Hello everyone, it’s New Bike Day! 🚴
I finally took the plunge and ordered a Tantan X68 frame along with all the parts to build a new road bike from scratch. The build went surprisingly smoothly without any real issues.
The critical areas of the frame, like the bottom bracket shell and the brake caliper mounts, were all machined and finished very well. The paint has one tiny imperfection near the front derailleur mount on the rear of the frame, but you’d honestly need a magnifying glass to notice it.
Overall, I’m extremely happy with how it turned out. Looking back, I should have tried building my own bike much sooner. With the help of ChatGPT, YouTube, and Shimano’s manuals, everything worked out perfectly.
The total cost came to around €2,800, including shipping of all the parts to Germany, plus about €50 for a few tools I didn’t already own (a hacksaw, a steerer tube cutting guide, etc.).
I bought parts from a mix of German online retailers whenever I found good deals, and AliExpress during their Spring and Summer sales. Overall, I’m really happy with the value for money.
The build consists of:
Tantan X68 frame, including the Tantan cockpit and seatpost
Elitewheels Edge 3.0 wheelset with the 36T ratchet upgrade, because the standard freehub sound was far too high-pitched for my taste
Almost a complete 12-speed Shimano Ultegra Di2 groupset, except for the front derailleur
Magene power meter crankset
Pirelli P Zero Race tires
Ryet 3D-printed saddle (Specialized-style replica)
RideNow TPU inner tubes
The bike rides completely silently, with no clicking, creaking, or other unwanted noises—and it’s seriously fast! 😄
by Present_Republic_911