Carbonda 696 (Flybike FM696) Gravel Bike Build

Mullet Mondays presents: The Carbonda 696... finally.
Sorry, my frame is a size 56, not a size 54. I am an idiot.
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[@johnathanlee9748]

Man of your word. Came straight from your frame cut in half video.

[@johnnycab8986]

Pretty sure Ridley rebranded this frame for the 2020 Kanzo Adventure models.

[@blackdidi]

I own CFR505. No complain except BB386. Great video!

[@WeRideSouth]

You don't like the BB386? I've always heard good things about it

[@everettearmstrong2826]

I personally like the "2019 LEADER 735 with Carbon Aero Seat Post'

[@WeRideSouth]

haven't heard of that one.

[@caseycronkright9808]

I got mine and have it all assembled except the rear derailleur cable. You’re supposed to remove the plastic tube guides that come with the frame, right?

[@radosawlangner7293]

Hey, I have quite similar Carbonda frameset at assemble right now. Can I know how did you route the derailleur cables inside? I mean there is small hook inside the bottom bracket and I am concerned is the cable should go on this with housing, or without? Regards

[@WeRideSouth]

Hello! The rear derailleur cable housing should terminate at the head tube. If you ran housing all the way through, you likely put it in the brake hole of the mounting piece that goes into the frame. The RD terminates at the head tube and runs without housing into the cable tracks under the derailleur and then out through the drive side chain stay where it will need more housing.

[@timothydoyle8269]

Hey just to clarify- So you ran the shifter cables through the internally routed guides, then removed the internal guides and only used the cable housing at the internal exit points to the RD/FD and similarly for housing from both shifters to the cable stops on the downtube? I am currently building a carbon frame which I believe is built by the same manufacture because i have the exact same internal routing guides for shifter/braking (bombtrack hook ext c). I have been unsure exactly if I am to keep the internally routed guides in the frame or remove them after installing the cables. Thanks

[@WeRideSouth]

@@timothydoyle8269 I remove the guides that come with the frame.

[@timothydoyle8269]

@@WeRideSouth thank you

[@yourrightiamwrong9643]

i think a camo paint job would look good on that frame

[@vongdong10]

Do you think this frameset can take a 55c tyre? Carbonda says it takes a 50x700c max but the geometry on the CFO606 fork shows it can take a 54mm tyre with 5mm left on each side from what i can understand of their picture.

[@WeRideSouth]

I have yet to try anything larger than a 35. The width is also dictated by the inner width of your rim. If you have a narrow inner width it will make a 50c tire expand out. My calipers measure about 64mm total on the fork and about 70mm on the rear frame.

[@vongdong10]

@@WeRideSouth Fantastic. That's plenty of room to play with!

[@MrRichirumba]

Bring the mullet back!!!!!

[@WeRideSouth]

Lolol one day!

[@wibe3778]

Awesome video! Would love to know your thought process behind choosing this size (54/56-> unboxing vid)? I'm planning on buying the frame and doubting between size 54 or 56. I'm leaning towards a (little) more agressive setup (I'm 182,5cm/inseam 86/wingspan 189). What would you recommend? Thanks alot!

[@WeRideSouth]

Thanks! The size 54 Carbonda more closely resembles my size 56 Light Carbon, the only difference is a slightly shorter stack height on the Carbonda. I eventually want to get more aggressive in my setup as I work on my flexibility.

[@antiman1677]

I’ve got pretty much EXACTLY the same measurements and I ride a size 56 696 and am super happy with it!

[@wibe3778]

@@WeRideSouth Okay! Interesting. What's your size? Note: In the unboxing vid, you indicated that the frame was a 56. It's a 54 in this video, is it a mistake? Thanks again!

[@WeRideSouth]

@@wibe3778 sorry I'm losing my mind. The LC is a size 58 and the Carbonda is a 56. You're right. The video is wrong.

[@wibe3778]

@@antiman1677 Thanks! So why did you choose 56? I've heard the stack of the 56 is on the high side. That's the main point that keeps me doubting, some say 56 is good others say go for 54....

[@hectorortega5]

Greetings Andrew, great Carbonda video. Thanks to you I want a 696 now. My height is 5'10 what size frame you recommend I get? Thanks in inadvance.

