Chinese carbon.... ouch

bottomed it out and broke it!
He hasn't even reset the indicator.

i'm not sure what should "give" when that happens.
just sucks big time.
 
Can’t find the article I was looking for, but this kinda covers it-
Counterfeit frames are scary.
(Not the case with this dude, but still something to keep in mind)
www.npr.org

Carbon Fiber Bike Failures Spotlight Dangers Of Counterfeits

High-end bikes and components are often made of carbon fiber, which is strong and light-weight. But carbon fiber bikes have to be carefully maintained.
www.npr.org www.npr.org


And PSA: it’s getting cold out, wait until spring to take out your crabon whips.
 
Anytime you deal with a direct seller that doesn't have a brand name at risk, it's a crapshoot. I have a Chinese Carbon Frame that's now about 8 years old and still going strong. And a few other folks I know have or have had them with no problems. But I've also seen horror stories like this one online and on social media a bunch of times. The company I bought mine from doesn't exist anymore, or has transitioned to a new name (they were called someting like Play All Day back in 2012.) I picked that company at the time because there were only two major ones selling direct in the US and I had hear bad things about their competition. There are a lot more of them out there now, and the companies I see all make similar looking frames so it's hard to tell who is or was who. I think that's by design. I do know (from industry folks) that the one I bought from did most of the carbon layups for Scott and Niner at the time. (My frame is very similar to the old Scott hardtail form 2012.) From what I was told, once they complete their order for a manufacturer, the molds are still within tolerances so they manufacture more and sell them direct, albeit with non-proprietary layup combinations. I think this is where it becomes hit or miss. My frame has a tiny bit of flex in it - feels more plastic-y than carbon-y in some spots - but again, I've never had an issue. I've ridden this bike across the state of NY, from DC to Pittsburgh, and countless miles on local trails. I even raced it at Iron Cross one year and (with considerable regret) at Cathedral Pines one year. Never an issue with the frame. But I can see where sometimes those same post-run molds or carbon quality could lead to structural issues like the one this guy experienced.
 
Most no name frames don't come with shocks so if someone put a longer stroke shock on a frame that wasn't designed for i can see this happening pretty easily. Tire contacts seatpost and tries to ride up putting that stress into the seatstays then bang no more seatstays .
 
He took the risk to save a few bucks, so he shouldn’t be too surprised. I can’t imagine anyone would buy a frame like that and not have critical failure always in the back of your head. Probably the most important reason why mtb frames are expensive, in that they’ve been tested and vetted. Also nobody feels cool riding an eBay knock off carbon bike.
 
jmanic said:
Can’t find the article I was looking for, but this kinda covers it-
Counterfeit frames are scary.
(Not the case with this dude, but still something to keep in mind)
www.npr.org

Carbon Fiber Bike Failures Spotlight Dangers Of Counterfeits

High-end bikes and components are often made of carbon fiber, which is strong and light-weight. But carbon fiber bikes have to be carefully maintained.
www.npr.org www.npr.org


And PSA: it’s getting cold out, wait until spring to take out your crabon whips.
Click to expand...

is there a legit reason not to run carbon in the cold?
 
Jmann said:
Also nobody feels cool riding an eBay knock off carbon bike.
Click to expand...
200.gif

have you met me?
 
I've bought a few carbon Chinese frames directly from Deng Fu. Quality was always excellent. I sold one of the 29er frames but the 2nd passed onto MissJr and she breaks everything but that frame. I finally sold the road bike frame this year in my rim-brake bike purge. I used that 130mm wide rear frame on my 135mm adapters on the trainer without any issue all winter...

I never felt cool riding them, but they were the only bikes I've owned that ever got a lot of attention. Black carbon w/ no labels drew a lot of attention.

That being said, no way I'd buy whatever full suspension frame that guy has. For one, those chainstays scream XC, not DH. And what kind of kinematics does a Chinese carbon full suspension bike have??? And yeah, he most likely had the wrong sized shock on it if it got destroyed that quickly on the first drop.
 
stb222 said:
I thought these salsa's were china carbon? my bad, different type of carbon.
Click to expand...
Ah. Yes, they're made in China as the very uncool label on seat tube clearly says. I actually kept it there just because...I left it there. They're not a knock off, which is what was being debated here, no? Also the very expensive Salsa carbon fork are made in China.
 
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