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Re: TanTan TT-X38 Build
Here's my final review of this frameset after about one year of using it. I spread my riding across four different bikes, so I've done only somewhere north of 5.000 km on it. Still, that's plenty of riding to give a qualified verdict: The geometry & fit: It took me a long time to get comfortable on this bike and start to love it. Probably the longest ever. Part of that is down to the geo, I believe. In my particular case the seat tube angle and saddle position (plus finding a saddle I'm comfy with for this bike. The seat tube is steep - i mean really steep. That in combination with the chunky seatpost makes for a harsh ride - with 30mm tires, however, it's actually not that bad. But I need setback because I'm a big dude at 190cm with long limbs. Particularly my legs are long. And if you need setback, be aware that you'll quickly run out of room on this bike. I got my saddle all the way back and the clamp is also all the way back. And the saddle is still further forward than I got it on my VB-R218/Chinarello. The geometry is not actually as aggressive as the looks might suggest - I found the bars to be too high for my liking even with a slammed cockpit. I needed to use the biggest frame size to get the desired reach and also, because I like the look of a slammed stem more than a tower of spacers. I do also think it makes for a stiffer interface all around to have the stem sitting more or less on top of the upper bearing and the expander reaching into the head tube. BUT the -10 stem wasn't low enough. So I ended up getting the Tan Tan bars and now I'm finally at the point where the fit is where I want it to be. Long term durability This bike has given me ZERO issues. I had a few hickups during the build which are more or less expected on super budget frames like this, but surprisingly little happened since then - no creaks, seatpost never slipped, BB is fine. The Thru Axles started creaking after hours of riding in heavy rain, but that's normal. I cleaned and greased them and all good. The disc brakes were hard to get rub free initially but it worked. The front disc squeals no matter which pads I use - it might be the rotor or I might yet have to get it faced by a professional bike shop. But it's not super bad. Only real issue: The headset bearings are junk and you should probably not even bother using them. Because of the opening on the upper headset bearing's top cap, water gets in there when you wash the bike. The lower headset bearing had rust on it. It's still smooth but I reckon it's only a matter of time. And in fact on my Velobuild frame the lower headset bearing needed to be replaced in less than 6 months after riding in the rain. I think most of the headset bearings supplied with these budget frames are junk and at least the lower ones which are sujected to a lot more dirt, grime and water, should probably be best avoided. The riding experience So first of all, tire clearance is more than enough. My tires measure 31mm (Vittoria Corsa 28c on 25mm internal rims). Everything up to (actual measured) 34mm should be fine. The drive side chainstay will be the limiting factor. I'm lacking comparison with other disc road bikes since this is the first disc bike I built (other than my gravel rig), but I'd say this probably rides as expected for a pure aero bike. It's devastatingly fast in a straight line - in fact the fastest bike I own. I score lots of PBs on descents which I put down to the aero attributes but also down to the brakes. I do brake harder and later with this bike, because I have the confidence to do so. Steering is neutral, which is good for high speeds in a straight line while being tucked. Weight distribution is more front biased, which when climbing out of the saddle leads to the rear wheel skipping quicker than I'm used to. The BB is VERY stiff, which is good. What struck me most is that because of the neutral handling, the bike doesn't actually feel as fast as it is. If you'd ask me to estimate my speed on this bike compared to my VB-R218, I'd reckon the 218 to be quicker. And yet it isn't - even if it's pretty close. The wheelbase is longer, fork trail slightly bigger and so it feels more muted. Therefore, it actually feels less exciting to ride at times. But once you appreciate the speed and the (for me) very comfy position, it's very enjoyable. Conclusion Looks are obviously a personal thing but I really like the color and the horizontal top tube combined with a -17 stem. It kind of looks classic, while the frame attributes are decidedly modern and aero. IMO, this is not an allround bike. I have done very long rides on this bike (+220km / +130miles) and it's alright. I use it for everything, including gran fondos but I also race on it so I want to feel at home on it even on very long rides. But I'd argue that if you ride