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

[Sovi]

I just had my first little 44k testride on my build.

I ordered it on 23rd of April and I received it ... not exactly sure anymore ... end of May, so slightly over a month.
Its black matte, so basically no extra paintwork.
I payed 710,80 € including shipping to Germany (779 USD).

Size 58
Frame: 835g
Fork (uncut): 389g (I think I took about 10g off when I cut it)
Handlebar (120x400mm): 357g
Seatpost (380mm): 193g

Overall the packaging and the parts looked good when they arrived.
The brakemounts werent really well faced. I used a file to file it roughly flat. Worked well enough I think.
I have the same "problem" I have seen in this thread before that the little copper-colored insert for the through axle was stuck to the frame in the rear, while for the fork it can be easily removed.

I took my sweet time with the build. Part of it was that I wasnt sure what other parts I wanted.
I finally ordered the Elite Wheels Drive II on June 11th and they took their sweet time to arrive (middle of August I think).
Even then I was partly lazy and partly hesitant. As I said it was my first build and especially cutting the fork and the brake lines were a bit scary to me.
In the end I learned a lot and it wasnt really as bad as I thought it would be. I usually service my old bike myself, so I am somewhat confident in my abilities and my ability to learn.

So then to the testride. It was mostly about gaining confidence in the bike and in my work I guess
Up until know I have been riding a 2012 Rose Xeon RS. Aluminium, Rim Brakes, Mechanical Ultegra Groupset. Nothing fancy, but enough to ride 40 km/h average in relatively flat sportives.
The new bike feels nice, responsive, fast ... though I have to say I expected .... more? in comparison to my Alu-Bike.
Dunno how to say it, to be honest. It does feel faster though. That being said .. who knows what makes it faster ... is it the frame, is it the wheels .. or is is the more aggressive position I have to ride with this bike...

I am 194cm tall ... the 58 frame is .. probably just about okay. The saddle height is roughly the same. I have the seatpost as far out as the indicator allows. I am tempted to pull it out just a little bit more. The handlebar is quite a bit lower than on my old bike, though.

Two seemingly more common problems in this thread were a slipping seatpost and rubbing spacers.
I installed the seatpost with some carbon paste and torqued it to 6nm. So far it didnt slip even a bit.
I also have no problems with the spacers, they have enough room to move without rubbing on the frame.

So overall I am quite satisfied with the build.
MY position on the bike is on the extrem end for me. For tomorrow I have a 100k ride planned.
If I am satisfied with that ride I will use the bike for the "Münsterland Giro" on October 3rd.

After all that I will have to decide wether I want to keep the frame or get something with a more relaxed geomety for me ... maybe the LCR018-D.

Edit:// Obviously I still have to add the handlebar tape. Wanted to make sure I'm satisfied with the position of the shifters.
They are relatively, traditionally "straight". I tried to have them angled inwards at first. Many say thats more comfortable.
Maybe I didnt try it long enough to get used to it, but I didnt really like it, so I put them on straight.

Edit_2:// As seen on the picture - but without the saddlebag, the bottle and the Garmin - it weighs 7.5 kg.

[SkylarRnD]

Nice! Sounds like it went together smoothly.

[Ludo]

That’s for sure is a big drop to the handle bars!

[Sovi]

Sooo. I did a 100 km ride today (solo as usual) and I have gathered some more experience, thoughts and impressions.
Keep in mind that I will be comparing it to the bike I rode until recently. Obviously there will be many factors ... frame, wheels, more aggressive positon etc...
Dont know if anyone is even interested, but it helps me to put it into writing and maybe it'll help someone here...

Old: 2012 Rose Xeon RS - Aluminium - Rim Brakes - Mechanical Ultegra 10 speed with 50-34t and Vision Team 35 wheels ~8.5kg
New: X 68 - Carbon - Disc Brakes - 105 di2 12 speed with 52-36t and Elite Wheels Drive II ~7.5kg

So first things first. It was the fastest solo 100 km ride I did this year. 31 km/h average with 410 meters elevation. Slightly less windy that usually here, but from a constant direction.
Got several PRs without even really trying, not by much though.

So, is it faster?
In general I would say so, yes. It accelerates better. Its easier to get to a slightly higher speed. It holds the speed easier.
Though I do find it hard to just attribute it to "its just faster".
I dont have a powermeter on this or my old bike, so I dont have any hard numbers, but I did notice a slighty elevated heartrate compared to my usual rides. Obviously there can be many reasons for that.
That might be in part to my body adapting to a new position, but to me it also felt like ... the bike just wants to go faster and makes it easier for me to put more power down to do just that.

Fit
As I already said its just about workable for my height I think. The saddleheight is just about the same, the drop is quite a bit bigger, though.

