TriFox X18, 6 months later - Is this Chinese frame even viable?

[@Hambini]

Quite a few of those frames had the steering fault that you describe. It transpired they were shipping an MHP16 bearing with the bike. It should have been an MHP16H8 the latter is a 1mm thicker at 8mm rather than 7mm. That cured the problem. I don't think that was ever communicated that well.

[@Hambini]

Oh and their wheels that came last time to me were garbage.

[@TraceVelo]

That makes ALOT of sense actually. I definitely didn't need to remove 1mm from the bottom of the spacer to clear the frame, but a bearing with a slightly greater width would have solved this problem from the outset, great insight!!!

[@abedfo88]

I've seen enough bad reviews and comments on trifox through the years. Definitely steer clear.

[@WH2X]

Actually it has 8mm and 7mm uppper is 8mm & 7mm on lower. I installed the other way around thinking they are same size after checking the bearing it comes with 8mm and 7mm which is need to be install as per instruction 8mm upper and 7mm lower after that no more rubbing

[@yazidyusop]

​@@WH2Xahh this should be highlighted...

[@julianpritzwald-stegmann9766]

Raising babies/kids never gets easier, it just gets different. Keep up the good work!

[@simonsaville9962]

TriFox? More like 'TriFix'!

[@skissskiss4957]

😂😂

[@yspegel]

nice one 🤣

[@johnnyboy4711]

Luke love the content but why oh why do you give these companies a 2nd and 3rd chance? Trifox and ltwoo come to mind.Most folks don't have the time to faff with these components as you do.and let's be honest some are not as cheap as reputable brandsthis coming from someone who has a lexon GFX gravel frame and two sets of elite wheels. Zero confidence in ltwoo electronic from your excellent reviews. Sensah all the way. Any review on wheeltop edx? Keep up the great content.

[@TraceVelo]

So this is a fair comment. The reason I come back to these, is that I want to give them a decent shakedown. Ignoring them for the sake of it is foolish IMO. TriFox, and L-TWOO for that matter, arn't going anywhere so I try to keep people informed and help them make better decisions. I really tried my best with this episode to be completely balanced and transparent, because frankly, the bike is performing really well, but as you might have seen there were quite a few issues I had to overcome to get to this point. Covering stuff like this is important to me, because I know that if I was in the market for a budget carbon frame, with the prices they offer, TriFox would be incredibly appealing. Plus many of the issues I faced are applicable to other frames out there, and it also helps me with comparisons to other frames in the future. Ultimately there are a multitude of reasons I cover stuff like this, but at the end of the day, I try to make it entertaining and interesting. Little bit long winded, but hope that makes sense...

[@johnnyboy4711]

@@TraceVelo appreciate it Luke

[@janeblogs324]

They're paying you right?

[@pierrex3226]

Flexy frame! I'm building my 8th Chinese bike in 2y, the 9th is on the way. It's not for everyone. The FD rivet shenanigans especially. Everything else i'd say would be fine for me and my friends (I build bikes for my friends). I have a 3d printer and stopped counting the shims, tools and things i've designed and printed to help here and there. I'm printing a BB tool right now, and printed various shims for steerers precisely so that plastic doesnt rub on the frame at the steerer/fork. For me all this is fine. But it's not for everyone. And none of this makes the frames dangerous or unsafe to ride. And all of the BB & bearing holes on all my frames have been round. But people who prefer buying Specialized & Time frames should keep doing that. People are different. I actually enjoy the troubleshooting and the grind. Although the 9 bikes frames i've been building are more expensive than Trifox.

[@baddiedu]

Totally agree - not dangerous and not for everyone. The advantages of buying new/from a brand name are convenience mostly.

