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

[patliean1]

Ridden 100km so far with some efforts and sprints thrown in. I have some thoughts regarding overall riding dynamics, but I'll save them for another time. The braking performance and ergonomics of the new Sram E1 levers is outstanding. If I didn't hate the shifting dynamics of Sram AXS I could be convinced to fully convert over from Shimano Di2.

-Brake caliper mounts/facing: CRAPPY. Probably the worst of any frame I've built. I did some sanding but it appears more is needed. Which is odd because the facing on TanTan GR201 was dang near perfect out of the box. Basically impossible to align the rear caliper without sanding. Also, I am literally using the same caliper bolts from Tarmac SL8. The rear caliper bolts are fine. But the front caliper bolts either are too long (which are a very standard length for all road frame forks) or TanTan simply didn't chase/tap the threads deep enough into the fork. I had to use two additional spacers to each bolt out of fear of cross threading. This isn't ideal. And now there some sound resonance and vibration under heavy braking.

-Seatpost interface to the frame is slopppppy. Even with carbon paste I had to bump the torque from 6.2Nm to 8Nm. So far it's holding.

[Pistonbroke]

Ridden 100km so far with some efforts and sprints thrown in. I have some thoughts regarding overall riding dynamics, but I'll save them for another time.

Good stuff! Enjoyed the yt on this too, nice job dude.
Question... Have you still got the sl8 and will you be doing a side by side ride comparison?
Is this frame covered in secret sauce or sloppy seconds?
Enquiring minds want to know:-)

[Sander2177]

Ridden 100km so far with some efforts and sprints thrown in. I have some thoughts regarding overall riding dynamics, but I'll save them for another time. The braking performance and ergonomics of the new Sram E1 levers is outstanding. If I didn't hate the shifting dynamics of Sram AXS I could be convinced to fully convert over from Shimano Di2.

-Brake caliper mounts/facing: CRAPPY. Probably the worst of any frame I've built. I did some sanding but it appears more is needed. Which is odd because the facing on TanTan GR201 was dang near perfect out of the box. Basically impossible to align the rear caliper without sanding. Also, I am literally using the same caliper bolts from Tarmac SL8. The rear caliper bolts are fine. But the front caliper bolts either are too long (which are a very standard length for all road frame forks) or TanTan simply didn't chase/tap the threads deep enough into the fork. I had to use two additional spacers to each bolt out of fear of cross threading. This isn't ideal. And now there some sound resonance and vibration under heavy braking.

-Seatpost interface to the frame is slopppppy. Even with carbon paste I had to bump the torque from 6.2Nm to 8Nm. So far it's holding.

Same shoddy issues I had with mine.
Brake mounts  and BB are p1ss poor basically luck if you have no issues
I managed to screw the bolts in on the front fork mount.
6.2nm for the seatpost and  holding for me so far  however someone told me they were told 9Nm I think by Tan Tan

[glepore]

There may be something to buying a complete bike. I did change both the bb and brake calipers on mine (Wheeltop to Campy calipers). Everything was smooth. Maybe they do an in house clean up of the surfaces on complete bikes?

[aljaz.glavac]

In my case, the seatpost was slipping at 6.2 Nm, even with some generic carbon paste. I was hesitant to increase the torque any further—but based on the comments above, maybe I should have. Eventually, I tried the method shown in this TraceVelo video/short: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/TKxoJrTYCZ4, and it worked for me.

[Cnasta]

Ridden 100km so far with some efforts and sprints thrown in. I have some thoughts regarding overall riding dynamics, but I'll save them for another time. The braking performance and ergonomics of the new Sram E1 levers is outstanding. If I didn't hate the shifting dynamics of Sram AXS I could be convinced to fully convert over from Shimano Di2.