That’s for sure is a big drop to the handle bars!

I was worried about that, but its honestly not even that bad. Dont get me wrong ... my lower back is certainly noticing it for now, but I think its something I can adapt to.
Then again ... Im 35 now .. not getting any younger

Ride Comfort
Thats one of the bigger things I noticed. Again, this is probably because of serveral factors. Additionally to frame and wheels, which could be a factor, I now have 28c tires, my old bike has 25c.
The increase in ride comfort is really noticable. It takes bumps and rougher surfaces really well.

mechanical vs electronic groupset
Also impressive .. I mean a well tuned mechanical groupset, which mine is ... is already reeaally nice.
But the electionic shifting ... even faster, even smoother ... impressive.

rim-brakes vs disc-brakes
This I am more undecided about ... I quite like my rim-brakes and even in wet conditions I never had any problems with them.
The disc brakes ... yeah, they brake ... dunno ... I dont think I would need them, but now I have them I guess.

Yeah, thats about it...
I had fun with the new bike. Its a really nice ride. At the end both my hands where going numb though ..
Usually I only have that with my left hand.

My conclusion is that the bike, especially compared to an older bike, does make a difference.
But it also isn't a magic bullet.

Addendum
I have these bottle cages on the bike. https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1005007958377200.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.37.67dd5c5fiqHOfU&gatewayAdapt=glo2deu
On the down tube those are okay, but on the seat tube it requires a really weird angle to get the bottle back in there ... I think I will just buy the carbon bottle cages from Elite...

Edit:// Another thing I noticed ... maybe its just because of the gearing ... I had a higher rpm than usual.
Yesterday 77 and today 79.
Usually I would range from 73 to at most 77 ... average 74 to 75 I guess

[Rebel_Yell]

Sooo. I did a 100 km ride today (solo as usual) and I have gathered some more experience, thoughts and impressions.
Keep in mind that I will be comparing it to the bike I rode until recently. Obviously there will be many factors ... frame, wheels, more aggressive positon etc...
Dont know if anyone is even interested, but it helps me to put it into writing and maybe it'll help someone here...

Old: 2012 Rose Xeon RS - Aluminium - Rim Brakes - Mechanical Ultegra 10 speed with 50-34t and Vision Team 35 wheels ~8.5kg
New: X 68 - Carbon - Disc Brakes - 105 di2 12 speed with 52-36t and Elite Wheels Drive II ~7.5kg

So first things first. It was the fastest solo 100 km ride I did this year. 31 km/h average with 410 meters elevation. Slightly less windy that usually here, but from a constant direction.
Got several PRs without even really trying, not by much though.

So, is it faster?
In general I would say so, yes. It accelerates better. Its easier to get to a slightly higher speed. It holds the speed easier.
Though I do find it hard to just attribute it to "its just faster".
I dont have a powermeter on this or my old bike, so I dont have any hard numbers, but I did notice a slighty elevated heartrate compared to my usual rides. Obviously there can be many reasons for that.
That might be in part to my body adapting to a new position, but to me it also felt like ... the bike just wants to go faster and makes it easier for me to put more power down to do just that.

Fit
As I already said its just about workable for my height I think. The saddleheight is just about the same, the drop is quite a bit bigger, though.

I was worried about that, but its honestly not even that bad. Dont get me wrong ... my lower back is certainly noticing it for now, but I think its something I can adapt to.
Then again ... Im 35 now .. not getting any younger

Ride Comfort
Thats one of the bigger things I noticed. Again, this is probably because of serveral factors. Additionally to frame and wheels, which could be a factor, I now have 28c tires, my old bike has 25c.
The increase in ride comfort is really noticable. It takes bumps and rougher surfaces really well.

mechanical vs electronic groupset
Also impressive .. I mean a well tuned mechanical groupset, which mine is ... is already reeaally nice.
But the electionic shifting ... even faster, even smoother ... impressive.

rim-brakes vs disc-brakes
This I am more undecided about ... I quite like my rim-brakes and even in wet conditions I never had any problems with them.
The disc brakes ... yeah, they brake ... dunno ... I dont think I would need them, but now I have them I guess.

Yeah, thats about it...
I had fun with the new bike. Its a really nice ride. At the end both my hands where going numb though ..
Usually I only have that with my left hand.

My conclusion is that the bike, especially compared to an older bike, does make a difference.
But it also isn't a magic bullet.

Addendum
I have these bottle cages on the bike. https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1005007958377200.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.37.67dd5c5fiqHOfU&gatewayAdapt=glo2deu
On the down tube those are okay, but on the seat tube it requires a really weird angle to get the bottle back in there ... I think I will just buy the carbon bottle cages from Elite...

