Chinese Carbon MTB Forums
News:
Happy Holidays!
See likes
See likes given/taken
| Post info | No. of Likes |
|---|---|
|
Re: Spcycle New Mold SP-R088 Carbon Road Frame
Took the bike out for a 130km hillly ride (1800m of climbing) out in the lanes of south east England. Other than the gears having a few teething problems everything ran perfectly It is super quick and nimble compared to the old one and seems to be easy once up to speed. On the hills I did a real effort up a 3km drag (average 4% and a couple of 10% bits) last weekend on the old bike and I was 45 seconds quicker today for what felt like less effort (that could just be then psychological boost) and there were lots of other pbs on lots of other hills A mixture of frames, wheels (with tubeless 32c tyres) and hydraulic discs meant it was one of the most fun rides I’ve done in a long time. Roll on next weekend! May 17, 2025, 09:14:13 AM |
1 |
Re: Seraph Bikes Superlight 836g X68 - Alternative to SL8 Fakes?
Anxiously awaiting your comparison report! Initial Ride Impressions – TanTan X68 vs SL8 Only about 50 km on it so far, but I’m surprisingly impressed — especially for the price. In terms of ride quality, I’m genuinely surprised how close this feels to my SL8. Make no mistake, so far it is not an SL8 — definitely in terms of quality there’s a difference. • Stiffness: Comparable. Out-of-the-saddle efforts feel direct, no noticeable flex. I haven’t pushed beyond ~800W yet, but the front end feels solid — bars feel just as stiff as my Roval cockpit. • Responsiveness: Snappy and lively, the bike reacts well to power input. • Refinement: The SL8 still has the edge — it’s smoother and more polished over rough roads. But honestly, the difference is smaller than expected — not night and day. There were a few minor build niggles: rear brake mount and BB shell needed some sanding/facing, and I had to file down a spacer near the seat tube to prevent rubbing. These are minor issues at this price point (£625 for the frame). This experience reminds me of switching from Zipp 303 NSW wheels to the first-gen Winspace Hyper 50s — better performance at half the price. Since then, I haven’t looked back at high-end Western wheel brands. This frame is making me question buying expensive branded frames again — unless the SL9 or a new Venge changes things. ⸻ Recommendations: • Would I recommend this frame? Yes — but with caveats. • It’s an OEM frame, not a retail brand, so after-sales support and customer service vary widely. Some OEMs are great, others less so. • TanTan have a mixed bag of reviews, so buyers need to make their own informed decision about risk tolerance and snappy snappy forks! • If problems arise, you’ll likely need to pay your own return shipping and may face some delays or communication hurdles. • For the price-to-performance ratio, I think it’s worth the risk if you’re comfortable with those conditions. ⸻ Early impressions are very promising. I’ll post more updates after some longer rides. May 30, 2025, 09:14:03 AM |
1 |
Re: Spcycle New Mold SP-R088 Carbon Road Frame
All my parts arrived and I started the assembly today. With the expander plug, I torque until it's firm, but not overtightened. Maybe 5-6nm. Stem cap I never go above 5nm. In fact I find a properly measured stem spacer height to require very little tightening/torquing on the stem cap. I also never go above 4-5nm on stem screws as well. UDH I think is 25nm, but I usually just tighten until firm. If it loosens up, then use a torque wrench, but I haven't had issues on mine. Though make sure your FD hanger screws are secure. I'd use very mild loctite or at least some grease. My screws got loose the first month. Good luck and post photos when you get a chance! June 09, 2025, 01:48:14 PM |
1 |
|
Re: Spcycle New Mold SP-R088 Carbon Road Frame
I'm back -- I got my frame back from the bike shop last week and the BB is decently faced, and squared off -- I wish I could have just done it myself, I think I could have done a better job, but at least it's cheaper than buying a $500 facing tool. Anyway, I realized that I needed longer hydraulic brake lines and a longer di2 cable so now I'm waiting for that to come in. In the meantime, I've cut my fork and did a drivetrain-less piecing together to see if everything fit, and it does. I was worried because it was my first time cutting a steerer tube, especially after not being able to remove any play from the fork/stem prior to marking the cut. But after some thinking, and since I used a couple thick spacers, I could always re-cut the fork. As it is, however, it's perfect, and after temporarily installing the handlebar, it rotates nicely after removing any play. Of course, now I've run into the dreaded seat tube battery issue, something I should have been prepared to do if I had just read this thread carefully. Anyway, it looks like my weekend is going to involve at least a little bit of sanding with either a long file or a makeshift sander like others have created. Fortunately, it looks like SP has at improved the issue somehwat as the lip in my seat tube doesn't look as big as others have had. So I guess SP really is listening to feedback, if still not perfectly implemented. SP really just needs to remove/round out part of the "middle" of the lip -- where the battery should be able to slide down, but the seat post would still catch on the front and back. It's not like this lip really should be bearing weight anyway as the seat clamp should be doing that. Anyway, I'm glad I have this thread to refer to. Seriously, thank you all that have gone through the same issues already, and posting your solutions. This thread and this forum in general is a treasure trove of information for otherwise what is basically the wild west -- or shall we call it the "wild east" -- of cheap, poorly documented, but decent quality parts. Here's to never breaking our teeth! 
