In defense, Chinese manufacturers have a lot of work to do in terms of communication, marketing, etc. I am always surprised to see videos of frames coming out of the back of a workshop at some manufacturers and resellers, with just a sheet in the background in a more or less dirty setting. Then, we can see machines dropping weights to see the strength of the carbon. In short, there is a little artisanal side that is not very reassuring.

The communication is a big one. On my Epic Evo clone frame there was a big defect where the derailleur housing and brake hose routing holes in the front and rear triangle didnt align near the BB so you couldn't even build the frame up. I had to use a dremel and widen the routing holes in the front triangle to get things to align. Communicating with the seller was a lost cause, they just said they'd tell the factory and ghosted me.

My AirWolf Stumpjumper clone had bad threads in the front triangle main pivot. Torquing them to over 5nm just shredded the threads in the front triangle (they came from the factory at 2nm at best). Frame was unridable without those bolts torqued properly. I had to buy a helicoil kit and install my own threads, then source my own bolts, because AirWolf refused to help me. Yeah they sent me new bolts one time but it wasn't a bolt issue, it was a front triangle issue. I provided video evidence showing the issue but they just ghosted me.

And in each instance the frame was $750-850. We're not talking about $200 frames where defects are whatever, these are fairly expensive. As a matter of fact, last year I was able to get a 2023 Specialized Stumpjumper carbon frame for $650, A 2023 Stumpjumper Evo frame for $750, and a 2023 Specialized Enduro frame for $800. All brand new with lifetime warranty. Those frames are significantly better quality, have more features, and cost the same amount as these clones.

Yes, I know that pricing was lower than most sale prices at the time, but it was a sale through The Pros Closet. And many other frames can be had for similar sale prices if you wait and dig enough.

My point is that these frames aren't inexpensive. And depending on the time of year the pricing isn't really even competitive with more reputable brands. So when issues do happen and the seller ghosts you leaving you with a $700+ headache its not a small wonder people go online to complain about them. All bike companies have issues, if you hit up the Specialized board on the MTBR forums you'll find plenty of people complaining about Specialized. The difference is that Specialized sells significantly more bikes so issues are more likely to be one-offs, their support is actually accessible, and they won't tell you to pound sand if you actually find a manufacturing defect.

I purchased this frame from all star bicycle in November of 2022 (with the BRAIN rear triangle) and rode it for a bit in 2022, all 2023 season, and now again in 2024. The bike has been issue free from a ride quality perspective. The BB has remained sound and I've removed and reinstalled BB cups a LOT of times as I've waffled between SRAM DUB and Shimano a few times.

Much like everyone else, I needed a spacer for the top dust cover when preloading the headset to prevent drag, easy fix. I also removed all of the pivot bolts and greased and applied loctite before torquing them exactly as the real Epic Evo manual calls for. I replaced the UDH hanger.

My biggest issue with this frame comes from how the rear triangle interfaces with the front triangle. The rear triangle holes that the brake hose and rear derailleur housing pass through -- the holes that are near the bb -- don't line up with the holes near the bb in the front triangle. They aren't even close. Attempting to assemble the bike in this state required me to remove the lower pivot bolt, swing the rear triangle away, run the hose/housing through the front triangle, and squeeze the two triangles together as hard as i can to even get the rear pivot bolt back in, which completely pinches the brake hose.

Its so bad that I had to take a dremel and sand away carbon to form a channel on the outer edge of the front triangle cable/hose openings near the BB, basically just making the openings wider so they'd align with the holes in the rear triangle. A bit sketchy. But it solved the problem.

Hundreds and hundreds of miles of sketchy singletrack, drops. jumps, and the frame hasn't made any scary noises. There were a few situations where I thought the frame was getting crunchy on me but every time it was just mud getting stuck between the two triangles and grinding on the hoses.

One more thing to mention: the official Epic Evo frame has two small washers that sit between the frame and the bolt heads that keep the top of the shock in place. This frame didn't include them. The washers are obviously useful for getting proper torque applied to those bolts. I was able to source some, but keep that in mind, those bolts aren't supposed to just screw snug directly against the frame.

My build is as follows:

• Rockshox SID Select+ 120mm fork
• Rockshox SIDLuxe rear shock
• Shimano XT Cassette, Cranks, Derailleur, Shifter
• Shimano XT 4 piston brakes
• Hunt XC Wide wheelset
• SRAM AXS 170mm wireless dropper post
• Specialized Zee cages with SWAT XC storage container
• Specialized Fast Trak 2.3" tires