153]

Beautiful build! Did you require a crown race on the steerer, or does the fork have an intergrated race?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Thanks Paul! You are right - a crown race was required (it came with the cane creek headset). I put it on the fork but forgot to film it :)

[@JörgMiller-i2y]

Hi Simon, welches cane creek Headset hast du gekauft ? War es ein komplett set und mit welchen Abmessungen ? Mir fehlt nur noch der passende Headset zum fertigen bike 🙂 danke liebe Grüße Jörg 😊

[@kle5701]

Can you tell me what is the white color that you use?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

The white is a light grey - RAL 7047

[@kle5701]

@@simoneizenhofer856 Thank you

[@lukas0suky]

what kind of tube you are putting in?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Those are "Schwalbe Aerothan". They advertise it as lightweight (which it actually is with 61g for a tube) with little rolling resistance and being robust at the same time. I thought i give it a try as I like the ride feeling of tubeless but I don't want to care about messing around with tubeless sealant everey 6 months.

[@yourrightiamwrong9643]

Cooles Rad, kostet das Rahmenset immer noch Um die 600 E?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Vielen Dank! Ja, denke wenn man selbst lackiert dann kommt der Preis inkl. Versand und Zoll etwa hin. Im MTB-News Forum findest du aktuelle Zahlen.

[@dfrolovXIII]

such a great cinematography! is that Fabric bar tape?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Hey Dmitriy thank you very much! The bar tape is a "ROSE Gel-Comfort handlebar tape" The tape feels and looks good so far.

[@dfrolovXIII]

@@simoneizenhofer856 thanks!

[@dscoduc]

Nice build. Out of curiosity, why did you go with a SRAM cassette with a Shimano chain?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Hey Chris, thank you! The two most important reasons for me: the SRAM cassette was available at the time of the build, while Shimano wasn't and SRAM offers an 11-36T 11 Speed cassette while Shimano only has 11-34T. I thought having that little bit easier gear on a gravel bike would be nice. (50-34 in the front) There are also some less important reasons: the SRAM cassette is a few grams lighter than 105 and I read about annoying chain rattling with some Shimano cassettes. But in the end I think both would have been great :)

[@davidalhoff7190]

I did not know one can combine these. Will you give a review?

[@dscoduc]

@@simoneizenhofer856 Great reasons indeed. I would only comment that shifting might be slighly smoother with the Shimano cassette because of how the chain is designed to work with the cassette. Cheers!

[@simoneizenhofer856]

@@davidalhoff7190 Yes, SRAM and Shimano chainrings, chains and cassettes are officially compatible - as long as they have the same speed.

[@simoneizenhofer856]

@@dscoduc Yes might be a great idea for the future to test it with a SRAM chain. Even though no problems with shifting so far, but did not ride more than 10 hours on the bike yet - so time will tell. :)

[@PatriceDucourtiouxHifimage]

Great job! Did you bought the frame directly from carbonda or there is a supplier in Europe?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

The Frame is directly from Carbonda. My experience with them was really good :)

[@christianvolgger2563]

Hallo, vielen Dank für das sehr gut gefilmte Video und die sehr gut illustrierte Montage. Es hat mich so inspiriert, dass ich mich nun selbst zu meinem eigenen Aufbau wage. Viel Spaß noch mit dem Rad! Schöne Grüße aus Südtirol @Simon Eizenhöfer ... eine Frage...hast Du die braunen Einzugshilfen für die Verkabelung der Gangschaltung entfernt oder belassen? ... hast du ein eigenes Hüllrohr innen verlegt oder ist bereits eines vorhanden und der Draht wird bereits geführt? frage mich nur was bei carbonda innen vorzusehen ist... vielen vielen Danken

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Hey Christian, vielen Dank für die netten Worte! :) Auf alle Fälle viel Spaß beim bauen und fahren deines Rads! Die Einzugshilfen habe ich entfernt, die sind tatsächlich nur als Hilfe für leichteres Einfädeln gedacht. Der Draht (Schaltzug) ist ohne weitere Hülle im Rahmen - es wird auch keine Hülle benötigt, da dieser ja gespannt ist - Quasi zwischen dem vorderen Anschlagspunkt an dem der Zug in den Rahmen geht bis unter das Tretlager wo er umgelenkt wird. Von dort "schwebt" er wieder bis zum hinteren Anschlagspunkt, an dem der Zug den Rahmen wieder verlässt und in der Schaltzughülle zum Schaltwerk läuft. Ich hoffe das ist nicht zu umständlich erklärt :) Es wäre theoretisch ebenfalls möglich den Schaltzug von vorne bis hinten durchgängig in der Schaltzughülle zu verlegen, dann muss jedoch das Plastikteil vorne am Rahmen getauscht werden. Das hat dann keinen Anschlag mit kleinem Loch, sondern einfach eine große Bohrung durch den der Schaltzug inkl. Hülle durch passt. Beide Varianten funktionieren prima!

[@timmaa6469]

Really nice build, zen like video :-) How is it riding?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Thank you Tim! Riding the bike feels really smooth :) I am using it with 28mm Conti GP 5000 on the road and 44mm WTB ByWay on Gravel and Road. Did about 700km so far, so no real long term experience yet - but time will tell :)

[@davidalhoff7190]

@@simoneizenhofer856 that screams for a follow up video. Please. Greetings from the Erzgebirge.

