Hongfu FM-066/Chinese open mould frame thread

[inertianinja]

anyone know the torque specs for the expander plug that comes with the FM066?

I can't get this thing to stay put in the steer tube. Used Park Tool friction paste, torqued to 6nm (and a little more), but when i preload with the top cap the thing just pulls out, leaving the headset loose.

I also tried doing this with the parts clean and dry, but still preloading the top cap just draws it out, gently sanding the inside of the steerer tube

Or, maybe a better option out there?

Have you measured the inner diameter with a caliper to see if it is in spec and concentric?

no - i don't have a caliper on hand. however, the expander plug has plenty of additional expandability - i have no problem getting it tight, it's just that it's not gripping. I can't get the top cap even to 5nm without it being drawn out.

Edit: I just tried an expander plug from my other bike, which is a KCNC-style expander with the same knurled edge. Same result, pulled out.
I emailed the frame seller, but i'm tempted to just put a good amount of torque into it so it stays - I literally only need it to stay put for 5nm!

Maybe I'll try an FSA expander first.

[bremerradkurier]

anyone know the torque specs for the expander plug that comes with the FM066?

I can't get this thing to stay put in the steer tube. Used Park Tool friction paste, torqued to 6nm (and a little more), but when i preload with the top cap the thing just pulls out, leaving the headset loose.

I also tried doing this with the parts clean and dry, but still preloading the top cap just draws it out, gently sanding the inside of the steerer tube

Or, maybe a better option out there?

Have you measured the inner diameter with a caliper to see if it is in spec and concentric?

no - i don't have a caliper on hand. however, the expander plug has plenty of additional expandability - i have no problem getting it tight, it's just that it's not gripping. I can't get the top cap even to 5nm without it being drawn out.

Edit: I just tried an expander plug from my other bike, which is a KCNC-style expander with the same knurled edge. Same result, pulled out.
I emailed the frame seller, but i'm tempted to just put a good amount of torque into it so it stays - I literally only need it to stay put for 5nm!

Maybe I'll try an FSA expander first.

Maybe try wrapping the expander plug in a few layers of teflon tape before installing.

[Svetty]

As you've stated that there is additional expander capacity in the wedge it sounds like you just need to tighten it a bit more. As long as the stem is fitted and the stem bolts gently snugged up - resisting the forces expanding the steerer - it will take a fair bit more tightening. Use friction paste as you've suggested.
Once the bung is solid you can set the pre-load, tighten the stem bolts, then if you wish you could loosen the bung expander if you are worried it is too tight.

[th3d4n3]

Finally got my velobuild 3T strada look-alike build up and testridden. (only a small 40km loop though)
First off some pictures:

As you can see the slope of the top tube is quite extreme. Not really sure about that look yet, i hope it will grow on me.

I only did a short test ride so i only have initial impressions to share:
It feels a little harsh but by no means uncomfortable. I am running 25s at the moment, so going up to 28mm or 30mm will probably be the next step. I have some vittoria corsa Gs in 28mm but on the 5 rides i did with them i had 4 punctures, so i am hesitant on putting those back on.

The only annoying thing is, that the cables are rattling at the inside of the head tube cluster when the road gets rough. No clue how to access that area and stop them from doing so, but i will have 3 weeks of vacation to think about that one.

I haven't weighed the bike yet, will probably do so tomorrow when i have to find the luggage scale anyway. But this is certainly not a lightweight build

I'll get more kilometres in at the end of august and might post an update on how the bike is holding up.

[AZR3]

That’s some extreme slope, what size frame is this?

[Hexsense]

Can you mount bottle cage any lower? Like, using the lower 2 bolt holes instead of top 2 bolt holes?
That frame design seem not very water bottle friendly at all.

[inertianinja]

So update from me on the headset:

The FSA compression plug worked nicely, much better grip on the steerer at 9nm. I used it to preload the headset bearings but reinstalled the stock plug afterwards (torqued to 9nm) because it’s larger and I think will distribute the resisting force better against the stem.

[th3d4n3]

That’s some extreme slope, what size frame is this?

Size "M"

[th3d4n3]

Can you mount bottle cage any lower? Like, using the lower 2 bolt holes instead of top 2 bolt holes?
That frame design seem not very water bottle friendly at all.

I am already using the lower two of the three mounting positions. You can probably buy an adapter to shift down the position even further, but for now it works alright. Specially when using normal size water bottles they would become pretty hard to reach if you place them further down.

I got the largest frame with one bottle mount only. All the larger sizes also have a mounting position in the curved down tube.

[LeDuke]

Interesting. I'm surprised they didn't make the seat tube longer.

I was considering one of these but one bottle is not a sacrifice I'm willing to make. I ride in some pretty remote areas, and I'd prefer not to ride with a CamelBak.

[DRAwpt]

Do you think it would make a good crit bike?

[inertianinja]

Finally got the bike built and it's rolling nicely.
I thought the polished alloy bits are a nice contrast against the matte carbon, even if they're not the lightest option. Just had fun with this build.

FM-066, Ritchey Classic cockpit, SRAM eTap, SRAM Red 2010 brakes, Fizik Kurve saddle.
I had ordered a BSA frame, but they couldn't deliver on it...so i accepted a BB30 frame and used a Praxis bottom bracket conversion BB.
Current wheels are my old Fulcrum Racing Zero, but those will soon be replaced by some open-mold 30mm carbon wheels that will be wider and lighter.
Almost no problems with the build except that the crappy stock expander plug wouldn't hold enough for me to preload the headset....i used a FSA compression device to do the trick.

If you can see, under the handlebar there's a little button - that's a Flic bluetooth button that I use to control music on my phone while riding. One tap for next track, two taps for previous track, long press to load my cycling playlist.



hm...as i'm looking at this, saddle looks a bit tipped down in this pic; i'll have to take a look at that.

[kidrob]

Looks nice! Whats the weight? The stem, breaks and the seatpost look super heavy...

[inertianinja]

Looks nice! Whats the weight? The stem, breaks and the seatpost look super heavy...

Oh yea, they will be. But the Open mold wheels arrive tonight hopefully. But I’m not holding out hope for a really light bike with those components.

I have a carbon stem and post, which I might swap in at some point. The Red brakes were pretty light back in their day.

Currently though the bike rides great. Smooth and silent. Quite happy with it, assuming it doesn’t explode on me.

[waltthizzney]

I have hit 20,000km of hard training and racing on my tan tan FM066 over the last 14 months. No issues really, love the bike.