BmanX wrote:For a 54cm frame, what is the lightest open mold frame available. I would like to build up a 1x build but want the starting point to be as light as possible without breaking the bank.
BmnX,
1. Weight alone is not the whole picture, there are other variable like the type of carbon fiber, layout etc.
2. I got the HongFu fm069 because this is one of the four or five well respected companies where users are in general happy with their product.
The FM069 is a very light frame with mostly made with T1000 carbon fiber. I am not an expert in carbon, but this fiber combined with others can produce a very strong and light frame. Of course is more expensive and that is why is not used in most of the frames.
http://www.hongfu-bikes.com/html_produc ... e-292.html3, I am very close now to 5000 miles in this bike, going through very different terrain, rough sometimes, climbing, etc and I have no problem with it. As a matter of fact it has become my favorite bicycle.
4. Like a said before in this thread the major reason I got it besides the company reputations was the geometric profiles that fit me very well.
5. Prices of open mold are very comparable plus or minus U$S 200 so, for a frame that it will going to last you few years I think the most important issue (imho) is to get what you like and fit you and just ignore small different in price. Of course this is very different with brand names where the difference could be thousands of dollars.