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Messages - Bonus79

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1
Not really. I don't care about the brands or even bother to watch the sport. I purely ride a bike for fitness.  ;)
I don't care about the brand either (in the sense that I don't follow trends), and even if I follow cycling and sports on TV, I choose a frame because I like the design and geometry, regardless of the brand.....and I'm so used to seeing the brand on the down tube that, if I bought an oriental frame (which I did), it would be natural for me to think of applying the manufacturer's stickers....instead I see that for almost everyone it's not like that, and they prefer to leave the frame "naked".
This thing is curious to me, and I was interested in understanding why....that's all, I would never allow myself to criticize or judge the choices of others.  ;)

2


Love this subject makes me laugh, and as always, opinions are divided.

Whether it has  SL8 decals or not doesn’t really make much difference in my view—there’s no hiding what the frame is an SL8!
Don’t  want people to think your riding an SL8 buy a frame that doesn’t look like an SL8.

Or like Serge_K says you can stick Ass-Works etc on it and make a joke of it.


Yes, I have the decals, and yes, I want  people to think it’s real. That’s essentially why people buy counterfeits: either they can’t afford the genuine article, or they just can’t justify the ridiculously high price tag.

I’ve been open with my cycling mates about what I’m doing, and unsurprisingly, a few of them are pretty interested. After all, £625 delivered with handlebars is hard to ignore.

And if anyone asks, I’ll be upfront with them too.
Obviously I wasn't referring to you or anyone who buys a 1:1 copy of a famous frame...my question concerns all frames "made in China", even those with an original design.  ;)

3
Ok — the X68 is 99% done and officially rideable now!
Final weight: 6.49 kg

I’ve got a few seat clamp mods still on the way, and I’ll be swapping the chainrings for the XMCarbon ones, but otherwise — it’s done!

The frame had a few minor issues, nothing major. The last thing I had to do was sand the underside of the transition spacer at the back. When tightening the headset, it started rubbing slightly on the frame. The frame curves ever so slightly in that area just beneath the transition cap, whereas the SL8 flattens out at that point.

Anyway going out for a ride this morning!
Great job, very beautiful and "bad"!  ;)

4
I'm not a fan of bike logos at all.  I'd hate to have a car with a giant Toyota or Volkswagen logo scrawled across the side!  ;D
So you will never buy a frame from a famous brand or if you do buy one you will have the scribbles removed?  ;D

Jokes aside, I don't understand the reason behind this choice...I'm so used to seeing a sticker/writing on the down tube, that without the frame it seems "naked" to me, as if something was missing (this regardless of the brand).

5
Not that i like tantan, but a few thoughts / questions on SPCycle:
they only seem to exist online as an aliexpress seller (Shenzhen dishai industrial co., ltd), which is registered in "Room 206" in a building in Shenzen. Not, let's say, a factory in Xiamen (600km away). Then, SPCycle website takes you to another store front clearly tailored to the west, with the same reference to Shenzhen dishai industrial, which is good, as it implies, that unlike LTWOO, the spcycle store on aliexpress is the same as the online store on www.sp-cycle.com. But neither proves it's an actual factory. Arguably, everything points to the fact it's probably not a factory. None of their content looks like an OEM / factory. They only mention factory space in one sentence somewhere. Maybe it's the retail arm of a manufacturer they're hiding?
Either way, i'd argue SPcycle is less likely than tantan to make their own stuff. To me, they're like velobuild?
I purchased a Spcycle R088 frame, I asked them directly if the R088 frame is produced by them, or if they commissioned it from another manufacturer.
They replied that the mold of the R088 is theirs, that it is made in their factory and that they have not authorized dealers to sell their frame.
Then I told them that TanTan advertises and sells a frame (TT-X70) that seems identical to theirs... they replied that TanTan took only one sample from their factory and that they would not provide any more samples in the future.
I replied them that TanTan took a sample to copy the frame exactly and sell it as TT-X70...I was taken aback by their response: "Yes, this is very likely", as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
They confirmed what I have read on this forum: in the East they have a completely different mentality compared to the Western one and copying the frames of other manufacturers is not (evidently) seen as something unseemly or forbidden/sanctioned and that (except for "premium" brands that try to establish themselves with their own name) wanting to differentiate themselves from other manufacturers is not a priority for them.
Well, I honestly have not understood whether Spcycle is really the manufacturer of the R088 and TT-X70 frames, but I would say that it changes little in practice: it would be like buying a Bottecchia (Italian brand) 8Avio Ultimate, a frame produced and sold by Workswell (WCB-R-316).

