Counterfeit RS?

Just seen this
Genuine concern or SRAM trying to devalue the OEM sales?

Nothing wrong with OEM but if any forks i bought had a scratched off serial number they would be going straight back to the seller

If your accessing the scrap bin and rebuilding forks from there possibly. If it’s somebody scamming the OEM route then it’s part of the business model. If your removing the serial number then your buying something they wont touch with a barge pole.
FWIW SRAM have made some changes and have stopped cross territory selling so it may have something to do with this.

Why would you scratch the serial number off if you were counterfeiting? Sounds more like they don’t want things coming out of the side door of a factory somewhere.

That said, I am sure there are just as many stolen items with Serial Numbers scratched off.

If your accessing the scrap bin and rebuilding forks from there possibly.

Does sound like odds and sods and returns are being recycled creatively, and RS is instructing its agents to scratch off the serial before dropping them in the bin.

Funny enough, the first recorded existence of the page is april 1st 2014.

http://web.archive.org/web/20140401055302/http://www.sram.com/rockshox/authentication-notice

Someone care to explain how someone could access RS factory to get these forks. Was my understanding all is secure.

What is more likely is theyre forks for builds in retail, where the bikes being stripped to sell off in bits. Shimano, sram and most other parts dont have such serial numbers.
All very well to bring up the ‘scrap bin’ but I cant see where the facts of that are coming from.

For sure theres nowt wrong with the fork, and its just sram attempting to secure all its retail sales.
For years bike shops have been claiming oem is no good, and folk shouldnt buy it. Clear thats just financial concerns rather than anything wrong with the parts.

If it were a case of someone accessing the scrap chain of parts rejected, Sram would put a stop to that instantly, not tell people its no good. The subject would be closed and the source closed down. Thats not the case.
So logic suggests to me its financial rather than safety.

For sure theres nowt wrong with the fork, and its just sram attempting to secure all its retail sales.
For years bike shops have been claiming oem is no good, and folk shouldnt buy it. Clear thats just financial concerns rather than anything wrong with the parts.

Except you will have zero backup or warranty

All very well to bring up the ‘scrap bin’ but I cant see where the facts of that are coming from.

Was just a thought, though selling OEM as retail is a problem for companies as the model is not great long term for either side, be nice to see lower RRP and shops able to see stuff (for instance Merlin were selling forks for less than Australian trade prices that is messed up)

It’s so they can sell on OE stuff. CRC do it, I’ve had cassettes where the SN has been scraped off. Remember your warranty is with the retailer…

People want the best prices, this is how you get them.

It’s so they can sell on OE stuff. CRC do it, I’ve had cassettes where the SN has been scraped off. Remember your warranty is with the retailer…

People want the best prices, this is how you get them.

I’d tend to agree with this with something like a cassette, that isn’t likely to cause significant injury if it breaks.

Forks on the other hand I would send back if they had no serial no.

Even assuming this is just OE stuff, it’s a bit naughty of both sides really – if the OE product is inferior this is a bit misleading (I know we all know there can be differences, but still), and if the aftermarket product is vastly more expensive, why is that? The small spec changes don’t justify the difference in price.

if the OE product is inferior this is a bit misleading (I know we all know there can be differences, but still), and if the aftermarket product is vastly more expensive, why is that? The small spec changes don’t justify the difference in price.

Because CRC buys thousands of forks for their nuke proof range and you buy one, forks and drive train at oem are sold/given/discounted to bike manufacturers so that they can get you in,sram do an entire build kit, once it’s on your bike your buying mechs and cassettes etc. It’s part of selling strategy. Also getting something like a pike on a bike means people see them and try them. The price difference is part of all of that.

Would be interesting to see if owners of bikes which came with RS forked fitted have scrubbed out serial numbers.

Would be interesting to see if owners of bikes which came with RS forked fitted have scrubbed out serial numbers.

If that happened it would be back ASAP for a swap or full refund and sram informed directly. There is no legitimate reason for removing a serial number. The only reasons are to try and cover something up.

Note to self. When faking products put a serial number on the back, not a big scratch as that will alert people…

Surely the numbers are scratched off because someone was sold forks at a cheap rate for full builds and they’re selling them on as spares.

Surely the numbers are scratched off because someone was sold forks at a cheap rate for full builds and they’re selling them on as spares.

I’d be more worried about warrenty returns being sold on as functional, with the serial number scratched out.

Didn’t someone else have a problem with this a few years ago?

I’d be more worried about warrenty returns being sold on as functional, with the serial number scratched out.

I wouldn’t – SRAM would be being hugely neglectful if they weren’t chopping up the bits on warranty returns.

^^^I’d suspect are ones replaced by a retailer under warranty – a large retailer local to me regularly sells lots of “used” forks and rear shocks and it would be the only source other than customers asking for components to be swopped out and then sold one but that would be a bit unusua;