[@SkillerAnexo]

Quite interesting to hear your way about fixing these problems. I’m currently on the edge of buying a cheap carbon frame off aliexpress. Which brands are you recommending? Also, I would be interested to see which things you constructed with your printer. Sending kind regards

[@pierrex3226]

@@SkillerAnexo we can chat if you want, by insta or email or whatever. I'm happy to share my experience, I'm a contrarian. The more people say Chinese carbon sucks, the more I dive into it :) if you tell me how to contact you, happy to.

[@johnp8092]

You’re right! You have to love looking for value for money and fixing the inherent issues as they arise. Just like Luke. I’m like you. I love it! I’m on my 3rd build, 2 x road, 1 x gravel conversion and lots of smaller retro fits and accessories. I like the LTWOO groupsets and ICAN frames ie. Triaero. Winspace,& Yoleo look good too. Keep on rockin contrarians 🤙

[@jkspcoy]

Your dead right got the exact same frame and zero issues so far been riding it six months, Sensah empire group set works fine once FD swapped out, juin tech brakes fitted zero issues. Would deffo do it again

[@rlake13]

Once you have kids, you never sleep well again. 🦃💨

[@yspegel]

Biggest problem is, if you have all these issues that are visible..... You can't trust what's not visible.

[@hankamania]

Is the rear spacing actually 148mm? Like you need a Boost hub? I've not seen any Boost spaced gravel (let alone road) bikes, but saying "half a cm too wide" sounds remarkably like it's Boost.

[@TheBRad704]

That could actually be an awesome mistake for me (if i bought one) because I’ve got an extra set of Elite Drive 6 wheels in 148.

[@whitebeardcycles]

Regression doesn't stop until they're about 1+ mate. Even then it's not a given you won't be up at some point in the night. I'm afraid as I told a new dad at work, it's suck it up time buddy!😫😂

[@01FozzyS]

Glad to hear baby and mom are in good health and baby is growing,Luke! As another father that went through that some eons ago, just hang in there. You'll get used to it and then before you know it, she's a teen. lol

[@junkandcrapamen]

And then the real stress begins.

[@01FozzyS]

@@junkandcrapamen Ssssshhhhh!!! 🤣

[@matthewavignonpetersen5893]

Cheers Luke, amazing video. Have a three-year-old and eight-month-old and the sleep regressions are the most challenging part of parenting in these early years. My best survival tip (not “advice” because there’s nothing you can do to control the timing or length of these things) is to get as much sleep as you can, whenever you can. That may cut into early evening “after the kids are asleep” plans but if you know you’re going to be up hourly, might as well start your rest early to get a little bit of shut-eye. Hang in there buddy!

[@jake.wreggy6703]

Hey Luke, have you seen the new wheeltop EDS TX electronic groupset. Crazy affordable price and offers rim and disc brake. I was just wondering if you might be checking it out in a future video? A great competitor to the LTwoo ERX I think…if it’s any good and doesn’t give up the will to live by looking at it wrong 🤣

[@biamarconchi]

Being a dad of two men (34 and 33) only one was a nightmare with sleeping, the other was really good. Don't worry... other issues with kids will be more concerning. Things even out over time. Just love your baby and listen to what the mom tells you todo ;-) Looks like for a little more $ might get you a better frame than trifox.

[@SyLens1]

Really looking forward to that OG-evkin frameset video!

[@paulmorrison30]

Having a newborn is like having your regular day job while pulling a nightshift in between 🤷🏾‍♂️. It does get easier when you’re dead 😂

[@Vixen1525]

9:00 I might sound very inexperienced but I think there are spacers or something to make axles work in "wider" frames or ones, where they don't properly fit for cassettes too. Maybe that could help, but I am no professional and maybe that sounds pretty bad from. I am sorry if that does not help you...

[@JeremyDawesJezweb]

You can sleep a full night again without interruption in a few years 😅 🥖🥖🥖🥖🍼🍼🍼🍼🍼

[@MrMartinSchou]

Get a big box of disposable ear plugs and take turns with them. That way you can get a decent night's sleep every other night, and instead of it being one parent always taking care of the kid at night, you're sharing the pain.

