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

[WWcyclist]

Instead of acting as a moderator, please, buy a frame, mount components, ride and test it, post some photos and share your feedback.
The frame are the same, TanTan has just changed the headset, is it so difficult to understand ?

So it isn't the same then. This thread is specifically for "the same frame" from tantan/seraph.

There are other generic SL8 threads and as a bonus it won't confuse people.

[zett]

The frames might use the same mold, but they are not the same. They aren't even the same if they are in fact produced in the same factory. Finish, accessories and most importantly QC can be quite a bit different. TanTan has a reputation to lose, after all.

[planet_sammy]

I am up near Frankfurt. Just getting a frame or complete?

Me too  how do you say Westerwald in English?

[WWcyclist]

The frames might use the same mold, but they are not the same. They aren't even the same if they are in fact produced in the same factory. Finish, accessories and most importantly QC can be quite a bit different. TanTan has a reputation to lose, after all.

Thankyou, all of this!

[Sander2177]

I’ve been following this thread with great interest, and as an owner of a genuine S-Works SL8, I have to admit that the price of these counterfeit frames is tempting. However, at the end of the day, it's still a counterfeit. I recently watched the GCN video on YouTube about fake products, where they spoke with the person at Specialized who handles counterfeit goods. After that, it really made buying one a hard "no" for me.

I get that bike prices are now ridiculously high, and honestly, if I could ride a motorbike, I could get a Ducati for the same price! But if we keep buying into this, the prices will just keep climbing. We've already seen Chinese brands slowly following suit, and it won't be long before we're looking at £3k Chinese frames or even £1,500 open molds.

You can try to justify it, but these counterfeit manufacturers are driven by one thing only: money. They have little to no regard for warranties (which are often just a marketing tool), poor customer service, or rider safety. If you have an accident on one of these bikes and something fails, good luck getting any kind of support. At least with real brands, there’s some accountability.

Additionally, these manufacturers often support poor working conditions, and in some cases, possibly even underage labor. These companies can be unscrupulous.

If you're after quality, you're probably better off going with reputable Chinese brands or considering open molds.

[momento]

I’ve been following this thread with great interest, and as an owner of a genuine S-Works SL8, I have to admit that the price of these counterfeit frames is tempting. However, at the end of the day, it's still a counterfeit. I recently watched the GCN video on YouTube about fake products, where they spoke with the person at Specialized who handles counterfeit goods. After that, it really made buying one a hard "no" for me.

I get that bike prices are now ridiculously high, and honestly, if I could ride a motorbike, I could get a Ducati for the same price! But if we keep buying into this, the prices will just keep climbing. We've already seen Chinese brands slowly following suit, and it won't be long before we're looking at £3k Chinese frames or even £1,500 open molds.

You can try to justify it, but these counterfeit manufacturers are driven by one thing only: money. They have little to no regard for warranties (which are often just a marketing tool), poor customer service, or rider safety. If you have an accident on one of these bikes and something fails, good luck getting any kind of support. At least with real brands, there’s some accountability.

Additionally, these manufacturers often support poor working conditions, and in some cases, possibly even underage labor. These companies can be unscrupulous.

If you're after quality, you're probably better off going with reputable Chinese brands or considering open molds.

How many no brand frames have you owned and used?

Which supplier did you buy from?

How did you choose the supplier?

What are the conditions of the workers in the factories that produce for specialized?

[CARLOS5]

Hello everyone. First of all, the X68 that I have assembled for my friend in size 52 without pedals has weighed 7.2kg with 50 profile rims and mounted on Ultegra Di2. The saddle is a Bontrager (quite heavy). After the first rides, my friend is delighted with the behaviour of the bike. It feels rigid and fast on the flat and quite comfortable and safe on the descents. I will soon send more photos and the list of costs for the assembly in general.

[Sander2177]

How many no brand frames have you owned and used? None

Which supplier did you buy from? None

How did you choose the supplier? None but what due diligence can you carry out really from reading online reviews None as they are merely opinion based with no real  facts

What are the conditions of the workers in the factories that produce for specialized? well i would like to think and an educated  guess are the conditions are what you would expect from a brand like specialized as you have to remember reputation is everything.


So answer these questions for me yourself?


Most counterfeit  goods bought are generally in tandem with organised crime its generally a given in some cases but obviously not all

[fhill]

Pretty disappointed with my order at Seraph right now.
Ordered just before Christmas and they said, the frame would be sent before CNY. Then they said it'll take til mid of february and i am still waiting for the confirmation that the frame is sent

[glepore]

Pretty disappointed with my order at Seraph right now.
Ordered just before Christmas and they said, the frame would be sent before CNY. Then they said it'll take til mid of february and i am still waiting for the confirmation that the frame is sent

Yeah, my complete build was paid for on 1/29 but nothing yet. Looks like its going to be at least 60 days from order to delivery.

[CoreX88]

Hi there,

wanted to give a short update on the bike. Riding quality is great, as I said before it is a whole different story to a Votec VRC Pro. If it is anywhere near an S-Works I can't tell. However, I'm more than happy.

Couple of things I want to mention:

1. The rear bolt on the seat post was mounted incorrectly from factory and on the pictures of TanTan. Please mount it the way Specialized is telling you in there manual for the SL8. 3nm on the Front bolt and 6nm at the rear bolt.
2. Save your money and don't buy the computer mount from TanTan. The computer mount is cheap ABS plastic and the angle is not good. It's to steep! I got this one instead:https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256808076328828.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.41.3b825c5fNkqyhL&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa4itemAdapt

[neobiker]

How many no brand frames have you owned and used? None

Which supplier did you buy from? None

How did you choose the supplier? None but what due diligence can you carry out really from reading online reviews None as they are merely opinion based with no real  facts

What are the conditions of the workers in the factories that produce for specialized? well i would like to think and an educated  guess are the conditions are what you would expect from a brand like specialized as you have to remember reputation is everything.


So answer these questions for me yourself?


Most counterfeit  goods bought are generally in tandem with organised crime its generally a given in some cases but obviously not all

By your logic, when Zara makes a perfect imitation of a Louis Vuitton without the branding, Zara would be doing counterfeiting and would finance organized crime? In a way, without going into politics, we could argue that we are financing China by buying a frame there, but then it would apply to Specialized as well?


But more positively, what would convince you that TanTan is a genuine frame builder, that people are making genuine review based of “facts”? Are you setting the bar to seeing and testing one yourself?

[angry-runner]

I'm new to the forum and to the whole chinese cycling world, please take this into consideration.

I was going through the messages on this thread and similar ones and noticed that the safety aspect of buying those "heavily inspired" bikes (or straight up clones) isn't discussed much. Are those Seraph/TanTan clones really safe to ride?

And maybe a bit off-topic, but are there good value for money chinese brands that don't bother about copying frames (do their own or open molds), but are solid and can be trusted regarding quality and safety? I know about the ones such as Tavelo, Seka, Yoeleo, Winspace and etc, but those seem to be a bit "pricey" already

[neobiker]

You should make a new thread, and we will answer you there.

But tldr; TanTan is safe.

Light Carbon and Yishun are great, Velobuild has many users and no one died, Carbonda, Hongfu, ICan are other good brands. Check Youtube for more info.

[toxin]

Dangerous frames should mostly be a thing of the past. First off, modern production methods make it harder to fuck up during the layup process. And unlike in the past, when factories needed to have layup schedules provided to them to get the best results, the factories have their own engineers with just as much expertise.