ICAN gravel frames

The UD Matte is paint, if that was the question. No clear coat. Dirt washes off pretty easily, that was my main concern. I did use the Ultegra BBR60. I had posted the build components earlier (5 or 6 replies earlier), if you want to take a look.

I weighed myself with the bike then subtracted my weight. Came out to 23.6lbs. Once I emptied the bags of gels, CO2 cartridges, extra tube and tools, the bike came in at 20.4lbs. This includes the empty bags and bottle cages. 

Thanks Alex_C, 20.4 lbs = 9.25kg, which is heavier than expected, but it sounds like you still have empty bags/power meter and maybe others stuff on there. Anyways, interesting that your configuration is close to what I currently look at, mechanical only, no electric/hyd gear.
-Rick

Alex_C wrote:I weighed myself with the bike then subtracted my weight. Came out to 23.6lbs. Once I emptied the bags of gels, CO2 cartridges, extra tube and tools, the bike came in at 20.4lbs. This includes the empty bags and bottle cages. 

NorthboundRick wrote:Thanks Alex_C, 20.4 lbs = 9.25kg, which is heavier than expected, but it sounds like you still have empty bags/power meter and maybe others stuff on there. Anyways, interesting that your configuration is close to what I currently look at, mechanical only, no electric/hyd gear.
-Rick

Hyd? Why no hydraulics? I'm looking at a full carbon built. Mostly sourced on Ali. Only groupset is will not be a sensah. Planning for GRX800 groupset. 

However I do plan to build up a really lightweight climbing bike with fully Chinese parts. 

Alex_C wrote:I weighed myself with the bike then subtracted my weight. Came out to 23.6lbs. Once I emptied the bags of gels, CO2 cartridges, extra tube and tools, the bike came in at 20.4lbs. This includes the empty bags and bottle cages. 

Thank you for the numbers. I am trying to hit the 8kg mark and not above 8.3kg. Let's see what I can do. 

Wrathbringer27 wrote:

Hyd? Why no hydraulics? I'm looking at a full carbon built. Mostly sourced on Ali. Only groupset is will not be a sensah. Planning for GRX800 groupset. 

However I do plan to build up a really lightweight climbing bike with fully Chinese parts. 

Yes, no hydraulics as they are not really field serviceable, I have had seen folks stuck out there with a leaking system and there is nothing that can be done. Since I plan on bike touring, I need to be able to macgyver myself out of trouble.
Out of curiosity, which Chinese shifters are you planning on using and are you expecting to get anywhere near Shimano 105/Ultegra quality?

Wrathbringer27 wrote:

Thank you for the numbers. I am trying to hit the 8kg mark and not above 8.3kg. Let's see what I can do. 

tough goal, care to share your BOM? I will share mine once I have figured out the 1x or 2x problem...
Cheers,
Rick

Alex_C wrote:The UD Matte is paint, if that was the question. No clear coat. Dirt washes off pretty easily, that was my main concern. I did use the Ultegra BBR60. I had posted the build components earlier (5 or 6 replies earlier), if you want to take a look.

Thanks Alex, 

I was planning on spraying on decals + a 2k clear coat, I guess I'll have to contact them if that can be done with "UD Matte". Anyone knows or has done that before?

NorthboundRick wrote:

Yes, no hydraulics as they are not really field serviceable, I have had seen folks stuck out there with a leaking system and there is nothing that can be done. Since I plan on bike touring, I need to be able to macgyver myself out of trouble.
Out of curiosity, which Chinese shifters are you planning on using and are you expecting to get anywhere near Shimano 105/Ultegra quality?

That fully Chinese build would be on another bike, nowhere near the immediate future. But accordingly, if you've seen videos by Trace Velo and China Cycling on YouTube, they are saying their performance in abit over 105 quality but not really close to Ultegra. 

This is for the Sensah Empire Pro, top of the line from Sensah(apparently founded by EX-SRAM engineers). 

