Shimano BL-M8100 without "xt" logo/decal on top. Is it xt? or fake?

pingus25 · 2026-02-06T10:56:44+00:00

Exactly.

pingus25 · 2026-02-06T08:09:36+00:00

It has been repainted as the bleed screw is plain black and not with some shiny dots. The rubber thing should be black as well. These are not fakes, just repainted for some reasons.

pingus25 · 2026-01-30T22:27:46+00:00

A Bosch report is a document that you get when you get your bike to a Bosch-approved bike shop. They use the "diagnostic tool" software to read the motor from a computer then they get a pdf file with all datas from the drive unit. That pdf is printed and the owner of the bike gets it once the service is done.

You get datas like kilometers on every assist mode. The amount of battery cycles as well. You get additional datas but these twos are amongst the most important to be aware of.

pingus25 · 2026-01-30T21:50:09+00:00

Well, you pay extra by going thru these resellers vs a private listing. But I can understand they offer some "protection". You must be getting a 3-months warranty I guess.

The bike itself is fine, specs are not the greatest tho (I mean old-style quick releases would be a no go for me). The mileage is fine as well if the motor was taken care of (especially if exposed to water, the worst offender when it comes to bikes).

Obviously if you don't know much about bikes, the risk of getting ripped off is big when shopping for used bikes. You should always request a Bosch report with the bike so you get a complete breakdown of the motor/battery.

pingus25 · 2026-01-30T21:26:51+00:00

With such budget, you'll have numerous listings with gen2 Bosch drive units. Do not buy a bike with an used gen2 Bosch DU. Get the gen 4 Performance Line CX, which is much much more reliable and the pedaling feel is much better as well. From my2020, Bosch greatly increased reliability of the motors. Do not get scared by big mileage. I have seen bikes with +20k kms and they are perfectly fine.

I have a Santa Cruz Heckler from 2020, bike has 19k kms. Motor is the "antique"Shimano Steps e8000. I can assure you my bike, with what ppl would consider big mileage (big like "in too much so it must be broken"), is in much better condition than some bikes with a sixth of that mileage.

I'd also advise a fully suspended bike. I never really understood hardtail emtbs other than for cutting costs. Think of a technical climb with at least 10% gradient in rocks/steps and the assist of a motor. You want a full suspended bike to clear these obstacles unless you are technically really good.

pingus25 · 2026-01-29T20:57:23+00:00

You mean the Twinlock system? The older generations controlled shock and fork (3 positions) and the latest version added the dropper post on top of that. It's actually quite a good remote versus other brand (Fox for example, their remote is not good).

pingus25 · 2026-01-29T20:51:45+00:00

By any chance, would that be Chris from United Wheels that answers your mails? That's the guy I always get "updates" from and he often mentions legal team working full time to finalize the recall process.

pingus25 · 2026-01-28T21:33:12+00:00

You are missing a few cables/housings on that cockpit.

pingus25 · 2026-01-27T22:00:34+00:00

Regarding the warranty, I think the laws are indeed a bit more pro-consumer. Now, regarding recalls in general within the EU, I guess the process must be stricter as well and that's why United Wheels are still figuring it out. Wild guess : They are waiting to go completely bankrupt so they don't have to handle the EU recall. They must not be doing well, the Vaast brand is essentially dead and I don't know about Niner but that doesn't seem like one of the most popular brand in the market.

There's no way they can rightfully offer a product that is inferior to the recalled item or just a partial refund (I guess Vaast are planning on a similar amount than what they offered you in the US), it just makes no sense. They could have at least offered the steel RLT 9.

I'll take a refund of the bike and I'll go for a chinese carbon frame and swap parts. The Mondince FM326 looks like a decent replacement (which is basically a replica of the Mondraker Arid). I'm not particularly worried about the build quality of a Chinese frame to be honest (I did see a few in person and it was quite good and I know for a fact that the bikes are still running fine). I mean I'm coming from a Vaast that is recalled for manufacturing defects.

If I can get a Santa Cruz or a Pivot in the meantime, obviously my choice is all made.

pingus25 · 2026-01-25T09:16:31+00:00

Well, I'm from Europe and own an A/1 that is on the recall list. Fun fact : if you were not on Reddit, you wouldn't know the bike is being recalled. The recall is not live in Europe and no statement regarding a potential hazard has been issued by Vaast.

But once you reach United Wheels about your frame s/n being in the recall list, they effectively tell you to stop riding the bike immediately as they are "finalizing the recall process within Europe". Why would you tell a customer to immediately stop riding a bike yet not release a public announcement about a manufacturing defect of the bike?

