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

[SWeiden]

It is little off topic but is this carbon structure of SL8 copy normal ? What are these « patches » in the rear ?

Close to the BB-Junction and at the seattube/rear stay junction will be where they overwrapped the carbon over the bonding of the main triangle and rear stays. What they did just above the rear brake caliper mounts, I have no idea

[glepore]

Has anyone some information about the actual tire clearance? Product description just says 32c. Do you reckon something wider would fit?

Thinking about getting the frame, would like to run it with ext width 34mm wheels

I'm running 30's on 33mm external/26 internal rims. Tires measure out to an actual 32, and there's a small amount of room. I think you could get away with a 32 on a wide rim that measured out to 34, but not much more.

[Sander2177]

At least its cheaper than Alpitude. Wish there was an ali alternative...

Looked but no alternatives unfortunately   
Most of the bits like titanium screws all from Ali and bottle cage Aluminium ones as well, time consuming ordering individual bolts but got there in the end.
The seat Post clamp replacement parts should arrive this week as well and a bolt and barrel nut for the seat post wedge.
 The bolt with X68 clamp the head should be a shallow one as it just pops up which looks crappy but the replacement should fix that!
People have said surfaces have been faced but they have not bee properly machine faced and well there not faced at all.
They have masked the mounts for the callipers which I have had to sand of the excess paint over spray and the same with the drop outs sanded with some 320grit and the thru axle threads also have overspray

[glepore]

Yeah, I ordered the yokes and bolts. Had a pair of yokes but they were 4 mil- would have been great in the back but I got tired of searching for a long enough gold ti bolt.
If we knew someone with the skill we could 3d print some plastic caps that would be plenty light.

Mine was pretty nicely cleaned up, enough that it appeared faced, but I bought a complete bike ... I wanted wheeltop anyway and didn't want to mess with brake install, although I'll be swapping out the calipers anyway.

[Sander2177]

Yeah, I ordered the yokes and bolts. Had a pair of yokes but they were 4 mil- would have been great in the back but I got tired of searching for a long enough gold ti bolt.
If we knew someone with the skill we could 3d print some plastic caps that would be plenty light.

Mine was pretty nicely cleaned up, enough that it appeared faced, but I bought a complete bike ... I wanted wheeltop anyway and didn't want to mess with brake install, although I'll be swapping out the calipers anyway.

It was no big deal — I just wrapped some electrical tape around it, grabbed a sanding block and some 320-grit paper, and got the job done.
Caliper are on so hopefully the mounts are actually flat 

The yokes, bolts, and cradle have arrived in the UK, so hopefully I’ll get them tomorrow or maybe Thursday. Then it’s just a bit more work with the 320-grit on the back hole, and the M5 should go in with minimal fuss — no need to mess around too much to get it fitted.

Once I’ve got the saddle height dialled in, I might trim a bit off the seatpost.

[dovh]

It was no big deal — I just wrapped some electrical tape around it, grabbed a sanding block and some 320-grit paper, and got the job done.
Caliper are on so hopefully the mounts are actually flat 

The yokes, bolts, and cradle have arrived in the UK, so hopefully I’ll get them tomorrow or maybe Thursday. Then it’s just a bit more work with the 320-grit on the back hole, and the M5 should go in with minimal fuss — no need to mess around too much to get it fitted.

Once I’ve got the saddle height dialled in, I might trim a bit off the seatpost.

Hey Sander, did that direct mount hanger just fit on there, or did you have to do something? The one I got was sticking out from the frame a bit too much, and I ended up not using it in the end. If so, can you send me a link to the one you have? Also, how nice is the fit of that MagCAD Garmin mount? Will probably order it because the tantan one is not the greatest.

[CoreX88]

I did ask mention the fork failure and was told:

'The front fork failure is an exception. The fork is broken so badly, it must be man-made, and definitely not a product quality problem.'

WTF? Pretty interesting how they try to wriggle out of a situation... The fork was already inspected by the guys where I will do the CT Scan of the frame. Their findings were more than clear on human-made mistake or production failure. They said this happens to forks of framesets in much higher price-ranges as well, so for me thats "ok". However, telling the story of me not being able to handle/ride that bike the right way sucks. I also offered them to take a look at the fork and investigate from their side, but it seems their not interested.

They can be happy to have a customer-oriented sales represantive as Vivian, but the guys behind the scene ... meh.

[Tom77]

WTF? Pretty interesting how they try to wriggle out of a situation... The fork was already inspected by the guys where I will do the CT Scan of the frame. Their findings were more than clear on human-made mistake or production failure. They said this happens to forks of framesets in much higher price-ranges as well, so for me thats "ok". However, telling the story of me not being able to handle/ride that bike the right way sucks. I also offered them to take a look at the fork and investigate from their side, but it seems their not interested.

