Cheap Chinese frames: any of you buy one?😊😊

Arequipa

Hi! How are you all keeping?
I have watched a few YouTube videos on cheap chinese carbon and other frames...
I dont particularly mean the fake copies of expensive frames..but more the small Chinese companies that make frames at a price significantly lower than the big name brands?

The fact is...most of the frames of Giant, Trek, Specialised & Canyon are all made in China anyway...


So have you bought a bike over there?
Which model was it & how has your experience been with it?

A

koutoubia

Yeah bought 3 from Hong Fu
Zero issues.
You will get hit with customs.Nothing of value gets through anymore.
Am thinking of getting another for winter that will take 28 tyres.

Arequipa

Thanks for the reply...
How would you compare it to a Trek/ Specialised/ Canyon?

How much duty were u charged?

koutoubia

I wouldnt compare them to top end racing frames.
But then your are not paying thousands for a frame and forks.
But they are deffo no slouches and perfectly fine.
From memory I was charged 170 quid.
They dont open the boxes, perhaps xrayed, but the send a letter looking for proof of payment.

Paul_Mc1988

A lot still get through without customs added on. In fact some sellers charge a small but extra fee to provide this service whereby the product looks like it's coming from euope.

Arequipa

Thanks for the replies gents...

Any other decent companies other than Hong Fu?

dahat

koutoubia wrote: »

I wouldnt compare them to top end racing frames.
But then your are not paying thousands for a frame and forks.
But they are deffo no slouches and perfectly fine.
From memory I was charged 170 quid.
They dont open the boxes, perhaps xrayed, but the send a letter looking for proof of payment.

Could you link a suitable frame for Winter use? Tempted to get one as i can lay habds on a decent 2nd hand 105 groupset.

koutoubia

dahat wrote: »

Could you link a suitable frame for Winter use? Tempted to get one as i can lay habds on a decent 2nd hand 105 groupset.

Well I am in a similar position to you.
I have an almost full gruppo to put on but Its a BB30 crankset so I am looking for a PF30 BB shell (rather then BB30).
I have standard rim brakes and plenty of normal rim brake wheels to put so no direct mount and no disc.
Plus being able to take 28mm tyres.
My Ridley Noah SL can take all these but riding that in the winter would be shameful.....so I came across a chinese copy from a semi decent manufacturer
https://www.ebay.ie/itm/2018-Carbon-T800-Toray-Road-Bike-Frame-PF30-Black-Matt-Racing-Bicycle-Frames/263742299076?_trksid=p2485497.m4902.l9144

I spotted this guy......https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu9n_isRZaM&t=297s
who got it a while back.

Paul_Mc1988

Arequipa wrote:

Any other decent companies other than Hong Fu?

Dont know about frames but I got a set of farsport wheels. 2 years no issues, UCI certified and being used by a decent English pro team. 700 all in for 60mm full carbons.

Icyseanfitz

bought a frame from velobuild



ive done about 400km on it so far and its solid. Only issue im having is with a slipping seatpost, although ive done a hairspray trick that seems to have solved it. Roads around me are pretty rough and its taken a few big potholes and ive had no issues.

P2C

Bought a FM098 from Deng fu about 5 years ago. Still going strong and probably 25-30 k on it at this stage. About 6 of us bought frames, wheels, Tri bars and other stuff. The only issue off all the frames and parts was one of the lads seat post clamp got treaded and failed now try and explain that to someone in China 5 years later. There all proprietary parts so when ordering get 2x angers, seat clamps etc etc. I even wacked the bike of a car park barrier when on the roof and it survived. Dengfu and hongfu and farsports are decent. There’s ways and means of reducing your import charges

Arequipa

Hi & thank you for the feedback..
It seems that producers like Deng fu, Hong Fu, Velobuild and the likes make good quality stuff..
It also makes you wonder how much Canyon and other big brands pay the Chinese factory to make for example an aeroad/ aero frame?!

Are there any parts ....for example...carbon handlebars, or chinese groupsets...which you would not risk buying?

A

iwillhtfu

Arequipa wrote: »

It also makes you wonder how much Canyon and other big brands pay the Chinese factory to make for example an aeroad/ aero frame?!

A

This thought process could be applied to pretty much everything you use and wear and it would be pretty dismal to be honest.

Personally I probably wouldn't trust a road bike frame but plenty of good reports on them although more specifically I'm not sure I'd trust the forks going down hill at speed.

In saying that I am considering buying a gravel bike frame to build up at some point in the future.

koutoubia

Have a search on YouTube for China Cycling . It's an American guy who lives there and buys stuff on the other Ali Baba for Chinese only . A good set of videos. Yeoleo's new aero frame looks stunning if you are into aero frames.

letape

Arequipa wrote: »

Hi & thank you for the feedback..
It seems that producers like Deng fu, Hong Fu, Velobuild and the likes make good quality stuff..
It also makes you wonder how much Canyon and other big brands pay the Chinese factory to make for example an aeroad/ aero frame?!

