Seka Spear

[Eddy_Twerckx]

Seka just released their new frameset and it looks pretty good. Kind of poised as an endurance bike judging by the geo numbers but not super relaxed. Weight is really nice and looks decently aero. There’s a big discussion about it over on WeightWeenies (along with the usual bickering). Interested to hear what people here think. It’s not listed on the Seka website yet though.

[Sakizashi]

That thread over on WW is a mess. I think its an interesting idea. Definitely an endurance bike except for the "R" sizes which are more inline with current race bikes.

What it seems to show is that Seka has produced a competitive bike with the latest gen of bikes. Is it any more or less competitive than the similar weight Elilee Blize? Not really by what is shown. Does Seka make a better bike? Maybe? They made a lot of noise about the RDC line using the same factory as Factor, but that's pretty meaningless. The price point is fun but not that convincing. I would like to see these brands do more. Elilee could do bundles with their cranks and i would like to see these brands make their own super light stems in addition to their bar.

Its cool there are now Chinese brands looking to compete internationally with their products and mix it up with the top names.

[patliean1]

That thread was a mess because folks have become too comfortable with personal attacks, rude comments, and low value replies. A trend I've also seen grow on this forum in the past year, but we all are free to choose where we spend our time online. No harm no foul.

I'm looking forward to seeing how this SEKA Spear release plays out. Some of the larger hurdles will be availability to the western world, fulfillment times, and post-sales customer support. Among whether or not the frame will actually be any good.

Currently I'm in the market for an SL8, but now I'm just gonna wait until the Spear, Tavelo Arow, and Bross Zenith get launched. $1500 and up Chinese frames can be a hard sell for some people, but I do think there is some value there if packaged correctly.

[Petr (CyclistsHub.com)]

At first glance, their WindEye seatstays seem like a marketing gimmick. However, according to SEKA, they should also have practical benefits (aero + comfort). Whether this is also reality is the question. Anyway, I'm starting to like it, and in an age where most bikes look almost identical, it seems like a good and thoughtful move from a business perspective. At the same time, it's interesting that they decided to go the "wide fork" route. I'd honestly like to see the frame in the real world in that "raw carbon" design. However, the question is when and for how much the frame will be available in Europe and the US.
By the way, I've written up what we know about the SEKA Spear so far here: https://www.cyclistshub.com/seka-introduces-spear/.

[Serge_K]

I tried to read the WW thread, all 7 pages of it. That was painful. And sad. I think 4 posts were useful, the rest being people with account names like "TobinHatesYou" bickering like old Greek women at the market for a grand total of zero value add.
I have mixed feelings about expensive Chinese frames, and big reservation around the seat stays, & would rather buy the same frame for less and just painted black, BUT the weight & aero claims really are compelling. It does look like great attention to detail, given the well thought out accessories. At some point it can't all be just marketing, right?
I also find it telling that they seemingly are much more focused on the Asian market than the West. If that's really the case, then it's really an interesting evolution of the road bike market.
And kudos to them for releasing so many sizes, making all these moulds and running inventory on everything is quite a task.
I would fit on a Medium myself, it's a tad lower than my LT268, so that clearly isn't an endurance geometry, but not too aggressive either.

[Eddy_Twerckx]

Yea, I had the same reaction as you guys to that thread. Maybe one useful post for every 10 petty arguments about various things.

Just looking at the bike itself, it looks well made. I can't say I have any experience with Seka but the details look great and it's a really nice finishing kit they're including. I am always wary about aero claims and honestly don't really put much weight into them after seeing that Cade video where there was like 5W between the Foil and Addict in real world riding conditions. Arguing over 1-2W in test conditions just seems silly. But the weight is nice if true.

My big question is the price. I know it's not an open mold frame but it's still a tough ask for what they're charging (I think around $2,000 USD). Like I said, I'm not experienced with Seka but I think they're going to have a hard time selling them in the US for that price without years of quality behind them. This isn't saying they're not quality, more that they don't have the well known name. Winspace charges similar and has a pretty good following after years of putting out quality bikes. But even still, they are a tough sell to a lot of people who don't want to spend $1,500 on a Chinese frame. I think Bross is in the same boat, albeit they can throw the Cube name around to show they make quality bikes.

Either way, I'm interested to hear how it rides. The integrated cockpit looks really nice and I'd almost be tempted to pick one up for a different bike if the price is right. Maybe not the best name (I know it's a sword but it's still going to have a connotation that's not great) but the size options are great.

Also, anybody else getting Red Bull vibes from the special edition paint job?

[BeR]

The bross Zenith is not as expansive as Winspace :

https://www.uaecycle.com/products/bross-zenith-6i-105-di2-carbon-road-bike?variant=44507055194330

Although, I don't know if this site is legit.

Seka will have a hard time too in Europe to sell this frame without after sale support behind.

[zerstorer]

Bross Zenith full bike with 105di2 groupset is 19000rmb in china.

But there is another frame that is very interesting:
The Kung Mach which is available for 10000rmb frame only.

[toxin]

The bross Zenith is not as expansive as Winspace :

https://www.uaecycle.com/products/bross-zenith-6i-105-di2-carbon-road-bike?variant=44507055194330

Although, I don't know if this site is legit.

