2022 Cervelo S5

[FHS]

Btw, I was trying to avoid buying a copy frame when I got the LTK268 / tt-x21 / 099 . Turns out it was a Dolan Ares or Lokka Ranger.
I wonder if there is a true open mold frame out there for people who want to avoid copied / homage frames.

Apologies to Dolan, but I wonder where they source the Ares frameset from.

Here's a Road.CC Bike at Bedtime article from Feb '22. It says the Dolan Ares was released somtime in '21.

https://road.cc/content/feature/bike-bedtime-check-out-dolan-ares-road-bike-289985

I bought my X21 in Nov '20, and it had already been out a couple of months at least.

Regardless, I don't think the issue is with "homage" frames. I think the issue with the S5 knockoff is kind of a similar issue with the Trek Madone knockoffs. Could the isospeed decoupler on a Madone really be replicated on a knock-off? Similarly, the S5 knockoff looks the part, if that's what you want. I'm trying to imagine what building a bike from that frame and handlebar set up must be like.

I think with a supplier like VB, you at least have a know quantity with the Chris collective. Just look at all the build issues that have been worked out on this forum.

Whoever does an S5 build is going to be the guinea pig, but I feel like you'll have an audience at least.

[Leejordan86]

There seems to be a few sales of these on Ali so there must be a Guinea pig out there! The Ali store has only been live since Oct 2022 so that’s a little worrying.

Hambini definitely needs to get his hands on one of these.

[Leejordan86]

Here are some photos that I received from the seller. The fact that they want to communicate off Ali and via email is dodgy but if the product is real, there seems to be some good detail down to the rapid axles.

[Yunglord]

Nothing dodgy about communicating off Ali they want to protect their storefront has this is still illegal to sell with the branding shown in those pictures!

I'm getting curious about a Ostro knockoff now ahaha.

[Leejordan86]

Yeah true.

There are a few S5 frames for sale on Facebook marketplace for 3 times the price, it can only make you wonder…

[RDY]

If you want something long and low and aero I think you'd be much better served by a Speeder R49D than a knock-off Cervelo.

[StiffWeenies]

This fake last gen S5 started popping up on Xianyu around September last year.

But who are you really fooling when you buy a fake frame? the finer details won't pass the smell test up close and having anything less than R8020 on it is going to make people doubt. Not to mention that it simply won't perform the same as the real thing when it comes to stiffness, weight and most importantly safety.

[Leejordan86]

If you want something long and low and aero I think you'd be much better served by a Speeder R49D than a knock-off Cervelo.

I was 90% of the way there with Peggy on an Ican A9 until you sent the the speeder R49D. This is amazing. I'll look at some of reviews and experiences

Thanks, a lot.

[tc2wheel]

S5 clone is on AliExpress, have anyone tried it? How does it ride?
I'm not racing any more, no need to spend $10K on a bike, but I do like the look.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804698527750.html

[abdbeg]

So i asked seller (from taiwan eisen store) to send me photos of the inside, i attached them. Also he said that they are using EPS Technology.

[C4rbon]

Keen to see a build on one of these! Interesting stuff.

[patliean1]

What exactly is the allure of purchasing a fake/counterfeit/non-authorized frame? I'm not asking maliciously or looking to debate. I just genuinely wanna know...

I'm a watch enthusiast myself. There is an entire sub-culture for fake Rolexes, however these watches have now gotten so close to the real thing they are almost indistinguishable without both a magnifying glass and an understanding of balance wheels and silicone hairsprings. Crazy stuff like that.

While I myself would rather opt for a high quality branded homage than a fake Rolex, truthfully I can understand the rationale. And a fake Rolex probably won't send your skull and collarbone into the tarmac if it fails on you.

[FHS]

What exactly is the allure of purchasing a fake/counterfeit/non-authorized frame? I'm not asking maliciously or looking to debate. I just genuinely wanna know...

I'm a watch enthusiast myself. There is an entire sub-culture for fake Rolexes, however these watches have now gotten so close to the real thing they are almost indistinguishable without both a magnifying glass and an understanding of balance wheels and silicone hairsprings. Crazy stuff like that.

While I myself would rather opt for a high quality branded homage than a fake Rolex, truthfully I can understand the rationale. And a fake Rolex probably won't send your skull and collarbone into the tarmac if it fails on you.

Yeah, I think this question has been touched upon every time someone posts a link to the latest look-alike frame. If you're talking about an actual fake/counterfeit that somebody is trying to pass off as the real thing, I think the answer to your question here is probably something similar to the answer someone would give after buying a fake Rolex.

As for non-authorized, what do you mean? I'd say that most open mold frames are an "homage" to something being sold by a big name. Big names can try to cut into competitor's profits by throwing around the word "unauthorized" but it seems like a way of saying "you copied me" as if they don't spend half their RD budget trying to copy each other without saying they're doing it.

[Froglover825]

What exactly is the allure of purchasing a fake/counterfeit/non-authorized frame? I'm not asking maliciously or looking to debate. I just genuinely wanna know...

I'm a watch enthusiast myself. There is an entire sub-culture for fake Rolexes, however these watches have now gotten so close to the real thing they are almost indistinguishable without both a magnifying glass and an understanding of balance wheels and silicone hairsprings. Crazy stuff like that.

While I myself would rather opt for a high quality branded homage than a fake Rolex, truthfully I can understand the rationale. And a fake Rolex probably won't send your skull and collarbone into the tarmac if it fails on you.

I think the majority of the time it is people in poorer countries who know they can never afford the real thing but still want to be seen on one or like the look of it.

If I rolled up to my local group ride where a good 20% are on legit s5 i'd be laughed at because people would be able to tell it's an aliexpress special since they've seen the real thing up close and can personally compare.

[JonMS]

Here is a ali listing with actual reviews
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804650256205.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2usa&_randl_shipto=US