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Bah, bike crash, wheel/frame opinions needed

Jun 18, 2009
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Got T-boned last night by another cyclist of all things. Carbon frame is cracked and trashed so need a new one of those but I also noticed my front wheel is now out of true.

Front wheel is a Hed Belgium rim with a DT240s hug laced with DT Swiss aerolite spokes. I can't see any damage to the rim but I assume it's bent. I'm going to take into a shop and get their opinion on whether I need a new rim or if the old rim can be acceptably trued. I assume if the rim is bent, truing it may work, but the spoke tension will probably never be equal again? If they do true it will the wheel be compromised and should I just get a new rim and get it relaced?

Also, if anyone has some suggestions for frames, I'd love to hear it. I'd like to stay below $1500.

Now back to icing those bruised ribs...
 
Aug 4, 2009
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Ouch they all break no mater what they are made of you wont get much for $1500. Insurance dont like Carbon either they have now put a $500 excess on them. I use a Ti frame and it has lasted me 4 years and my insurance like it untill it breaks then it will cost $7000 to replace.
 
richwagmn said:
Got T-boned last night by another cyclist of all things. Carbon frame is cracked and trashed so need a new one of those but I also noticed my front wheel is now out of true.

Front wheel is a Hed Belgium rim with a DT240s hug laced with DT Swiss aerolite spokes. I can't see any damage to the rim but I assume it's bent. I'm going to take into a shop and get their opinion on whether I need a new rim or if the old rim can be acceptably trued. I assume if the rim is bent, truing it may work, but the spoke tension will probably never be equal again? If they do true it will the wheel be compromised and should I just get a new rim and get it relaced?

Also, if anyone has some suggestions for frames, I'd love to hear it. I'd like to stay below $1500.

Now back to icing those bruised ribs...

http://cgi.ebay.com/3K-New-Full-Carbon-Road-Bike-Bicycle-Frame-54cm-Fork-/270740889319

Look familiar? (Think Pinarello)...
 
Mar 4, 2009
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Hate to burst your bubble, Peter, but there's a difference between frames that come out of the same factory as name brands and ones that are reverse engineered, and this one looks to belong to the latter category.

The first thing that stands out to me are the dropouts, which are clearly very different from the real thing. That one detail of course doesn't make or break a frame but if this manufacturer hasn't bothered to recreate that visual feature, you can only wonder what other ones they haven't bothered with, either. No-name generic frames may very well end up being great but without knowing anything about the carbon fiber lay-up schedules, fiber types, and quality control in terms of the processing from start to finish, it's really just a shot in the dark.
 
Mar 4, 2009
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Anyway, as for the OP's question:

Are you set on carbon? That price point is a little tough if you're looking at something new but easily within range of top-end alloy frames. In fact, you could buy a *complete* Cannondale CAAD 10 bike for that tag (at retail, no less), sell off whatever you don't want/need and then end up with a killer chassis and a bunch of spare bits for a genuine bargain, all while still retaining a legit warranty.
 
Mar 10, 2009
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James Huang said:
Hate to burst your bubble, Peter, but there's a difference between frames that come out of the same factory as name brands and ones that are reverse engineered, and this one looks to belong to the latter category.

The first thing that stands out to me are the dropouts, which are clearly very different from the real thing. That one detail of course doesn't make or break a frame but if this manufacturer hasn't bothered to recreate that visual feature, you can only wonder what other ones they haven't bothered with, either. No-name generic frames may very well end up being great but without knowing anything about the carbon fiber lay-up schedules, fiber types, and quality control in terms of the processing from start to finish, it's really just a shot in the dark.

That's all well and good and maybe accurate James. But there are an increasing minority of satisfied open mould buyers that are experienced riders who accept the risk and refuse to pay the Big Brands for their spurious marketing claims. Witness the huge number of re-branded open mould frames available from the larger brick and mortar/internet retailers too - Ribble, Pearson, Ritte Racing to name but a few. A few hours web-based research will reveal the trusted suppliers. Sorry to burst your bubble James - we don't expect you to bite the hand that feeds.
 
