Cheap carbon parts off eBay

shdaxner
shdaxner Posts: 249
edited October 2011 in Commuting general
So I have been looking to upgrade some bits on my bike and I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with the cheap carbon parts from Hong Kong which are widely available on eBay.

I'm looking In particular at the road bars which seem to be available in almost any guise for about 40-45 pound delivered!
Also the bottle cages 19 pound for 2 full carbon cages delivered? Am I missing something or are these actually really good value?

Cheers

Comments

  • bails87
    bails87 Posts: 12,998
    Carbon Cycles, who sell under the 'exotic' brand are pretty good. I had a seatpost from them, I know plenty of other people have had other bits.
    MTB/CX

    "As I said last time, it won't happen again."
  • Mr Plum
    Mr Plum Posts: 1,097
    I got a couple of carbon cages for £12 delivered. Very happy with them and they've lasted all summer with no issues. I'm going to HK at the end of the year and I'm tempted to bring back something like this:

    carbon_handlebar_carbon_handlebar_road_carbon_handle.jpg

    :twisted:
    FCN 2 to 8
  • thistle_
    thistle_ Posts: 7,218
    Some cheap 'carbon' parts are steel/aluminium/plastic wrapped in carbon. Weights might be a giveaway.
  • bails87
    bails87 Posts: 12,998
    Mr Plum
    I think those are Exotic/carboncycles parts again.
    MTB/CX

    "As I said last time, it won't happen again."
  • jomoj
    jomoj Posts: 777
    personally I'd rather get a nice pair of aluminium bars from a reputable brand than some unknown carbon jobs. Take a look at http://www.bustedcarbon.com/ and try not to have nightmares!
  • BigBlackShed
    BigBlackShed Posts: 60
    There are 2 words that don't inspire confidence.

    Carbon + Cheap = Crap

    I wouldn't like to trust expensive carbon. If anyone is trying to save weight, just take the 10kg of unnecessary crap out of the back pack or panniers.
    It's not the winning or even taking part. It's the arsing about that counts.
  • stevie_90210
    stevie_90210 Posts: 94
    I really wouldn't feel good using a cheap pair of carbon handlebars. I'd be pretty worried about hitting an unavoidable rut at speed and having them snap.
    My commute:
    commute.jpg
  • bails87
    bails87 Posts: 12,998
    Even if they're coming out of the same factory as the 'trusted' brands?
    MTB/CX

    "As I said last time, it won't happen again."
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    A lot of the pros don't use carbon bars - and they don't even have to pay for their kit.

    CF bars are more a triumph of marketing rather than anything else.

    CF cages - well what's the worst that can happen ? But are they any cheaper/lighter/more efficient than the Tacx Tao ? If they're good enough for pro teams.... 37gr seems pretty good.
    http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... Googlebase
  • stevie_90210
    stevie_90210 Posts: 94
    bails87 wrote:
    Even if they're coming out of the same factory as the 'trusted' brands?

    The same factory doesn't mean the same quality. The cheaper bars might be made with less quality control, less strength, etc.

    I understand what you're saying though, but I've bought cheap items from China before and had them fail on me quite rapidly... yet these items were supposedly built in the same factory as more expensive brands.

    With bike components that can cause injury through failure, I would rather use a part from a company who I trust. In my opinion, handlebars definitely fit in this category.
    My commute:
    commute.jpg

Categories