online chinese/taiwan carbon frames

[Benotti69]

curious if anyone on here bought one?

after seeing the price of cav's new frame and the price of carbon frames from places like below it made me wonder if there was a difference.

there is a risk and wonder did anyone take it since 99% of the world is being manufactured in china nowadays....


http://www.flyxii.com/products.asp?menuid=308

looks like a dogma on the site..


edit; just found this

http://www.bustedcarbon.com/

it's why one reason why i am still a fan of alu

 

[brianf7]

Why would you go anywhere else to get a carbon frame made that is where all the big bike builders have their frames made because it is especialy set up
for carbon and cutting edge in tecknoledgy. only the top of range bikes are made in Europe
But buying from them direct first the man or woman in China you are buying from someone who dosnt have the frame untill you pay them then they buy it
direct from the back door of the factoryat a 1/2 price you pay.
All OK you get a new bike but no garauntee and most of all no public liability insurance so if the frame falls apart and you get smashed up you have no claim.

I have a pair of forks that cost me $28 they are very good quality so I asume the frames are same as that is where most big bike builders get the stock from

 

[Boeing]

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=640919

this is a thread about carbon 29ers from china but there might be a lead or 2 for you fyi

 

[bc_hills]

curious if anyone on here bought one?

I think it was said best in a thread on this site ("generic frames on ebay" or something like that... just search "ebay" in this forum):

Both of these frames come from factories that manufacture the big brands. Considering the majority of the frames that pros ride are made in Asia as well, you have nothing to worry about. It's just amazing that some paint and/or decals can jack up the price by thousands. That's what you all should be mad about, not the quality. If anything, Asia is the master of carbon, nobody does it better.

Yeah, carbon breaks. I've heard rumours that downhill and cx carbon bikes cost so much because the manufacturers assume a warranty frame failure and so put it in the price.

 

[BroDeal]

after seeing the price of cav's new frame and the price of carbon frames from places like below it made me wonder if there was a difference.

Sure there is a difference.

They are usually in the 1000 to 1200 gram range, so they are not cutting edge light. In this case, that is a good thing because it would be unwise to buy cheap no-name stuff that is super light; the extra weight means there is some leeway in the quality of construction. Think of it as an extra margin of safety instead of extra weight.

An issue that comes up all the time with these frames is that the finish work is left to the customer instead of being done at the factory. The customer may have to remove stray resin or sand a small area. Constant issues seems to be McGuivering a bottom bracket cable guide to work and fitting the bottom headset race on the fork.

The upside is most frames are less than $500 including the $80 or so shipping from Taiwan, and there is nary a bad word about the performance of the frames in six or seven thousand posts about them on RBR. Pretty much everyone seems to be happy about the bikes they have built with no-name carbon. If you use good components then you can still build a sixteen pound bike with the frames, so frame weight is not a huge issue.

 

[Indurain]

I bought a Pedal Force CG1. Best frame I've ever had. Stiff as, BB30, but absorbs the road. It is sub 1000gms and I basically got myself a sub 7kg bike for under $3000 US. I basically have this super all black stealth bike with a few bits in white (SRAM Force Gearing). Added to this just bought some Yishun Carbon wheels 50mm. Nice wheels for around $550. You don't think some other companies don't repaint & rebadge some of these frames/wheels. I can name 2 other companies that sell my frame. One for $2500 for frame/fork only. Painted in Belgium colours.

I get heaps more attention for this bike than I ever did with a name brand bike. They look much better than in photos. I feel my Pedal Force rides better too. Just wish I could get rid of the the PF on the front.

I wouldn't hesitate buying another factory direct. I will probably go a Chinarello next time. Saw on another forum someone had a fake Pinarello Dogma made and named it Chinarello DogPoo. Loved it. May do the same.

 

[Bustedknuckle]

curious if anyone on here bought one?

after seeing the price of cav's new frame and the price of carbon frames from places like below it made me wonder if there was a difference.

there is a risk and wonder did anyone take it since 99% of the world is being manufactured in china nowadays....


http://www.flyxii.com/products.asp?menuid=308

looks like a dogma on the site..


edit; just found this

http://www.bustedcarbon.com/

it's why one reason why i am still a fan of alu

Yep, put a Ridley or Scott decal on it and ......