[@WeRideSouth]

Greetings, I'm glad I was able to help you make a decision! As for size, that's a tough question to answer and it definitely shouldn't be determined solely on your height. If you can, I would highly recommend going to a bike fitter and tell them what your intentions are with the frame you are looking to purchase and they can tell you what geometry you need to look for after doing a physical assessment. If you're not able to do this, I would find a bike that you are currently comfortable on (drop bar, not a mtb) and check the measurements on it and get the size 696 closest to that. If you don't have one you can go up to your local bicycle shop and just test ride something in the ball park of your size (based on height and inseam) and then look up the geometry online and go that route. It's probably not the answer you're looking for, but I hope that helps!

[@hectorortega5]

@@WeRideSouth Hi Andrew, thanks for the information. Greatly appreciated.

[@WeRideSouth]

@@hectorortega5 good luck on your build and let me know how it turns out!

[@mileslamberson3992]

Thoughts on this compared to your LightCarbon bike? I'd been looking at the Carbonda 696 (or potentially their new 707) but also just saw that LC has the LG071-D, which seems to be a good 696 contender, with better clearance than the LC LG010 frame, nice internal cable routing, and a few other features that have me interested. Based on your original build, and your new build of the Carbonda, if the geo/specs of the frames were the same, which company would you recommend in terms of price/customer service/quality/experience?

[@WeRideSouth]

That's a tough one. The LC is a pretty solid frame. I had great customer service with LightCarbon and Carbonda on both. I'd go with the one that had the features that you like the most; however, I do want to mention my latest venture with Carbonda hasn't been the best. I ordered a set of wheels from them almost 8 weeks ago. Communication has been terrible and after 6 weeks of no shipment tracking I reached out to Wing and he responded that something had happened to the shipment of wheel hoops and that they were going to upgrade me to a deeper wheel for no charge. (I wanted lightweight shallow wheels for climbing). Once I agreed to the new deeper wheels I then had to email several times to figure out when the new replacements were coming and he said it would be several weeks before they could build them. It's now been 8 weeks and I still haven't received any tracking. Some others have mentioned delays with Carbonda as well.

[@mileslamberson3992]

That is really great to know. Just based off of preliminary emailing, I've been slightly more impressed by LC, though it does seem that they can't accommodate the same level of customization folks talk about with Carbonda (namely painting). A Chinese carbon wheelset is likely on the horizon for me as well. Any reason you went Carbonda rather than LC or Light Bicycle?

[@WeRideSouth]

@@mileslamberson3992 I have a set of LC wheels. I have a video on those pn my channel somewhere. They have been absolutely bomb proof and I love them. I wanted to try a set from Carbonda after enjoying the 696 framset from them. That was the only reason I bought a set from Carbonda. In the end it's just the hoops that are either LC or Carbonda. I typically get the DT Swiss 350 hubs and the Sapim CX-Ray spokes with my builds. I don't go with Light Bicycle as they are generally higher cost.

[@williammarshall4277]

Thanks for the video...well done. What was your total cost?

[@WeRideSouth]

I think I'm right around $3500. Most of the cost is in the dual sided power meter and the Hambini BB.

[@williammarshall4277]

@@WeRideSouth, I’m going to buy this frame but am super confused on which size to purchase. I’m 54 and am now 5’7.5 (yeah, I fing shrank!) I’m not the most flexible guy in the world. And Is it me or do the gravel frames seem more stretched out than traditional road frames? The reach, visually, looks very long. I’m thinking a 52 is the right answer. I have a 2020 stumpy s3(m) and I enjoy the extra room but I don’t think that would be the case with a gravel bike where staying in good riding position for long stretches is optimal. Thoughts?

[@WeRideSouth]

@@williammarshall4277 in theory gravel bikes should have a shorter reach than road bikes to provide a more upright position for comfort on longer rides; however, not all manufacturers create frames equally. If you know a gravel geometry that you are already comfortable on I would match that up as closely as possible to the Carbonda frame. If you have the money and a fitter near by they usually offer a cheaper service for new bike purchase. I don't think your mountain bike geometry is going to transfer. Also you could go to a vendor website like Specialized and get your size on a Diverge (or similar gravel bike) and then take that size geometry and match it up with the Carbonda to get their sizing.