I think I understand what you mean with leaking hydraulics. Is it because of a broken cable? That really is difficult to remedy. Plus, v-brakes will be lighter too! 

NorthboundRick wrote:

tough goal, care to share your BOM? I will share mine once I have figured out the 1x or 2x problem...
Cheers,
Rick

Sure, but I'll have to do it tomorrow. Gotta sleep now, I got work tmr and it's 1am HAHA.!

I too have a problem with choosing between 1x or 2x. Seems like 2x will give me the option of faster gearing on flats. Largest chainring for 1x would be 42t which I think is a little small to keep up unless I get an XD freehub and get a 9-52t cassette. 

Wrathbringer27 wrote:

Sure, but I'll have to do it tomorrow. Gotta sleep now, I got work tmr and it's 1am HAHA.!

I too have a problem with choosing between 1x or 2x. Seems like 2x will give me the option of faster gearing on flats. Largest chainring for 1x would be 42t which I think is a little small to keep up unless I get an XD freehub and get a 9-52t cassette. 

exactly my thinking, 42t and 11-42, learning towards Shimano XT mechanical, have had too much pain with Di2 in the past..good n8!

ICAN X-Gravel frame: USD733 1.25kg 

Ali Tubeless Carbon Wheels (no need rim tapes) DT Swiss 350: USD593 1.5kg

Shimano GRX800 non-Di2 (includes calipers & rotors, the whole she bang): USD979 2.9kg

Ali VCLS Copy: USD44.50 0.22kg

Vredestein Aventura TLR Folding Tire 44c: USD39.51 0.45kg/ea

OG-EVKIN Carbon Stem: USD30 0.11kg

Ali Gravel Handlebar 440mm: USD69 0.24kg

Ali Carbon Flat Pedals: USD53 0.075kg/ea

SELLE ITALIA Novus Boost Gravel Heritage Superflow Saddle: USD151 0.255kg

Walnut Studio Coil Leather Bar Wrap: USD82.45 0.13kg

Total weight: 7.655kg

Considering this is without bottle cages, lights and other stuff,i think its respectable. 

I supplied links to those items as well. Except for the groupset.


Changes I would make down the road would be:

- Change cage pulley to Garbaruk long cage
- Change Cassette to 9-52t ZTTO cassette
- Change seatpost to Redshift suspension seatpost



Please let me know if any improvements I can make to make the build better/more comfy. Thanks!


Edit: Also, what size do you think i should go for? Size chart says i should go for 54cm but some people say to take 1 size down which is 52cm. Thoughts?

Wrathbringer27 wrote:ICAN X-Gravel frame: USD733 1.25kg 

Ali Tubeless Carbon Wheels (no need rim tapes) DT Swiss 350: USD593 1.5kg

Shimano GRX800 non-Di2 (includes calipers & rotors, the whole she bang): USD979 2.9kg

Ali VCLS Copy: USD44.50 0.22kg

Vredestein Aventura TLR Folding Tire 44c: USD39.51 0.45kg/ea

OG-EVKIN Carbon Stem: USD30 0.11kg

Ali Gravel Handlebar 440mm: USD69 0.24kg

Ali Carbon Flat Pedals: USD53 0.075kg/ea

SELLE ITALIA Novus Boost Gravel Heritage Superflow Saddle: USD151 0.255kg

Walnut Studio Coil Leather Bar Wrap: USD82.45 0.13kg

Total weight: 7.655kg

Considering this is without bottle cages, lights and other stuff,i think its respectable. 

I supplied links to those items as well. Except for the groupset.


Changes I would make down the road would be:

- Change cage pulley to Garbaruk long cage
- Change Cassette to 9-52t ZTTO cassette
- Change seatpost to Redshift suspension seatpost



Please let me know if any improvements I can make to make the build better/more comfy. Thanks!


Edit: Also, what size do you think i should go for? Size chart says i should go for 54cm but some people say to take 1 size down which is 52cm. Thoughts?

