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i just orderd one of these!

please dont shout, or laugh out loud. i just orders one of these!

[link removed by admin]

im poor and would never be able to afford the real thing. am going to fit 105 groupset,a nd some nice wheels! anyone had an experience with these frames? wish me luck.  39

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wheelz | 11 years ago
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have a read of this.

i immagine most of you already no this, but som wont.

http://inrng.com/2012/02/who-made-your-bike/

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Strathlubnaig | 11 years ago
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I guess that even if the knock off frames were identical to the real thing, even coming out the back door of the plant, the long term effect is the manufacturer themselves have to spend time money effort etc in R&D and marketing the original frame, then they make zilch because of the knock offs, so in the long run it canny be a good thing really.

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drheaton | 11 years ago
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Been reading a few forum posts too on other sites and a lot of bike 'manufacturers', people like Ritte Van Vlaanderen, buy blanks from China and Taiwan, paint them up and sell them on for a tidy profit. What you get by paying 4, 5 or even 10 times the cost of going direct to the manufacturer is a decent warranty and some after-sales support.

If you're happy to not pay thousands of pounds for a warranty (that sometimes are so full of holes they're so far from watertight they may as well be sieve) I don't see the problem of buying a frame direct from a Chinese factory. All you're doing is cutting out two or three middle men all wanting their cut.

For anyone interested the names that kept coming up were DengFu and HongFu (as direct sales selling carbon frames for as little as $300 link) and PedalForce who're one step down the line and provide some kind of warranty at around 100% markup. I also read that PedalForce sell overstocks of the frames Ritte uses.

The general consensus is that, if you can get past the initial mental issue of buying direct without the after sales, you're likely to get a great frame at a fraction of the cost, there'll always be horror stories but there's also a lot of good reviews too.

For me, the big draw would be designing and painting up a blank frame into something unique and one of a kind. Likewise, without a name on them they might be less appealing to thieves and whole lot cheaper to insure/replace.

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Stevie B replied to wheelz | 10 years ago
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Hi Wheelz

Couple of questions

How is the frame riding now ?

Plus do you have the name of the seller you purchased from on DHGate ?

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meeces2pieces | 10 years ago
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Thanks for your input on the frame set. Can you update us on your experience on this ride?

I purchased one just last week and can only hope it is a quality steed.

Thanks

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wheelz | 10 years ago
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Hi all,

its been fine, completed about 3000 miles and have only had to replace the head bearings!

and here she is in all her splendour above lake Derwent.

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wheelz | 10 years ago
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Hi all,
Well its into its 2nd winter now, ok, its done a fare few miles and not all of them in perfect conditions. The frame has held up great, Its taken a battering, always being shoved into the back of my car for trips to the Lakes, sportives or such like, the paint is starting to get a bit chipped, but that's down to my own lack of care, but overall its held up well. It still rides great, no rattles, creaks or groans, its as true as the day we built it. The Sram Rival, and Mavic Kysirium wheels were faultless and have now been transplanted onto my Dolan "winter bike", yes its real Dolan, although I did buy the frame on eBay, and build it up....!!

I`m unsure what my winter project will be. My Chinarillo is sitting up in the loft (not worth a bean 2nd hand), wrapped up in bubble wrap, so, will I source (from the same manufacturer), another Chinese frame, or will my LBS come good and supply me with a "proper" frame.

Watch this space.

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