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fed up with paying silly money for stuff so thought i'd delve into the world of aliexpress etc and try out some cheap carbon bars etc.( never bought from that site and only ever ordered a few non bike related parts from china in the past
through ebay. can someone point me in the direction of which sites/sellers are best/most reliable + any tips general advice based on experience would be very
much appreciated.
Bill
If you are after wide low risers then look for some RSP 780mm DH bars. Just picked some up for £47 and same sweep and rise as my Easton Havocs but wider and only 203g on my scales.
They are "Raleigh Special Projects", the matching trail stems look good for £35 too.
Just leaving this here
http://singletrackworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/the-imitation-game/
Wouldn't buy no guarantee they are on any way fit for purpose. They are cheap for a reason.
Wouldn't buy no guarantee they are on any way fit for purpose. They are cheap for a reason.
Most carbon parts come from china even the supposed good ones. in fact wen you head out of the fishbowl that s STW there's an entire customer base using them all over the world, AND THEY ARE STILL ALIVE SHOCKER
Giant must make some real shit eh?
There's a difference between paying "silly money" and buying cheap/fake kit direct from China. It's called shopping sensibly. All my nice bikes are built with nice kit and I don't think I've paid rrp in my life.
See those RSPs above. Their carbon seatposts are as little as £25 at the likes of Tredz.
Chromag Cutlass Carbons 55 quid from importer Shore Lines.
https://www.shore-lines.co.uk/chromag,cutlass,carbon,handlebar
Exotic carbons ~ £60 from Carbon Cycles/eBay.
3T Ionic carbon posts are ~£65 @ CRC depending on size/colour/setback etc, or a Carbon Raceface Next is £50 (plus £5 for a shim).
Aliexpress factories/sellers are a lottery.
Most carbon parts come from china even the supposed good ones.
🙄
Nobody said they're not. Maybe cool the infantile shouting and have a look at the STW/Bikebiz articles for a bit of background. You'll look less idiotic in future.
Have a look at the Bikebiz articles for a bit of background
Bikebiz is there to do the shilling for the UK bike industry, its a bit like asking VW if they pass exhaust emissions, no not biased at all.
Who made you forum policeman, infantile sod off what gives you the right to judge .
Bikebiz is there to do the shilling for the UK bike industry, its a bit like asking VW if they pass exhaust emissions, no not biased at all.
Yep there is good and bad, anyone pointing out the bad is obviously being paid to do it and probably knocked up the examples themselves.
The point being there is some shoddy shit out there, spotting it can be tough but 100% avoid the fakes. As an aside customs can seize and destroy any fakes they find.
+1 for the RSP carbon bars. Cracking value.
Or superstar lithium carbon bar with 25% off at the moment
nfantile sod off what gives you the right to judge
Shouting in CAPS and referring to Giant making "real shit" on a public forum means you're presenting the evidence for anyone on here to judge the level of maturity you display in your posts. Interesting that you single out Giant, as you'll know they are one of the few who manufacture from scratch:
Careful, may contain corporate financial influence and by reading it you're not stickin' it to da man.
http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/article/inside-giants-taiwan-frame-factory-part-one-39835/
Does no one read the articles from this very magazine/site?
To quote:
[I]"One persistent rumour about knock-off goods is that they come out of the same factories as the genuine article, made by a notional “third shift”. Bikebiz give this a thorough debunking, pointing out that there are huge numbers of factories serving the bicycle industry across Taiwan, China and further afield. At the top end are long-established firms (Giant is probably the best-known example), supplying some of the world’s most prestigious bicycle brands, who have too much to lose and nothing to gain by going rogue. At the bottom are operations which are little more than flying factories, putting together fake products as quickly as possible with scant regard for their workers’ welfare, then vanishing as soon as the lawyers close in. It’s this bottom tier that are mostly responsible for the flood of forgeries."[/I]
Cheap Chinese is cheap for a reason. Yes, most bike parts come from the far east and no they don't necessarily come from the same factories.
Carbon of all things I would be very careful about. It's easy to knock out cheap carbon and make it look nice. It's a lot harder to make good quality structurally sound and durable carbon.