Interesting set up. Couple of comments questions:
1) Flat Pedals? Would have thought this type of bike begs for cleats
2) Wheels look like they have good specs, up to 120kg rider weight and max psi 125, so you can run with or without tubes. Any concerns about the quality of the wheels? Have you done some research of this manufacturer? I for my part occasionally bike pack and will clearly exceed the 100kg threshold and since have had wheel issues with reputable wheels - DT Swiss. So I do pay attention to that..my life depends a lot on that, same is true for several other components.
3) Axle weight, is that included with the wheels?

Certainly agree that the weight is attractive, I hope ICAN is sticking to the weight declaration. BTW, I am thinking of flipping back to Carbonda as they offer literally the same frame for less. I thought ICAN has a weight and shipping advantage, but I guess they have not. What are your reasons preferring ICAN over Carbonda? 

NorthboundRick wrote:

Interesting set up. Couple of comments questions:
1) Flat Pedals? Would have thought this type of bike begs for cleats
2) Wheels look like they have good specs, up to 120kg rider weight and max psi 125, so you can run with or without tubes. Any concerns about the quality of the wheels? Have you done some research of this manufacturer? I for my part occasionally bike pack and will clearly exceed the 100kg threshold and since have had wheel issues with reputable wheels - DT Swiss. So I do pay attention to that..my life depends a lot on that, same is true for several other components.
3) Axle weight, is that included with the wheels?

Certainly agree that the weight is attractive, I hope ICAN is sticking to the weight declaration. BTW, I am thinking of flipping back to Carbonda as they offer literally the same frame for less. I thought ICAN has a weight and shipping advantage, but I guess they have not. What are your reasons preferring ICAN over Carbonda? 

1) Cleats have shown to not have any significant improvement on rider performance, at least based on research I've read on the net. Plus, it gets me to wear whatever footwear I want hehe

2) Listing shows they do UCI tests on them but not sure if they actually send it out to be certified. Otherwise, if I'm going to bikepack, I would stick with alloy wheels. Planning on a set of alloy 650b wheels down the road.

3) Isn't the axle weight together with the frameset? I would also think the axles wouldnt weigh more than 0.2kg .



As to why I'm going with ICAN; they have an Ali store. So if anything happens, they have reliable customer support. So far, anything that arrived broken or faulty, I have been able to receive a full refund or almost full refund. I usually try to get a replacement from the seller 1st but if that fails, I go straight to Ali support. In that sense, I have better protection. Their chat also seems quite responsive, I get replies typically within a few hours but when they're online, replies are a few minutes apart. MTBR has good reviews on their products too.

I never heard of Carbonda until I came across this forum. Seems like you guys have good experience with them. Not sure if one is better than the other. And if I do get the ICAN frame, there is another review for our residents here, considering Carbonda already has a substantial user base here.


EDIT: MTBR users have experienced most of the declared weight by ICAN seems to be true to what they got, so no worries there.

Wrathbringer27 wrote:

1) Cleats have shown to not have any significant improvement on rider performance, at least based on research I've read on the net. Plus, it gets me to wear whatever footwear I want hehe

2) Listing shows they do UCI tests on them but not sure if they actually send it out to be certified. Otherwise, if I'm going to bikepack, I would stick with alloy wheels. Planning on a set of alloy 650b wheels down the road.

3) Isn't the axle weight together with the frameset? I would also think the axles wouldnt weigh more than 0.2kg .



As to why I'm going with ICAN; they have an Ali store. So if anything happens, they have reliable customer support. So far, anything that arrived broken or faulty, I have been able to receive a full refund or almost full refund. I usually try to get a replacement from the seller 1st but if that fails, I go straight to Ali support. In that sense, I have better protection. Their chat also seems quite responsive, I get replies typically within a few hours but when they're online, replies are a few minutes apart. MTBR has good reviews on their products too.

I never heard of Carbonda until I came across this forum. Seems like you guys have good experience with them. Not sure if one is better than the other. And if I do get the ICAN frame, there is another review for our residents here, considering Carbonda already has a substantial user base here.


