Frequently asked

• How does an order actually work?▾

  Four steps. (1) You spec the bike in the configurator — real weights, prices, and trade-offs update as you go, nothing's committed. (2) Corvayle reviews your build personally and sends back a final proposal — confirmed fit, all-in price, no surprises. (3) You approve; a deposit gets sourcing underway and we build the bike, with the balance paid in stages as it comes together. (4) Shipped to your door, or final fit in person if you're near Kirkland, WA.

• You're a new, small operation — why should I trust you with a big order, and what if you disappear?▾

  Fair question, and we won't pretend to be bigger than we are: Corvayle is a small crew in Kirkland, WA, with real names attached to your build. A few things are set up so you're not taking that on faith. Payment runs through Stripe on your card, so your normal chargeback rights with your own bank apply. We split payment into staged milestones, so you never have the full amount out at once. Where the brand allows it, we register component warranties in your own name, so that relationship is yours directly and survives regardless of us. And you get live, per-part tracking as your order comes together, so you can see exactly what's been sourced rather than wondering. None of that makes us a household name — it just means the risk is structured so it doesn't all land on you.

• What does "all-in price" actually include?▾

  Parts, our build labor, sourcing fees, inbound shipping from suppliers to our workshop, customs duties, currency conversion, and final QC + assembly. The number in your proposal is the number you pay for the bike itself — no separate customs bill, no surprise FX line. Outbound shipping to YOU is the one thing not bundled into that number: see the next question.

• Is shipping to me included?▾

  No — outbound shipping is quoted separately, based on where the bike is going. A complete bike crates up large and heavy enough that the freight cost varies a lot by destination, and we don't want to silently average it across customers. Local to Kirkland / Seattle? Pickup is free. Anywhere else in the lower 48? We get a real freight quote (insured, tracked, fully built in a fitted case) and put the actual dollar number on your proposal alongside the all-in. You see it before you approve, never after.

• Can I see where my parts are while you build?▾

  Yes. The instant a component ships, its tracking number is registered and the live carrier updates — status, location, dates — show up on your build page, part by part. So you'll see the frame land in Kirkland, then the wheels, then the groupset, without emailing to ask. We start the build the day the last part arrives — there's no partial assembly — and the finished bike ships fully built and insured with its own tracking too.

• What paperwork comes with the bike? Can I see a sample?▾

  Every bike ships with a General Certificate of Conformity (GCC) and Build Sheet — the document that certifies your bike was assembled and inspected against the federal bicycle safety rule (16 CFR Part 1512), names Corvayle as importer and certifier of record, and lists the verified torque values plus the full pre-delivery QC and craftsmanship checklist. It's signed off by the person who built and inspected your bike. Here's a sample so you know exactly what to expect — the real one is filled in with your build's specifics.

  View a sample build sheet (PDF)
• When am I charged, and how?▾

  A deposit after you accept the proposal, then a balance payment (or two — 30/30/40 on bigger builds) as the bike progresses. Everything goes through Stripe so your normal card protections apply. Nothing is charged before you approve the final build.

• Why are the prices on the configurator just estimates?▾

  Because the parts catalog is AI-sourced from supplier sites and we're not the supplier — list prices drift, currency moves, and the cheapest in-stock SKU at the moment of purchase isn't always the one displayed. Your final proposal carries the last, best price we can actually secure. You should not feel a need to chase cheaper exotic-component prices online during configuration.

• Should I just order a fully-built bike directly from a Chinese D2C site?▾

  Often, yes — complete D2C builds are usually cheaper than what we'd quote for the same parts, and they're a fair option for plenty of riders. The trade-off is you take the spec the brand offers as built (groupset, wheels, cockpit, saddle, finish — all decided for you), so it's harder to make the bike feel like yours. Where we add value is in deliberate spec choice for how you ride, hand assembly to your fit, and folding inbound import / FX / customs into one transparent quote. Ongoing service once the bike's built is your local shop's job — that part doesn't change either way. Both choices are legitimate; pick whichever fits the way you want to buy.

• What if a part is out of stock when you go to source it?▾

  We'll propose a substitution — same tier, same spec, with the math on what changes. You approve the revised proposal before we order anything. This is one of the few times a build slips its timeline.

• What's the typical lead time?▾

  For a typical road build, roughly 4–6 weeks from approved proposal to delivery, with sourcing the long pole — build and QC once everything's in hand is a few days. Treat that as an estimate, not a promise; your proposal carries the lead-time estimate for your actual spec. See the next question for what moves it.

