Chinertown
Chinese Carbon MTB => 29er => Topic started by: T715 on January 14, 2022, 11:29:16 AM
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With so much manufacturers coming from China, Which ones are good, decent and bad?
Is there such a list where certain brands are better or tested to be good...
Do you have a top 3 brand from china that you can recommend?
I actually would like to know also which ones you recommend to stay away from...
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The answer will change based on who you ask.
It might be easier to find some frames you like then check the site for threads on those frames and read user feedback to make a decision. You can also just look through the forum and get a general idea what companies are purchased from the most then read reviews in the specific threads. There is also a vendor feedback section of the forum to check out as well. Also, take recommendations with a grain if salt as YMMV.
Personally I've had a great experience with light carbon and
velobuild. It seems like people here also like carbonda quite a bit but i have no experience with them to give you a definite answer. I can also tell you ive had a terrible experience with tantan/winow/seraph( all the same company) and heideli/tidace.
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I would agree, figure out the frame first and then research it and the provider/manufacturer. I purchased my first Chinese carbon frame back in October, I heavily relied on the information here and some YouTube videos. My process was:
- Identify the type of bike frame I wanted to purchase, in my case a FS XC with a 120mm of fork travel and at least a 68 degree head tube angle.
- I created a spreadsheet of all of the frames that met the criteria (or at least close enough to be considered) with the main criteria plus the metrics like seat tube angle, reach, stack, BB type, price, what's included, etc.
- Researched the top ones I was interested in by reading everything I could find here, Aliexpress ratings (although I didn't give too much weight to this) and general google searches.
- Finally pulled the trigger, I was live chatting with the provider (in my case Everjoy Industries) at the time of purchase (I was monitoring on a code release for work in the middle of the night so this was the perfect opportunity). The live chatting was moments after I made the purchase, but reassuring nonetheless. They were very responsive, sent me photos of the frame as it was prepared for shipping, threw in an extra derailleur hanger for me at my request. Overall I was pleased with them and the experience.
One of the best pieces advice I saw somewhere was to pick a frame from a brand that would put their brand name on the frame (as opposed to a knock off of some other frame without branding). I went with the Lexon Riot 10 for what it is worth, you can see my posts in that thread as I went through the research, to purchase, to build journey. Lexon brands the frame, although I went with the matte black and no Lexon branding, additionally the frame is used by a pro XC rider, Eva Lechner. If it is good enough for her, I figured it was more than good enough for me as a middle of the pack finisher in CAT 2.
Good luck and enjoy the journey.
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I can also tell you ive had a terrible experience with tantan/winow/seraph( all the same company) and heideli/tidace.
I find the negatives to be a better basis than the positives because it often points to the issues the manufacturer has than the personal preferences that make the bikes nice.
One of the best pieces advice I saw somewhere was to pick a frame from a brand that would put their brand name on the frame (as opposed to a knock off of some other frame without branding). I went with the Lexon Riot 10 for what it is worth, you can see my posts in that thread as I went through the research, to purchase, to build journey. Lexon brands the frame, although I went with the matte black and no Lexon branding, additionally the frame is used by a pro XC rider, Eva Lechner. If it is good enough for her, I figured it was more than good enough for me as a middle of the pack finisher in CAT 2.
Good luck and enjoy the journey.
Thank you for the write up, Lexon is one of my current considerations atm but it doesn't have the geometry I want. BXT which also brands their frames seems to be getting occasional bad feedbacks but has that geometry I like. Also from some feedback it sounds like BXT is a lower tier manufacturer which I want to confirm if there such a thing as ranking or tiers.
Hambini reviewed several chinese frames and gave his thumbs up so I want to know which ones to avoid....