Correct. It kind of rides like a Tarmac SL8 in terms of how it interacts with it's environment. Meaning crosswind stability and when at speed. It's literally the same shape and design. I said this in my video. Both frames are essentially identical in these specific regards.

That's pretty much where the similarities end for me personally now that I have several hundreds of miles in. It's nowhere as stiff and nimble as the real SL8. I've swapped in at least 3-4 different wheelsets, dialed in my bike fit, and put the bike through my usual daily workouts/efforts. I even swapped to a different cockpit. From the EXS Aerover (known not to be stiff) to Peter's XMCS's cockpit. How it interacts with the rider is a different experience than an SL8. So unfortunately that 20%-30% delta from a genuine Tarmac mostly all comes in its lack of comparable stiffness, nimbleness, and power transfer. It's more comfortable than an SL8 because it isn't as stiff. Nevermind about the fit and finish...

I've been purposely quiet in here about speaking on the X68. And TanTan as a whole. Trying not to be cryptic or passive aggressive. I'm not exactly happy with everything surrounding my dealings for the company. It's a story for another time. But I will at least say that the extreme variation in rider experience among several customers highlights that perhaps the build quality from TanTan on this particular frame offering is very inconsistent frame to frame.

It's rare that I feel worse about a frameset over time. The only frame I've felt this way about was, you guessed it, the TanTan X38 (Scott Foil clone). I cant figure out how TanTan can make such a BANGER for a GR201 gravel frame and be questionable at best in their road offerings.

A proper marketing rollout requires putting the product in the hands of individuals across all the key demographics. Obviously if a brand has the budget to do so. While this could be laterally, it tends to work best vertically. No different than in the auto or photography industries, respectively. Influencers, journalists, enthusiasts, etc.

NorCal Cycling - The professional crit race, analytics, and performance guy. Large YouTube following.
GC Performance - The proven high volume sales guy with a decade of industry experience. Also large following.
Hambini/Peak Torque - The expert engineers with a focus on safety and QC.
Legion/Pro Team - Street cred and social media.

Then there is myself. Near the bottom of totem pole as the average enthusiast with no actual professional experience in anything. I am a very low financial risk low reward option for brands. Yet my ROI is arguably and proportionally just as successful as any big time influencer. I know where I stand within the cycling influencer universe. But this marketing hierarchy strategy actually makes my job much easier when brands trickle down their new releases to me after having sent them to more seasoned Youtubers and professional athletes first.

The QuickPro ER One is good example of this. Now that the frame his been certified by actual high level athletes, it's far easier for me to convince QuickPro to average enthusiasts as an average dude myself.

But here is the thing: Local race teams on sponsored Chinese bikes are terrible at actually selling bikes. So kudos to QuickPro for signing on the famous Legion of LA. I highly doubt their partnership is profitable to QuickPro on the front end. 6-figure contract, large order of framesets. How many bikes/frame would QuickPro have to sell to offset those marketing expenses? But I'm sure it has indirectly generated more sales on the backend. At least on my end it has.

Very good point. And my opinion is exactly the same. If I am deciding on buying component/frame/wheels/bike, I will always look at reviews from other non-influencer riders from forums and (small) YouTube channels.

And do not get me wrong. I love Pattys reviews (and many others), and I watch them all. But when buying something, I always look if there is a discount code, or even if the reviewed product was given for free, as I then know, it is a paid review, and I must take that review with a pinch of salt.

The only real decider from these influencer is, when there is a video with side to side comparison of multiple same catagory products (even if they are all advertised).

We need more professional reviews, and you need more first hand information.