BBC Fake Britain (FSA parts).

giropaul
giropaul Posts: 414
edited December 2014 in Road general
An interesting feature today on fake cycle parts - in this case fake FSA items. Footage from the FSA factory where they receive fake items very regularly after failures, only to confirm that they are fake and made from very different materials and in a different way. FSA have built in some extra security features such as special labels and ultra-violet markings to help identify real (tested and safe) from fake (take your life in your hand).
Worth thinking about when you spot the "bargains" on line!

Comments

  • DKay
    DKay Posts: 1,652
    Set to record. Cheers.
    N
    N+1
  • marcusjb
    marcusjb Posts: 2,412
    Interesting - will have to watch that. Wonder if they will look at fake framesets as well.

    I did notice our FSA crankset on the tandem had all sorts of barcodes, QR codes etc. - hopefully they are the real deal!
    Stuff about riding a bike a long way
  • dowtcha
    dowtcha Posts: 442
    Don't think any fakes could be any worse than my genuine FSA exo bottom bracket.
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    edited December 2014
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... episode-16 (Paging Manc33 to the thread!)
    Faster than a tent.......
  • iron-clover
    iron-clover Posts: 737
    I happened to see it live this morning, and the bike feature only appears right at the start (rather than the usual annoying chopping into sections throughout the show) and it looks like FSA are doing a lot to make sure you can tell the real product from fakes.

    Definately worth a watch if you are planning on getting knock offs on the cheap, or even to see the tricks for identifying the real deal!
  • andy9964
    andy9964 Posts: 930
    They did a piece last week on fake Giro helmets. Quite disturbing how spectacularly the fake failed the test
    Series 5. Ep 15.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04tt8kc
  • Wunnunda
    Wunnunda Posts: 214
    Andy9964 wrote:
    They did a piece last week on fake Giro helmets. Quite disturbing how spectacularly the fake failed the test
    Series 5. Ep 15.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04tt8kc

    Best not wear one at all then? Just to be on the safe side....

    :sidlesawaywhistlinginnocently:
  • mulletmaster
    mulletmaster Posts: 502
    Ironic that a company with such abysmal reliability records in several major product lines go to great lengths to distinguish their product as genuine.
    If it was a high quality manufacturer I could see the point...
  • wishitwasallflat
    wishitwasallflat Posts: 2,927
    mulletmaster wrote:
    Ironic that a company with such abysmal reliability records in several major product lines go to great lengths to distinguish their product as genuine.
    If it was a high quality manufacturer I could see the point...

    Perhaps they are doing it to avoid being sued by the fakers ?
  • 6wheels
    6wheels Posts: 411
    I'm surprised they didn't mention where they were purchased from.
  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    Dowtcha wrote:
    Don't think any fakes could be any worse than my genuine FSA exo bottom bracket.

    Ditto. My MTB FSA BB lasted a few months......
  • me-109
    me-109 Posts: 1,915
    Wonder how many fakes are as good or better than the real thing? Awaits copyright breach notice from Bono …
  • overlord2
    overlord2 Posts: 339
    What was the article? "first time fakes are better than the genuine"
  • jscl
    jscl Posts: 1,015
    Don't beat me down, but I refuse to believe that people aren't knowingly buying these goods. Sounds to me like someone who's taken the risk with a fake thinking "it'll be reet" and is trying to cover their own backs for serious injury as a result.

    How did that old saying go? If it looks too good to be true, then it probably is. Enjoy your £500 Pinarella, sir.
    Follow me on Twitter - http://twitter.com/scalesjason - All posts are strictly my personal view.
  • kammybear
    kammybear Posts: 500
    I've had 2 different 3T chinese carbon stems on my mountain bike for a combined 3 years.

    No issues at all.
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Definitely worth watching the fake Giro episode. The helmet looked pretty good - apart from a funny adjuster on the back - but boy did it fail catastrophically.

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