A reader (Thanks aikendrum!) sent in the details and pictures of his matte-black FM015:
Upgrading from a flat road road bike (CRX1) I simply could not find a happy medium with factory built road bikes on the market – I wanted something fast light and within budget – the closest I came was the Felt AR4/F4.
After searching for carbon frames I stumbled upon the forums at roadbikereview.com there I made the discovery regarding Hong Fu – it took me quite some time to gain confidence in purchasing from a Chinese unbranded manufacturer however the more threads I read the more confident I became.
aikendrum's FM015
I settled on the FM-015 which appeared to fit the bill, SRAM force components and Ritchie accessories.
Final Build List is as follows;
1x HF-FM015 Carbon Frame (3K Black Matte Finish)
1 x HF-FK007 Carbon Fork to match FM015 frame
1 x HF-HB003 Carbon Drop Handlebars – Aero styling.
1x SRAM 2010 Force Groupset 175mm Crank, 11-23
1 x Hope Single Bolt Seat Post Clamp Black 34.9 Â —> to be replaced with 1 x Thomson Seat Collar Black 34.9
1 x Ritchey Pro Carbon Matrix 4-Axis 44 Oversized Stem Carbon 110mm
1 x Fizik MicroTex Bar Tape Black
1 x Ritchey Pro Carbon Seat Post Carbon (Red Logo) 300 x 31.6
1 x Ritchey Pro Biomax Saddle Black (Red Logo)
1 x SRAM S27AL Competition Clincher Wheelset Black SRAM Freehub
2 x Continental Grand Prix SuperSonic Road Tyre  700×23 (150g each!)
1 x Zefal Tyre Liners for MTB, Road and Hybrid Bikes Grey
2 x Continental Quality Road Inner Tube Presta 42mm 700×18-25
Pedals will be Speedplay Zeros.
Notes:
- The “SRAM GXP Bottom Bracket Cup Set English Thread” which comes as part of the SRAM Force Groupset is as soft as butter (for want of another word!) be super careful when applying torque to the cup ensuring your wrench does not slip off causing cosmetic damage in the least or mechanical in the worst case. I had this issue and even though it didn’t affect the performance I replaced it with a new Cup Set ~ AUD$29.13 from Wiggle
- Hongfu sell a Seatpost (1 xHF-SP003 $38.00) – it appears their is no adjustment for the pitch – mine was pitched at about 5-10deg to the horizontal – no good I simply could not use it – no great loss at US$38 but just be warned.
- The HF-SPC001 seat post clamp works well but is heavy and can be opened by hand – I initially replaced this with a Hope clamp as above however this is made of a very weak aluminium and I ended up splitting the bolt – Hope sent me a replacement no questions asked and I am currently using it but would like to replace it with the more robust Thomson Seat Collar.
- I used the Neco headset from Hongfu, so far so good – I didn’t have too many issues installing it but used a different technique (Not PVC) for installing the race onto the fork. I used a plank of wood – drilled a 2-3inch hole, supported the plank of wood between two chairs, placed the race onto the fork and banged the race down onto the fork through the hole as opposed to the PVC method where you may be putting excess pressure on the fork and will have to support he fork somehow. (comprendez vous?)
- My frame did not come with any cable barrel adjusters – I purchased these from my LBS.
- No issue with the FM015 Top tube internal cabling however I found the SRAM rubber gromits used between the end of the gear/brake cable and top cap made the brake/grear change spongy – I ended up not installing these – I will have to be vigilant of water ingress but so far so good
- Underneath the BB there is a plastic gear guide – this was screwed into place with a factory screw and didn’t look very durable – I replaced this with a decent Stainless Steel screw for good measure.
- The 3K black Matte finish is better than I expected – it’s actually a paint finish ontop of the raw carbon so water et al beads off without worry. I have protected the underside of the down tube with psuedo 3M Helicopter tape – stones flicking off the front tyre made quite a noise however produced no noticable marks – the 3M tape is just for insurance!
I have now put approx 1000km on my new Carbon HF bike and it’s a sweet ride – accelaration is awesome – the SRAM 27AL wheelset combined with light tyres make easy work of hills.
Overall weight is currently 7.4Kg without pedals – once I get the Speedplay zeros I expect it will fall into the 7.6Kg range.
(edit – seatpost collar was stated as 31.8, should have been 34.9)
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- aikendrum’s FM015
