them cheap carbon frames on ebay

allez neg wrote:

I am reminded of Keith Bontrager's quote:

Strong. Light. Cheap: Pick two.

Apart from that, rather than buying something direct from the far east, if you buy a Ribble or similar then at least some of your money goes to pay a wage to somebody in the UK.

.... and gets you a CEN or Kite Mark for peace of mind.

I have exactly the same bike and exactly the same question because my recollection/understanding is hazy.

My understanding was that the 5 series and above were made in Wisconsin. But more recently they have shipped it out to China. Only 6 series are still made there I think.... And the 5 series no longer says 'made in Wisconsin'.

It doesn't make sense for them to build the frame in China, ship it to Wisconsin and then ship to Europe. So my understanding/logic, as faulty as it is was that the 2009s were as they claim.

Yep. my very nice R5 VWD frame sports a made in China/Taiwan (can't remember which...) sticker.

Manufacturers often point out there just isn't the infrastructure or factories to make them in volume anywhere else, which is why its only ever ultra low-volume specials like the RCA that get built in the US/Europe.

Russyparkin - Indeedy.

I think about the descents where I top 40ish, and the few occasions I top 50.

I know a big name frame and fork isn't a guarantee that it won't break but it's something.

How would you go about any sales of goods act type redress to little more than an email address in China?

Each to their own and I'd not think less of someone buying one for themselves but it's not for me.

One question - would you be happier riding on big brand carbon forks that have never been crashed but are 7 years old (as I am), or a brand new pair of unbranded Chinese carbon ones?

bashthebox wrote:

I'm going to get one of these for next summer, and am very excited about it. If the bike fails (and that would seem very unlikely, certainly no more likely than a big name frame) then I can write off maybe 4-6 frames before it costs me more than ONE branded one.

And you're prepared to write yourself off 4-6 times too when you fall off at speed? Bizarre logic...

Pretty sure I wouldn't be buying a frame again if it had failed once!

allez neg wrote:

Russyparkin - Indeedy.

I think about the descents where I top 40ish, and the few occasions I top 50.

I know a big name frame and fork isn't a guarantee that it won't break but it's something.

How would you go about any sales of goods act type redress to little more than an email address in China?

Exactly. There simply isn't going to be the level of R and D that the big guys put in. Look at the recent Specialized product recall of the Tarmac SL4 fork - none had actually failed in the wild but Specialized still recalled all of them. I'm sure the cheap Chinese manufacturer care just as much...

Which company did you buy from, Atlaz?

atlaz wrote:

If you get the right company, they'll offer replacements for frames that break JRA. Crash replacement, no. I even had follow-up on my frame a month after I built it up to ask if it was okay and to get photos of parts I said could have been painted better (I'd had a custom paint job).

Shouldn't be down to luck and 'getting the right company' to get decent after market support though should it?
Thats part of what you pay for buying from a 'company' and not the factory gate.

bashthebox wrote:

Well that's why it's so cheap, isn't it? No one is suggesting you get the same customer service and after-market support with a no-name frame. If you did, it would cost the same sort of money.
It's an extremely cheap, slightly more risky way of getting a very high spec frame. I want a very high spec frame, but I don't have £3-5k to spend on one. And so.

Is that not what was just suggested though, that you do/can get the support.

Well thats the crux of the matter really, people want what they can't afford.