EDIT: MTBR users have experienced most of the declared weight by ICAN seems to be true to what they got, so no worries there.

on 1),let’s agree to disagree ;-)
2) I would not trust these test or posted certificates at all unless you can find them listed at one of the recognized certification agencies websites - yes, I am a pessimist (because our lives depend on this). A quick search resulted in nothing about this wheel manufacturer. Have you considered other manufacturers wheel set which may be a bit more expensivw, but at least there is positive feedback out there on the internet, example ICAN? (See YouTube and others reviews)
3) I don’t think axles come with the frame, but I might be wrong. Now excuse me while I’ll try to resolve the 1x vs 2x problem ;-)

NorthboundRick wrote:

on 1),let’s agree to disagree ;-)
2) I would not trust these test or posted certificates at all unless you can find them listed at one of the recognized certification agencies websites - yes, I am a pessimist (because our lives depend on this). A quick search resulted in nothing about this wheel manufacturer. Have you considered other manufacturers wheel set which may be a bit more expensivw, but at least there is positive feedback out there on the internet, example ICAN? (See YouTube and others reviews)
3) I don’t think axles come with the frame, but I might be wrong. Now excuse me while I’ll try to resolve the 1x vs 2x problem ;-)

I'm guessing to just stick to 1x since it could be a bit less fuss.

2) I was looking at yoeleo as well. Or I could take the dive and see if it works for me 😉 

Just Placed a 1x part order, but I realized I forgot to add a few teeth of the wolf 42 to be precise. It’s an expensive part, so I wonder if any of the cheapo-rings on Ali have good reviews, they are 1/10 of the price after all.

 

Shimano GRX RX600 Gravel Chainset - 1x11 Speed - Grey / 40 / 172.5mm / 11 Speed

Shimano 105 R7000 Road Bike Gear Levers - 11 Speed - Black / 11 Speed

TRP Spyre SLC Flat Mount Caliper - Grey / No Rotor / Single / Flat Mount Caliper

Shimano GRX 812 Rear Derailleur - 11 Speed - Black / Long Cage SGS / 11 Speed

Shimano Ultegra BBR60 Bottom Bracket - Black / English (BSA)

Shimano M8000 XT 11 Speed Cassette - 11-42 / 11 Speed

DT Swiss P 1800 Spline 23 Disc Road Wheelset - 700c - Black / SRAM / Shimano / 12mm Front - 142x12mm Rear / Pair / 10-11 Speed / 700c

 

NorthboundRick wrote:Just Placed a 1x part order, but I realized I forgot to add a few teeth of the wolf 42 to be precise. It’s an expensive part, so I wonder if any of the cheapo-rings on Ali have good reviews, they are 1/10 of the price after all.

 

Shimano GRX RX600 Gravel Chainset - 1x11 Speed - Grey / 40 / 172.5mm / 11 Speed

Shimano 105 R7000 Road Bike Gear Levers - 11 Speed - Black / 11 Speed

TRP Spyre SLC Flat Mount Caliper - Grey / No Rotor / Single / Flat Mount Caliper

Shimano GRX 812 Rear Derailleur - 11 Speed - Black / Long Cage SGS / 11 Speed

Shimano Ultegra BBR60 Bottom Bracket - Black / English (BSA)

Shimano M8000 XT 11 Speed Cassette - 11-42 / 11 Speed

DT Swiss P 1800 Spline 23 Disc Road Wheelset - 700c - Black / SRAM / Shimano / 12mm Front - 142x12mm Rear / Pair / 10-11 Speed / 700c

 

Nice! We're you looking at the stone 42t chainring? It's cheap enough that it doesn't really hurt if it wears down fast ha

Wrathbringer27 wrote:

Nice! We're you looking at the stone 42t chainring? It's cheap enough that it doesn't really hurt if it wears down fast ha

Not familiar with stone, quick search resulted in nothing, got a link? I guess I’ll need to make sure I’ll find a 42T with a bolt circle diameter of 110 x 4. Over and out..way too late here..