Seka will have a hard time too in Europe to sell this frame without after sale support behind.

Uaecycle is legit, but bross will have their own distribution in a matter of weeks.

Makes perfect sense foreign markets arent a huge priority, the chinese market is booming

[Sakizashi]

IDK there was a lot of mod cleanup on that WW thread, so its hard to look at it now and see who is really at fault.

One thing I find interesting between Elilee, Seka, and Bross is the insistence that the geometries are more friendly to Asian people. As a result they claim to have made the bikes taller and with less reach. I question if that actually makes sense if the the thesis is that legs are shorter and torsos are longer. If that were the case a rider with the same back and arm angles should have a lower seat height, lower stack and a longer reach. Unfortunately Seka's race geometry is only equivalent to a Tarmac geo. Realistically, it seems like these brands are largely making endurance bikes that look like race bikes, which is probably a good commercial decision for them.

As someone who also has shorter legs and a longer torso, a size 49 SL7 was cramped with weird weight distribution while a size 52 fits with the 110 -12 stem but barely as it bordered on too long and too high with the available bars for that bike. In hindsight a narrow bar like the Aerocoach Ornix + a 120mm or even 130mm stem would have probably fixed it but those weren't available then. This is why my road bike is currently a self designed Ti thing made by XACD.

[coffeebreak]

Most WW threads with exception of members' personal WW build threads are full of hostile, rude and vile comments. Almost every thread on there about a new frame/bike eventually has mod intervention, warnings sent to members and finally deletion of useless comments. Lot of people don't seem to accept that others can have different opinions, a trend that's being seen here too as the forum size increases.

With that said, I didn't know S E K A was short for "Sage", "Exceed", "Keep", "Artist". May be it is more meaningful in Chinese.

That frame sure looks interesting but with largest size topping out at equivalent L/56 in western brands, most tall-ish (6'1+) people are going to have to skip it from consideration.

[Serge_K]

From a relative value basis, in Europe, the Look 785 Huez Frameset is 2.5k EUR. w/o a seatpost (standard size, so very cheap to source on AliX), and ditto on bars (i'm running Airwold T1000 cockpit from Alix and that's c.100 EUR shipped. So, call it 2.6k EUR. 2k USD = 1.9k EUR, not sure about shipping. (The 795 BladeRS is expensive AF so not using it as a comparison).
And a Time ADHX is 3k EUR.
Bearing in mind that these are headline prices, you can find a frame for less if you hunt around, but you may not get your dream colour.
Now, if you're going to spend 2k on a chinese frame in Europe with questionable / non existent dealer support, should you spend the extra money to get a Look or a Time? I think I would. But if you can't find a deal on these French frames, then 700-1000 eur is a material difference. Is it worth it? Time frames are really supposed to be the pinnacle of composites manufacturing, i'd really love to ride one. They're made in Slovakia, which is not China, for a change. And Look also knows a thing or two about carbon bikes.
Given secondary market prices in Europe atm, idk how well these Seka frames are going to sell. There are a lot of great bikes available, with proven history, shop support, and so on.
Interesting market dynamics.

[Casio20]

Hi,

I'm 1,82m, do you recommend size L or LR?
Or some other size incl. handlebar size,

BR

[toxin]

From a relative value basis, in Europe, the Look 785 Huez Frameset is 2.5k EUR. w/o a seatpost (standard size, so very cheap to source on AliX), and ditto on bars (i'm running Airwold T1000 cockpit from Alix and that's c.100 EUR shipped. So, call it 2.6k EUR. 2k USD = 1.9k EUR, not sure about shipping. (The 795 BladeRS is expensive AF so not using it as a comparison).
And a Time ADHX is 3k EUR.
Bearing in mind that these are headline prices, you can find a frame for less if you hunt around, but you may not get your dream colour.
Now, if you're going to spend 2k on a chinese frame in Europe with questionable / non existent dealer support, should you spend the extra money to get a Look or a Time? I think I would. But if you can't find a deal on these French frames, then 700-1000 eur is a material difference. Is it worth it? Time frames are really supposed to be the pinnacle of composites manufacturing, i'd really love to ride one. They're made in Slovakia, which is not China, for a change. And Look also knows a thing or two about carbon bikes.
Given secondary market prices in Europe atm, idk how well these Seka frames are going to sell. There are a lot of great bikes available, with proven history, shop support, and so on.
Interesting market dynamics.

depends what you value, some punters don't care about anything but looks and that it's works. Others also value performance and won't be interested in a time or look. Seka has an exceptional track record for quality with the exceed and look has had their stinkers too. Let's not act like china can't make good products if they want to, composites engineering isn't photolithography.

[coffeebreak]

some punters don't care about anything but looks and that it's works. Others also value performance and won't be interested in a time or look.

Are you implying if someone is seeking performance and not just looks, then they will ignore Time or Look frames? As in because they don't perform well, just look pretty?  That has to be one of the most ridiculous if not the most ridiculous thing this forum has produced. Sure we are on a forum named Chinertown but this is getting crazy at this point.