manqiangrexue
Brigadier
That is absolutely not true. Even the worst Chinese knock-off carbon fiber bike is still carbon fiber these days. Chinese knock-off carbon bike frames are typically slightly heavier than the bikes they copy but they are often stronger. Pinarello is the most often imitated bike brand and while authentic Pinarello frames are about 100 grams lighter than Chinese knock-offs, they rated 80 vs 86 in damage resistance, losing to the Chinese frames. Brands like Pinarello and Specialized warn consumers against Chinese knock-offs simply by saying that they are 1. not backed by a reliable warranty and 2. not quality-inspected. But they can find no real faults with them, at least none that are not inherent to all carbon frames.
The Western cycling consumer used to be strongly against Chinese frames saying that they rob the innovation out of the cycling scene and that one who cannot afford a Pinarello should not pretend to ride one. However, COVID caused bicycle prices to shoot up notably while disposable income has decreased, leading to the increasingly popular sentiment that bicycle companies deserve to be robbed by Chinese imitators because they are robbing thier fans. Their warranty claim is being debunked because they will at most warranty your bike frame once and they specifically say that they are not liable for any damages beyond the bicycle (ie your hospital bills) so what good is it to pay $6K for a genuine frame with the possibility of a second if the first one fails when you can buy 2 Chinese frames for $2K, ride one and keep one for back-up with $4K in the pocket? Also, Chinese companies, even knock-off manufacturers are being held by their platforms like AliExpress to offer 1-2 year warranties, which they do. The second point that the QC may not be up to par with genuine frames is legitimate but that leads to the situation where you might get a perfect frame for $1K or you might get one with minor alignment issues, etc... which are actually covered by the warranties of Chinese imitation companies or are usually fixable by a handy person.
In addition to the imitations, there are Chinese brands that have arisen. They are typically more expensive than the knock-offs, less expensive than Western competitors, and competitive with Western competitors. Lun(2) makes arguably the best wheels on the market with carbon fiber wheels laced with carbon fiber spokes! No Western bike wheel company makes a wheel that can compare to the Lun Hyper in both performance and damage resistance; top end American wheels are typically double the price, comparable in performance, somewhat weaker damage resistence while European top end wheels, especially German ones, can be 4-5X the cost, somewhat superior in performance, with much weaker damage resistance and nearly no serviceability when damaged. Winspace and Elves are 2 Chinese brands that are quite impressive and well-known in the West. China cycling expos usually showcase much more new technology than cycling expos anywhere else in the world with mature American/European/Japanese companies showing incremental improvements while Chinese companies are always wildly aggressive in trying new technology.
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