• What drives lead time?▾

  The slowest single line on the build sets the clock. In-stock parts move fast; made-to-order paint, custom wheel builds, and components with no domestic stock are the long poles, and overseas sourcing adds manufacturing, freight, and customs time on top. As a rough guide, an all-in-stock build can land in a few weeks while a build leaning on made-to-order or hard-to-source parts can run a couple of months. These are estimates, not promises — your proposal carries the specific lead-time estimate for your actual spec, confirmed in writing before you approve.

• Can a build be rushed?▾

  Sometimes, but rarely worth it. The main lever is spec: if you tell us the date matters more than the exact parts, we can usually build around what's already in stock and skip the long-lead items — but that means swapping a few of your choices. Going to the factory directly can occasionally save time on hard-to-get parts, though it's never a guarantee. Rush requests around the holidays or major race seasons can be hard to honor at any spec. We'll put a realistic estimate in the proposal rather than promise a date and miss it.

• Do you offer a warranty?▾

  Corvayle stands behind the build itself — anything that goes wrong because of how WE assembled the bike (mis-torqued bolts, bad cable routing, a wrong spacer), we fix at our cost. That's our piece of the puzzle. Everything else — frame, wheels, groupset, components — carries the MANUFACTURER's warranty, and what's covered, how, and how fast is up to the brand, not us. Where the brand allows it we ask them to register the warranty in your name at order time so the relationship is yours directly. When a claim comes up we'll point you to the right contact and what the brand needs and share what we know — but the claim is yours to run, and we don't handle return shipping, customs, or translation.

• What if I'm not local to Kirkland, WA?▾

  Most builds ship to a door. Outbound freight is quoted separately on your proposal (it varies a lot by destination), so you see the real number before approving. Final-fit adjustments you can make yourself with the included spec sheet, or any decent local shop can dial in for an hour's labor.

• What parts can I spec on a Corvayle build?▾

  Everything that comes on a complete road or gravel bike, sourced part-by-part: frameset (or module with the cockpit included), wheelset, tires, complete groupset, cockpit (bar + stem or integrated), saddle and seatpost, plus a finishing kit (bar tape, cages, computer, valves, sealant, small hardware). Optional bling: ceramic drivetrain upgrades, lightweight bolts, halo bar tape — surfaced as packages so the price is honest.

• What disciplines do you build?▾

  Road, gravel, aero, endurance, all-rounder, and time trial. Most direct-to-consumer brands make a road and a gravel variant of their flagship platform, and the configurator filters wheel and tire choices so you don't end up with road aero hoops on a gravel build (or vice-versa).

• What kind of brands do you actually source from?▾

  Three families, used together. (1) Established direct-to-consumer carbon makers — Winspace, Yoeleo, Light Bicycle, Farsports, ICAN, Trifox, Quick, Magene, Elitewheels, and similar. These are the real frames and wheels the savings story is built on. (2) Western flagships for the parts where the ecosystem genuinely matters — Shimano, SRAM, Campagnolo groupsets, Continental / Pirelli / Vittoria / Schwalbe tires, Zipp / ENVE / Mavic / DT Swiss / Fulcrum wheels, Fizik saddles. (3) Exotic / value drivetrain brands — L-Twoo, Sensah, Wheeltop — when a customer specifically wants that route, with the trade-offs called out clearly in the proposal.

• How does an item get into the catalog?▾

  Either we add it directly from the brand's site (most direct-to-consumer items), it's a Western mainstream part with a known spec, or it's surfaced through community research (r/chinesebikes, YouTube teardowns, owner reviews) and tagged accordingly. Every URL is re-checked nightly — broken links are hidden, prices are re-estimated. Items Corvayle hasn't personally vetted carry a "supplier-stated" or "community-sourced" label so you know exactly what you're looking at.

• What do the confidence tiers in the configurator mean?▾

  Four tiers, ordered by how much we trust the spec without re-confirming on order day. "Verified & tested" — established direct-to-consumer brands Corvayle has ordered from before, or Western mainstream parts. "Boutique direct-to-consumer" — smaller maker, real product, supplier-stated specs that we confirm before ordering. "Western components" — name-brand reliability, no research burden, often a higher price floor. "Halo / bling" — niche upgrades (ceramic bearings, lightweight bolts, premium bar tape). The configurator surfaces the tier on every card so you're never surprised by what you're picking.

• Why is some random Chinese groupset in the picker — and should I trust it?▾

  Because some riders want the value play. L-Twoo, Sensah, and Wheeltop make functional 12-speed groupsets at a fraction of Shimano / SRAM / Campagnolo money. Trade-offs: shorter community-knowledge base, occasional firmware quirks on the electronic versions, harder to source replacement parts locally. The configurator labels these as community-sourced and the proposal spells out the risk in plain language. If you want them, we'll build them; if you don't, the picker leads with mainstream options.

