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Re: Are AliEx/open mold carbon bikes common in your area?
I'm italian living in the craddle of bespoke and craftman of bikes Close to Pinarello, Wilier, Basso and many craftman like Bonetti, Barco, Sarto. I live in the same city of Campagnolo. With my chinese bike, I'm treated by other cyclist as a criminal... December 11, 2024, 07:14:54 AM |
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Re: Interesting Aliexpress finds! - good deals, interesting stuff, new products etc!
Was thinking about starting a guide on how to get the best deals including different checkouts, coins, AE discount codes, store discounts, and events. I actually made a complete guide a while back on reddit to get the best price when buying from AliExpress i will copy and paste it here. Here is a guide fueled by years of experience as a buyer from AliExpress. I'll give you all the tips and tricks I know to get the best out of a product so that you won't feel like you got ripped off. You need to squeeze every few bucks you can from them. Before I start, there are things you need to do: Buy During Promotions: I encourage you to buy when there are promo codes available, if you have telegram you should follow This Channel which posts working coupons regularly. And send updates before evry new sale. Add to Cart Early: If you eye a product and plan on buying it, put it in your cart 2 or 3 days before buying it. Keep an eye on your in-app DMs; most of the time, the store will send you a coupon to use for that product, typically $2 off $2 or $3 off $3. The message might be like: "Here is a coupon for items in your cart." Check for Discounts and Coupons: When you find your product, scroll down a bit and check if there are "Discounts & Coupons." You will find store coupons there; take those. Otherwise, make sure to check the store's page, then go to the sale page (sometimes it's hidden, so make sure to hold the "New Arrivals" button then scroll left), or check the main page for any codes. Sometimes, just by following the store, they give you a $1 off $1 or $2 off $2 coupon. Follow them, get the coupon, then unfollow them to repeat this step for the next promotions lol. Look for Coin Discounts: Preferably find a product that has a few percent off with coins; this is mainly displayed under the product's price in small text. Then you can use This Telegram Bot which will find a bumped-up coin discount for that product. If you don't have telegram, then you have to go to the coins discount page and look there for your product, most of the time it should appear there. Know Basic Math: You might find yourself using a calculator from time to time. Use Common Sense: I won't be explaining how to find a legit product in this guide, so make sure the product you are about to buy is not a scam using basic logic (checking reviews and the store rating, etc.). Use the Mobile App: This guide is better used on the mobile app. Now the practical Guide : Let's say you found a product that costs $59. Add it to your cart. Most of the time, promo codes come like this: 3/29$, 8/69$, 20/169$, 30/239$, 50/369$. So the only code that will work in this situation is the $3/$29, right? Wrong! $59 is closer to $69 than to $29, so we can squeeze some bucks out for our product. Let's do it in the most perfect way, down to $0.1. Calculations and Preparation : We'll start with some calculations. Assume you found a product with coins discount, passed it through the bot, have store coupons, and collected AliExpress red coupon codes automatically. There's also a $1.99 shipping fee. Click on "Buy Now" or "Checkout" in your cart (DON’T CLICK ON PAY NOW), just check out the final price. Let's say we found discounts like this: $4.14 off from coins $3 off $29 from AliExpress coupon/codes $2 off from a store coupon $1.99 shipping fee The final price will be: ($59 - $4.14 - $3 - $2 + $1.99) = $51.85 Remove the $3 red AliExpress promo code from the equation because we will be replacing it with $8 soon. Also, remove the $1.99 shipping fee, as AliExpress promo codes don’t include that in the final price. This means you actually need a total of $70.99 for the $8 off $69 coupon to work! So, our product price becomes: ($59 - $4.14 - $2) = $52.86 As we are eyeing to use the $8 off $69 code, we will do this simple math: ($69 - $52.86) = $16.14. This is the price difference we need to be able to use the $8/$69 off. Next, go to the homepage, search for a generic term like “metal” or “plastic” as these words give a big list of products to choose from. Then, on the top right, click on the 3 lines (the filter button), click on "Free Shipping," and in the minimum price, write $16.14. For the maximum, add $0.1 to the price, making it $16.24. Click on "Show Results." If there are 0 products in your price range, increment the maximum price by another $0.1. Make sure to look for a product that doesn’t have any coin’s discounts (you will find “Price shown before tax” alone without “Extra % off with coins”). After you've done this, add it to your cart. Go to your cart, select both products, and apply the $8 code. It should work now! But there is a catch. In reality, you won't be getting $8 off your main product but on both products. With more math, we can guess how much your product will save. $8 off $69 X off $52.86 X = ($52.86 * $8) / $69 X = $6.13 This is the new AliExpress red coupon that your product will get out of the $8, which is $3.13 more saved overall compared to the initial saving. The other product will get the rest, $1.87. Next, we need to get rid of that extra product because we don't need it. 2. Freeze Payment Method/Buy then cancel : Warning: Before the next step, freeze your credit card or move your funds out of your card to your account if you don't want to wait for a refund. We want to make a failed payment to be able to get rid of the $16 product added at the end. After freezing your card, select both products, apply the new code, and attempt the payment. The payment will fail because you don't have any funds, or your card is frozen. 3. Cancel Extra Product : Go to the account page, check "My Orders," and then click on "To Pay." You will find two failed payment products. Cancel and remove the extra product that you don't want. 4. Finalize Payment : Unfreeze your card or move funds back to your card, then pay for your product. The calculation will now be: $59 − $4.14 − $6.13 − $2 + $1.99 = $48.72. Initially, it was $51.85, so it’s an honest save. 5. Repeat and profit. These steps may seem tedious when you read this long text, but believe me, once you get the hang of it, it won't take you more than 5 minutes to do all this. May 19, 2025, 10:33:50 AM |
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Re: Which Chinese Brands Offer Custom-Painted and/or Branding-Less Framesets?
