TanTan/Seraph X68 Frameset Size 56
$600 USD shipped within the USA. Zelle, or PayPay +3% fee
Used for about 300 miles of testing and review according to my Strava. Making room for new projects.
Would make a great project bike for someone who’s proficient in building bikes and is handy with tools.
THE GOOD
-Frame weight of 895g for a size 56 is quite competitive all things considering.
-Paint job is excellent.
-Geometry is identical to where this frame takes inspiration from.
-The headset system is cross compatible with Specialized components likes stems, handlebars, etc.
-The threaded BSA bottom bracket facing and threads are superb. Zero issues installing the BB by hand.
-Headset bearing cup areas are good. No jagged edges inside of the frame.
-The overall frame is plenty stiff and predicable on the road. Excellent crosswind stability as its bigger brother.
THE NOT SO GOOD
-Caliper brake mounts were not faced well from the factory. Thankfully I was still able to prevent disc rotor rub by using a rotor spacing tool and some outside of the box thinking. Namely using tiny caliper bolt washers in between the rear caliper and chain stay. Alternatively, you could just spend about 10 minutes gently sanding down the surfaces.
-Minor seatpost slippage. Typical seatpost torque usually requires only 6Nm force. This frame requires to closer to 8-9Nm to prevent slipping. Alternatively you could probably use some sort of shim. But the seat post clamp held just fine with my rider weight of around 170lbs.
-The saddle rail clamp bolts are fairly fragile. Be sure to use high quality hex keys. Thankfully the clamping bolts need no more than 4-5Nm each.
WHAT IS INCLUDED
-Frameset, headset bearings, thru-axles, saddle clamp, seatpost clamp, Shimano Di2 battery holder, Front caliper extender mount, and other small rubber bits.
MY PERSONAL THOUGHTS
Happy to answer any questions. Having tested and reviewed a genuine Tarmac SL8 for over a year, I reckon this frameset as a whole is about 85-90% of the “performance” compared to its bigger brother counterpart. Plenty of folks around the world are racing on this exact frame. And there’s YouTube videos showcasing this frame as well. If that’s important to you. This is my 4th frame from TanTan so no issues. Thanks for viewing!
