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US
Edited Date/Time
5/1/2016 7:27am
If you've ever strolled through a crowded marketplace, you've likely seen a vendor or three hocking what appear to be designer handbags, Nike sneakers, or Oakley sunglasses for prices that seem too good to be true. Chances are good that these products were fakes. Would you be surprised if we told you the problem exists in the cycling world as well? The number of knock-off products is pretty terrifying, actually, because they can present a real risk to riders. Not all "carbon" is the same, nor is a helmet a helmet, for instance.
In a recent investigative piece, Bikebiz editor Carton Reid dives deep into the shady world of fake bikes, clothing, and parts, combining several months of research into a very revealing mega feature. It's a great read and one we'd recommend. You're sure to learn something you didn't already know...
Carlton's work is available for download as a PDF, a Kindle file, an eBook, and a Word document. The articles are also online, with links below:
Cream, Competent or Cowboy – Which factories are faking it? Who is making fake carbon frames: a “third-shift”, back-street workshops, or “the same factories that make for the big brands”?
Alibaba and the forty fakers – Who's retailing the counterfeits? Chinese websites and apps offer “factory-direct” prices for big-brand carbon bikes and parts. Too good to be true?
When a fake isn't – open molds vs the knock-offs No-name versus brand name.
When is a Pinarello not a Pinarello? When it's a Chinarello Some roadies proudly ride fake Pinarellos, but how good are the “Chinarellos”, and are they made in the same factory as the real thing?
Snap, crackle, and pop – do fake bikes and parts crumple? Some fake frames and counterfeit parts are built tough; some aren’t. How can you tell which are which?
“I bought a fake” – who's buying the knock-offs and why? People who buy fake frames, bike parts and cycle clothing may think they’re getting a bargain, but is it a Faustian one?
Tribute bands and the Shadowlands – a design professor’s take on IP theft What’s real? What’s fake? A crash course in “intellectual property” and Platonic idealism with Professor Steven Kyffin.
Faking bikes is as old as cycling – knock-offs are nothing new Folks have been faking bicycles since 1817.
Fake China – where copyright means copy-it-right In recent years, China has taken steps to counter the counterfeiters, but in a culture where imitation is said to be the sincerest form of flattery the fakes won’t fade away anytime soon.
Tiger watching the Tigers – Specialized's Andrew Love fights the fakers Andrew Love is Specialized’s in-house IP investigator.
Whack-a-Mole Inc. – the lawyers clobbering the counterfeiters Preventing Chinese factories from churning out counterfeit goods, and merchants from selling them is a tale of take-downs and sanctions.
Fake folders – how Brompton and Strida tackle the copiers Counterfeiters don’t just target carbon frames they also make fake steel and aluminium folding-bikes.
Sham chamois – never mind the quality, feel the width BikeBiz asked three apparel companies to share their views on counterfeit cycle clothing.
Fake sense of security – counterfeit helmets are not for headbangers Put a lid on it, just not a fake one.
“They’re just bits of plastic” – why cyclists buy fake Oakleys Of all the counterfeit cycle products available the most ubiquitous are Oakley sunglasses – fake Oaks are known as “Foakleys”.
Moles, meet the mole-catchers – officialdom takes on the counterfeiters Law enforcement agencies, governmental organisations, bureaucrats and trade associations all play their part in tackling IP theft
Don't mess with the mafia – is it dangerous to expose the fakers? Tussling with the Triads is not to be recommended, says bike boss.
On your marques – what can manufacturers do to foil the fakers? It’s not easy to stymie the copiers, but there are overt, covert, legal-eagle and forensic authentication systems that can help.
Get real – How and why to avoid buying a fake Low price too good to be true? Then it’s possibly fake …
In a recent investigative piece, Bikebiz editor Carton Reid dives deep into the shady world of fake bikes, clothing, and parts, combining several months of research into a very revealing mega feature. It's a great read and one we'd recommend. You're sure to learn something you didn't already know...
Carlton's work is available for download as a PDF, a Kindle file, an eBook, and a Word document. The articles are also online, with links below:
Cream, Competent or Cowboy – Which factories are faking it? Who is making fake carbon frames: a “third-shift”, back-street workshops, or “the same factories that make for the big brands”?
