FM936 - Last Review - Watch before you buy!

This is my last video on the Carbonda - I promise :)
I wanted to show what I don't like about the bike. There are several key things I am not a fan of and think it's useful to tell potential buyers. It's still a great bike, but it needs some refining.
Similar bike to the Vitus Rapids and NS Synonym! Check it out
#carbonda #29r #mtb #vitus #ns

[@RejuTheMojo9823]

Good review 👍🏼 One thing I can say is that after ordering, building and riding several FM1001, and FM1002 frames (Carbonda) many hundreds of miles all over the roughest terrain of east Tn & western Nc… every negative that you’ve mentioned here about the FM936 is not so with these others. Seriously we are loving them, especially for the money, and beating the crap out of them while enjoying the benefits of more modern geometry! I set the FM1001 up with a 150mm Lyrik Ultimate fork & Super D Ultimate shock. I’ve also set up the FM1002 with 160mm fork. Oh, and you can easily slide lightweight foam pieces down into the frame with the fork removed just fyi.

[@brokenspokesMTB]

Oh heck yeah! That 1001 looked really appealing for a trail bike. Glad to hear that the 1002/1001 are worth it for you. Thanks for the view!

[@timclopp]

Hey man your 1st and 2nd videos gave me the confidence to get my own FM936 last winter! Really appreciated the ride impressions etc and now I'm thinking about getting the FM1002 as a 150/150 aggressive trail bike! I've been on my FM936 since December and have a couple notes as well if you or anyone else is interested: Pros- paint job for an extra $120 is worth in my opinion, the color and finish looks great. No chipping or scratches in ~25 rides so far Cons- Reach is weird for sure, I'm on a S frame when I'm usually on M I've had trouble with climbing traction, might be my shock setup Rear brake rotor MAY be a max of 160mm which is what I have. I don't think I could fit a 180mm spacer into the rear triangle Upside down shock means you can't reach knobs while riding. Definitely a mud accumulation zone under the shock Angle of the seat tube means you can't fit a super long dropper in, but that's the case with most bikes Other- I haven't had cable rattle but I built the bike with Jagwire housing damper which is cheap and effective. I haven't had chain slap but I installed a lizard skin frame protector there I haven't had frame contact in the rear but my shock is 40mm stroke so I have a little less travel Cheers!

[@brokenspokesMTB]

DUDE!!! THAT'S AWESOME. I totally agree with all your points, thanks for dropping them in the comments. One commenter on here suggested getting the shock revalved for the bike, that might be an option for the lack of traction you're mentioning.

[@rip.tear.]

You'd get more views if you listed the other bike companies that use this frame like Vitus/NS...etc, good stuff though!

[@brokenspokesMTB]

Really appreciate it, thanks for the comment and feedback. Let's give it a try!

[@rip.tear.]

@@brokenspokesMTB Yeah it's good quality well presented content, there's only one review out there for the Vitus Rapide FS for example

[@brokenspokesMTB]

@@rip.tear. really appreciate it. Trying to use yt as a sounding board and learning some video editing along the way

[@toine.overbeek]

Nice to see a video showing the disadvantages. Regarding the shock bottom outs, how many volume reducers are you putting in there? At this amount of travel, the amount of progression in the linkage will always be limited, but you can help it with a smaller positive air chamber. Also, the frame was designed for 165x40 shocks, so I'm not surprised you are hitting the seattube with the rear fork. At full compression, the bottomout bumper will always compress a few millimeters to bridge that gap. So buyers should be aware that 165x42.5mm shocks are really the limit of this frame.

[@brokenspokesMTB]

Thanks for checking it out! I have the maximum amount of volume reducers in the Deluxe, I want to say 3 of the little pucks? That's going off memory but I know that I looked into adding more but already maxed that puppy out. You're totally correct that small travel frames can only have so much progression, my broader point being that if a certain component can fit in there, it ought to be able to w/out causing damage. While the frame is designed around a 40mm stroke, putting a 42.5 shouldn't cause damage in the event a mistake was made putting that shock stroke on there. I'm definitely trying to emphasize that 42.5mm is the limit and it does have consequences.

[@toine.overbeek]

​@@brokenspokesMTB In your case I would imagine it would be interesting to add more support in the shock by increasing the damping tune. I'm assuming you currently have a M/M tune on there, which is realistic for a leverage ratio of 100:40. By increasing it to a H/M tune, the damping should slow down the compression stroke. You can also replace one of the bottomless tokens with a 'gnar dog' token, which has the volume of 2,5 normal tokens. Search for product# 11.4118.051.002

[@brokenspokesMTB]

Dude! I've never looked at updating the dampening tune of the shock. Looking into it, I believe it's totally doable. Thank you a ton for this and I definitely thought that the gnar dog was equivalent to 2 taken. Thanks a ton for the suggestion! You must be a suspension wizard or something. Here's the link if anyone wants some ideas: www.sram.com/globalassets/document-hierarchy/tuning-manuals/rockshox-rear-shock-piston-tuning-guide.pdf

[@Vempire123]

Best and most fun bike I ever had.

[@brokenspokesMTB]

Heck yeah, super glad to hear it! I often see the frame hanging on my garage wall and think longingly at how much fun it was haha!

[@Vempire123]

@@brokenspokesMTB It was great with 120/110mm. I converted it to 120mm in the rear and put a 130mm Pike in front and now its my dreambike.

[@brokenspokesMTB]

@@Vempire123 Converted it to 120... tell me more...