purely for enjoyment and if your main focus are epic and long days out with your mates and if you like comfort across all kinds of roads, there's probably more versatile options out there. The one area where it definitely feels less inspiring is on very steep climbs. It's just not as nimble when dancing on the pedals. It's somewhere between my 218, which for some reason just really shines in those situations and my gravel bike, which feels a lot more sluggish, probably also because of the squishy big tires giving way when standing. But it absolutely shines on descents. I mean it picks up speed super quick and it rails around bends, it behaves super predictive and I kind of feel I'd need a bigger gear than 52/11. I just spin out way quicker than I used to. Buy this if you want to go fast and hard, if you race and if you enjoy a pretty uncompromising bike. The biggest CON about this frameset might be the weight (if you care about that sort of thing). The frame is somewhere between 1100-1200g. The bike as pictured is just a touch below 8kg, including bottle cages, Garmin and front light mount and pedals. I think, that's already as light as it gets. I'm running a fairly light carbon crank, a monobloc steel cassette, a Super Record Hollow Pin chain, pretty light Xpedo pedals (I think around 270g) and 36g Ridenow TPU tubes. You could probably run an even lighter saddle, lighter tires and rotors. The wheels weigh 1450g so there's lighter options there as well. But this is never going to be a weight weenie bike. So while this is a great descender, it'd probably not be my first choice if I was living in the mountains. For the mostly flat terrain that I (have to) ride most of the time, it's perfect however. Value for money My main objective with this was to build the most price conscious equivalent of a modern aero bike that I could get. That included used parts bought on the German equivalent of Craigslist, for example the cranks and chainrings, the saddle, the brake calipers (which I used mainly cuz I don't like the look of the LTWOOs) and even the tires. It's a 580 USD frameset (incl shipping), sub 500 wheels, sub 500 mini-groupset, 250 for the powermeter + cranks, cassette, chain, rotors and finishing kit. Well, and I invested in another handlebar. The bike cost me somewhere between 2.000 and 2.500, which I think is remarkable value for money. The resale value is zero, that's just the way it is with direct 2 consumer china parts. But I'm not afraid to race this bike and I thoroughly enjoy it. October 03, 2024, 01:58:54 PM |
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Re: Tideace NEW Gravel Frame: GR201
Picture
October 07, 2024, 10:40:01 PM |
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Re: Tideace NEW Gravel Frame: GR201
My frame is now painted and ready for shipping. I think it looks quite nice 
October 18, 2024, 04:08:32 AM |
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Re: Tideace NEW Gravel Frame: GR201
My build is pretty much complete for now. Sram eTap makes building up bikes quick work. Currently running a Sram Force road set until I bite the bullet and upgrade to Eagle GX T-Type, chain, and cassette. Photos to come. A few of things to note: 1. The included headset/handlebar spacers make zero sense. Since you have to route the hydro cables through the specific front holes on spacers, you can't exactly remove them should you decide later to make changes to your handlebar height. You could of course take a Dremel to make a split cut to accommodate the cables. But these type of considerations are standard from more premium brands. Correct me if I'm doing something wrong... 2. TanTan not providing any sort of manual or torque settings is annoying. This used to not bother me since most torque specs are consistent. Seatpost 5-6Nm, Stem bolts 5-6Nm, Derailleurs bolts etc. But again, little stuff like this goes a long way. No torque instructions for the 6mm expander plug bolt. The plug slips upward at 8Nm when pre-loading the top cap bolt. Will probably switch to a Neco long expander plug. No torque settings on the seat post clamp or saddle rail clamps. 3. Both the bottom bracket and caliper mount facings are excellent on my frame. My T47 BB installed flawlessly. And I was able to align both calipers just as quickly as any western brand. 10 minutes tops. Wish I could say the same for both my previous Tan Tan road frames. There was always slight disc rubbing somewhere. @Angelinho - I actually found a set of wide cranks in my parts bin. Once my 44t chainring arrives next week I'll make the switch. Thanks for the tip! December 28, 2024, 10:35:58 AM |
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Re: Tideace NEW Gravel Frame: GR201
A few updates for this season: - Switched to Wheeltop GEX which support the 50T cassette better - also 13 speed (new cassette, 11-50) -Voicevelo VFV Deep-V seatpost - clikvalves - Tufo Thundero HD 48mm tyres  April 07, 2025, 07:11:34 AM |
