These Carbon road bike frames from China ?
Ezy Rider
Posts: 415
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-3k-full-Carbon-Road-bike-Frame-Fork-54cm-/160590175088?pt=Road_Bikes&hash=item2563eb9b70
I was in talking bikes and stuff with knowlegeable guy in LBS when he put me onto these frames that he buys from china and builds up for customers. He told me that very experienced riders were more than happy with bikes he put together using frames from this seller. I asked him could he take my 56cm trek and transfer compact double, hoods , handbuilt wheels , brakes and everything else onto one of these 54cm frames , to which he said no problem and id have a new smaller, better and a lot lighter bike for a modest outlay.
Has anybody heard any stories about buying frames like these from china or any experience of same ? I have to admit that im very interested as the LBS guy is very credible indeed.
I was in talking bikes and stuff with knowlegeable guy in LBS when he put me onto these frames that he buys from china and builds up for customers. He told me that very experienced riders were more than happy with bikes he put together using frames from this seller. I asked him could he take my 56cm trek and transfer compact double, hoods , handbuilt wheels , brakes and everything else onto one of these 54cm frames , to which he said no problem and id have a new smaller, better and a lot lighter bike for a modest outlay.
Has anybody heard any stories about buying frames like these from china or any experience of same ? I have to admit that im very interested as the LBS guy is very credible indeed.
0
Comments
-
I am not sufficiently qualified to spot the difference between quality frame design, geometry and carbon components and a cheap immitation that might look the same but be a degree or two out by design or construction fault or have a thicker molecular material thickness in some areas of a load bearing structure than another which will inevitably cause stresses in different measures where either they should or shouldn't be - from an eBay photo.
However, I can tell Stork from butter and I do beware of Greeks bearing gifts. If nowt else, if they are made by an A1 carbon expert in China how do you know they are not rejects for the above mentioned reasons?'I started with nothing and still have most of it left.'0 -
Whole thread on this in the Road Buying Advice section. 43 pages and still going...
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=127510160 -
And to add to the above:
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showth ... p?t=198213
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showth ... p?t=217331
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showth ... p?t=225409
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showth ... p?t=234445
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showth ... p?t=241785
there's plenty of info to be found in those threads0 -
had a read and from what i can ascertain, it seeems good, carbonzone seems quite reputable
0 -
I did a C2C with a guy last year who had 2 of them and loved them....very very light too!
His bike actually looked quite nice with no frame graphics at all...
A lot of the main manufacturers carbon bits are made around SE Asia anyway0 -
Is there anyone that has had one of these frames for a few years? If I was buying one I'd like to feel that it wasn't going to melt
or fall apart after a few hundred miles. Where would you be if you fell down a hole?.. Stuck down a hole... in the fog... Stuck down a hole, in the fog, at night... WITH AN OWL!0 -
Met a guy on a ride in Essex 3 weeks back. He had owned his for 3 years and loved it
Amazingly there were no cracks or anything.... :P0 -
On a road bike i cant really see it being a problem, if you get the frame a a nice cheap price and whack decent components on, if anything happens then you should be able to salvage most off it.
On a MTB coming down a hill over roots and drops etc etc, if it snaps then there is a good chance your bones will to, but on a road bike the risks all a lot less IMO0 -
saprkzz wrote:On a road bike i cant really see it being a problem, if you get the frame a a nice cheap price and whack decent components on, if anything happens then you should be able to salvage most off it.
On a MTB coming down a hill over roots and drops etc etc, if it snaps then there is a good chance your bones will to, but on a road bike the risks all a lot less IMO
While the risks are different between MTB and roadies, they are both on the same level if you ask me, unless you start talking about freeeriders, DJers and DHers. On a road bike if the bike skips over even the smallest hole, with such thin tires, you can go down, normally at speeds much higher than on an MTB, and on cement instead of dirt. This is coming from one who rides both
That doesn't speak anything about the frames though. I havn't personally tried any of the carbon frames from Asia, as I only have the cash for my one bike (:() but I have heard many good things of them in both the MTB and road world.0 -
I have just (two weeks ago) put together a new road bike based around a Chinese carbon frame/fork/integrated bar and stem/seatpost/saddle, and am hugely pleased with it. I spent a long, long time browsing the forums, and ultimately concluded that while lots of people had quite understandable reservations about these unbranded Chinese imports it was also apparent that pretty much everyone who had actually taken the plunge was very happy with their purchase.
So, with fingers firmly crossed I ordered my carbon components through ebay, and within two weeks everything had arrived from the far East. Add in a discounted Campag Veloce groupset (www.cyclingbargains.com) and the Khamsins from my old road bike, and I had a kit to put together a sub-£950, 8kg, damn sexy looking road bike. The build was completely trouble-free, and during the 100 or so miles I have done since completion the only issue I have had is the original Cinelli bar ribbon not wanting to stay in place on the clear-coated carbon bars. A replacement bar ribbon is now in place, secured on the bars using B&Q double sided carpet tape, which works a treat.
The ride is a little more lively than I am used to, mainly because I have gone for a smaller frame and and more agressive geometry than I have had in the past. However bumps and vibrations are soaked up beautifully and power is delivered to the road better than any bike I have ridden in the past. The bike climbs as well as my legs will let it, and fast downhills are an absolute delight.
When I consider the other options I was considering when speccing my new bike, I am very glad I was prepared to venture into the unknown and shun the expensive branded options in favour of my Chinese takeaway.
My advice would be to go for it, but make sure you have the skills and tools to put it together (or get your LBS to do the hard work for you), then get out and enjoy the bike every chance you get What doesn't kill you makes you stronger (and vice versa).0 -
MountainMonster wrote:saprkzz wrote:On a road bike i cant really see it being a problem, if you get the frame a a nice cheap price and whack decent components on, if anything happens then you should be able to salvage most off it.
On a MTB coming down a hill over roots and drops etc etc, if it snaps then there is a good chance your bones will to, but on a road bike the risks all a lot less IMO
While the risks are different between MTB and roadies, they are both on the same level if you ask me, unless you start talking about freeeriders, DJers and DHers. On a road bike if the bike skips over even the smallest hole, with such thin tires, you can go down, normally at speeds much higher than on an MTB, and on cement instead of dirt. This is coming from one who rides both
That doesn't speak anything about the frames though. I havn't personally tried any of the carbon frames from Asia, as I only have the cash for my one bike (:() but I have heard many good things of them in both the MTB and road world.
Of course, I totally agree with you regarding the dangers of road biking as i have just got a road bike and am regually riding at 50MPH on tarmac, and crap myself thinking "God if I come off now" , but i was meaning how the frames would be, I think the frame on a MTB would be more important getting it right. 0
