Building a bike .

[Doug.]

Hello.

I am assisting a friend build a new bike.
The component parts are being mainly sourced from C.R.C
However the frame and forks are coming from China ,I have seen this issue debated before. Can't remember where or when.
Are they any good in general ?
Will be pleased to hear the general consensus ,from owners of Chinese framed cycles and components.

Thank you.

 

[Chris S]

Branded Chinese components are usually OK, the rest are made out of cheese.

 

[midlife]

Some people at work have hongfu / dengfu which seem to give a good bang for the buck as they say.

 

[accountantpete]

Chinese stuff is so varied you cannot generalise.

Frame wise you can get some good "open mould" deals as regards price and I would have no problem using them but TBH I prefer the better quality that the likes of Cannondale and Specialized produce and this quality is felt on the road.

I have had my one-piece Chinese "Time" Carbon Bars for 4 years now - they cost £40 posted as opposed to the £400 for the genuine article - and that is the area where I would buy Chinese knock offs(having done a bit of research on the good manufacturers as above.

 

[JhnBssll]

I've bought some great quality carbon parts from China. I've also bought some dangerously bad stuff. Sometimes it's very difficult to tell what's going to turn up, so it's best to use suppliers with an existing customer base such as dengfu mentioned above, or farsports, lightbicycle and others. Definitely avoid cheap branded stuff as its almost certainly counterfeit and generally poor quality. Look-alike parts that look similar to big-name kit but with no branding is hit and miss, there's some good stuff and some dross. Chinese branded kit seems to be good on the whole as they're trying to create a reputation for themselves and often have stricter QC standards than look alike and counterfeit manufacturers.

Check the frame and forks carefully when they arrive - if the lay-up seems good and the frame feels light and stiff it's probably OK. Try and look internally to see how neat the carbon is. Hopefully he's got a goodun

 

[Doug.]

Thank you all for the replies and sound advice.