Do any China carbon frames have the rear brake mount outside the seat stay?

[Manc33]

One thing I noticed is on the China frames like FR603, the rear disc brake caliper is mounted inside the seat stay, but on other bike frames (not many in carbon) like the Planet-X XLS carbon, the rear brake is mounted outside/above, like this:




Also the internal routing doesn't take any bends on the Planet-X frame:



It runs in a straight line along the top tube:




On the China carbon FR603 I was looking at, it has the rear brake mounted inside the seat stay where (in the past) my left heel has been able to interfere with it, wearing normal running shoes (I never wear clipped in shoes, always normal shoes):



It might seem like I am being fussy but this to me is a deal breaker on the China frame and I would probably pay twice as much (because that is the difference) for the Planet-X one. I am less bothered about having little/no comeback buying from China, as I am about this rear disc brake mount!

Also in the last photo above you can see the routing is mostly internally for the rear brake, but on the Planet-X frame it only goes internal along the top tube, then a fair sized run of it is external, routing down the seat stay so it runs to the rear brake on the outside of the seat stay.

I am tempted by the China one but unless there's one as cheap as the FR603 that does have the rear brake mounted there, I think I am just going to plump for the Planet-X frame, it will certainly never have the potential problem of my heel hitting the rear brake caliper (which on a BB7 means you're hitting your heel on the outer pad adjuster winding it in and making it cause drag).

I am not affiliated with Planet-X and would buy from China in a heartbeat if only the frame design was equal to the Planet-X offering. IMO I think the Planet-X has better routing and things like this are important to me, for my usage anyway. If you wear clips all the time then it wouldn't be an issue, but I never do and probably never will.

One thing is the PX frame doesn't have bosses for mounting mudguards and the China frame does. Perfection is a tall order.

[Manc33]

134 views but no replies yet, I'll take that as a no then lol, well I managed to find one in China with the rear brake caliper mount outside the rear triangle, but that frame is something like £350 and when they start getting to that price, I'd rather spend £500 and buy from a UK shop, where the same thing can be had.

Maybe the Chinese will catch up and realise people are hitting their heels on their rear calipers with disc brakes mounted inside the frames rear triangle, but I just hope they reinforce the frame in that area like on the Planet-X XLS Carbon, if they go that route.

If you look at metal frames, even the cheapest metal disc frames have the rear brake mounted on top of the rear seat stay outside of the rear triangle, away from your heel interfering. This to me proves how much stronger metal must be over carbon, not that it puts me off carbon at all, they just have strength differences. On both of the (as cheap as it gets) FS disc frames I have had, the rear brake mounts outside the rear triangle, not inside it. On a carbon hardtail I had it mounted inside and my heel hit the caliper, I had to get those silly pedal extenders that cost £20-£30 for 2 pieces of metal, and they are heavy.

It's not just me hitting my heel, the Cannondale Synapse disc frame/bike also has a huge number of people complaining about their heel touching the rear caliper, usually winding in the barrel adjuster or turning the dial to tighten the brake making it harder to pedal. Come on we aren't all clipping our shoes in!

[hamster]

I think the issue is that every location has its problems:
a/ Seatstay mounting has wet and muck running down the cable, extra bracing is needed for the lighter stay plus it's tough to get a workable arrangement for mudguards or rack
b/ Chainstay mounting solves the above problems but introduces heel strike (and it's harder to access the bolts and line things up).

[RickH]

I was under the impression that the inside the the rear triangle is the way pretty much all road/CX designs. Mountainbikes seem to have stayed on the outside, with full suspension there simply isn't room to fit them inside the rear swing arm anyway. Cheap bikes will tend to be using, or copying, older designs so may be more likely to have the "external" mount position.

I personally cant think of a model of bike that has changed the brake location from inside to outside but have seen ones where they have moved them other way.

[mattsccm]

The idea that these manufacturers are getting it wrong is sadly out dated at best. It has gradually been accepted that inside the triangle is the best place for all sorts of reasons although I am sure that some one will find a good reason not to do this. It can trap water within the cable outer but as cable brakes are to some extent being replaced by hydraulics this isn't the issue that it was. To my mind, the external set up is an indication of an older design.
Th shoe issue is a red herring (although important to the OP) in many ways. Few cyclists using this sort of bike are likely to be wearing non cycling shoes. Well that's my opinion and I guess the manufacturers.
Please note that I do accept that some people will vary in their opinions but I think that the above would reflect modern trends.

[Manc33]

In the 1990's, a carbon frame cost so much, only serious cyclists bought them, I remember the Cannondale Super V Raven 900 Carbon back then and so on, but these days when you can get a carbon frame for less than £300 from China (or £500 from the UK), and you can buy a complete bike with a carbon frame for around £1,000-£1,500, many non-serious cyclists are buying them, even if it is a toy to show off with, the fact is they are buying them. Bikes like this (this lightweight) would cost thousands in the 1990's. The reason I prefer carbon isn't even the lighter weight, it is the fact that it soaks up road vibration and to an extent, bumps. Roads in far poorer countries have better roads than us.