[@TraceVelo]

Yeah I have some earplugs in the post actually 🤣

[@DiabloMiles]

150$ more gets you a Lightcarbon, wich is equal with the top brands out there.

[@hopoebird2156]

Hey Luke! I’m considering building an endurance road bike, and I initially looked into Canyon bikes, but their prices seem a bit steep (in my opinion). Do you have any recommendations for aluminum frames from China? I don’t have any experience with carbon bikes. Keep up the great content!

[@hisdadjames4876]

Super sense of balance in the Trifox evaluation. Thanks. 👏🏼👏🏼

[@23paulmag]

Been a mid term length subscriber and love the videos, never going to be brave enough to buy and build but really enjoy the information. Congrats on the new addition and like others have said there really is no manual but we found adding in a bottle every now and again helped as our daughters put on weight. Was much easier to make sure they were getting X ml of milk. Other than that it’s just your luck 😅

[@corrado9076]

That extra wide dropouts could be 148mm boost spacing by mistake

[@TheRozzers]

Always look forward to your vids Luke. Btw, my 22yr old daughter STILL gives me sleepless nights so sorry to be the bearer of bad news 🥖🥖

[@sef4609]

Have you considered Elves on your list of potential frames?

[@rascal1234]

Strange I did not see my comment in the positive file. But my comment was positive. I do have a MFM100 full suspension MTB from Trifox. It compares closely to the Scott Spark RC. I built it up with premimum Fox suspension (115x120mm), Fox dropper, Sram deraileur , Trifox flat bars and ICann rims. I race XC with the bike, as well as use it for training. Held up very well for the past 3 years with no issues. A freind of mine also got one and concurs with my experience. Maybe the MTB frames are better?

[@StringerBell50]

Same here.

[@victoryac1480]

Hello Luke!!! I've been following you for a long time!! I love your videos!! I recently bought a trifox frame like yours. I'm very happy, but I have a problem with the rear brake caliper... They put a washer on the outside to center it, at home it doesn't rub anything, but when I go on long routes, I get home and the wheel is slightly braked , since the disc rubs against the brake caliper. could you help me? A photo or something similar would help me!!! Thank you very much from Spain!

[@TraceVelo]

Hey, drop me an email with a picture/video showing the issue, and I'll see if I can help! [e-mail]

[@jedunboxing4127]

I got gravel bike frame from china and its about 300 us dollars and its all plug and play ,I have assembled everything on my own, and its 1year now and no issues, its a cheap brand called Twitter,its sold all over here in the Philippines

[@ChristianMazariegos-u8o]

Same here! Just built a road bike with the Sniper Pro 2.0 frame. Only issues I’ve had was with the headset having some play and the front fork being a little too small. Other than that, everything else was solid. 👌

[@dcv9460]

🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖 lovely to see your angel ❤ and hear the HAPPY SONG 😎

[@the-portuguese-guy]

On rear triangle, on dropout you need put a washer, because if not...when you tight the axle the rear triangle stay always on pressure, this issue happen also with brand frames, its not exclusive from chinese carbon frames. well done.☺

[@chris1275cc]

The common denominator seems to be Trifox and a lack of QC and attention to detail when it comes finishing, all their frames are open mould and are sold by others and yet Trifox as a brand has gained a bad reputation, while the reviews for other sellers selling identical framesets is mostly good.

[@sofiaorsic]

Nice video as usual, congratulations for the new baby born!

[@stuartdryer1352]

Go with ICAN. A bit pricier, but excellent quality. Congrats on fatherhood!

[@valmorell]

Luke ,I notice you use an Assaver quite a lot. Try their Win Wing. I promise you will love it. It's a game changer. In 60 years of riding it's the only accessory I wouldn't leave home without. Would rather leave my Garmin (actually Igpsport) behind than my Win Wing.

[@royalferal]

What about the OG Evkin frame?