It’s not that simple. I’m sure a significant cost of any frame is not simply the production cost but funding for research and development, without which development and progress in design and materials wouldn’t exist.

tuxy

This thread may be of use to you, it goes back years so I linked to the start of last year.

https://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=113717&start=2955

Arequipa wrote: »

Hi & thank you for the feedback..
It seems that producers like Deng fu, Hong Fu, Velobuild and the likes make good quality stuff..
It also makes you wonder how much Canyon and other big brands pay the Chinese factory to make for example an aeroad/ aero frame?!

It's a very different business model, the big brands will design their own frame mould and no one else can use it. While it's clear they charge a massive premium designing a frame is expensive.
The direct from China frames come from open moulds and anyone who is willing to pay can get a mould.

Also when buying direct from China communication is great before you buy but don't expect much support if things go wrong.
Overall most people are happy and you get a lot for what you pay but realise there is always the chance that you are one of the unlucky ones.

I got some carbon wheels from China recently and they have been great. I paid €50 extra to have it shipped with a company called XDB, they seem to be able to clear customs in Croatia and then ship to anywhere else in the EU without customs charges.

tuxy

Speaking of open mould frames. Does anyone know Phil Gaimon? He's a retired pro who is sponsored by NOVE bikes in Austraillia.
The frames cost around €2000 but they can also be found from Chinese sellers for €450.
Anyone who even mentions open mould on his social media gets banned

It's possible that NOVE use the same mould but better quality carbon and the paint job is much higher quality than what you can get form Chinese sellers. But they really don't want people to know that the frames are open mould.
Ribble have used open mould frames over the years and people have been very happy.

And more info, from what I've read velobuild gets the worst feedback out of all the main sellers, I'd probably avoid them.
And lightweight frame are better than aero frames IMO as the aero frames are the ones that have parts that can be difficult to replace and frequently have problems with saddle slipping.

Castlekeeper

Sorry, thought it was farms...


...getting coat

Eamonnator

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

ive done about 400km on it so far and its solid. Only issue im having is with a slipping seatpost, although ive done a hairspray trick that seems to have solved it. Roads around me are pretty rough and its taken a few big potholes and ive had no issues.

Have you tried using carbon paste?

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/fenwicks-carbon-assembly-paste/rp-prod151486

Arequipa

Hi! Didnt Durianrider on youtube just buy one of those ultra lightweight frames from China and claims Gaimon is selling the same one for x5 times the price.....

Icyseanfitz

Eamonnator wrote: »

Have you tried using carbon paste?

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/fenwicks-carbon-assembly-paste/rp-prod151486

Yeah no good, and there isn't enough clearance to put a shim in between the post and frame, tolerances are actually very good and tight. So far the layers of hairspray is doing the trick but a few more rides will tell.

tuxy

Arequipa wrote: »

Hi! Didnt Durianrider on youtube just buy one of those ultra lightweight frames from China and claims Gaimon is selling the same one for x5 times the price.....

Wow he hates Gaimon so much after Gaimon embarrassed him on one of his local climbs. Both for them are unlikable imo.

It's not the one that Gaimon has, he has the climbing frame in both rim and disk but it is the frame Nove sell under the name Aero X and charge €2k for it when it costs around €500 from China direct.

tuxy

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

Yeah no good, and there isn't enough clearance to put a shim in between the post and frame, tolerances are actually very good and tight. So far the layers of hairspray is doing the trick but a few more rides will tell.

Is the seatpost naked carbon or is it painted? I'd say it was designed to be painted but the layers of paint may be too thin.

iwillhtfu

He's a few up there now but this one seems to be aimed specifically at Phil Gaimon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBOi9tabaz8

Icyseanfitz

wouldnt be the biggest fan of him, i know he bought the same frame i have months back, did an unboxing, and then never did anything else on it

tuxy

He's over on weight weenies now going on about cookieman. He's so toxic and has a dodgy past but Phil comes across as a guy with a few skeletons in his closet too

Eamonnator

Google Harley Johnstone aka durianrider.
He appears to be a thoroughly unlikeable pr1ck. cnut

edit. I wanted to express my disgust in a stronger fashion.

tuxy

Eamonnator wrote: »

Google Harley Johnstone aka durianrider.
He appears to be a thoroughly unlikeable pr1ck. cnut

edit. I wanted to express my disgust in a stronger fashion.

For sure and don't get me started on his ex gf freelee

The whole cult like vegan cyclist youtube influencer thing is a very weird phenomenon.