Seraph Bikes Superlight 836g X68 - Alternative to SL8 Fakes?

[Sander2177]

more than shipping, i wanted to know how long it takes to build the frame. i know roughly that shipping to eu with prepaid tax takes about 3 weeks. but they didn't answer me. mystery

Just think about the volume of emails and messages Vivian and Rose must get every day I would
only  assume if they cannot keep up emails will inevitably get missed so be patient.

Have you the WhatsApp numbers? If not give these a try I find these are the quickest way to get a reply myself.
Vivian Ttian +86 136 9093 8214
Rose Huang +86 188 2485 0694

They have been quoting 20-25 days for X68 frame but I’m assuming depends on frames.
To be honest I have been dealing with Vivian and the response via email and WhatsApp has been fine

[Sander2177]

I mean yes. As I said I paye on march 13th and a few days ago she told me frame will be send between 12th to 18th April. Lets hope.

So any update on your frame have the posted it tiz92?

[tiz92]

So any update on your frame have the posted it tiz92?

Yes today. I will need to wait more 7-10 days. I think they send it not before beginning of may but I dont have stress. They told me they had such a high amount of orders that the painting facility is very far behind. Thats the reason why they stopped orders for some time.

[Sander2177]

more than shipping, i wanted to know how long it takes to build the frame. i know roughly that shipping to eu with prepaid tax takes about 3 weeks. but they didn't answer me. mystery
[/quote

Thanks for the update.
I actually asked about custom paint options on Monday, but was told I they could not change my paint option so UD glossy it is!

What about you—what did you go for in terms of paint?
Is it a full build or just the frame? And if it’s frame-only, what are you planning to build it up with?

[tiz92]

I also asked that if the limiting part is the painting if they could send me the raw frame in the case its ok to ride. I dont care at all about the colour.

[Sander2177]

I also asked that if the limiting part is the painting if they could send me the raw frame in the case its ok to ride. I dont care at all about the colour.

I was originally told a raw, unprinted frame would take 7–10 days when I first enquired.
But getting it painted here in the UK was estimated at around £500, since the frame would likely still need prepping—almost the cost of the frame itself—so it just didn’t make sense.

I had been looking at a finish called Chromacoat Fireball. I had a frame painted in it a few years back and it looked badass—black, red, and gold. It’s not a colour Tan Tan offers though.

The idea of custom paint only came about after visiting a new local bike shop that opened over the weekend. They had a Trek TT bike in a green-purple flip finish, and it looked stunning. So for an extra $100–150 USD, I thought—why the hell not?

[pandinoyoung]

today i sent an email to tan tan, and jessi answered me immediately. great. i requested a no paint frame, i will paint it myself, the price is attractive at 589 instead of 629 dollars. but the tan tan site does not have the automatic payment procedure that the seraph site has. how can i pay on the tan tan site?
he did not specify the production times of the frame or if it was already available in stock.

[glepore]

If you give her the go ahead she'll send you an invoice along with payment options-paypal, wise etc.

[pandinoyoung]

If you give her the go ahead she'll send you an invoice along with payment options-paypal, wise etc.

thanks

[tiz92]

btw does anybody have experience in using a raw carbon frame without any colour or "protection" coat? Is that even possible. I find varying answers online.

[Bonus79]

today i sent an email to tan tan, and jessi answered me immediately. great. i requested a no paint frame, i will paint it myself, the price is attractive at 589 instead of 629 dollars. but the tan tan site does not have the automatic payment procedure that the seraph site has. how can i pay on the tan tan site?
he did not specify the production times of the frame or if it was already available in stock.

I'm curious to see the finishes of the raw frame, especially the thru-axle and dropout stops.
Maybe post some photos before painting the frame, thanks. 

[Sander2177]

btw does anybody have experience in using a raw carbon frame without any colour or "protection" coat? Is that even possible. I find varying answers online.

Why would you want a frame with no finish at all?

High-end frames like those from SWI or the Masterpiece series by BMC sometimes use this approach—similar to UD (unidirectional) paintless carbon rims. However, achieving a flawless raw carbon look is extremely time-consuming, as any imperfection becomes immediately visible.

Large-scale factories typically don't have the time or precision to pull this off consistently. Most frames will require sanding, the addition of filler to address imperfections, and then a proper finish to achieve a clean and consistent look.

So you can but the frame is going to look Sh1t!

[Sander2177]

I'm curious to see the finishes of the raw frame, especially the thru-axle and dropout stops.
Maybe post some photos before painting the frame, thanks. 