[@jkspcoy]

Hi Luke, just on the rear brake disc rub 🤬 I’m using 160 disc, directly fitted calliper to frame and no issues

[@Froxdj]

I also found these issues on my trifox have 2 frames now did full reviews on my channel. great frames for someone who knows how to build bikes and knows maintenance and fix small issues. Get ready for the files ha ha, like you said once the issues are fixed great frames to ride. also used some of your footage when you has issues on the front derailleur mount .

[@skotsephrenia1]

Hey trace.... How about ICAN TRIAERO A9 frame... That is a Chinese frame that might be worth your time reviewing...

[@RhoadsChristopher]

Hey Luke, watching your channel has inspired me to consider this as an option. Have you had a chance to see the frames being produced by ELITE? I figure they are great at making wheels. What are gour thoughts?

[@travispyle2905]

I hated my Trifox X18. Built it up and couldn't sell it quick enough (even for a slight loss). way too much flex in the bike such that the cornering was NOT confidence inspiring. Only thing good about this bike is how it looks with the hidden cables. Will take like $2K to buy and build up. WAY better to just buy a new trek aluminum emonda new for like $2K USD. Then everything will actually WORK, and the bike should ride extremely well. No slack allowed for Trifox. A frame should work, it should NOT have multiple issues. Quality appears to be very predictable... crap. At least mine was.

[@ariffau]

Bro quit his job to take care of his newborn and to test cheap Chinese stuff for us. Luke may not be the guy we want, but he is definitely the guy everybody needs! 🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖

[@ЭмирАлиев-у3г]

Children are our everything. Good luck Luke!

[@Hippie-lee]

cup cone washers for rear brake mount issue instead of wee bit metal jammed in it

[@kinghadu9611]

Trace how would the L-TWOO wireless groupset hold up in riding in the rain everyday and 7000 miles a year? Is 10 years lifespan reasonable for me to expect?

[@mclarenf1V12]

Stolen valor my friend.........never do that again LOL. God bless you guys. It's a lovely time of life

[@Captinfun101]

Lucky your lovely daughter takes after you wife😂 😂 😂 . That being said, don’t most brands of bikes need tweaking here and there? I’ve seen build series of world tour bike builders and have witnessed them filing down brake mounts, as well as re- tapping , removing excess paint, aligning bb’s. It’s preventative maintenance imo. A bit of due diligence. And hey what do you expect for 600 quid ? I’d be fully pissed if say it was a Dogma, or Madone or something costing 5 g for frame and fork . Anyway each to their own.

[@darrenconstantinou6010]

Trifox is just a rebranded Chinese frame why bother cause they don’t do proper testing or quality control just like Specialized 🤣. After Specialized didn’t honour a warranty I never bought from them again. I imported my own frames and went to Scott Bikes for my MTB dual sus 👍

[@projectcycling]

That distance from the cap and the rear arm is really bad. The problem is that without a spacer, when you tighten the thru axle you force the arm to flex 1mm and moreover it is the arm with the hanger/rear shifter that becomes misaligned...tricky Had the same experience with my Carbonda when I switched to 12s cassette: without a specific 12s rear hanger I had not a proper distance and fit and forcing the frame to flex compromised the shifting really bad

[@oliver2whitfield]

1 month old Daughter here Luke... thanks for the look into the future 😂😂😂 Congratulations to you guys though. I'm living the experience (even with no sleep)

[@elindred]

Sleep is rough for the first 1.5 years of a baby's life; - for the first few newborn weeks you're waking up frequently to feed - after a few months and periodically thereafter their little developing brains reach development hurdles in the night, disrupting their sleep - a few months after that their first teeth start cutting through their gums - throughout all this, if they wake up due to a wet nappy you need to attend to it promptly to protect their bottoms Once all that tapers off you'll start to get your first solid stretches of the baby sleeping through the night. And then you can look forward to The Terrible Twos :)

[@seanbarman]

I don't think its needed or recommended to bond on the front mech hanger, recently removing one from a 2016 merida skultura it was not bonded. You can just use stainless steel rivets which are stronger. How will you remove it if i breaks ?

