Definitely! Maybe separate sections such as frames, batteries, wheels & components would be my suggestion.

I don't know, my friend has a Cannondale Scapel and has broken that frame along with cracking his Cannondale road frame. Both were purchased from LBS who is a Cannondale dealer. I believe all carbon frames are subject to breaking. That's the argument for some for purchasing a Chinese frame, it's disposable if you break it and didn't spend $2000-$3000 on a bare frame 

This is my exact stance on the matter. Choose the correct frame for your weight and riding style (don't go building a sub 20lb hardtail with no suspension if you weigh 225lbs and ride some rough) and just replace with a new affordable china frame when the time comes. Whether that be when it gets damaged or just because you want to upgrade to a different frame. How it works out for me is I end up wanting to try a different kind of frame (plus wheels with full suss) and end up having two very nice but different chiner bikes for less than the price of one name brand one. And I end up having more fun swapping around parts and trying different things out, so for it's a win win.

So I was reading through a blog's comments discussing people's fear of Chinese carbon frames and how there are so many misconceptions out there, and I came across a comment I wanted to share. The dude pretty much nailed it, in my opinion.

"First, it's important to clearly delineate between counterfeit/knock-off frames and open mold frames. People often conflate the two but they're different things. There's nothing wrong with buying an open mold frame from a reputable seller. There are lots of well known distributors selling quality generic frames that are a genuine bargain for those who don't care about marketing hype. Secondly, it's worth noting that lots of brands sold in bike shops actually sell open mold and catalog frames as their own, even at relatively high prices. One particularly notable brand is QBP's Heller which sells open mold carbon mountain bikes. Masi, Fondreist, KHS etc, they all sell open mold stuff that's been painted and decaled with these famous brands. Thirdly, people complaining about bikes made in the "Far East" ought to look at where their frame is made. There's an extremely high probability that it was made in either Taiwan or China. Note for those new to bikes: with some extremely rare, very expensive exceptions (like Trek's or Cervelo's $10K+ halo bikes), brands don't actually make anything. Every brand subcontracts production to companies who specialize in making bikes. These manufacturers make bikes for lots of different brands and most often they're located in Taiwan. Frames are most often made in Taiwan not only because of relatively low labor costs but also because of economies of scale: carbon bikes are capital intensive but have low marginal costs. This means that molds and autoclaves are expensive but once you have them, pumping out frames is cheap. Also, Taiwan has been the center of world-wide bike production for fifty years, as a result Taiwan's where the supply chain, production knowledge and skilled workers are. Even brands like Colnago and Pinarello have their entire line-up produced in Taiwan. One farcical exception is the Colnago C60 which is produced in Taiwan in pieces, mailed to Italy where it's glued together and painted so that the brand can plaster a "made in Italy" sticker on it. Pinarello has no problem selling you a $6K+ frame that was popped out of a mold in Taiwan (draped in an Italian flag). Lastly, if you care about the origin of your frame buying a truly American made steel bike is easy, fun and often far less expensive than you'd think. This is also true in the UK."

Comment taken from here: http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/product-news/cheap-chinese-carbon-imports-are-they-worth-the-risk-173977

I think that is probably the most concise summary of the current bike market that I've ever read, but was hoping to get other's opinions? When does it make sense to buy name brand these days? What are the best carbon frames to buy in terms of value? Is it the cheap Chinese import frame or the long trusted name brand frame?

That's nonsense. The NECO headset is a good headset. The best you can get for the money. The CC isn't as twice better than the NECO. When there's water or mud in the headset, the CC is warned out as quick as the NECO.

I've got multiple NECO headset on stock. If one of the  current headsets is warned out, I'll replace it. Once in a year or two. We're all riding NECO (three chiners, three NECO's). And they last at least a year without problem.

Maybe the CC would last 2 years or longer?

That tells me that low-end material, probably used here, is a weaker material then what you would find in latest frames from Cubes, Cannondale, Specialized, etc...

This just a "hunch" of yours, or you have actual knowledge of such things? Not trying to start anything, serious question. Because what I got out of your post was that most carbon frames would have similar carbon to resin ratios due to the general difficulty in manufacturing them with increased carbon and decreased resin - even your basic Specialized and Cannondales.

Sounds like CUBE has a "highly innovative" process that improves these ratios, and I agree that would be an improvement and possibly worth paying for, but it wouldn't really be highly innovative if all of the other bike company's frames already had these improved carbon/resin ratios, as you imply they do.

I hear you. I'm more and more tempted to build a chiner fat bike all the time. Problem is, I've never ridden one and am wanting one bc they look sooo ridiculously cool   

Since you already have the Mukluk I say definitely sell it... You obviously like the fat bike platform and the carbon chiner will be a huge upgrade for you, especially if you get some nice wheels to go along with it - and it looks like you are.

I have seen guys put a 120mm fork on the 057 frame and I think it's your best bet. That said, that really isn't what it's designed for and unfortunately there isn't yet a chiner hardtail frame with slacker angles that is geared for more all mountain use similar to the Ibis Tranny.

Here's a pic of an 057 frame with a 120mm fork and dropper post. Like I said, I think it's your best option and will most likely work just fine for what you're wanting to do:

I just watched a ridiculously and surprisingly good movie called "Afflicted". I don't want to sat too much about so I don't ruin it, but one of the best movies I've seen in quite sometime. Perhaps because I had never heard of it and therefore had zero expectations, but checking the online reviews, I am not alone in my praise for the film.

Another really cool off beat unexpected great movie is "Let The Right One In" (the foreign version with sub titles is much better than the English version)

Def check both of those out!

Read this post yesterday and rented Afflicted last night and wow, what a damn good movie. It is shot from a documentary/video camera sort of perspective which I am usually not a fan of but they got it right in this movie. Really liked it. Thanks for the rec.