• What aren't you willing to build?▾

  Counterfeit frames or components that copy another brand's trademark — the genuine Chinese-branded direct-buy side is where the savings actually live, and we won't touch fakes. Discontinued / orphan parts where we can't reasonably guarantee replacement supply for at least a year. Time-trial setups with bar-end / triathlon-specific shifters on a road or gravel build (the components don't pair safely). We'll tell you straight if something on your wishlist falls into one of these.

• How many "different" brands come out of the same factory?▾

  A lot. Three to five large factories produce a disproportionate share of the direct-to-consumer carbon frames in the market. Two "competing" brands often share a mold and differ mainly in paint and decals — and Corvayle picks the ones whose engineering and finishing actually justify the badge.

• Is the markup vs Western brands really that high?▾

  For pure frame cost, yes — often 3–5x. Western pricing also pays for R&D, marketing, sponsored teams, distribution, dealer margin, and warranty infrastructure. Whether that premium is worth it depends on how much you value those things vs the discount.

• I'm waiting on a group buy — should I just do that instead?▾

  Group buys work well when you're patient, comfortable handling import / customs / banking risk yourself, and willing to wait the typical 2–4 months for the consolidator to hit MOQ, ship the container, clear customs, and distribute. The savings can be real on the frame line item. What you trade for it: long lead time, a pooled order that can't be tweaked once it's in, no personal spec review, and a US handoff that exists only if the consolidator coordinates one. Corvayle is the opposite trade — we order one bike at a time on your behalf so spec changes are fast, your build leaves Kirkland completely assembled and test-ridden, lead time is weeks not months, and there's a name attached to your build if anything's wrong. We charge for that work; for some riders the group-buy savings beat us, for others the certainty + speed does. Either path is honest — pick the one that fits your patience and your appetite for personal coordination.

• Can I return a completed Corvayle build?▾

  Yes — within 7 days of delivery, on a like-new, unridden, un-set-up bike in the original packaging. Custom-painted frames and any bike that's been ridden outside are FINAL SALE and not returnable. Return shipping and a 15% restocking fee come off the refund. Open the support thread for an RMA before shipping anything back.

• What's the restocking fee?▾

  15% of the order value, deducted from the refund on any non-custom completed build returned within the 7-day window. The fee covers the time we lose putting the bike back into inventory or back into parts — labor, repackaging, and the inbound freight from you to Kirkland.

• What's final-sale (no returns)?▾

  Custom-painted frames, anything with a personalized finish, and any bike that's left the box for a ride. Components installed and ridden are also final-sale (we can't re-sell a used cassette or chain). Halo / bling items in their original sealed packaging fall under the 15% restocking rule like the rest of the build.

• How do refunds get paid back?▾

  To the original Stripe charge, in the original currency. Refunds usually clear in 5-10 business days depending on your bank.

• What does "Corvayle brokers the warranty" actually mean?▾

  Two separate things. (1) For anything we did during assembly — torque, bleed, cable routing, dish, alignment — that's on us, and we fix it at our cost for as long as we're the most-recent person to have wrenched on the bike. (2) For component defects — frame cracked, hub blew up, brake lever failed — the coverage is the manufacturer's, not ours. We point you to the right contact and the brand's RMA process and share what we know from ordering through them, but the claim is yours to run. We can't force a brand's hand on outcomes or timing, we don't self-insure components, and we don't handle return shipping, customs, or translation.

• How long does a claim actually take?▾

  Plan on the factory-direct timeline, not the dealer one. Most of the exotic brands we work with carry very little US warehouse stock, so the realistic window — part ships back, claim is reviewed at the factory, replacement ships out, customs in both directions — is what to budget for. Per-brand numbers (best case + realistic case) are on /support/warranty along with which brands we've personally walked a claim through.

• How do I start a claim?▾

  Email support@corvayle.com with photos, your order number, what happened, and the date it happened. We'll point you to the right contact and what the brand needs to open the claim, and share what we know from ordering through them. Where the warranty is in your name (most cases) you deal with the brand directly. We help where we genuinely can — but running the claim and any return shipping is yours.

• Is crash damage covered?▾

  It varies a lot by brand. A few brands include limited crash cover in the warranty, several run a discounted crash-replacement program (you pay something, not full retail), and many cover nothing post-crash. Always refer to the manufacturer's published policy before counting on it. Where the brand has a program, contact us with photos within 30 days of the incident and we'll point you to the right contact and what they need. Running the claim and any return shipping is yours.