[@Gregory_tottie]

I bought a Viper frame from CRC in early 2020. I did some research and found they were a small Belgian brand and made in the same factory as Pinerello. The BB was still way undersized and I had to hone it out. Learned it all from Trace Velo.

[@stickmenkissarmy6907]

I usually just say hi. I never give my opinion on things, But no I would never buy a try fox ,iam a steal frame or aluminum bike frame all the way. In far as it goes with children, No sleep till they're 18 😮😮😮🎉🎉🎉

[@Kim_Miller]

Wait until the baby finds out about Baby Shark. You've got some serious 'hiding in the bike shed' time coming up. 😀

[@liamhendrick3945]

Start the sleep training early at like 5 or 6 months, will be a game changer! Recommend Ferber's Solve your Child's sleep problems, Also for when the kiddo is bigger, there's a gap in the market for videos about child seat setups on road/gravel bikes

[@WredFawks]

So, you're saying the x18 would make a decent foundation for a crit bike beater that you don't have to worry about because ultimately at it's price point a new frame is cheaper than the carbon repair in the ultimate event of a crash?

[@christopherkinslow9034]

What is the maximum level of QC can you afford? 🎉🎉BABY🎉🎉🎉

[@qwertyazerty2137]

Maybe trifox will take your feedback into account for future designs. And you can thank the derailleur hanger for that intact dropout. That is what these hangers are for - they are from soft alloy and meant to bend and snap to prevent this from happening to the dropout. As for the customer service - it's a bit unrelated but I can honestly say that ltwoo's pre- and after sales service is quite bad. They also ghost about issues with their products, like notoriously overtightened lever bleed port bolts (GR9 and e9) which are easy to strip because of a bad design and too loose fit of the hex key.

[@_MattyG_]

I’m sorry you can’t say anyone should Buy this bike. Given the used market . The amount of problems this bike has is unacceptable even if it were $300.

[@TomEssex]

Are you sure it's the rear triangle and not the thru axel adapters/hub being to narrow causing the spacing issue you pointed out?

[@theguzziman]

Just a comment on babies sleeping, or not. My experience as the prime carer with both my daughters from 3 months onwards is that they do get through it just before sanity leaves. And also that not rushing them back to embed if they wake for food can help too. I used to feed them ( bottle obvs ) then change nappy just in case ( on them, I was dry by then ) and soothe them back to sleep. Have fun :) 🥖 🥐 🍞

[@TraceVelo]

Thanks, yeah I hoping it will pass quickly. Last night she slept quite well, so maybe we are on the home stretch 🤞

[@gsa9408]

colour me intrigued

[@a1white]

Buying a bike frame, the quality control HAS to be there. Having a frame failure can be catastrophic. Any defects in carbon have to be picked up before they ship.

[@krissk77]

Doing the same but with an alloy frame... and shimamo components. Alloy handlebar stem and seat post.😊 mechanical brakes.

[@WH2X]

I have same problem but notice that there is lower and upper bearing 8mm on top and 7mm on lower and that take care of spacer rubbing issue.

[@Froxdj]

shit hope your ok bud from the crash

[@TC-hl1ws]

Please don't use Trifox handlebars, especially the one piece stem handlebar models. I've had several and they are very weak and unsafe. I have not had an issue with their frames breaking but yes you do have to fiddle with the frames to make some things fit properly.

[@chinabicycle]

as luck would have it with the frame, it happens that these problems may not even be

[@afdesigng]

Hi @tracevelo I want to build a budget time trial bike. Do you recommend any AliExpress brand?

[@travispyle2905]

Please ride a modern legit bike so you have a frame of reference for what is 'Good' frame. Maybe a new trek emonda aluminum frame and build that up ... the frame is only a few hundred more than this garbage trifox.