6
Might be a little bit OT and I don't want to sound confrontational, but could you explain to me the allure of putting these decals on your frame? I truly struggle to understand if it is to look cool or to pretend to have the real deal or something else entirely. I personally am more than ok with buying a frame that takes inspiration from others as long as it is generic looking enough (not Dogma or SL8 or Madone for example, but a Factor or an SL7 or other less conspicuous frames might look the same as dozens others) and personalize it with my own decals, but when the frame is one of a kind I would either get the real one or else I would feel like I'm just trying to impress, especially with such high priced originals.
Again, not to judge but I am truly curious to understand the thought process behind it!

On the topic itself, I feel like I dodged a giant bullet after considering both the X65 and X67 and pulling the plug after some dubious responses from Tantan about production, waiting time, measures and such.
Another question I've always asked myself is: why do 99% of those who buy a Chinese/Far East frame prefer not to apply the manufacturer/brand stickers?
Or why does this not happen with Western brands even when they do not directly produce the frame, but buy it from an OEM manufacturer?

8
Thanks
The wheels  are 65Rear and 60Front.
Well purple not everyone’s cup of tea obviously but I like the fact I can change them.
What colour would you go with?
Maybe I wil order black matt
Actually, I really like purple as a color....think that I was undecided about choosing it for the frame.

I don't like the combination of purple stickers with the frame....if I had to choose, I would probably go for an iridescent or chameleon color that fades into blue or green, but also gold or bronze/copper....certainly not matte black.

However, instead of applying only the Specialized front logo, I would evaluate the choice of a different logo of your liking, rather that of Seraph, or of your own invention (and I would not put any writing on the handlebars)....for my frame (no X68) I had a small sticker made with a custom logo and writing to apply to the upper part of the horizontal tube (in addition to those of the manufacturer, but with a custom font). ;)


9
I'd also double check if the rotor isn't true. I have a truing disc rotor tool that does wonders! In fact I have 3 different wheelsets, on 2 bikes that all run true! My disc alignment game is rock solid!
What tool is this? Do you have a link?
Thanks

10
I encountered this problem. The bolt won't tighten any further, I don't want to damage the already bad thread even more. No idea what to do now. I don't have any thread cutting tools.
I took the frame to be painted and so I can't help you....what I noticed instead is that the front thru axle is a bit hard to screw in: has anyone noticed the same thing?
It will probably be enough to apply a bit of grease to solve the problem, but before risking ruining the thread I'll ask you too, thanks!

About grease: since this is my first experience in frame assembly, what type of grease do you recommend for the headset, bottom bracket, thru axles, seatpost clamp?
Many have suggested white lithium grease, in some video tutorials instead I saw that they use pink/red or green grease...which one do you suggest?
Thanks

11
Also I seriously need to try a real Specialized SL8 and compare it to the R088. I know a guy who's a mechanic at the LBS, so maybe I'll ask if I can take one on a spin in order to compare the two!
It would be very interesting to have a comparison with SL8....keep us updated!  ;)

12
I finally got the seat post from TanTan. It took around 14 days to arrive, and the seat post is raw carbon with a glossy clear coat. They did say if I'm okay with it, they had it already produced, I'd say. Otherwise, by the looks of it, I would still be waiting because of the painting bottleneck. Doesn't look that bad, but I'll order a black matte one from them, and when it arrives, it arrives.

My opinion: matte is better  ;)

13
Also some picture of the build and yes I have decal I know this will divide opinion with your guys.
Getting some hanging scale delivered tomorrow hopefully so will do a weigh in so far.

65R/55F wheels?

Nice bike, congrats!


PS: I don't like the purple stickers.  ;)

14
I read about updated hubs....can anyone tell me what kind of update was done since I just got my DAO wheels three weeks ago.
Thanks

15
Read page 67
I have posted many photos
But no it look quite similar but it’s heavier
Seen thanks, but apart from the weight they seem identical in structure/construction.

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