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Re: Seraph Bikes Superlight 836g X68 - Alternative to SL8 Fakes?
Quote from: dovh on January 27, 2025, 03:27:34 AM
I have a question regarding the rear caliper adapter for the 160mm rotor. What length bolts are needed for it?

I keep reading these questions. How much would it cost shimano to ship enough bolts in the 1st place? the ltwoo groups come with every bolt length under the sun, for eg. when you order a group from them, you get all the bolts, all the adaptor plates for pretty much any situation, and all the cables, charger and so on. Their RDs break, but at least groups are easy to install.
Given the size of the bolts, btw, you can probably find them in any DIY store, they should cost virtually nothing.
January 30, 2025, 01:42:21 AM 		1
Re: Seraph Bikes Superlight 836g X68 - Alternative to SL8 Fakes? My bike is out of paint as of today, so figure around a little over a month allowing for the holiday break.
From the video the paint looks great and bb and disc mounts seem nicely faced.
March 06, 2025, 06:09:00 AM 		1
Re: Seraph Bikes Superlight 836g X68 - Alternative to SL8 Fakes? More fotos!!! It’s a very nice Bike
March 08, 2025, 07:08:55 AM 		1
Re: Seraph Bikes Superlight 836g X68 - Alternative to SL8 Fakes? Question, does the lowest spacer/headsetcap/whateverthename is, sit flush after finishing the build? The gap/size doesnt really seem to fit the headtube/toptube-intersection.

By the way, loving the purple matte frame! Haven't seen that one before.
March 12, 2025, 08:03:37 AM 		1
Re: Seraph Bikes Superlight 836g X68 - Alternative to SL8 Fakes?
Quote from: dovh on March 12, 2025, 07:58:59 AM
Just got info that my frame is finised and shipped out. I ordered/paid mine on the 16th of January. Also got some pics from the Tantan guys before they packed and shiped it out.  :)

So far this has been the only paint job I've seen on the X68 that would make me reconsider not ordering raw paintless carbon.
March 12, 2025, 08:39:59 AM 		1
Re: Seraph Bikes Superlight 836g X68 - Alternative to SL8 Fakes?
Quote from: tiz92 on March 13, 2025, 01:01:59 AM
Btw is the derrailer hanger the same as the SL8 has?
Yes. I swapped the stock hanger with an aliexpress direct mount hanger. The fit was perfect and I've had no issues.
March 13, 2025, 09:02:03 AM 		1
Re: Seraph Bikes Superlight 836g X68 - Alternative to SL8 Fakes? attached the mia in size 56.
March 24, 2025, 03:38:02 AM 		1
Re: Seraph Bikes Superlight 836g X68 - Alternative to SL8 Fakes?
Quote from: glepore on March 27, 2025, 10:31:33 AM
I'll just toss out there that I think the margins are narrowing. EPS, the sharing of knowledge etc. have made things closer. The VAM clones by all reports are pretty much indistinguishable from the real thing. I suspect the X68 is closer to an SL bike than the x38 is to a Foil. Time will tell.

Its not impossible, even with the price difference.

+1 on that. The layup know-how is with the factories, not the brands, at this point, i'm pretty sure. Westerners don't like going to and spending time in China. Some brands will do in house prototypes, you'd have to trust that the factory would replicate the layup - i'd question that. Most brands don't do any layup, they ask the factory to get the frame to be that stiff in that area, to weigh that much, and voila. I'm convinced that if you're not on the factory floor, you don't know your product. Especially in China.

People locally talk, they learn, they switch companies, they start their own thing, they moonlight. Techniques are getting better, know-how is getting better, and know-how is spreading.

On price, i heard that the factory that makes frames for Factor charges Factor less than $500 per frame...

Now, can you buy a fake SL8 and get something indistinguishable? No idea. But we're not talking rocket ships. And with tyres getting bigger, all this air will mute a lot of differences. And even if back to back, you may be able to tell the difference, ride whichever frame 5x and you'll probably forget how the other one felt. For probably 90% of riders (the last 10% would be racers, sprinters and the likes).
March 27, 2025, 03:38:26 PM 		1
Re: Seraph Bikes Superlight 836g X68 - Alternative to SL8 Fakes?
Quote from: dovh on March 30, 2025, 03:59:43 AM
Hey all, we have almost finished the build yesterday.
It's not entirely finished, but I have to wait with the handlebar tape until I get to the bike fit guy to set it up properly for me.
Here is the photo of the almost finished bike. It weighs a little over 8kg in size 58 and has quite heavy wheels and tires. With better wheels and tires that I hope to get soonish(tm), I should be able to save around 500-550g with that alone.

Some notes from building the bike. Brakes, we're not that hard to center. It took some finicking, but my friend managed to do it in about 20 minutes or so. Routing cables and hoses were also not that hard, but be careful so you don't drop the metal plate holding the front derailleur in the seat post tube. It was a pain to finagle it back in place.. Otherwise, everything was relatively straightforward. The headtube was finished nicely, and the bearing sat firmly there with no play. Also, the gap under the spacers is not bad after compressing it (see picture). 

Can't attach pictures here. It crashes the page, so it's here on google drive - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1AEk9xj3Kvf6tfcz9mtWzV21S3gj--7qY?usp=sharing

I also dropped that metal plate holding the front derailleur plate into the seat tube absolute pain to get that back
March 30, 2025, 07:09:15 AM 		1
Re: Seraph Bikes Superlight 836g X68 - Alternative to SL8 Fakes?
Quote from: fhill on March 30, 2025, 07:09:15 AM
I also dropped that metal plate holding the front derailleur plate into the seat tube absolute pain to get that back

For future user, you can have a look at pages 20, 21 and 22 of the Tarmac SL8 manual. It explains how to install it.
March 30, 2025, 09:52:22 AM 		1