Hey guys i'm new to the forum this is my first post here. IIRC Patrick Lino introduced me to the forum. Shoutout to you, love your content! Got the VB-R-268 on the way. Size M in the beautiful pearl white glossy colour. Build will be as following:

Groupset: 105 Di2
Crankset: Magene PES505 Powermeter
Saddle: Ryet Carbon 3D printed
Wheels: Elitewheels ENT 2.0 38mm
Tires: Continental Grand Prix w/ tpu inner tubes

I already got the wheels as a secondary wheelset for my gravel bike. Since i realized that i really like roadbiking i've decided to build a dedicated roadbike around those wheels. If i had known that i will build a roadbike with these wheels i would probably have gone for a slightly deeper rim but i think the 38mm will work for the beginning.

Before all my parts arrive i have two questions about installing the Di2 on this particular frame:

- A lot of people said that they had to drill out the hole for the front derailleur cable because it isn't large enough to run the cable. Is this still a thing or have they updated the frame. If not what tools did you use for that task? I've never drilled into carbon before and don't wanna f it up.

- My second question is about the rubber grommets to cover the holes for the Di2 cables. As far as i'm aware there are none included. Do you have a recommendation for grommets that fit well for this frame?

Would love to get your help regarding these two questions. Of course i will post pictures as soon as the build is finished. Greetings from germany!

- A lot of people said that they had to drill out the hole for the front derailleur cable because it isn't large enough to run the cable. Is this still a thing or have they updated the frame. If not what tools did you use for that task? I've never drilled into carbon before and don't wanna f it up.

So here's my followup on the Thinkrider X2 i ordered for my brother. The price was 277,69€ using a choice day coupon. Shipping took only four days from Madrid to my address in germany. The parcel wasn't damaged or anything and the trainer was well packaged. I was actually surprised by the fact that there was an english manual. All the necessary adapters for through axle or quick release are included. The only thing that seems a little cheap is the power supply. If i compare it's weight to the one of my kickr core i can't imagine it will be the same quality. So if i had to guess one thing that will fail on this thing it's the power supply but that should be replaceable fairly easy. Apart from that the build quality looks and feels solid. The base is attached by four screws and seems solid. I calibrated the trainer using the Thinkrider app which worked like on the kickr.

I did two rides on the trainer, one relaxed zone 2 ride in erg mode and one ride up alpe du zwift (on 50% trainer difficulty). The only real difference i noticed between the x2 and my kickr core is that the x2 leans slightly more to left and right, which isn't a bad thing in my opinion. ERG mode was really smooth and the resistance adjustments were fast. Resistance up alpe du zwift also seemed realistic.

This is absolutely not an in depth review, i just did some test rides before my brother picked it up. But so far it really felt like a great alternative to the kickr. With the right deals you can get it for half the price of the kickr which is insane. The only questions are longevity and warranty if something fails, only time will give answers to these. Apart from these two questions it's a great cheaper alternative to the kickr core. I kinda regret not going for the x2 myself and saving 230€.

If you have any questions feel free to ask. If my brother faces any issues with the device i will let you know here.

Those aero/D-shape seatposts sadly are all a pain in the ass to replace. Almost all of them are proprietary and you can only use the one that came with the frame or replacements directly from the frame's manufacturer.

I wish you luck though finding one. If this is a re-brand from another frame, you might be lucky but usually it's a dead end :/

When I originally saw the comments re: "Specialized offloading overstock" I first thought: "what a wacky conspiracy theory!". But now after digging into this thread, and playing a bit of "spot the difference" between photos of the original SL8 and the Seraph SL8...I'm becoming more convinced.

What a weird thing to do. They must be taking quite the loss on each frame sold this way if they really are overstock.