• Does the broken part have to ship back?▾

  Usually yes. Most brands require the defective part for inspection before they'll authorise a replacement — "warranty without return" is the exception. Arranging the return shipment, label and any customs paperwork is yours — we'll share the address and what the brand needs, but we don't handle return logistics or translation. Freight is typically yours unless the brand reimburses it as part of the claim. Plan on the timing on /support/warranty for the round trip.

• Can I just go to the brand myself instead of using Corvayle?▾

  If the warranty is registered in your name (we ask for that at order time where the brand allows it), absolutely — it's your direct relationship. Where the warranty is registered to the importer of record, the brand will route you back to us; we can't transfer it after the fact. Either way you're welcome to email the brand directly; we'll fill in any context they ask for.

• What does Corvayle cover ourselves?▾

  The build itself. If something we did during assembly is wrong, we fix it at no cost — same workshop, same fast turnaround as a normal service visit. That covers torque, cable routing, hose bleeds, dish, alignment, spacer choice, paint touch-up after assembly, anything attributable to the way we put the bike together. Component manufacturing defects are the brand's piece of the puzzle.

• What if the brand declines the claim?▾

  Then it's declined — coverage is the brand's call to make, not ours. We'll relay their reasoning and, if there's grounds for it, push back once on your behalf with whatever supplementary evidence helps (more photos, a service-history note, a fit-context explanation). Beyond that we don't issue replacement parts at our cost; we don't self-insure components and we don't guarantee replacement.

Safety & frame quality

• Is open-mold actually unsafe?▾

  No, not inherently. "Open-mold" just means the factory sells the same mold to multiple buyers. The mold geometry was usually engineered by the factory's R&D team. Safety comes down to the layup schedule and QC — both of which vary wildly between buyers using the same mold. A reputable seller specifying their own layup can produce a frame that rides better than a no-name pulling the cheapest possible spec from the same shape.

• Should I worry about UCI approval?▾

  Only if you actually race UCI-sanctioned events. For everyone else it's a marketing badge. Plenty of non-UCI frames are well-engineered; plenty of UCI frames are heavier than they need to be specifically to pass the rules.

• Is carbon frame fatigue life a real concern?▾

  Carbon doesn't fatigue the way aluminum does — it either holds or it cracks. Catastrophic failures usually trace back to a crash, an over-torqued clamp, or a manufacturing void, not "miles ridden." A well-built frame outlives most riders' interest in keeping it.

• T700 vs T800 vs T1000 vs T1100 — does the grade actually matter?▾

  It matters less than the layup. A smart T700 layup will beat a lazy T1100 layup every time. Higher modulus fibers let designers use less material for the same stiffness, which is how you get sub-800g frames. But "100% T1100" on a spec sheet is almost always marketing — frames are blended.

• Are QC photos worth anything?▾

  They prove the seller looked at your frame before boxing it. That's it. They won't reveal voids, resin pooling, or layup mistakes inside the laminate. Treat them as a baseline, not insurance.

Geometry & fit

• I'm between sizes — go up or down?▾

  Go with the size whose stack/reach matches your current good-fitting bike. Ignore the size label. Going down for the "slammed pro look" is how people end up with neck pain at 60 km.

• Why does every size 54 ride differently across brands?▾

  Because "54" is meaningless. Look at stack, reach, head tube length, and effective top tube. A 54 from one factory can have the same stack as a 56 from another.

Wheels

• Hookless — yes or no?▾

  Yes if you stick to the approved tire list and the recommended pressures. Hookless rims have measurable aero gains and run wider tires nicely, but blow-offs at high pressure with non-compliant tires are real. If you want to run 100+ psi or experiment with tires, get hooked rims.

• What rim depth should I pick?▾

  40–45 mm is the do-everything answer — climbs fine, descends fine, handles crosswinds. 50–60 mm if you do mostly flat / rolling and value aero. Anything 65 mm+ is for racing or vanity. "Mullets" (deeper rear, shallower front) are underrated for crosswind handling.

• Are ceramic bearings worth it?▾

  For racing at the absolute pointy end, marginal. For everyone else, no — you'll save 1–2 watts at best and they need more careful maintenance. Spend the money on tires instead.

Tires

• TPU, latex, or butyl?▾

  TPU: lightest, fast, fragile, packs small as a spare. Latex: lowest rolling resistance, leaks overnight, fragile. Butyl: cheap, durable, slowest. Most riders end up on TPU for spares + tubeless for daily.

• Tan walls — still cool?▾

  Yes, but they get dirty fast and the sidewalls are usually less puncture-resistant. Style tax.