[@simoneizenhofer856]

@@davidalhoff7190 Yes, the idea is great! Maybe one day :)

[@moserbua]

Servus Simon, Hannes hier aus Österreich. Kam gestern über einen Freund auf diese 696 Selbstaufbausache. Kippe gerade voll hinein in das Thema ;) Wie lief das mit der Lackierung ab wie konntest Du hier Wünsche äußern ?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Hey Hannes, sehr cool, dass du auch auf den 696er Rahmen gestoßen bist! Macht nach etwa einem 3/4 Jahr immer noch mega Freude zu fahren. Das Fahrrad selbst aufzubauen sowieso :) Für die Lackierung habe ich einen Entwurf vom Design mitgeschickt, der dann richtig gut umgesetzt wurde. Das ist wirklich genial - vom Design herist quasi alles möglich, was man sich vorstellen kann :D Für den Entwurf kannst du dir zum Beispiel im Konfigurator von Ridley (Das Kanzo Adventure basiert auf dem 696er Rahmen) diverse Screenshots vom Rahmen machen und dann in Photoshop oder GIMP so bearbeiten wie du es gerne hättest. Hier der Link zum Konfigurator: www.ridley-bikes.com/de_DE/configurator/KANZOC Hoffe das hilft ein bisschen weiter! Falls du es noch nicht entdeckt hast: im MTB-News Forum gibt’s ein inzwischen ewig langes Thema zu dem Rahmen.

[@moserbua]

@@simoneizenhofer856 - waooou, vielen Dank für dieses ausführliche Feedback. In Österreich sagt man "Danke du bist ein Schatz" ;) Ridley, on One bikes, Storck - ich bin mittlerweile draufgekommen das sehr viele diesen Rahmen verwenden und ziemlich was draufhauen an Marge. Aber da mich deren Komponentenmix nicht so überzeugt glaube ich dich so wie vielen vielen Jahren wieder mal selber zu schrauben wie Du. Nochmals vielen Dank für Dein Feedback. LG

[@ddoshproduction]

Tolles Video Simon! Darf man fragen wieviel dich das gesamte Rad so gekostet hat? Bist du zufrieden mit dem Sattel? Grüsse aus der Schweiz!

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Hey Christoph, vielen Dank! Inkl. Versand und Zoll etwa 1750 €. Der Sattel ist bei Fahrten bis 3 Stunden sehr angenehm - länger hab ich ihn allerdings noch nicht getestet. Ob sich ein Sattel gut anfühlt ist am Ende aber ohnehin höchst individuell. Sagen kann ich auf alle Fälle: Er fühlt sich für mich gut an, sieht gut aus, wirkt stabil und gut verarbeitet und ist mit 130g auch angenehm leicht.

[@ddoshproduction]

@@simoneizenhofer856 danke simon. Will mir dies auch als Projekt einplanen... Sattel hab ich mal bestellt, kost ja nicht viel :-)

[@mczoom]

Just wanted to glance really quick before sleep and stuck hypnotized till the end of the video :) Bike porn at it`s best!

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Nice, thank you! :)

[@huawei755]

**fap fap fap**

[@theshurken]

Nice👍

[@sprousaTM]

Interessehalber, welche Farbe ist das weiss? Video ist echt super !

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Hey vielen Dank! Das Weiß ist eigentlich Grau (Telegrey 4 - RAL 7047) und wirkt je nach Umgebungshelligkeit heller oder dunkler. Wenn man das Rad in echt vor sich stehen hat, erkennt man aber eigentlich immer, das es Grau ist :)

[@testalino]

Sehr schönes Aufbauvideo und das Rad gefällt mir auch gut :). Die Farbe wirkt bei Minute 3:00 wie ein leichtes Off-White, was mir sehr gut gefallen würde. Entspricht das in etwa der Wirklichkeit oder wirkt die Farbe auf Video etwas anders? Unten ist einfach "Schwarz" oder?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Hey vielen Dank! Du hast recht, je nach Helligkeit der Umgebung wirkt das Rad tatsächlich unterschiedlich. Mal eher Weiß, mal eher Grau. Der Rahmen ist in "Telegrey 4 - RAL 7047" und "Jet Black - RAL 9005" lackiert.

[@ozc1106]

Great build! Did you use the expander that carbonda sent?

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Thank you! I didn't read too many good things about the carbonda expander so I decided to use a Ritchey Expander: www.bike-components.de/en/Ritchey/WCS-Headset-Expander-p21261/ There is also a Expander by Deda which is really long, that might be a good option (have never used it myself): www.bike24.com/p2248470.html

[@ramirocotarelo5646]

Dude awesome vid! great Music. very clean, my guy. Did you do the paintjob too? and how do you order those frames to D-Land? LG aus FFM (069)

[@simoneizenhofer856]

Thank you! The paintjob was done by carbonda - I doubt that I would have been able to do it myself that good. I went with a glossy finish, because from other customers experience, the glossy painting is much more durable than a matte finish. You can order the frame directly via the Carbonda web page - import taxes are prepaid. You can find all the information needed here: www.mtb-news.de/forum/t/carbonda-gravel-carbonrahmen-aus-china.893336/

[@usranger175]

Not to be wierd but you last name is mine... My great grandparents changed it after they got here.

[@gillesjohn3072]

what is the clamping value for the seat tube on this frame? thanks