I took delivery of a Cube ali Attention frame last week for a build I am doing for the Wife. I was a little sceptical when I ordered it, but it arrived and all I can say is that £200 all in (inc customs charging) and a set of Avid Elixir 1 brakes it’s not a bad deal.

The seller told me they are genuine frames made out of the same factory. They maybe telling me fibs, but the finish quality (welds and paint) of the frame is perfect.

Link.?

branded goods and Aliexpress (China) – 99.99999999999999% fake

The seller told me they are genuine frames made out of the same factory.

This might be true. However, the fact that they’re the utter shit that failed any sort of quality control and should really, under the terms of the contract, have been destroyed, but are being palmed off online to make someone a few quid, is probably even more true.

CUBE Frame from AliExpress

Not really a cube frame though is it? At best it’s a maybe decent frame with cube stickers on and at worst, well…

Not really sure why anyone would buy a fake branded frame tbh – would you not just rather take the punt on one of the chinese frames from the suppliers that have decent feedback on here which are the same money? Especially for the wife! I’ve thought of giving cheap chinese carbon a go – I might risk a punt for myself but i wouldn’t plonk someone else on one!

How would you feel if someone snuck into your work at the weekends and then massively undercut you?
http://www.theguardian.com/law/2013/may/08/counterfeit-goods-criminal-offence

Not to mention it isn’t really that cheap considering a full bike is only a few hundred more…

The main reason I went for a frame from Aliexpress was mainly due to the fact that I only needed a frame and brakes to do the build, and I struggled to source just a frame here in the UK. The manufacturers take the proverbial p!ss when it comes to frame pricing. In fact, I don’t think I have seen anyone selling just Cube frames at the lower price end.

Not sure I would buy carbon, but with an aluminium frame you can get a good ideal by looking at the welds.

Sounds like I have been rather naive. I honestly thought these frames where coming out the same factory. The tubing detail and form matches that of my carbon Cube (genuine).

Could well be out of the same factory, but just a bunch of frames that failed QC.

Then again it could be just a cheap frame stickered up. You can buy cheap frames in the UK for less than £100.

Sounds like I have been rather naive. I honestly thought these frames where coming out the same factory.

Ah that would be OK then, just flogging off stuff that is just about nicked from cubes investment in tooling setup and design.

I’ve had many carbon frames and bits from aliexpress and I am still alive.

Aliexpress is full off faked stuff. The factory seconds idea is a myth. Most Cubes are made in Taiwan not China. FSA carbon is particularly targeted.
Salomon speedcross trail running shoes are sold by numerous vendors on the site. Look closely and they are all fakes using inferior materials and construction. They are also a quarter of the price.The things now infest ebay.co.uk with people bidding up to £50 for them 🙁

Not sure I would buy carbon, but with an aluminium frame you can get a good ideal by looking at the welds.

You really can’t. Looking at the welds doesn’t tell you what grade of aluminium they’ve used, what welding rods, how good the mitering is, what the post-weld heat treatment was like, lots of things. All it tells you is that the person who welded it is not bad at welding.

You really can’t. Looking at the welds doesn’t tell you what grade of aluminium they’ve used, what welding rods, how good the mitering is, what the post-weld heat treatment was like, lots of things. All it tells you is that the person who welded it is not bad at welding.

That’s wrong! Visual inspection of a weld is a very good way to give an indication of poor quality. It can also tell you a lot about the process its been through. I agree this doesn’t show small imperfections, cracks etc and tell you about the welder but tbh even with your big brands you don’t know that either!

Why buy a fake of a budget brand? Why were you so keen on a Cube frame?

^ this…..there are better frames for better money?

If I was MD of Cube, I wouldn’t want my factory seconds / damaged / imperfect frames getting out into the wild. When they snap and people post pictures of a snapped Cube-branded frame that looks legit up all over the internet, it’s difficult explaining that it was never a bike sold at RRP. So basically, the factory seconds thing is a myth. There are three options as I see it:

1) It’s a proper frame from out of the front door of the factory that’s somehow passed through some grey channels and arrived on a website well-known for counterfeiting. If it’s too good to be true…
2) It’s a fake frame with Cube stickers. Might not be terrible, but as above – why bother with the cube stickers at all?
3) It’s a genuine frame that’s been stolen

Is it a hardtail frame? £200 for a knock off hardtail frame sounds expensive!

If the Aliexpress Elixir brakes work ok then you’ll know they’re fakes.

That’s wrong! Visual inspection of a weld is a very good way to give an indication of poor quality. It can also tell you a lot about the process its been through. I agree this doesn’t show small imperfections, cracks etc and tell you about the welder but tbh even with your big brands you don’t know that either!

Insofar as if the weld looks dreadful, then it’s probably best avoided. Inclusions, cracks and the like aren’t necessarily small imperfections, and small doesn’t equate to insigificant in any case. I’d like to think that with an official frame at least a percentage of each batch would have some NDT done on it to check general standards – I suspect people knocking out copies aren’t likely to pay for rattle can Dye-Pen, let alone any Rad.

i.e.

That’s wrong! Visual inspection of a weld is a very good way to give an indication of poor quality. It can also tell you a lot about the process its been through.

If one is an expert frame builder or welder, then looking at the welds on an unpainted frame can tell you quite a bit – once the frame is cleaned up and painted, all you can really tell is that the welder can lay down a decent “stack of dimes”. You can’t tell what heat treating it’s had, what alloy of aluminium it is, anything like that. Equally, you have no idea what NDT or other testing it’s had, or what testing regime the manufacturers use. With a known brand with a reputation to look after, it’s possible to be much more sure that they do test their frames.

My genuine 6 week old cube stereo race frame just snapped at a weld on the swing arm near the where the axle screws into the frame on the drive side. Wasn’t even riding hard. Scared the crap out of me, luckily i had a soft landing. Don’t know how you could trust a knock off frame riding at speed over knarley stuff. At best you’d just have a long walk home

I couldn’t trust someone that drags up a 9 month old thread.

I woul like to add to the above weld comments that no way can you tell weld penetration just from looking at it either.