 

[DarkWarrior]

I purchased one last summer from one of the eBay accounts selling them and have been very impressed. I paid $475 for the frame and fork shipped and the frame has BB30. I had previously owned aluminum Cannondales and a 2007 Trek Madone and I have test ridden a Specialized Tarmac and this frame is superior to both the Cannondale and Trek and on par with what I recall of the Tarmac.

 

[DirtyWorks]

I bought a Pedal Force CG1.

Looks suspiciously like what Hong Fu distributes + limited warranty. That's a fair price though. I'm sure it's a great product. I have no problem with this kind of value-driven marketing. My pet peeve is when a bike brand uses 'designed in...' and blathers on about R&D when in fact they are getting them from the likes of Hong Fu, with their stickers.

The fundamental problem with the carbon material is the sudden failure, not the country of origin. This may be entirely wishful thinking, is there a Chinese source for a lugged carbon frame and fork?

Edit: Better alternative for the carbon timid: Chinese Ti: http://www.predatorbike.com/Mountain.php
Looks like they recently got started on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/titanium-bicycl...9211651?pt=Mountain_Bikes&hash=item3365ada803

 

[Notso Swift]

Carbon fibre is pretty much all the same (most of it is prepreg), moulds the same... glue (resin) however... more than anything else this is what you need to trust in (and its application in non prepreg areas)

Personally I would trust the stuff coming from Tiawan before China

 

[Indurain]

So are there any online Taiwanese frames that we can buy around the $600 to $800 mark? I don't mind paying an extra 100 or so for Taiwanese frames vs Chinese. But thus far, I am very happy with my Pedal Force CG1. I don't think it was from China nor is it the same as the Hong Fu, some similarities though. I wish I still had the box. Had the factory on there.

 

[flyor64]

To the OP...I've almost pulled the trigger about 100 times. BroDeal turned me onto it in another thread, and I've read every single post on RBR since. A few of the companies have stellar reps over there. If you are considering it, I recommend you take a few hours and read thru the threads. The companies that are solid will jump out at you pretty quickly:

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=241785

Someone also mentioned Yishun wheels. "Stefano" is a treat to talk to and even posts regularly on their wheels thread. They sell alu wheelsets with Chosen hubs for USD 200 as well...

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=216501

...Saw on another forum someone had a fake Pinarello Dogma made and named it Chinarello DogPoo. Loved it. May do the same.

Yeah saw that one too. Thought it was brilliant ESPECIALLY because of all the back-n-forth over at RBR on "theft of IP" and "counterfeiting" and "sliminess" of using real Dogma and Pina stickers on a chinarello...

That killed one of the threads and even spawned one specifically dedicated to the Ethics of purchasing a frame direct from China...

Edit: Better alternative for the carbon timid: Chinese Ti: http://www.predatorbike.com/Mountain.php
Looks like they recently got started on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/titanium-bicycl...9211651?pt=Mountain_Bikes&hash=item3365ada803

You can also go direct to XACD and have them build their standard frame, or you can completely customize it...tubes, geo, dropouts, S&S couplers, whatever your heart desires...

Their standard 29er frame is USD 495 plus shipping, or USD 535 for custom geometry.

All other extras you could want have reasonable price(s) per each upgrade...

http://www.xacd.com.cn/product.asp?rootcl=1&cls=1

 

[flyor64]

Props and pic credit to fab4 over at RBR (who may or may not be on this forum as well)

I hope he doesn't mind as this bike is too AWESOME not to share

 

[Indurain]

I agree. I absolutely love that bike. If you want your bike to stand out, don't buy a name brand. Something like that would do perfectly. No one could accuse you off ripping off any company

 

[Michele]

So are there any online Taiwanese frames that we can buy around the $600 to $800 mark? I don't mind paying an extra 100 or so for Taiwanese frames vs Chinese. But thus far, I am very happy with my Pedal Force CG1. I don't think it was from China nor is it the same as the Hong Fu, some similarities though. I wish I still had the box. Had the factory on there.

The China vs Taiwan argument doesnt stand up; many TW companies have their offices in TW but the actual factories are in China (NB: not all, but many do this).

Once they get their products shipped to TW (no duty), they put a sticker with Made in Tawain writen on it.

Why they would do this? Cause products from China have a bigger duty once arriving in EU compared to taiwanese ones.

 

[Willis Wang]

Indeed, now China can produce all kinds of carbon frames, in order to ensure that the frame you buy has no quality problems, it is better to choose the trustworthy Chinese brand, and unbranded products are not recommended