PSA: Cheap carbon bits

http://shop.ebay.com/e_baygoods/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

PSA: Don’t Buy Cheap Carbon Frames off of eBay!

The picture attached shows exactly why you do not buy cheap, no-name, carbon frames. The owner of this bicycle was racing it when the steerer tube separated, he crashed in the middle of a race and slid on his face for about 8 feet. When he finally stopped sliding, he did not move. The ambulance was called, and in the time between crashing and the ambulance coming, the owner lost over 1 cup of blood from his face. He was rushed to the hospital to have emergency facial reconstruction on his cheek, and all of his team members decided to quit the race, or leave before they could race, to accompany him at the hospital. He will survive, but with lots of scars and road rash. This is a warning to everyone. Do not buy cheap carbon frames, because as you can see, you get what you pay for. To put it into perspective, this frame was built around 5/11/11, and it was raced 5/15/11, obviously this cant be from overuse.

This eBay store, among others, sell these cheap frames. Please, for the sake of injury, do not buy one of these frames.

It’s just insane. Who races on Gatorskins??

Link here

Well, you’ve convinced me.

I’ve never seen an expensive, branded frame or fork break.

Ever!

avoid carbon steerers….

Well I wouldnt fancy that myself 😯

I wonder though how many of these no name carbon frames fail in a similar way though. I would expect that they would have to pass some sort of QC/stress tolerance test?

I’ve never seen an expensive, branded frame or fork break.

I know, but after 4 days?

built around 5/11/11, and it was raced 5/15/11

However they were obviously over the weight limit as they’re American, but to break in 4 days? That’s got to be either a massive manufacturing fault, or a really really really bad installation job.

The frame seems to have survived the crash….new forks and your good to go… 🙂

or a really really really bad installation job.

So, why isn’t you post saying

PSA: Don’t install things badly!

??

Because have you seen the link? There’s some really cheap carbon bits! One of those fancy wavy forks for £50? Awesome.

Weightweenies has a thread running about this at the moment.
A couple of the cheap frames have done this exact same thing with similar results to the riders.

Am I missing something here? the steerer broke, how does that make the frame bad?

Fork is from the same seller, is a part of the frameset.

Thats a road bike. should’nt be using it for mtb.

RM, I get that, I don’t like carbon steerers whoever’s making them, so new forks with ally steerer….and you have a cheap race bike. not trying to be bloody minded.. 🙂

Thats a road bike. should’nt be using it for mtb.

😆
Shouldn’t the warning be applied to all cheap bits and not just cheap carbon bits?
Caveat emptor.