It has been a while since the last time I posted about my Chinarello. I have now sold my Chinarello and I just bought my second Chinese frame! I love Chinese frames so much. This time is AC053 and it's Scott Foil's replica. I custom painted the frame to my business branding and this time I put ALL-Chinese parts: from handlebar, saddle, bottle cage, etc. The only thing that is not Chinese is the groupset.
My rider profile is as below:
- Height: 170cm
- Weight: 70kg
- Never race and only doing club rides and commute to work every day
- Do about 250-300km a week
- Speed on flat: Solo 32kmh comfortably or 38-40kmh at 86% heart rate and above
Below are some photos of the build:
The build details are as follows:
- Frame: Chinese custom painted AC053
- Wheels: Chinese carbon wheels 60mm rear, 35mm front
- Hubs: Rear is Shimano Dura-Ace hub, front is Chinese hub
- Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace DI2 9070
- Pedals: Time Carbon ATAC XS
- Saddle: Chinese carbon saddle
- Cranks: SRM Power Crank
Total weight:
- With pedals and bottle cages and no accessories: 8kg
- With accessories (eg. lights, tools, bag): 8.7kg
- Front wheel 35mm without tire: 850gr
- Rear wheel 60mm without tire (and Dura-Ace hub): 1370gr
BUYING EXPERIENCE
This time I purchase from a different vendor called Miracle Cycles from Aliexpress. I enjoyed this experience a lot better than when I purchased my Chinarello. Why? Because the sales person speaks English very well!
Shipping was as fast as before. I purchased both wheels and frames from them. They all arrived professionally packaged within one week to Perth, Western Australia.
They also sell all sorts of frames and wheels. I guess every Chinese re-seller sources the frames and wheels all from the same source? Anyway, if you're interested in contacting the person simply email miraclecycle@yeah.net. The person name is Crystal.
BUILD EXPERIENCE
Again, I didn't build myself but rather I get my local bike shop to build it for me. As I wanted to put Dura-Ace DI2 9070 (11-speed) on it, I instructed Crystal to take off the rear hub because their hub doesn't support 11 speed. I then purchased Shimano Dura-Ace hub instead.
This time the build went a lot smoother compared to my Chinarello. The LBS didn't find any problems at all with assembling the frame. All cables were installed internally correctly and neatly.
So all in all, it was such a lovely experience in building this bike.
RIDING EXPERIENCE - The Frame
I still have my Roubaix S-Works by the way. So the comparison will be against Roubaix S-Works and my old Chinarello. The Roubaix runs Dura-Ace mechanical 7900 and Mavic R-SYS SL wheels.
The Feel - on Flats
So, how's the ride? It still feels bulky (as per my Chinarello) but unlike the Chinarello, standing on the bike is a lot easier. On my Chinarello standing feels dull especially during climbs but not with the AC053! On flats the AC053 still feels as solid as my Chinarello. Body position is as tucked down so I catch less wind compared to my Roubaix.
It has to be the wheels that make the difference but on my Roubaix during flats it feels a bit sluggish and "thin". It takes a bit more effort to accumulate and maintain higher speed. Plus, with the geometry, my body position is more "up" so I definitely catch more wind.
Climbing
The Roubaix is definitely a lot lighter, probably about 1kg lighter. The Roubaix feels so "thin" and light. It makes climbing easier (doesn't mean I'm faster though) but on flats it feels slow. Maybe due to the rim depth? I don't know.
My AC053 feels solid on flats but obviously feels slower on climbing compared to my Roubaix. Although, the bike still responds really well. In fact my speed on climbs has never been better. I'm sure it's because of my fitness but all I'm saying is, the frame climbs as good as the Roubaix. Every pedal stroke matches the power you put during climbs. I don't feel any sense of flex in any way.
Compared to my Chinarello my AC053 definitely climbs a lot better. I can now stand when climbing without feeling sluggish; while on my Chinarello I couldn't.
Descending
With descending I feel very safe on my AC053 but not with my Roubaix. My Roubaix feels thin and unstable. You can argue that it's my descending skills...while that may be true I can only give out my opinion based on what I currently experience.
The Roubaix feels very unstable. It feels as if I'm thrown away left and right by the wind. The AC053 is different. I feel a lot safer on that.
Cornering
Now this is the part that I love the most. The AC053 is excellent on cornering. It will be the skill that limits you cornering. AC053 simply goes to wherever direction you steer it to. It's very-very nice on cornering.
Endurance
I just completed a 154km ride few days back. Total ascend was about 1230m. At the end I felt really fine and had no stiff neck nor back problem with AC053 even though my position wasn't as "up" as when I'm on my Roubaix.
Conclusion
I would still choose AC053 compared to my Roubaix and my Chinarello simply because it's the best of both worlds. It climbs relatively well and performs really well in the other disciplines. Over longer ride I will be definitely faster on AC053 simply due to the benefits I get in each discipline.
RIDING EXPERIENCE - The Wheels
Weight is to be confirmed.
The wheels - as mentioned earlier - are 60mm rear and 35mm front. Both are full carbon wheels. The rear one is definitely a lot heavier than the front one. I've never ridden a 60mm before so this is a first timer.
The Feel - on Flats
When you first strike your pedal from stop position, the rear wheel feels sluggish. It takes few moments to get it up to speed but as soon as you're on the go, man...the rear wheel rocks! It definitely holds speed very-very well.
The front one feels very good on flats. It feels light and stiff. It is however overshadowed by the rear wheel simply because the rear wheel is heavier hence it feels more "apparent" - if that makes sense.
My Chinarello was on 50mm both rear and front. This one jumps better from stopping position but doesn't hold speed that well. I also feel as if I need a bit more effort to increase speed.
The only thing that I put negative mark on is when it comes to side or cross wind. The front one is fine compared to my 50mm but the rear one definitely takes a huge hit. When the wind is strong (eg. 30kmh-45kmh), the rear wheel feels sooooo heavy.
In terms of comfort, these carbon wheels are awesome in reducing road buzz. Compared to my Dura-Ace C35 7900 my Chinese wheels are less vibrating.
Climbing
Climbing obviously feels a bit heavy due to the rear wheel but it is not sluggish in any way. If you can get to a rhythm the rear wheel gives you speed advantage. I think its strength is on maintaining speed. Don't lose the rhythm though!
The front one is a "no-brainer". I love it every second of it during climbing.
I think for a long climb of up to 12% this combination is excellent. I'm still yet to try it on a very steep climb eg. 15%+. So please stay tuned.
Braking
I would say braking especially in the wet is not as good as I would like it to be. During dry condition breaking is fine but during wet I have to be more careful. On wet season I have to break earlier.
Quality and Durability
During the 154km ride I just did few weeks ago, there was someone with branded carbon wheels just blew! Mine was fine. After the ride the tension was still as good as before. I've been commuting to work daily on these wheels too and still hold true. So far I've done about 1600km on the new wheels.
The 50mm Chinese wheels on my old Chinarello have done 7,500km and still hold true. Therefore, I can so far conclude that these wheels are pretty durable.
Conclusion
I think I have a good combination of wheels here. The Chinese carbon wheels are definitely so good. There is no doubt about quality and durability.
OVERALL CONCLUSION
There is no doubt about the quality of Chinese products. I'm not selling any so I'm not endorsing any of the products. I simply speak of my experience.
With the price I can't fault it. I don't agree with "you get what you pay for" statement because I think I get more than what I paid for.
The top branded frames and wheels will obviously give you lighter stuff but with 1/10th of their price, you definitely get more than what you pay for.