• 28, 30, or 32c?▾

  Trend is clearly toward 30–32c for road, even race. Lower rolling resistance on real-world pavement, more comfort, more grip. The aero penalty disappears once your rim internal width matches the tire properly.

Groupsets

• Wireless electronic, wired electronic, or mechanical?▾

  Wireless: convenient, expensive batteries to manage. Wired: bombproof, no derailleurs to recharge. Mechanical: cheapest, serviceable anywhere, slightly slower shifts. Mechanical is having a quiet renaissance among riders tired of charging things.

• What about the value electronic groupsets — L-Twoo, Sensah, Wheeltop?▾

  These are legitimate brands making their own 12-speed electronic groupsets at a fraction of Shimano / SRAM / Campagnolo money, and they generally work. The trade-offs are real: a smaller community-knowledge base, occasional firmware quirks, and replacement parts that are harder to source locally and lean on the brand staying around for support. If you want the value play we'll build it and spell out the risks in the proposal; if you'd rather not, the picker leads with mainstream options. We don't build counterfeit or 'replica' groupsets.

• Direct-buy power meters — accurate enough to train with?▾

  For most riders, the manufacturer-rated figures are competitive. The direct-from-manufacturer units we build with — Magene, Sigeyi, Wheeltop and the better Chinese spider / crank-arm meters — are typically rated by their makers around ±1 % to ±1.5 %, and reviewers report that temperature-compensation has improved in recent years. We can't warrant another company's accuracy, and how a given unit performs depends on the model and your own use, so we'd point you to the manufacturer's published spec and independent reviews and let you judge whether it's accurate enough for how you train.

• Short cranks for everyone now?▾

  For most riders under 180 cm, going from 172.5 to 165 helps hip angle, aero position, and cadence with no measurable power loss. The fad has data behind it.

Aero

• Do aero frames matter below 30 km/h?▾

  Less than rider position, less than clothing, less than tire choice. If you average 25 km/h solo, a skinsuit will save more watts than an aero frame upgrade.

• Is the marginal-gains rabbit hole worth it?▾

  For racers, yes — minutes are made of watts. For everyone else, it's a hobby in itself. Enjoy it for what it is.

Weight

• Real weight vs claimed weight — how big is the gap?▾

  Usually 100–300 g heavier than claimed for frames. Wheels: claimed weights often exclude rim tape, valves, and skewers. Always discount marketing weights by ~10 %.

• Dollars per gram — when do you stop?▾

  When you're spending more than $5/gram on parts you'll replace in three years. Tires, tubes, and bottle cages give better gram-per-dollar than carbon bolts.

Stiffness vs compliance

• Can you actually feel BB stiffness?▾

  At sprinter wattage, yes. At endurance wattage, almost no one can blind-test it. Most "noodly BB" complaints are actually flexy cranks or low tire pressure.

• Does tire pressure outweigh frame compliance?▾

  Dramatically. Dropping 10 psi changes ride feel more than any frame upgrade.

Service & mechanical

• Press-fit or threaded BB?▾

  Threaded if you can choose. Press-fit can be silent for years if installed perfectly, but tolerance stacking in budget frames makes creaks more likely. A well-installed press-fit beats a poorly-installed threaded though.

• Isn't Chinese carbon… you know, second-tier?▾

  No. The same factories that make the household-name frames make a lot of what Corvayle builds, plus their own brands run by engineers who got tired of selling other people's logos. Winspace's wind-tunnel work, Yoeleo's pro-tour wheels, Light Bicycle's custom-layup carbon, Magene's electronics — this is genuinely good kit, designed by riders, built in the same plants that build the Western flagships. Calling it second-tier is a holdover from 2014.

• Aren't these just knockoffs?▾

  No. Corvayle doesn't touch counterfeits of any kind. Every frame and wheelset in the configurator is a real Chinese-branded product designed and engineered by the company whose name is on it. That's the entire point: the people doing the actual engineering wanted to sell directly instead of paying Western brand markup, and Corvayle is here to make that easy.

• What do I tell my group ride?▾

  Whatever you want. Half will be curious about the frame, half will pretend they aren't, and within a couple of years a few of them will have bought one too. Chinese carbon stopped being a stigma a while ago — plenty of riders are putting up serious results on it. Show off the brand, it's worth being seen on.

• Why does this feel cooler than a Western big-name build?▾

  Because there's a story. You're riding something engineered by people obsessed with the craft, built by a small Seattle crew who actually ride the same frames, and the badge on the head tube is one most riders have to look up — which is half the fun. It's the same energy as a tasteful watch or a small-batch espresso machine: people who know, know.