They can be happy to have a customer-oriented sales represantive as Vivian, but the guys behind the scene ... meh.

TanTan is definitely dead for me.

I paid 56 working days ago (!), 21 days ago I was told that they painted it wrong and now have to produce a new frame in UD matt.

I have NO delivery date yet.

Vivian is sending BS mails and is no help at all, just offering me a refund (exchange rate €/$ has dropped 10% in the meantime; postage costs are no longer split between 2 frames).

Total joke, TanTan never makes the frames themselves, otherwise it would be much quicker to sort out.

[Sander2177]

WTF? Pretty interesting how they try to wriggle out of a situation... The fork was already inspected by the guys where I will do the CT Scan of the frame. Their findings were more than clear on human-made mistake or production failure. They said this happens to forks of framesets in much higher price-ranges as well, so for me thats "ok". However, telling the story of me not being able to handle/ride that bike the right way sucks. I also offered them to take a look at the fork and investigate from their side, but it seems their not interested.

They can be happy to have a customer-oriented sales represantive as Vivian, but the guys behind the scene ... meh.

Well, it really was no surprise!

Let’s be honest—if they admitted fault, it could seriously hurt their sales. It’s not unusual to see this kind of response from some brands. That’s where the bigger names have an edge: you get that added safety net through proper warranties and reliable after-sales support, but we all onow this when we buy these types of frames

[Sander2177]

TanTan is definitely dead for me.

I paid 56 working days ago (!), 21 days ago I was told that they painted it wrong and now have to produce a new frame in UD matt.

I have NO delivery date yet.

Vivian is sending BS mails and is no help at all, just offering me a refund (exchange rate €/$ has dropped 10% in the meantime; postage costs are no longer split between 2 frames).

Total joke, TanTan never makes the frames themselves, otherwise it would be much quicker to sort out.

Well, this is exactly what happens when dealing directly with these Chinese factories. Honestly, I think it’s to be expected when buying these frames — it often seems like only two or three people are handling sales, probably against a mountain of enquiries and emails every day.

That said, I think this is one of, if not the most popular frame they offer, so it's pretty clear they’re struggling to keep up with the demand.

Still, they’d be so much better off just telling the truth upfront. I’ll never understand why they don’t. Managing expectations would go a long way in keeping people on-side.

[Tom77]

Well, this is exactly what happens when dealing directly with these Chinese factories. Honestly, I think it’s to be expected when buying these frames — it often seems like only two or three people are handling sales, probably against a mountain of enquiries and emails every day.

That said, I think this is one of, if not the most popular frame they offer, so it's pretty clear they’re struggling to keep up with the demand.

Still, they’d be so much better off just telling the truth upfront. I’ll never understand why they don’t. Managing expectations would go a long way in keeping people on-side.

There is already an update on this case, will share soon.....not aging well

[TegStone]

After five days of back-and-forth emails with Ann (Vivian?), I’ve finally placed the order for a full bike build!
They mentioned 25–30 working days for production, plus 10–18 days for shipping (to a European country via DPD).
Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly—and that the frame and fork arrive flawless.
I’m excited!

[Sander2177]

There is already an update on this case, will share soon.....not aging well

Its painful mate but you will get there in the end!

[patliean1]

I had a cracked steer tube on my Giant Propel two months after I bought it. About $4000 all-in from an authorized dealer.

Not only did I neither claimed fault nor assumed it was a factory defect, I even told Giant I would be okay paying for a new fork. The color was a basic matte black.

Giant kept trying to deny my claim regardless of who would responsible of paying for the replacement fork. After escalating to the regional USA manager, Giant said it would take a whopping 3-4 months. For a black fork. And then magically a week later they had a change of heart and said they'd cover the replacement/installation at no charge, and it would only take two weeks.

Pretty sure they seen my YouTube channel. Just a shame it took something like that to get service though.

[Sander2177]

I had a cracked steer tube on my Giant Propel two months after I bought it. About $4000 all-in from an authorized dealer.

Not only did I neither claimed fault nor assumed it was a factory defect, I even told Giant I would be okay paying for a new fork. The color was a basic matte black.

Giant kept trying to deny my claim regardless of who would responsible of paying for the replacement fork. After escalating to the regional USA manager, Giant said it would take a whopping 3-4 months. For a black fork. And then magically a week later they had a change of heart and said they'd cover the replacement/installation at no charge, and it would only take two weeks.

Pretty sure they seen my YouTube channel. Just a shame it took something like that to get service though.

I remember the video but watched it again.

You always expect more from the big brands but it’s not always the case.
I’m dealing with Michelin tyres at the moment I appreciate it’s only tyres but it’s been 6 weeks and I always feeling like when I am doing this  its me chasing and doing the hard work.
But as always I will persevere and get there in the end!