-Brake caliper mounts/facing: CRAPPY. Probably the worst of any frame I've built. I did some sanding but it appears more is needed. Which is odd because the facing on TanTan GR201 was dang near perfect out of the box. Basically impossible to align the rear caliper without sanding. Also, I am literally using the same caliper bolts from Tarmac SL8. The rear caliper bolts are fine. But the front caliper bolts either are too long (which are a very standard length for all road frame forks) or TanTan simply didn't chase/tap the threads deep enough into the fork. I had to use two additional spacers to each bolt out of fear of cross threading. This isn't ideal. And now there some sound resonance and vibration under heavy braking.

-Seatpost interface to the frame is slopppppy. Even with carbon paste I had to bump the torque from 6.2Nm to 8Nm. So far it's holding.

It looks beautifull

How does the sanding of the mounts work? Just some 240 sandpaper and patience? Of is a file needed? How do you make sure just the surface of the mounts a faced and no paint of the side chip off?

[momento]

It looks beautifull

How does the sanding of the mounts work? Just some 240 sandpaper and patience? Of is a file needed? How do you make sure just the surface of the mounts a faced and no paint of the side chip off?

You need to file and remove material, referencing the plane of the screw and the disc. It may happen that it's not perfectly level due to excess paint or poorly sanded carbon. Proceed by trial, removing very little material at a time.

[Tom77]

Finally I received my replacement fork.
Haven't checked the colormatch yet, cause I'm on a business trip this week.

My seatpost fit is also sloppy, it is too wide so the post is not fixed and can slightly turn to left/right.
Will check an OEM post, maybe that one will fit better.

[glepore]

Have to wonder if they either changed suppliers or whether there are different tolerances for the different size molds. My seatpost in a 49cm frame fits like a glove. Odd...

[Ger]

Drum roll ladies and gents...The eagerly awaited video of the X68 build is up
https://youtu.be/WhVb730XtTk?si=oNdQMXci5oKyQyYV

Thanks Patrick for such a good and conservative initial review. Since my frame will be slowly making its way across the sea soon, I was waiting for this vid to come up
Two points to consider regarding the finishing details:
First, I'm not waiting to see if I'll be lucky or not with the brake mounts or BB overspray. I'll be getting my sand block, diamond files, reamers and facing tool straight at it. This is done to 90% of any new build coming into the workshop, and I know in advance that this one won't be the worst case. I have many horror stories of reputable brands and their expensive frames being well off, even the ones who say do not face, its been done before and bla bla...However, facing is not the final solution of calliper mounting/ rubbing problems. Too many forces at play when brakes are applied, from bolt thread squareness , pistons and pads play, correct bleeding  etc. Finally a good eye when mounting is essential

Regarding the seatpost, if it works with a bit of carbon paste great, if not, I wont be confident tighten it to 10Nm. In that case I would be looking at some 3M tape or alike reinforcement, or even a thin layer of carbon to wrap up the sloppiness
Once again, thanks Patrick!

[cramy]

Thank you Patrick for the 1st impression on the bike, very well equiped.
At the end you are saying the bike feels 70-75% similar to the SL8, I wanted to know, compare to which version (pro/expert or the S-works)?

[DavidG]

Anyone in Europe has a 380mm seatpost who wouldn't mind swapping with me for a 300mm? I think it is a tad short for me.

[Tines]

Thank you Patrick for the 1st impression on the bike, very well equiped.
At the end you are saying the bike feels 70-75% similar to the SL8, I wanted to know, compare to which version (pro/expert or the S-works)?

Patrick had the pro/expert.

[bremerradkurier]

It looks beautifull

How does the sanding of the mounts work? Just some 240 sandpaper and patience? Of is a file needed? How do you make sure just the surface of the mounts a faced and no paint of the side chip off?

To prevent paint chipping, you can use a razor blade to cut a line in the paint at the edge of what you're facing.

[Cnasta]

To prevent paint chipping, you can use a razor blade to cut a line in the paint at the edge of what you're facing.

Thanks for the tip, sounds like a smart plan