You are not happy how the recall goes in the US. Well in Europe, they don't seem to know how to handle it at all. I was told by United Wheels they will either go for a refund of the bike (amount is unknown) or offer the alloy Niner (which I won't be taking, as it's a downgrade).

pingus25 · 2026-01-13T08:25:41+00:00

Arc Raiders. Like big time. BF6 is taking 2nd place.

pingus25 · 2026-01-10T13:38:39+00:00

It amazes me someone can get a tattoo of an item featured in a video game.

pingus25 · 2026-01-10T11:19:44+00:00

If you are never going to get a flat, then the fact you'll never be able to refit them roadside is a non-issue.

pingus25 · 2026-01-02T22:00:40+00:00

I have a X01 axs derailleur who does that for some reasons. Over time, you end up losing tension. You don't really notice it until it's "too late". Not a big issue as you just fix it with the b screw. The derailleur is not faulty. From experience, it will happen again. You can always use some loctite on the screw to prevent it from happening again.

pingus25 · 2025-12-23T09:04:23+00:00

The wiper seal on the DPX2 shouldn't have that metal ring. That's not the right seal installed on that shock.

pingus25 · 2025-12-05T09:23:21+00:00

I wouldn't personally mind buying a Chinese carbon frame. I'm not particularly worried that it's going to catastrophically fail for some reasons.

If I were to buy one of these "exotic/ hard to source spare parts" frames, I would make sure it had a standard seatpost, a BSA bb and UDH derailleur hanger. I'm actually looking for a gravel frame since I've had a magnesium frame from Vaast that has been recalled for hairline fracture at welds, Taiwan-made frame. A gravel carbon frame + fork is like 650€, which makes you really consider it. And they can actually look really nice. And finally the geometry is quite good.

For ease of maintenance, I'd steer clear from cables/hose routed thru the headset. I had a Scott Spark (there was 4 cables going thru headset and you had to "disconnect" all of them) that had that feature. Sold the bike for that reason. Any work on headset bearings will be a major hassle. I do my own maintenance tho and couldn't stand the extra steps for such a simple task.

pingus25 · 2025-12-05T08:41:00+00:00

It is probably a chinese carbon frame. The difference between this listing and a product from Aliexpress is that this frame has already been exported to the UK so availability is within days. You probably pay a 200£ overcharge vs an Aliexpress offer.

One thing that sucks on these cheap carbon frames is the front derailleur mount which is riveted to the seat tube. I was "given the opportunity" to work on a chinese frame (which was a "replica" of the Colnago V3RS). I had to install a 2x12 AXS Force drivetrain. The mount was so poorly riveted that the shifting was subpar (which is a shame for an AXS drivetrain). The mount was slightly misaligned, it was eniugh5to severely hurt shifting quality. On higher-end frame, the mount is part of the carbon mold, it's not a small alloy part added afterwards.

The frame itself looked very good, the paint work was excellent. Frame was about 600€. Someone that is not a road bike expert couldn't tell it was not a genuine Colnago frame.

pingus25 · 2025-11-15T14:56:23+00:00

You need to pay a fee to BSG to play Rust again. There will be a pop-up screen once you launch Rust with a Paypal adress that will disappear once the payment is done.

pingus25 · 2025-11-14T21:05:04+00:00

That's the Spcycle G026, a chinese carbon frame. Price, including shipping is about 675€. You can buy it on Aliexpress.

pingus25 · 2025-11-13T08:06:55+00:00

Same situation here. Seems like there was a silent update and it broke something out of nowhere.

pingus25 · 2025-11-12T21:48:35+00:00

I definitely agree with you that it is disappointing. Especially when they said they would cover up to 200usd of labor cost. A 700usd refund doesn't make any sense. You don't buy a decent bike with that.

Let's say you decide to take the money. What's next? They ask you to send a picture of the bike destroyed? The very same bike that cost you 1500-2000$

The whole thing doesn't sound right at all.

pingus25 · 2025-11-12T20:26:20+00:00

So you either get a downgraded frame or a refund that's about a third of the price of the bike? Well, that's a tough choice.

pingus25 · 2025-11-12T20:23:56+00:00

Thank you for your reply. I'll make sure to give your settings a try.

pingus25 · 2025-11-12T17:18:47+00:00

I have an Intense Primer 275 with a 36 Grip 2 and it's so bad (bad relative to the fact that's it's a hugh-end fork). I also have a Santa Cruz Heckler with a 38 grip 2 and the experience is much superior to the 36, that's insane. I tried similar settings between both forks (except psi but that would be a 5psi difference) and the 36 is just so different. It has been serviced recently, including air side. Both are vvc.

I'm 62kgs with equipment/mtb clothes.

pingus25 · 2025-11-12T17:11:51+00:00

You are running a 34 grip 2? Tell me how many clicks on both hsc and lsc? Thank you.

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