Not the greatest composition, lighting or detail in those images, but they suffice to confirm the following differences to the
FnHon Gust 16". Unlike the Mint, the Gust has:
- an FD hanger and cable guide on the seat tube,
- no dimple on the chain-stay near the bottom bracket shell,
- a brand badge that is physically debossed, recessed in the material,
- a fork with only one, rather than two holes right above the dropout,
- The chain stay bridge on this disc brake Mint resembles that of the rim-brake Gust, not that of the Disc brake Gust.
FD hanger and no dimple on chainstay
Debossed like a boss 💪🏽 with excellent paint finish and weld quality
Gust 20": debossed AND painted a separate color 🔥
I
speculate about other
possible differences which cannot be conclusively determined from the images:
- the disc brake mounts are different.
- the Mint fork uses a star nut rather than a bolt and washer. The neck on the Mint handlepost looks quite tall, taller than standard.
- The Gust frameset is lighter.
- Overall the paint finish and weld quality is superior on the Gust.
- The inner surface of the hinge on the Mint is unpainted, raw metal.
This speculation is based on the known differences between the Gust and its imitators here in Indonesia. Happy to be corrected, though.
There are good reasons why, despite the slew of Gust imitators selling complete bikes, the FnHon framesets have been a success and continue to sell. One is that they provide a blank canvas on which to build, specc and customize a bike exactly as one wants it, avoiding the myriad bum or mediocre stock parts that usually come on complete bikes. Two is the high quality of the frames, quality so far unmatched by the imitators. The
FnHon Gust 16" is not without its quirks and flaws, but build quality is not among them. In that regard and at their price, FnHon framesets leave nothing to desire. I say this based on nine (9) pieces across six different models/types having passed through my hands since 2017, and a tenth piece now purchased and on its way to me.
To answer the original thread question, no, the Mint and
Fnhon Gust 16" are
not the same.