Airwolf Madone

[shadowps9]

Hello all,

I've recently completed an AliExpress build focused on a knockoff Madone Gen 7 frame from airwolf. Everything was bought from AliExpress and my rotos(Shimano CL800) and chain(Sram Rival 12 speed) are the only non-chinese parts. Just wanted to share with you guys some thoughts about the buildand, frame and Wheeltop groupset.

The frame: It's very heavy, 1550g for the 58cm. Paint is good but fragile. There's a defect on the front near the logo. The mount hole for head unit on the handlebars isn't threaded for the first 2mm so I can't fit a screw in, unsure what I'm going to do about that. Couldn't center my brake calipers in the rear, had to add 1mm of electrical tape on the left side of the caliper similar to another user here who added nail polish.

The build: Don't attempt unless you're willing to deal with small issues and you have all the tools necessary. The compression plug that came with the fork had some edges that were 2mm too wide. This had to be filed down to fit in the fork. Internal routing on this handlebar is an absolute nightmare even with the cable routing kit I got stuck and almost gave up. Rear caliper is angled slightly wrong after torquing, not centered on the wheel. Another user added nail polish to fix the paint discrepancy, I added some electrical tape.

The groupset: Wheeltop eds TX, haven't ridden it much yet but bleeding this thing is very tedious. Takes multiple passes to get the last little bits of air out. The micro adjustment per cog on the cassette is nice. The shifter buttons have a very far travel before actuation. I've added some filler on the outer edges to prevent the buttons from resting so far out resulting in less travel.

Full list of parts here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19EG7w-PL_o6xKSSonwYg_NhqtS9TUTIpZ4kgHLeZcio/edit?usp=drivesdk

I got lazy and stopped weighing individual parts during the build but the whole thing weighs 18lbs with cages and sealant. With a quality frame it could be dropped to around 16.5 but I'm happy with the result.

Here is an imgur album with the bike, haven't been able to add an image and make the list successfully.

https://imgur.com/a/6nXO66F

[Sander2177]

Hey all new to the forum.
Have looked at the Airwolf site and all the frames they now have SLR Gen 7 no they have the 8, and the dogma and SL8.
Not sure how they get away with it so blatantly on there own website, even if they do not have logos
This is the company behind Airwolf Shenzhen Yaoflying Sport Component Co maybe they do do OEM but likely they would loose business.
However there geometry chart  also shows CAD of the carbon layup of the frame.
Anyone with an SL8 Airwolf

[Serge_K]

There is no way yaoflying / airwolf OEMs for the brands they copy, it's very clear IP infringement, even on Chinese standards
I only have good things to say about the airwolf T1000 (allegedly) cockpit on AliExpress that sells for c.115 EUR including shipping to Europe. It's well made, super stiff, and the routing with one hose on each side works.

However, pretty much everyone who buys airwolf frames has problems with it, it seems. Now, mileage may vary, some will have more patience than others when it comes to QC issues, but I wouldn't recommend anyone to buy a madone clone from them, just because of their reputation for QC / shoddy quality, and the fact that this seatpost is a deliberate disaster waiting to happen.

For specialized clones the risk is probably lower, but I'd recommend a velobuild because we know they stand behind their products, but I wouldn't recommend an airwolf frame. If that things fails at the worst of moments, you can really die.

[BeR]

Very strange, the size table on their website is not the same as the original gen 8 :

https://airwolfcarbonbike.com/product/2024-new-slr-gen-8-carbon-road-bike-frame-t47-thread-light-weight-di2-carbon-frame-ud-flat-mount-disc-road-frame-with-integrated-handlebar-s-m-ml-l-xl/

[Sebastian]

My first purchase of carbon parts directly from China ever was a set of carbon rims from Airwolf. I bought it on EBay. Must have been at least five years ago. It was heavy as a brick and the hooked sidewall had one spot where it was thinner and the hook was almost missing. Probably a defect that happened during the baking and curing process. You could use it but the tire had a slight wobble due to that problem. I went back and forth with airwolf and sent them fotos but they didn’t acknowledge the problem. I never bought from them again. The stuff I read on this forum only adds to my impression that they best be avoided like the plague.

[BeR]

I have always read bad things about Airwolf. If only we know that replica frames come from the same factory and have the same quality among all the sellers or not.

[patliean1]

Not my video.

YouTube search: I Bought a Trek Madone Replica on AliExpress – Can You Tell It's Fake?

https://youtu.be/l_eTq7SICVo?si=LN_PL4OMYTgpWYoA