Mar 4, 2009
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LugHugger:

I'm definitely not saying that all open-mold frames are junk. I was just pointing out that that particular frame was clearly reverse engineered from a Pinarello and probably not actually from the same mold.

It's one thing to purchase a frame from a manufacturer that builds for reputable name brands. Oftentimes, that manufacturer does a lot of the actual carbon engineering anyway so you probably are genuinely getting at least some of the same technology. But when something is produced *specifically* to mimic something else and there's no accountability whatsoever, I can't help but question its quality.
 
Jun 18, 2009
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Guess I was panicked unnecessarily about the wheel. Bike shop put it on the stand and said no problem.

I haven't purchased a frame in a long time, so yea, $1500 for a new name brand carbon is too low.

No it doesn't have to be carbon. Just what I had.

In regards to the no-name frames, are these coming from the same factories that are producing the big name frames? And what do people mean by "open" molds?
 
Mar 10, 2009
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richwagmn said:
Do you order from them? Is there a US distributor?

An open mould frame is one to which there are no licensing restrictions ie frames are produced at a Chinese manufacturing plant and are available for anybody, be they individual, shop or 'brand' to purchase.

Some of these moulds are serviceable/re-serviced ex Big Brand moulds which are one or two years redundant from the 2011 mould. Others are reversed engineered moulds as James says, designed to look like Big Brand frames but sometimes without the tricks in lay up that differentiate the ride qualities. Others are engineered using 'borrowed' expertise from licensed frame designers. Dengfu are a mixture of the first and last models.

Dengfu sell direct to customer be they individual or brand. They do not manufacture the frames themselves. Many of their frames can be identified in current 2011 catalogues in low to mid price point bikes. Some of their frames are available from US/UK shops as built up bikes selling mid four figure sums.

Dengfu do not have a US distributor. Pedal Force sell very similar (possibly the same) frames under US warranty at a reasonable mark up.

I guess it would be remiss not in include a caveat. Dengfu frames are not warrantied. After some pretty exhaustive leg work on the web, it seems that there are many of these frames going into their second and third seasons of racing and riding. They are being ridden hard to regional victories in the US and Europe. $500-550 for a frameset which is capable of being piloted to 2 Cat victories at the very least seems reasonable to me, hence my decision to buy direct and pocket the marketing and overhead costs.

Hope that this helps :)
 
James Huang said:
Hate to burst your bubble, Peter, but there's a difference between frames that come out of the same factory as name brands and ones that are reverse engineered, and this one looks to belong to the latter category.

The first thing that stands out to me are the dropouts, which are clearly very different from the real thing. That one detail of course doesn't make or break a frame but if this manufacturer hasn't bothered to recreate that visual feature, you can only wonder what other ones they haven't bothered with, either. No-name generic frames may very well end up being great but without knowing anything about the carbon fiber lay-up schedules, fiber types, and quality control in terms of the processing from start to finish, it's really just a shot in the dark.

Yep, 'could' be or just the same assembly line, same workers, same layup with a few changes to make it look similar but not exact. BUT Pinarellos, perhaps made at the same place at the same time, have $3000 decals. Where is the $ going?

http://www.gitabike.com/cgi-bin/shop/pinarello_loadhome.cgi?user_id=id&file=pinarello.html
 
Mar 10, 2009
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richwagmn said:
Interesting info on the carbon no-name frames. I do wonder what the markup gets me?

Also found this on e-bay. Overseas Ti frame: http://cgi.ebay.com/TACC-TRF-1-Tita...=Road_Bikes&hash=item2c543e29cc#ht_5720wt_962

You get marketing BS to make you feel better about the marginal gains the Brand's 'innovations' will give you. It's not cheap buying ad copy in the US/European media, slapping each other on the back at Interbike and Eurobike and paying people to ride your product in front of a TV camera, you know!
 
Jun 18, 2009
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Trek has offered to sell me a new Madone 5.9 frame for $1300 to replace my old 5200. Not sure I'm going to do it, but it's a pretty nice offer from Trek. The bike shop owner told me Cervelo isn't nearly as generous with their crash replacement policy.

Still looking but happy to see Trek attempt to keep a customer. I know how hated they are on this board but I'm guessing many other manufacturers would shrug and say too bad.
 

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