Hard to make is never going to be cheap. You will be getting what you pay for.
Personally I wouldn't risk my life with it.
Same goes with Chinese lights, particularly the batteries. So many people consider UK prices to be a rip off as they can see cheap ones on ebay, but you have to understand what the standard cost of decent quality, secure, certified and reliable lithium battery packs and chargers are. Then look at the price from China for lights and battery combined which is half the price of a battery pack! Then consider the lives of your family and the risk of it burning your house down.
I've found Exotic for seatposts, stems and stuff, plus ICAN for rims / wheels good value and quality....
This guy wants a lot for his fake Enve 😯
philxx1975 - Member
Wouldn't buy no guarantee they are on any way fit for purpose. They are cheap for a reason.
Most carbon parts come from china even the supposed good ones. in fact wen you head out of the fishbowl that s STW there's an entire customer base using them all over the world, AND THEY ARE STILL ALIVE SHOCKER
Giant must make some real shit eh?
Certainly don't have my head in the fish bowl. You misconstrue what i said. I don't think the Giant suppliers would risk their contract by knocking out back door stuff. So that leaves those on the fringe, no warranty, no refund. Those are the ones were talking about. I certainly think that the big name brands are careful where they resource their products from. I don't think third party or eBay sellers give a hoot.
Perfectly happy a lot of people put their money and faith in such critical parts. I just said I wouldn't.
I own a Giant Mtb and Road bike 🙄
The caps are great and must have been visible from where your head is located.
Whats next forum awesome? Your going to tell me Giant are made in the far east and make some of the best, oh no some one beat you to it. It wasn't aimed at you Pawsy_bear, just thought I would get it in before the internerds start beating on anyone who doesn't have 5000 logos per square inch to prove their brand is MEGA.
I've got a Chinese carbon road frame and two sets of rims (road and MTB). I've not died yet. I did my homework and bought from a reputable brand with a 'shop front', just one in China. I've had an MTB frame in the past which I just bought from a random seller on eBay, not sure I'd do that again though, not that there was anything wrong with it, but you get a warranty and someone to moan to if it breaks.
I wouldn't buy fake stuff though. Morally wrong, and a total unknown.
To answer the OP's question check out Deng Fu, Ican and eXotic. There are plenty of others, they Spring to mind.
Quality brands are made by reputable factories using good materials and processes with good quality control; both the brand and their in country distibutor or on line retailer have substantial product liability insurance.
If the product breaks in normal use and you end up in a wheelchair, your solicitor has someone to pursue.
Buying cheap products from anonymous sellers, it's your gamble, and there is no comeback if it causes a nasty accident.
If you shop around you can get great deals on sale kit; I got an Easton ec70 post for £70 from wiggle.
thanks to all for the imput
like the look of the ss bars ...25% off you say ....mmmm
My Specialized carbon seatpost delaminated and snapped, my exotic carbon forks have been faultless for years of hard riding.
Exactly what njee said.
The bike media, fuelled by advertising revenues is quite happy to not make it clear there's a huge difference between knock-off forgeries and buying unbranded OEM parts from China, much as the branded goods down your local street market are legit - anyone that buys branded parts from China deserves all they get. I've had no problem buying direct from OEM producers in China.
The Hylixx Chinese carbon post I bought off eBay has been superb. Cheaper than those eXotic ones and - IMO - better looking - with none of the hopping eXotic branding. Came with Ti bolts too - Seems like great quality stuff.
Personally I would rather buy alloy parts from a dealer and know I have the backup and warranty rather than take a chance and fund Chinese counterfeiters
no_eyed_deer - MemberThe Hylixx Chinese carbon post I bought off eBay has been superb.
Broke mine, on my commuter- the metal seatclamp came loose from the carbon tube and cracked it. Wasn't too bad. The Exotic that replaced it's going strong.
Thirded for the RSP bars btw, they're a bit shiny which isn't classy, but they're very good bars. I replaced a set of Enves with some RSPs (the Enves were cut down and I wanted longer) and you'd never know which cost £50 and which cost £150.