Winner winner chicken dinner

Gloss clear over carbon.

Over the years I’ve stripped 14 frames down to bare carbon and re clear coated them.
It’s always been my thing, so it was the only choice I was interested in.
Plus it’s lighter and less expensive.

I personally hate logos, or any writing on my frames so it’s as bare as they come.

Going a bit off-topic here, but would you mind commenting on the clear-coat process after sanding it down? Do you need a primer? What clear coat did you use (1k,2k) How durable is the clear coat?

I looked at the seat tube, nothing blocking the path on my frame.

Just updating on the dispute. Tantan keeps proposing to return the whole frameset even though I explained that I started the build already and don't have all the packaging & big box to return the frameset. There is no way I am going to buy a frameset box & foam to return everything. The fork tube is even cut to my size.

Heavily disappointed by TanTan on the communications through the whole transaction and now the way they handle the wrong size handlebar & dispute is just wrong. If not ghosting my messages, they were just being rude. They took pictures that I provided to convince aliex that I was actually trying to scam them even if I told them that I measured the handlebar when I was building the bike. They actually called me a scammer during the dispute.

I am trying to escalate that to AliExpress since the dispute ended up with final resolution of returning the whole frameset as well based on misunderstanding from Ali I think.

They also painted the bike glossy even if I asked for matte finish. They agreed and said ok to that. 6 days after the shipping of frame, they finally provided pictures of the frameset(I asked them when ordering to send pictures before shipping) & again proposed to cancel the whole order. After waiting 2 months for frame shipping, that did not seem acceptable since I had all the parts waiting for the build and wanted to ride the bike before season ends in Canada. I ended up threatening them to use this forum to complain and they offered ridiculous 25 usd refund(free thru axles), which I accepted since it was either that or order another frameset from other seller with even more delaying my bike build.

Sorry to hear about your experience, but tbh it doesnt really surprise me. My experience in communicating with TanTan was like pulling teeth.

When you say nothing blocking the path, does that mean you can see the bottom bracket from the seattube? I am wondering if I should try to drill out that section of my frame. I really dont know how it exists on my bike. I thought it was EPS moulded 🙃

I received the frame. Not much to report in addition of what was already said here.

One question. Can you confirm that you all received an headset cover that does not physically connects with the c ring? Not that it's a major concern since I believe the pressure should be enough to make the c ring follow the movement of the bar. Just surprised that it does not have a notch since the c ring does.

Let me know if any questions on the frame I got. Size 58 cm painted. 1140gr.

Re your question on headset+c ring: My c ring just sits directly ontop of the headset bearing. it does not "connect" in any way, it just sits there.

Questions for you:

• Have you been able to check down the seat tube of your frame? I'm reattaching a photo I made on pg 6 of this thread. My frame has the seat tube blocked off about 8 inches down.
• I'm surprised that your frame is basically the same weight as mine (even though mine is unpainted and its a size 56). Could you also share the weight of your fork and seatpost?
• It would be great to see the paint job you got

Got the groupset! R7170 mini groupset from Yiwu Donglue on Aliexpress for about $700 USD all in (including the ~$30 in UPS duties).

The box was pretty beat-up but no visible damage to the components. Everything looks brand new. Paired up with the Shimano E-Tube app easily and upgraded the firmware without issues. Im happy

Also, re:handlebar dispute.

Seraph on Aliexpress offered me a $20 refund for the wrong handlebar, I declined and said to go through the Aliexpress dispute process...to which they graciously bumped up their offer to $30. What a deal!! /s

Aliexpress ended up offering me a 20% partial refund as a dispute solution (~$120 USD). I tried to ask for more, but they seemed to have misinterpreted what I said and just refunded me the 20% lol. I might push some more later, but at least its enough to buy a basic set of handlebars. Mind you, I have spent thousands of dollars on Aliexpress with few disputes, so maybe they are more lenient for me. I've heard of horror stories where people dont get anything in the dispute. Im just sharing my experience with you guys.

For prospective buyers, be ready for lots of communication headaches  . I HIGHLY RECOMMEND buying from Aliexpress for some extra customer protection and use Paypal (Seraph doesnt get the money until Aliexpress marks the order as complete). Oh, and record the full unboxing on video (clearly show the shipping label in the video). That will be extremely useful for dispute proof.

Did you decide if you contact them vs dispute? I ordered 400x120. I will make sure to measure the bar once I have it.

Yep, I decided to just opened up a dispute on Aliexpress. I had such a bad time communicating with Seraph, I didnt want to bother.

Funny enough, after I submitted the dispute - Seraph immediately reached out and tried to settle for $20 USD  . Kind of insulting lol. Ill let Aliexpress step in and roll the dice with the dispute outcome.

I messaged Tan Tan about ordering one in raw finish but have yet receive any reply. Does anyone have a recommendation for getting in touch with them?

Since I ordered through Aliexpress, I messaged them through the Aliexpress store (Seraph). They arent very good at communication tbh. Somtimes they ignore parts of my question, or even straight up ghost me.

Im honestly dreading the conversation to try to figure out the issue of them sending the wrong handlebars. If anyone has experience with Tantan/Seraph when they sent the wrong item, please reach out!

Also for what its worth, I think it will be much more cost effective to get a painted frame from Seraph. Getting it custom painted or even DIY painting will be pretty expensive. And riding it unpainted is not a good idea. UV can kill the resin within the frame. I am primarily doing it because I want a fun art project