Pat, I noticed you had this ring and are running AXS with it: https://pq-bike.com/collections/130bcd

even though the site says: "Standard 9/10/11/12 speed is available, sram axs cannot"

I guess it works though? I need a 46t ring...

EDIT: Woops see you have the direct mount and it doesn't have that spec, my bad!

Yup! I bought mine from AliX which specifies 12 Speed:

PASS QUEST Round Chainring 107BCD for Sram Rival AXS 12S Crankset 107 Bcd MTB Road Bike Chainwheel 36 40 42 54 56 58 T

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805496424292.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2usa

Final Weight: 7.2kg (7.6kg with pedals, cages, GPS mount, and power meter)

This was not intended to be a weight weenie build, but there are some pretty cheap and easy methods to drop the weight. The most expensive component are the wheels and they come in at 1366g. Both the saddle and aero chainring are AliExpress specials. Going 1x and also adding TPU inner tubes....easily saved 400+ grams.

The bike is fast in a straight line. Once you're above 23-24mph, drafting in a group, or have a tailwind you can tangibly notice how fast it is. You'd think with such a thick seatpost and bottom bracket the ride would be harsh but in fact it's quite comfortable. Cam Nichols' latest video on his Elves Falath Evo explains this phenomenon. My only main criticism is it isn't very composed over bad pavement. You won't be able to really feel any harshness but more so in how the bike handles the bad pavement.

TanTan provided me with a 5% off code if you order via their Alibaba site. Single frame orders are accepted.

https://activity.alibaba.com/promotion/coupon.html?encryptSellerId=8ZMAg%2FgGIq4Qf53DSNy5Vw%3D%3D

Full review video coming.

P.S. - The gold decals done by a 3rd grader. Myself.

This trend of one-bike-to-rule-them-all SL7 androdioecy needs to stop LoL.

I understand it both from a pragmatic and functional perspective. However, it's not as exciting anymore.

Uniformity is turning into conformity.
 

BSA threaded bottom bracket are less prone to creaking than press fitted BB86 bottom bracket. If you want your bike to sound like an old rocking chair go for BB86.

9 bike builds with BB86...no creaking with quality bottom brackets. Thread-together pressfit BBs help too.
1 bike with BSA...creaking within first 500 miles.

It should also be noted that most creaking isn't even bottom bracket related.

The build is coming along nicely. What size chainring/cassette do you plan to use for this build? Still trying to decide between either the Elves or this frame and I was thinking about going with 1x AXS kit myself. And most importantly, I found some (seemingly) genuine Giant Propel bottle cages on ali, that alone is surely gonna give me massive savings (just kidding)

Current cassette is a 10-30t. The 1x chainring on order is 52t for the supposed "chain efficiency."

That sounds like a very unusual bottom bracket arrangement. What is the distances between the faces of the bottom bracket in the raw frame? It should be something between 68mm and 83mm?

86.5

Why the f*ck they couldn't just go with BB386 ...

I am with you 100%. The asymmetrical BB is an weird choice because Tan Tan's website says T47 which technically is only half accurate.

Captains Log #8

This will be my final update for a while. Took the bike on a proper ride this morning and I really enjoy it. It certainly "feels" fast and doesn't struggle to maintain speed even with the 10-15mph block headwind on the return home. At 75 PSI out on proper roads the bike maintains its composure. No rattles no creaks and no teeth chattering moments. The stiffness is totally manageable even with my pad-less fully carbon saddle.

I am definitely going 1x drivetrain when the aero chainring arrive. Once I pair that to my set of TPU tubes this should drop the bike down to around 7.3kg. Pretty killer for an all-out aero frame, and even it's current form the bike feels like a go-cart. No flex out of the saddle.

It's still too early tell, but I get the impression this will be the best performing frame I've tested under $900. And this will mostly replace my Allez Sprint as long as no random quirks or catastrophic failures pop up over the summer.

Going back to @St0mpB0x point above about bottom brackets. So this frame has an asymmetrical bottom bracket design similar to the new Cervelo Soloist. The Soloist requires a T47 inboard cup on the non-drive side and an outboard cup on the drive side. The x38 is also asymmetrical but in the opposite inboard/outboard configuration of the Soloist. I was able to use an inboard DUB T47 on both sides, but it requires a specific configuration of crank/spindle spacers on both side. This isn't exactly ideal, as you may get very slight chain rub on the FD when in the two largest cassette cogs out back with out very carefully setting up the FD. Another reason 1x makes more sense for a bike like this anyway.

I wish there were a way to make a bike with a TT look (near vertical seatpost) but a compliant ride. I guess that's why Scott made that weird seat post.

-Affordable
-Lightweight
-Stiff
-Compliant

You can probably have three of the aforementioned frame characteristics, but certainly not all four. And you can't cheat physics with such a near vertical TT-like seatpost. This is like expecting an F1 race car to handle well on rough urban streets.

I prefer a stiff and communicative ride because it lets me know what the tires are doing at all times. This becomes important when the pace gets spicy. This past weekend I took both my Yoeleo R12 and Winspace T1500 on back to back long rides. The Yoeleo R12 is comfortable, composed, but doesn't have a sense of urgency. This is subjective of course. The T1500 on the other hand wants to cruise in the fast lane of the Authbahn. All day.

The point is we each have to decide what's important to us in a frameset/wheel combo. And most importantly...how much are we willing to spend to achieve said combo. Godspeed my friend.

Would 30mm spacers look utterly ridiculous on aero frame?

Ride what makes YOU happy.