Alibaba and the forty fakers – Who's retailing the counterfeits? Chinese websites and apps offer “factory-direct” prices for big-brand carbon bikes and parts. Too good to be true?
When a fake isn't – open molds vs the knock-offs No-name versus brand name.
When is a Pinarello not a Pinarello? When it's a Chinarello Some roadies proudly ride fake Pinarellos, but how good are the “Chinarellos”, and are they made in the same factory as the real thing?
Snap, crackle, and pop – do fake bikes and parts crumple? Some fake frames and counterfeit parts are built tough; some aren’t. How can you tell which are which?
“I bought a fake” – who's buying the knock-offs and why? People who buy fake frames, bike parts and cycle clothing may think they’re getting a bargain, but is it a Faustian one?
Tribute bands and the Shadowlands – a design professor’s take on IP theft What’s real? What’s fake? A crash course in “intellectual property” and Platonic idealism with Professor Steven Kyffin.
Faking bikes is as old as cycling – knock-offs are nothing new Folks have been faking bicycles since 1817.
Fake China – where copyright means copy-it-right In recent years, China has taken steps to counter the counterfeiters, but in a culture where imitation is said to be the sincerest form of flattery the fakes won’t fade away anytime soon.
Tiger watching the Tigers – Specialized's Andrew Love fights the fakers Andrew Love is Specialized’s in-house IP investigator.
Whack-a-Mole Inc. – the lawyers clobbering the counterfeiters Preventing Chinese factories from churning out counterfeit goods, and merchants from selling them is a tale of take-downs and sanctions.
Fake folders – how Brompton and Strida tackle the copiers Counterfeiters don’t just target carbon frames they also make fake steel and aluminium folding-bikes.
Sham chamois – never mind the quality, feel the width BikeBiz asked three apparel companies to share their views on counterfeit cycle clothing.
Fake sense of security – counterfeit helmets are not for headbangers Put a lid on it, just not a fake one.
“They’re just bits of plastic” – why cyclists buy fake Oakleys Of all the counterfeit cycle products available the most ubiquitous are Oakley sunglasses – fake Oaks are known as “Foakleys”.
Moles, meet the mole-catchers – officialdom takes on the counterfeiters Law enforcement agencies, governmental organisations, bureaucrats and trade associations all play their part in tackling IP theft
Don't mess with the mafia – is it dangerous to expose the fakers? Tussling with the Triads is not to be recommended, says bike boss.
On your marques – what can manufacturers do to foil the fakers? It’s not easy to stymie the copiers, but there are overt, covert, legal-eagle and forensic authentication systems that can help.
Get real – How and why to avoid buying a fake Low price too good to be true? Then it’s possibly fake …
I would never buy a fake carbon frame nor any bike part for that matter. A jersey? Yeah that won't kill you, but a bike? Super sketchy.
Seeing how easily it was to get fake s$&t off the web (that and another Amazon mishap where I ordered $300 medical device [the kind to shine a light into your eye to view into your retina] and got a $3 flashlight) I have been hesitant to buy from any party that doesn't appear to be a reputable seller like backcountry or chainreaction that other people have had great success with ordering from.
I lent the On-One bike to a roadie friend, who on his third or fourth ride out ended up cracking the chain stay in a crash. It was getting dark out, we were finishing a long ride... Any carbon bike would have failed in a crash like that. Its a hair line crack that follows the circumference of the chain stay. It did not completely fail, and the bike was able to be pedaled out fine.
The HongFu has been awesome. Frame weight is down near 1100 grams. I ride the hell out of it, with no worry. If you buy one of these frames, stay away from Ebay. Stay away from Alibaba. Who knows what those guys are filling the mold with. Who knows if they do testing after the fact. HongFu, or Xmcarbonspeed (this is Peter from XMIplays new spot). Those would be my only two places. Head to the Chinertown forums for more info.
Lightbicycle for wheelsets. I've had two wheelsets from LB. They are spectacular. No issues, no failures. Bike park laps days, tons of XC, and about 3 years of use. Tension has held steady for years.
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