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Road Bike Frames, Wheels & Components / Re: Seraph Bikes Superlight 836g X68 - Alternative to SL8 Fakes?
« on: May 04, 2025, 09:24:43 PM »
Hey All,
Another complete build post with some first thoughts for anyone still waiting on their frame or thinking about buying.
About the build, went with the matte black because it was the lightest and only way I was going to beat the start of the tariffs here in the USA. Frame in a 56 was 850g with hangers and bottle cage bolts, fork was 330g uncut. Ultegra 8100 groupset, Roval CL II, Selle San Marco Shortfit CFX, Time Xpro 10, bike with pedals and cages is 16.1 lbs. From order to delivery was about 2.5 weeks.
About me, 170 lbs, former Cat 2 road/Cat 1 CX, now just ride for fun and occasionally hop into a weeknight crit. Threshhold around 300w and sprint around 1300w, so at least around here in Colorado decidedly average.
About safety, I had around 75 miles so far in my first week after building up and the vibes were good, and then the broken fork post really shook me. Had plans for a fast group ride today, but didn’t want any incident to potentially hurt other people so bailed on that plan. Decided I’d go out for my own and try to basically ride like an idiot so if it was gonna break I would at least be prepared for it. Gradually built up to higher and higher speed and hit the brakes hard, with the fastest being around 45 mph. Did some bunny hops, fast corners, potholes, downhill speed bumps, and a dirt road with some rough washboard. Held together well and shows no outward signs of deformation, coin test sounds the same as before I left, and pressing in various sections can discern no flex. I won’t pretend that this means mine or anyone else’s are perfect but it makes me feel a lot better at least. Probably will avoid any big groups until I hit at least 1000 miles in a couple months and much more confident it’s sturdy.
Finally, how does it ride? Honestly much better than expected. Last couple team bikes I had were a Sage Skyline and Donnelly C/C for cross. Comfort is on par with the Sage, but feels a lot more planted than that bike, although to be fair it had a max clearance for 25s. Stiffness wise it beats both of those, and that was a pleasant surprise because at this price and weight I was worried it would end up being a noodle.
So far fairly optimistic about how it’s performed in the first 150 or so miles, but hesitant to recommend to anyone else with the safety concerns as they are. Will be consistently checking back here for Tan Tan’s response on the fork, and will update as well when I get closer to 1000 miles. Anyone in the Denver area want to see one or ride it in person hit me up!
Another complete build post with some first thoughts for anyone still waiting on their frame or thinking about buying.
About the build, went with the matte black because it was the lightest and only way I was going to beat the start of the tariffs here in the USA. Frame in a 56 was 850g with hangers and bottle cage bolts, fork was 330g uncut. Ultegra 8100 groupset, Roval CL II, Selle San Marco Shortfit CFX, Time Xpro 10, bike with pedals and cages is 16.1 lbs. From order to delivery was about 2.5 weeks.
About me, 170 lbs, former Cat 2 road/Cat 1 CX, now just ride for fun and occasionally hop into a weeknight crit. Threshhold around 300w and sprint around 1300w, so at least around here in Colorado decidedly average.
About safety, I had around 75 miles so far in my first week after building up and the vibes were good, and then the broken fork post really shook me. Had plans for a fast group ride today, but didn’t want any incident to potentially hurt other people so bailed on that plan. Decided I’d go out for my own and try to basically ride like an idiot so if it was gonna break I would at least be prepared for it. Gradually built up to higher and higher speed and hit the brakes hard, with the fastest being around 45 mph. Did some bunny hops, fast corners, potholes, downhill speed bumps, and a dirt road with some rough washboard. Held together well and shows no outward signs of deformation, coin test sounds the same as before I left, and pressing in various sections can discern no flex. I won’t pretend that this means mine or anyone else’s are perfect but it makes me feel a lot better at least. Probably will avoid any big groups until I hit at least 1000 miles in a couple months and much more confident it’s sturdy.
Finally, how does it ride? Honestly much better than expected. Last couple team bikes I had were a Sage Skyline and Donnelly C/C for cross. Comfort is on par with the Sage, but feels a lot more planted than that bike, although to be fair it had a max clearance for 25s. Stiffness wise it beats both of those, and that was a pleasant surprise because at this price and weight I was worried it would end up being a noodle.
So far fairly optimistic about how it’s performed in the first 150 or so miles, but hesitant to recommend to anyone else with the safety concerns as they are. Will be consistently checking back here for Tan Tan’s response on the fork, and will update as well when I get closer to 1000 miles. Anyone in the Denver area want to see one or ride it in person hit me up!