[@tomalbert3299]

Thanks for your thorough and honest review! I'm actually looking for a frame just like this and did some research already. I found that this frame actually now comes with a redesigned rocker wich you are able to buy extra. So before you look for another frame you might like to try the rocker which is designed to take a shock up to 165x45 in order to get 120mm of travel and up to 130 front. Another option might be to swap rocker and chainstays with the icans. Please keep us updated about your decisions 🙂! Btw. I'm 6.1 and unsure whether M or L would suit better. 475mm reach is already the limit of what I would like to have, but I suspect the overall length of the effective top tube is a little short for my liking since the seat angle is so steep.

[@brokenspokesMTB]

Thanks a ton for this. Really glad my goal of informing people has helped a bit. Your comment also makes me realize I need to do a carbonda update video... there's been so much good chatter on how to improve the bike for the riding style! I'll add it to the list of videos in the que. Regarding the bike size, I'm a big fan of sizing down if you're in between. I love the feeling of riding the bike rather than hanging on for the 'plow'. That's my take but totally understand not everyone is in my camp (read all pink bike sizing discussions) or if the riding style you're after doesn't tailor to that approach. Keep me updated and I'll get a carbonda update video in the works!

[@Speedy.V]

Use some retaining compound for that issue that you have with the bolt. Use a retaining compound that is able to take the stress. Probably medium to heavy strength.

[@williammorris4419]

Resale value is actially a non issue often.. because rhe frame itself is less than a grand new.. and if you build up a new frame, you can use the components from this bike,, like the wheels and crank and fork if those are expensive items. Your sale of just the frame is maybe 400 -500 bucks maximum.. so you can buy a new frame and have another fun project and good performance bike with what you make for the sale of that frame plus a few hundred bucks.

[@brokenspokesMTB]

Thanks for the view!! Resale is something to consider, I might value it more than others, but it's a consideration. On top of that, selling a non branded bike as a frame is going to be tough to do. IMO, people who know what components they need typically would rather spend an extra few hundred (as you alluded to in the sub 1k frame price) on a new frame than risk it on a used bike like this. In the end, it was a $1000 experiment that I absolutely loved and most of the components live on with the bike I replaced it with. Thanks again for the view and I may take advantage of all these sales and get the ole Carbonda up and running again this winter!

[@sean_lundy]

Your videos are a great help. Could you please tell me what height you are and what length rear axle did you get? thanks.

[@brokenspokesMTB]

1.5 x 178 - thought I included that. Wolftooth PN AXLE12-178-150

[@sandertakkenberg1197]

damn this is a thorough breakdown! what is your height and inseam for reference to the bike size? i must say looking at your riding style and prefered bike of choice (the big bike), you ask the most of it from what i have seen!

[@brokenspokesMTB]

Thanks man! Yeah, pretty sure decency and common sense has left my riding on this bike. Working on getting a new trail frame to swap these parts to. Thanks again for checking it out

[@williammorris4419]

Wont the additi9n of more air reduce the bottoming out problems? Yes at a a cost (harder ride) but going up in air pressure seems logical to me

[@brokenspokesMTB]

Excellent suggestion! However the root cause of the bottom outs was just riding the bike harder than it was designed to do unfortunately. Going up in pressure took away from the excellent ride feel for the other 99% of the ride. In the end, it just wasn't the best bike for my riding style or area. Loved it when I had it built up!!!

[@hrbrchenko]

Actually adding some volume reducers fixed the problem for me. It's still sensitive for small bumps but much harder to bottom out on bigger features.

[@discountrally]

I bought a chiner FS frame maybe 8 years ago. It was fine except it had a lot of lateral play. The frame had many more pivot points than this 909. Just wondering if this frame is feels stiff and if you've had any pivot bushing issues?

[@brokenspokesMTB]

Frame felt stiff enough for its design intent. As soon as you push it hard, especially in bermed corners, the frame flex is noticeable, it’s not a bad thing though. No pivot issues that I can recall

[@toine.overbeek]

How is that handlebar working out for you? Just an FYI... Carbonda now offers a different rocker link to allow 165x45 shocks to be used for 120mm travel. Most of that new travel is added at topout though, so the dynamic ride height should be a bit higher

[@brokenspokesMTB]

Handlebar works great. It’s super stiff so I switched to a foam ESI grip for my hands to fight the ringing. But functionally it’s light and does the trick! Good to know about the link!

[@Kactusdog]

Got any further info or quotes on that? That's crazy.

[@brokenspokesMTB]

@@Kactusdog I cruised through Carbonda's website and didn't see anything either

[@Kactusdog]

@@brokenspokesMTB Hey btw, do you know the shock tune on your rear shock? I have a M Rebound, L Compression 142.5. Haven't tested it yet. I think it feels good so far from my driveway riding!

[@brokenspokesMTB]

@@Kactusdog I don’t, I got the shock of PB buy/sell and never checked. Another commenter Tione mentioned that a few weeks ago. Sounds like something to check out for my consistent bumper smashing! Glad yours feels good tho! Hopefully the weather works for you to get out and smash some laps on it 🤘

[@user-co7mx7yo8u]

Thank you for your evaluation。I also want to buy one

[@brokenspokesMTB]

Glad you enjoyed! Let me know if you have any other questions!

[@rehview]

Have you tried zip ties around the cables/hoses in your frame to stop the rattling?

[@brokenspokesMTB]

I haven’t!! Is that a pro move I don’t know about?

[@jleau89]

the fm1001 might be more for you

[@brokenspokesMTB]

Oh yeah, that looks like such a rowdy frame. I went a different direction but did end up with a trail bike and am much happier on it. Carbonda wasn't bad at all, it just wasn't for my riding style. I still have the frameset, might still build it back up for a more xc riding scene if I go that direction. Thanks for the comment!