These links maybe of some help


https://youtu.be/f4gSbvdK0Mw?si=DY-Ig8ECD-1py0rq


https://youtu.be/1mO_n91GjKA?si=MnrN6z2x4Jrj0HDw

[OlHag Cyclismo]

My Seraph/ TanTan TT X 68 Build - Size 54 - Matte Black

6.94kg - $2900ish all in. Weight is plus or minus 50gwith grease, and misc hardware not accounted for.
I acquired most of these parts used over the course of 4-5 months, via ebay and facebook. I learned about most of the build options, not named shimano, from this site or via youtube (GC Performance, Pat Lino, China Cycling, etc...). I also built this bike by myself, first time ever doing a frame-up build, and used GC's SL8 bike build and his other videos.

Frameset - $629 + $100 shipping. Took about 2 months to receive.
Frame w/ headset bearings, bottle cage bolts, fd mount, rd mount - 878g
Uncut Fork - 339g      Cut Fork - 309g (10mm spacer)
Uncut Seatpost w/ hardware - 166g      Seatpost Wedge - 20g
Thru Axles - 62g
Bar/ Stem 120/38 - 326g
Spacers and Covers - 15g
Garmin Mount - 28g (kinda sucks on first impression, will be looking for alternatives)
BSA30 BB - 88g
Aliexpress SL8 Direct Mount RD Hanger - 15g (saves 8g)

CRW 50/55 Wheelset - 1325g
MT900 160/140 Rotors - 187g (pair)
Aliexpress Tubeless Valves - 11g (pair)
Sunshine Cassette 11-32 - 230g
Vittoria Corsa Pro Control Cream 28 Tubeless - 633g (should be 520g for the pair according to BRR.com)
Amazon CL Rings - 23g (pair)
Stans Sealant 40ml per tire - 60g

Shimano ST-R8170 - 399g
Shimano BR-R8170 - 300g (bolts, pads, calipers)
Shimano FD-R8150 - 112g
Shimano RD-R8150 - 250g
Shimano BT-DN300 - 52g
Di2 Cables - 16g
Sram Force 170, Quarq PM, 53/39 Chainrings - 753g (old sram powerglide chainrings)
KMC X12 Gold - 243g (uncut was 273g)
Brake Hoses - 35g (approximate. I subtracted the excess)

Aliexpress Carbon Bottle Cages - 48g (pair)
Ryet 3d Ultralight 143mm - 165g
Deda Tretaforo Bar Tape - 35g (40g uncut)
R8000 Ultegra Pedals - 248g

Future Weight Weenie Options:
HY Seatpost - 130g - $167 (saves 36g)
Avian Canary - 266g - $300 approximately (saves 60g)
BDOP 11-30 Cassette - 126g - $160 (saves 104g)
Xcadey/ Lexon 53/39 - 600g - $615 (saves 153g)
J&L Axles - 47g - $40(saves 15g)
Tofu Comtura Prima 28 Tires - 480g - $120 (saves 153g over current tires)
Wheels - 1150-1200g - $800 to infinity (plenty of options here)
Saddle - 100-130g - $40 to infinity (plenty of options here)

Hey y'all, long term review here. I built the bike in January 2025, rode it on the trainer for about a month, and have ridden it outside 3-4 times a week since mid February. I have raced it once. I've got somewhere close to 500 miles on it at this point, maybe more.

Frame: it works, but cant speak to how it compares to other disc brake bikes. I do feel as though it is responsive to putting power down, but maybe not super snappy and that could be several other factors. My previous cervelo r3 rim brake was extremely snappy, but I was also very aggressive when riding that thing. The only "issue" I've had is with the headset cover deal rubbing on the frame itself, instead of floating a .5mm over it. Could be my fault when I built the bike, but going to chalk it up to the part being slightly off. For my first disc brake bike, I have really enjoyed riding it and I'm looking forward to going full weight weenie with it over the next year. I would highly recommend this frame for anyone going the china frame route.

Bars: I went with the 120/38 bars. The bars appear to be exact copies of the specialized bars. They are quite comfortable and have a large aero foil shape to them. I'm not entirely sure where they measure the stem, but this "120" stem has the same length as a 110 stem on another set of bars. I haven't noticed any serious deflection when sprinting, but I'm around 67kg and doing 1200 watt sprints. I don't like the computer mount that's included because it doesn't lock into the handle bar like a traditional 2 bolt under stem mount does. It gets the job done, but I'll be upgrading in the future.

Wheels: The CRW's are fantastic. Aero and lightweight. Seating tires is no issue.

Groupset: its ultegra di2, it works, nothing more to say. the aliexpress cassette works fine, and is only slightly less smooth than a shimano cassette.

[pandinoyoung]

I'm curious to see the finishes of the raw frame, especially the thru-axle and dropout stops.
Maybe post some photos before painting the frame, thanks. 

yes, It will be in July, if the times are like this