June 12, 2025, 09:34:45 PM |
1 |
Re: Spcycle New Mold SP-R088 Carbon Road Frame
They definitely improved in this point, but did not eliminate the problem entirely. Make sure to sand away a little bit more than you think is necessary! I ran into the problem, that I sanded away just enough to make the battery fit. Once all the cables were installed, it was quite a mess inside the seat tube and the battery didn’t slide straight into the tube, causing it to get stuck again. The purple color is really beautiful! I must admit that I was very hesitant about this color too, but in the end I preferred to have it painted on site. I can't wait to see the final result. 
June 13, 2025, 11:31:19 AM |
1 |
|
Re: Spcycle New Mold SP-R088 Carbon Road Frame
I received my frame today. I ordered from AliExpress on September 16, so it came much faster than expected. I live in the US and it came via FedEx. Shipping and fees were expensive on AE, but I did not have to pay anything extra for customs, tariffs, or anything extra after the purchase. The frame came in a plain looking cardboard box. The frame, fork, and seatpost were well protected and wrapped in foam. It's a good thing, because the extra goodies were not so well protected. The baggie with the saddle hardware, headset spacers, etc. was no longer sealed and things were loose in the box. My frame is size 52 with glossy chameleon blue paint. I requested a zero setback seatpost in the longer length and they messaged me back right away through AliExpress confirming the seatpost requests. I had a feeling that I'll end up cutting the seatpost, but I figured I might as well get the longer one if it was an option just to be safe. The seatpost comes with different sets of hardware that allow you to clamp round rails or non-round rails. That's a nice touch. I love the paint. I know there have been mixed reviews about paint quality, but I'm very happy with mine. It switches between dark blue and purple, and it has a lot of sparkle to it. I'm going to keep everything else as black and logo-free as possible, and I think the frame will really pop. The headset bearings fit in with no problems at all. Same for the seatpost. I might have to do a little sanding on the brake mounts, but they made an effort to keep them clean. BB area looks good. I read some complaints about the fork compression plug, but my current bike actually has a shorter one, so I'm confident that this one will be solid. Overall I am very happy so far and I'm eager to receive the rest of my parts so I can get started building. Here are some weights: Frame (size 52 without any hardware): 854g Fork (uncut): 413g Seatpost: 202g with hardware, 132g without Through Axles (total for both): 66g Headset Bearings (total for both): 61g Compression Plug: 57g Seatpost Clamp: 21g Headset Cover: 24g Derailleur Hanger: 24g C Ring for Headset (not sure what it's called): 12g I'm happy with the weight considering the paint option that I chose. So far my build includes a Lexon Vero integrated handlebar and a Campagnolo Ekar groupset. I was going to buy the new Sram Force, but I found a killer deal on Ekar that I couldn't refuse. I'm not convinced that 1x will be great for the road, but you can't knock it until you try it, right? If I don't like it, then I'll have a good excuse to build up a gravel bike. I haven't decided on wheels yet, but will most likely go with Elite Edge wheels that I've seen in stock on Amazon with quick shipping. If the wheels are close to their advertised weight, then I still have a chance to hit the 6.8kg limit. I don't race or anything, but it's a number that I've always had in the back of my mind. Thanks to everyone in this thread for posting your experiences, both good and bad. It's been very helpful. I don't expect a quick build, but I should have it done by the end of the month. October 03, 2025, 08:50:35 PM |
1 |