Edit:// Another thing I noticed ... maybe its just because of the gearing ... I had a higher rpm than usual.
Yesterday 77 and today 79.
Usually I would range from 73 to at most 77 ... average 74 to 75 I guess

My opinion is you increase in your RPM is causing your increase HR. I definitely notice that when I am riding.

[crutoyall]

Hello!

I have a question about choosing the size of the brake rotors. Which size would you recommend 140mm or 160mm?

Do I understand correctly that if I choose 160 mm, then an adapter is needed for the rear rotor? Could you send me a link to aliexpress, where can I buy an adapter for a 160 mm rotor?

Will this adapter fit the frame? https://sl.aliexpress.ru/p?key=GgkIVMn

Thanks!

[Stubbie Blue]

Hello!

I have a question about choosing the size of the brake rotors. Which size would you recommend 140mm or 160mm?

Do I understand correctly that if I choose 160 mm, then an adapter is needed for the rear rotor? Could you send me a link to aliexpress, where can I buy an adapter for a 160 mm rotor?

Will this adapter fit the frame? https://sl.aliexpress.ru/p?key=GgkIVMn

Thanks!

On this fork, you can only use a 160 mm rotor on the front because it uses a non-standard 70 mm adapter plate. Normally with a standard 74 mm flat mount adapter plate, you can flip it either way to take 160 or 140 mm.

On the rear, yes you will need an adapter like the one you linked to use 160 mm rotors. A 140 mm brake won't need an adapter. You can do whichever you prefer. I did a 140 mm rear because that's how Shimano usually does it, it saves a tiny bit of weight, and I have no problems locking the rear brake anyway. But SRAM usually does 160 mm on the rear.

[glepore]

Depends. Heavier rider in mtns might prefer 160, but I'm fine with 160f 140 rear, as is pretty much everyone in the World Tour.
That adaptor will work in the rear if you want 160. Keep in mind that the x68/sl8 can only use 160f with the supplied (from tantntan or specialized) adaptor, as the front fork mount spacing is unique.

[crutoyall]

Thanks a lot for the tips. I think I'll leave 160mm-140mm in this form.

I have another question. I want to assemble a bike right away with a pes P515 power meter - https://sl.aliexpress.ru/p?key=jfTbV1S . I will only take connecting rods 172,5. Ultegra 52/36 front. Which carriage do I need to purchase in order for a power meter with connecting rods to fit my bike?

[Stubbie Blue]

Thanks a lot for the tips. I think I'll leave 160mm-140mm in this form.

I have another question. I want to assemble a bike right away with a pes P515 power meter - https://sl.aliexpress.ru/p?key=jfTbV1S . I will only take connecting rods 172,5. Ultegra 52/36 front. Which carriage do I need to purchase in order for a power meter with connecting rods to fit my bike?

Do you mean the bottom bracket? It uses the most common BSA threaded, 68mm wide, 24mm spindle bottom bracket such as the Shimano SM-BBR60.

[patliean1]

Size 56. Color is Ys3481
Shipping took about 4 weeks.

EDIT: I forgot to remove both thru-axles when I initially weighed the frame and fork
Frame: 895g    Fork: 399g    Seatpost: 187

[glepore]

Glad to see they didn't give you special treatment, like prepping the brake mounts etc.
Looking forward to your build and ride impressions.

[patliean1]

Glad to see they didn't give you special treatment, like prepping the brake mounts etc.
Looking forward to your build and ride impressions.

Thank you gents. I'm trying to really temper my expectations now that I've ridden a few TanTans and a few high-end Western brands. The GR201 gravel bike from TanTan is great. But their X38 Scott Foil RC clone was hilariously sloppy.

I did a dry fit of the BSA bottom bracket for each cup. Despite the minor debris in the frame threads, I was actually able to fully thread both cups just by hand with no hinderance. BB Infinite would approve! That's a good sign. I also have a genuine SL8 15mm setback seatpost that I'm tempted to try and install LoL

My Genuine SL8 (Pro) size 56
Frame: 827g
Fork: 397g
Seatpoast: 169g
Total: 1393g

My X68 came in at a total of 1538g. A +145g difference in weight. I'm hoping that difference is more carbon rather than more paint 

EDIT: I forgot to remove both thru-axles when I weighed the frame and fork.
Frame: 895g    Fork: 399g    Seatpost: 187
Total frameset: 1481g....actually only 88g heavier than a genuine SL8

[glepore]

Looks like there's easily 40+g of extra gloss on that frame... .

[landy88]

i everyone,
could someone please help me with the correct screw length for mounting the front and rear brake calipers? I have Shimano type A bolts with a total length of 18.5 mm, but they seem too long. I assume the supplied adapter for the front brake is for a 160 mm rotor — can someone confirm that?
Thanks a lot!