Chinese Carbon

SCO-e

SCO-e

Squid
Hey all,

Has anyone made the plunge and bought a Chinese Carbon Frame or Wheelset? I've been looking at these sorts of items for a while. It started with alibaba then ebay and now I'm hooked on this site www.velobuild.com

They have a nice looking monocoque carbon hardtail (VB-M-62 26" Carbon Fiber Mountain Bike MTB 26er).

Any thoughts?
 
The Reverend

The Reverend

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I'll bite. As much as I like the idea of the wheel set, I'm tough on components & frames, and whilst they offer a warranty I can do without sending wheels and frames back to China.
Temptingly light and cheap, but I don't know how strong so have shied away.

You might have more luck, (many have) and there's a thread a gazillion pages long on the wheels here and on MTBR too.

Good luck!
 
scblack

scblack

Leucocholic
I've had a chinese carbon road frame. Rode perfectly good. Strong, just needed a few fiddly bits touched-up on build.

Chinese factories make 99.999% of the worlds carbon frames and parts. I reckon they have some clue what they are doing.

Give it a go mate.
 
mitchy_

mitchy_

Llama calmer
scblack said:
I've had a chinese carbon road frame. Rode perfectly good. Strong, just needed a few fiddly bits touched-up on build.

Chinese factories make 99.999% of the worlds carbon frames and parts. I reckon they have some clue what they are doing.

Give it a go mate.
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ditto. i've got a chinese carbon road frame, fork and wheels. i'm 90kg and thrash my 6.9kg bike daily. not even so much as a creak.

on the warranty side, depending on the item a lot of them will just send out a replacement, or request the cracked section be sent back (ie, people have cut up a carbon rim and just posted back the small cracked portion to reduce shipping costs)

i know my frame isn't going to match an italian carbon frame, but it does a pretty good job at trying.
 
scblack

scblack

Leucocholic
mitchy_ said:
i know my frame isn't going to match an italian carbon frame, but it does a pretty good job at trying.
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There's the rub.

I have a Italian Cinelli carbon frame. It is fabricated in China. Then painted in Italy.

I love it being Italian, but face the reality, cost wise and quality wise the chinese have carbon manufacture sorted.
 
The Reverend

The Reverend

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I think that's it for me.
China makes the world's products in the main. Yes, there will always be artisans making special products in other countries, but since senior management at lots of companies realised there's a $ to be made by producing "offshore" whilst inferring the product is assembled in Aus / US / UK...., it's led to the Chinese becoming rather good at it.
Their lower cost of living = lower wages = lower prices as we're all aware I'm sure.

My concern isn't so much the quality of the product, rather where I can take it to when / if it fails and how easy and straightforward it is to do so.
That and the fact I'm aware of my brand whore leanings. :^)

I've been tempted by LB carbon wheels for eons but when it came to it, I decided I'd go with something I could just take back to an LBS here should I encounter any problems.
Incidentally, it did fail, and I did indeed take it back to said LBS, who promptly fixed it.
 
cevet87

cevet87

Likes Bikes
I have been buying lots off aliexpress (alibarba sister site), with all good products thus far, but still really iffy about carbon mtb frames. I know a few of you have done well with road frames, but any experiences with mtb frames at all?
 
scblack

scblack

Leucocholic
cevet87 said:
I have been buying lots off aliexpress (alibarba sister site), with all good products thus far, but still really iffy about carbon mtb frames. I know a few of you have done well with road frames, but any experiences with mtb frames at all?
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My road frame from them was fine.

But can't really answer your question, as I have not had a MTB frame from them.
 
Isildur

Isildur

The Real Pedant
cevet87 said:
I have been buying lots off aliexpress (alibarba sister site), with all good products thus far, but still really iffy about carbon mtb frames. I know a few of you have done well with road frames, but any experiences with mtb frames at all?
Click to expand...
Yep, I've been on a Carbon 29'er and rigid fork since December 2013. Used primarily for commuting, but sees a fair amount of trail too (as I just can't help myself taking it along to most trails, for at least a lap of two). It's been given a fair beating so far and has come out smiling the whole time!

I've also just received a set of LB 26er Rims to (30mm wide, 33mm deep) for my 5.7C, and have absolutely no concerns about them at all. They'll be built in the coming month or so once I source other components (the spokes are all I'm waiting for).

The Frame & Fork were from XMI Play, build thread here - sorry, couldn't help myself ;) - http://www.rotorburn.com/forums/showthread.php?274711-Chiner-29-er-Commute-MTB

The rims are Light Bicycle :)

PS. Chinese Carbon has come a long way in the last few years! Compared to the shonky alignment issues from 3 years ago, the new products are straight, stiff and super sun to ride!
 
cevet87

cevet87

Likes Bikes
I am liking the positive responses and think I may take a gamble on a suspension frame if I have some expendable money lying around
 
tasty.dirt74

tasty.dirt74

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I bought a carbon 26 inch frame, remember them(?) about 5 years ago, and currently am using a carbon set of wheels on a hardtail 29er..

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Have not had any issues.. The frame was sold to a farkiner on here, Dont know how it is, but didnt get a "its broken" email.....!:whistle:
 
SCO-e

SCO-e

Squid
Awesome responses fellas! (except one tool-bag)

I might need a little bit more time to swing over to the carbon mtb wheel side of things but as they are on rotors, heating up etc shouldn't be an issue… just maybe rocks gauging rims. I have an eye out for a road pair though…

I've got a Chinese carbon road bike (xds) which handles like a dream and crushes most of the other bikes I pass on the commute to work so I'm not afraid to take the plunge. I just built a duallie but for some reason I would like another cheapish hardtail.
Isildur - I saw your posts/bike and liked it, I'm pretty sure it’s the same frame that I'm looking at buying. I also saw another build (shrek) by c3024446 who had front shocks, but he said he doesn't get airborne much.

I would be intending to thrash the carbon hardtail (typical trail dropoffs/jumps) so I was fishing for that sorta feedback on the product. tasty.dirt74 can you comment?

I would buy a Chinese mtb carbon it in a heartbeat if I was just commuting on it because as most of you have said, producing carbon frames is a huge investment and in all reality there are only a handful of manufactures out there doing it. These manufactures have learnt it is better to offer a decent product and get repeat busy than what occurred initially. And in all reality branded bikes break too, but it IS easier to go to your LBS and get them to fix it.

I’ll keep researching but I should just get it I reckon, when the wallet allows. :)
 
Isildur

Isildur

The Real Pedant
Go for it I reckon! Definitely no problems with the company I bought mine from (mentioned in my other thread a few times, won't do so here so I can't get accused of spamming ;) ), fast efficient service, cheap price and the finish is really really good!
 
tasty.dirt74

tasty.dirt74

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I was about 90 kg kitted up when using the hardtail(26). cant say i took it off drops.... but rode it as hard as I could(?!)It was xc geo so not really applicable for AM style riding.. It was easy to build up, BB was fine, headset went in no worries. No creaks etc... Under $400 I think...It looked much like an Avanti Competitor frame..
The wheels have been solid for at least 600klms.. Tensioned the rear once. Used gorilla tape to convert them to tubeless. Once again, no issues. Under $600 delivered. Weighed 1650 grams. Win!
 
Isildur

Isildur

The Real Pedant
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