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Re: WheelTop EDS TX Full Wireless Groupset (Chinese SRAM)
Frustrating experience with this groupset yesterday, was doing a 75k cycle and the shifting suddenly stopped working at around 35k, it was moving in tiny increments and front wouldn't shift at all, couldn't figure out what was wrong so I figured I'd shut it down via the app and then it would power back on/reset once moving/shaking, it didn't, so I was left in a single gear half way through a cycle. Had to get picked up. Once home I researched and it seems I must have accidentally put it into trim mode (right lever, light press small button for 3 seconds, light press small button 5 times after) which also seems to reset all gear settings, to exit this mode hold the left lever button down for 5 seconds.....don't switch this groupset off on the road. What a pain April 10, 2025, 05:13:19 AM |
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Re: Tideace NEW Gravel Frame: GR201
A word of warning to anyone ordering from TanTan. I received my frame last week and noticed they sent me a fork without mounts on it. All pictures on their site indicate the fork will have mounts, and I don’t see any indication that it was even an option to remove the mounts. They didn’t indicate during any of our correspondences that the fork would be missing mounts, or ask if that was okay I pointed out the error to them, and asked if they can offer a solution. They said it’s not a quality or safety issue, so they won’t do anything I asked them to ship me a new fork because sending a product that does not match the description is in fact a quality issue. They said the same thing, and offered to sell me a replacement at full price I offered to meet in the middle and pay half price, and they said the same thing. They recommended I could sell the current fork on the secondhand market because apparently there is a large market for them (not buying it). They also sent me an invoice for the full price fork. The invoice does not specify anywhere that the new fork will have mounts on it, which seems ridiculous given the circumstances. I reiterated that this is a quality issue because the frame did not arrive as described and they did not warn me of the deviation. We will see what they say. I get that they probably work on tight margins, but I’m pretty disappointed that they aren’t shipping as described, and don’t feel at all accountable for this. If they are willing to send an out of spec fork, what would they have done if they sent the wrong size frame? Just told me it’s still safe to ride, so I’ll have to buy a new one? April 14, 2025, 10:13:32 PM |
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Re: Tideace NEW Gravel Frame: GR201
I just ordered a frame a week ago. So not left factory yet. Did they not send you a photo of frame after painting and before dispatch? I've been emailing Jessi and she (I'm actually not sure of gender, I'm presuming she) said she would send photos after spray job, I'm hoping I can confirm mounting points at that stage before dispatch. No, one day I asked for an update on my order and she just said that it shipped and sent me tracking. I opted for the default matte black paint job so I’m guessing that played some role, maybe they had a few sitting around. I’m disappointed they won’t even offer a discount Oh well, I guess you get what you pay for. Just wanted others to know apparently this is something that needs to be confirmed. At this point I’m not sure how to figure out what does and doesn’t need to be confirmed if even things that don’t seem like options are actually options April 18, 2025, 06:41:06 AM |
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Re: Tideace NEW Gravel Frame: GR201
I installed a new Bigrock skyline handlebar yesterday together with a seatpost without setback to reduce the frame stretch. Also used the new solid oil headset bearings. https://imgur.com/a/2u6TYB5 April 19, 2025, 12:57:49 AM |
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Re: Xmcarbonspeed CS-R01 build
hi Hello, I have about 800km done on the frame, honestly I love it, bike feels solid over Irish roads (which are terrible) and I couldn't be happier with the quality.. bike accelerates really well, is comfortable (at least up to 100km spins), and I'm getting prs on everything from flats to mountains. Saying all of that my fitness has also improved but I think the bike deserves some credit. I've done 68kph downhill on this frame and it has felt 100% solid. I had no issues with build, handlebar routing was difficult but that seems to be the norm, speaking of which I'm really happy with the quality of the bar that came with the frame, really stiff and confidence inspiring. April 20, 2025, 03:44:37 AM |
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