An initial review-
So the frame arrived yesterday. I haven't gotten a chance to photograph it yet. It looks pretty "meh"- I can see why it was cheap. The joint where the seat tube meets the top tubes is, unfortunately, kind of ugly-looking. Frankly, it looks carelessly done- the welding at just that one joint looks bulky and uneven to me. It's nothing that a non-bike person would notice, but of course, it's something that I think might bug me every time I looked at it. The paint and the rest of the welds look decent, but I haven't totally unpacked it to the point where I can get a really good look at everything.
The seat collar it came with is also snagged in a couple places, so I nearly cut my fingers when I first pulled it out of the box.
I knew this when I bought it, but the fact that they sleeved the downtube for a 31.8 clamp is also a major downer for me. I didn't think that through very well. It just looks weird! How hard would it be to shim a 31.8 derailleur for a 28.6 tube, if someone is building this using a modern drivetrain? Or is that a bad idea to shim a front derailleur? I would assume you could, but it's not a problem I'm faced before.
I guess what I'm saying is that I think I might have a little buyer's remorse going on. I'm seriously thinking about sending it back. The only real bummer is that I would probably still have to pay for shipping, so I'd be out $40 and I still wouldn't have a new bike to play with.
If I do keep it, I'd want to get it powdercoated, clean up the welds, and see if the sleeve can be sanded down or something, but that seems like too much money to throw at a brand-new frame that really shouldn't need any of that.