[@Lamanka85]

Tips for baby time, start solid food earlier. Smashed meat and potatoes equals more fuller stomach and longer sleep. This tips helped us 🥖🥖🥖

[@nikolaosstavrou5327]

Hey luke witch chinese gravel bike frame do you recomend for a heavy rider ? (100 kilos) thanks in advance.

[@tubulartyre1700]

suggestion re your daughter's sleep routine - gino ford contented little baby. divisive and not for everyone but helped us to get the holy grail of routine and a baby that slept through the night from circa six weeks onwards.

[@jlatnyc]

Luke as a Siroko ambassador you should recommend they implement a crash program. I took a fall a couple of years ago and my jersey was ruined.

[@Road7star]

Value is out the door now. The X18 is now $1300 to $1800 USD..

[@triatheletewolf7279]

Foor $550 US, they don't compare to OG Evkin which is around the same price.

[@caspercat4785]

luke you are doing a good job, best wishes.

[@glennicol1361]

I think it's about time Trifox called it a day and stopped making frames and wheels.

[@EducationProfessional-pc6ep]

Literally bought a second hand one of these 6 hours ago...sat down to watch KZbin and found out the frame is full of issues!!

[@daviddjerassi]

I love the look of the frame in most cases those are an easy fix you pay cheap you get cheap love the shot of your Baby Daughter XX for her thanks Luke for the video.

[@jasperlimson2619]

will a shimano tiagra 4700 rear derailleur works on an 8 speed cassette and claris r2000 STI?

[@MarkusFolkesson]

So maybe the main framemanufactures need to start selling alloyframes to compete? Have no intention going on telegram.

[@adyjclarke]

Hi Luke. Is there a bar tape you recommend? I need some for my new OG-Evkin bars.

[@roadiemuhsil9821]

after buying trifox sure it make you pro bike mechanic 😂 no more bike shop repairs

[@samcross5350]

The sleep regression is brutal. Chin up, it eventually ends and they sleep through the night. Great vid 🥖

[@icorlaiti]

Yeah, not great... My Dengfu frame came perfect and it is also very cheap.

[@Tarmaccyclocross]

They’re all cheap Chinese/ Taiwanese frames just some have a so called top brand name on them for the all the gear no idea mobile

[@sepg5084]

I also have a "flexy" frame (non trifox), and it causes the rear disc to rub on the brake.

[@marcel8076]

The fact that the rear triangle pulls itself together when you tighten the thru axle could be the reason why the rear brake mounts arent perfectly level.

[@jstever5208]

Sleep tip: keep trying things for a year or two and it'll work itself out. 🥖🥖🥖🥖

[@OmarCalderon01]

Congrats on the baby! Good video today. I am in the middle of a build. Your videos have helped me a great deal. And I am hoping I don’t run into the same level of issues as this Tri-fox frame.

[@collinsph5113]

can you review the new wheeltop eds electric groupset? it's been in the Chinese market for at least a month now.

[@aboomination897]

Carbon isn't expensive, the labour is. Make of that what you want.

[@pdlngsqrs9547]

Trifox? No thanks! Happy to see your daughter healthy.

[@johnverinder6827]

Hang in there Dad. Sleep will come.

[@yukiko_5051]

Even though it's cheap, i am not gonna get one because fixing something that doesn't supposed to be fixed in the first place is a big no no

[@Tux_Appreciator]

What budget frame manufacturer would be a step up from Trifox?

[@ichglaubeseumelt4989]

Could you pleease do a subscriber bike builds rating series 👉👈🥺

[@TraceVelo]

GREAT idea!!!! I'll def do this in a couple of episodes time!!!!!!

[@ichglaubeseumelt4989]

Amazing! Where can we send you the bike pictures?

[@WillPower46]

For me Trifox is a no, even at a lower price those are far too many issues for me to consider this brand.

[@a.sarmiento5116]

Best way is make your baby active in the daytime so that she sleeps straight in the evening!