[@williammarshall4277]

@@WeRideSouth, thanks a ton.

[@pierrex3226]

Interesting videos. How has the bike been holding up, do you plan to do a long term review or something?

[@WeRideSouth]

It has been great and is still my main bike. I definitely want to do some kind of review when I get some free time.

[@pierrex3226]

@@WeRideSouth looking fwd

[@cyclecyclecycle]

Well done, nice bike! I assume the Uno stem weight came down because of titanium screws? Did you order with them?

[@WeRideSouth]

It did, it's actually even lighter since I switch to the 100mm stem as well. I didn't order the stem with them, I think I just picked up a set on Amazon.

[@lukas0suky]

carbonda 696 is BSA according to their website, have you asked for different BB?

[@WeRideSouth]

I requested mine wit with a BB86.

[@lukas0suky]

@@WeRideSouth Nice! I am waiting for my frame now, cant wait to build and ride it. Lets us know how does it work for you

[@WeRideSouth]

@@lukas0suky will do. I have a race coming up on the 27th I plan to put it to the test.

[@jonathanmeier4657]

@@WeRideSouth Looking at picking up this frame. It looks sick! How did it race?

[@WeRideSouth]

@@jonathanmeier4657 it raced great, especially in the bad conditions it cleared mud really well.

[@mortifer07]

Hi ! Which kind of free hub do you have on you DT 350 ? Road or Mtb ? I heard a road freehub could both fit road and mtb cassette (mtb cassette need a spacer). i''m planing to build a set and wondering about that...thank's

[@WeRideSouth]

Shimano road 11sp

[@mortifer07]

@@WeRideSouth thank's 😉

[@DonToye]

So how do you like this frame after a month of owning it?

[@WeRideSouth]

I love the frame. My only complaint is that there is no built in rear brake tube in the frame and my brake housing has been rattling up a storm inside the frame. I need to create a permanent fix for it.

[@DonToye]

@@WeRideSouth there's that much slack? Damn must be annoying. Zip ties around the cable perhaps? Kinda like how the Di2 wiring is set up...

[@WeRideSouth]

@@DonToye I was thinking just that, or a thick wrap of electrical tape around the exterior of the tube once I pull it tight

[@KnobleKnives]

@@WeRideSouth Yeah, about the rattling, would encasing the brake line on the interior in some pool noodle foam maybe dampen the rattling?

[@bikepacking330]

So Good bike

[@fukairen9601]

never clamp on top tube. Install seatpost and clamp on it.

[@WeRideSouth]

Never say never

[@mortifer07]

Hi thank's for video! Do you absolutely need carbonda headset, or easy to find an other one ? Thank's

[@WeRideSouth]

You can use any IS 42/52 headset.

[@mortifer07]

@@WeRideSouth thank's ! I was searching by "1 1/8 - 1 1/2" and didn't find ;)

[@Gyikhuszar88]

Why mechanical disks? :(

[@WeRideSouth]

The shifters for hydro just aren't in the budget at the moment. I'm also curious to see what Shimano comes out in the 12 speed department.

[@Gyikhuszar88]

@@WeRideSouth I see. Other interesting thing: I have the same frame in size 54 with GRX 1x11, and it is just a little bit under 10 kilograms :(. A gravel bike close to 8 kilos is very nice.

[@WeRideSouth]

@@Gyikhuszar88 I think I save a lot of the weight in the wheelset. I bought these from Light Carbon for about 539$ before shipping and all that. They have been bomb proof. I have another video in the works where I tear down the Light Carbon bike and go over all of the parts and how they stood up against the mileages I put on them.

[@Tethysmeer]

@@WeRideSouth where did you find that for 539? With dt swiss?

[@WeRideSouth]

@@Tethysmeer I bought them from LightCarbon.com. you can also buy them from Carbonda as well.

[@front_man001]

you probably want to cut the shifting/brake cables before you go out riding

[@WeRideSouth]

no way! I can hang some streamers off of them so I can ride in style.