LOL every OEM offers that.  Topics are getting stupid here. May 30, 2025, 01:16:31 AM |
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Re: Which Chinese Brands Offer Custom-Painted and/or Branding-Less Framesets?
Dude u are just making things worse with every post. You don't even know what OEM means
June 01, 2025, 04:16:16 AM |
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Re: Can we migrate this forum to a modern forum? I'm tired of the broken pages.
Sitar_Ned is the forum's administrator. You can reach out to them via PM or email. Honestly, not much capacity at all. It's just me and I am in no way a web developer or webmaster. Just a simpleton Arkansas mountain biker that somehow figured out how to get this forum up 10 years ago. I know the broken pages are annoying... and I am sorry about that... I do try to fix them immediately when they pop up so please do let me know.. I really appreciate it. I do have plans to upgrade to the latest SMF version to fix little issues like that but I'm sorry to disappoint anyone but there are no plans to "modernize" the forum in any way. No desire to have some modern mobile-friendly, super slick, dark mode interface. Chinertown will remain old-school looking with zero ads and zero optimizations for Google search. My main goal going forward is to keep AI out of the forum as much as possible. That's just my jam but I do understand if it isn't for everyone. That said, I am certainly open and interested to hear everyone's input/advice/ideas and really appreciate it. June 06, 2025, 06:52:42 AM |
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A Candid Look Inside the Replica Frame Industry: What a Chinese Insider Told Me
I thought I would post this in here as well I have posted in the vendor area with 480 view and no reply’s! I thought this would generate some responses and opinions at least as there are plenty here with opinions Over the past week, I’ve been in ongoing conversations with a contact in China who works closely within the replica bike frame industry. I want to be clear upfront: I’m not claiming to have uncovered “the truth,” but this person has been surprisingly open, hasn’t tried to sell me anything, and answered questions without hesitation. Given how often this topic comes up here — especially around quality, safety, and legality — I thought it might be worth sharing what I’ve learned. I know some of you will be sceptical, and that’s fair. But for what it’s worth, this insight lines up with a lot of the grey areas that get discussed across different forums, and it gave me a more nuanced view of how these frames are actually made and where the real risks lie. ⸻ Through in-depth conversations, I’ve gained what I feel are comprehensive insights into the replica bike frame world — particularly as it relates to well-known designs like the SL8. A common misconception is that these frames are just “factory seconds” or made in the same molds as branded ones. In reality, most replica manufacturers don’t source directly from original factories. Instead, they purchase design files or reverse-engineer existing frames, then create their own molds. Branding and logos are usually omitted, not to avoid copyright concerns per se, but because local distributors frequently report these manufacturers to Chinese authorities. This significantly increases the legal risk for sellers and producers alike. Take the SL8 replica market as an example — sellers often claim to be offering surplus or seconds, but my contact says most of them are simply unauthorized copies, made entirely independently. In fact, one seller in their circle was reported for poor-quality products, arrested, and sentenced to two years in prison. He hasn’t been released yet. That alone should serve as a serious warning for those dealing with bottom-tier replicas. In terms of materials, most of the better replicas use T800 carbon fiber, with Korean M30 carbon applied in stress-critical zones for added strength. The layup process — the orientation and layering of the carbon sheets — follows patterns well-understood in the industry, though the exact methods and configurations vary by factory. My contact confirmed that strength and fatigue testing are common, but manufacturers rarely release their data or videos publicly. This isn’t always a red flag; it’s often to protect commercial confidentiality, IP, and to avoid drawing the wrong kind of attention. The market itself is split sharply. Some factories focus on low-cost, high-volume production using cheaper carbon and weaker layups. Others — and this is where my contact says they position themselves — focus on quality and craftsmanship. Frames from these producers often weigh just over 700g painted, and complete bikes are coming in around 6.5kg — notably lighter than many mainstream replicas. Enforcement in China is active. Police regularly shut down or arrest those involved in dangerous or fake products, especially if someone gets hurt or enough complaints are filed. That pressure is actually forcing some in the industry to raise their standards. The safer, better manufacturers are usually left alone — or at least operate with more caution and better practices. ⸻ In summary, the replica market is messy, competitive, and risky — both legally and from a product quality standpoint. But not all producers are equal. Some are clearly investing in good materials, tight tolerances, and solid construction. That said, if you’re considering buying one, you should go in with your eyes open. There’s always a risk, and buying from someone reputable — even in the grey market — makes a huge difference. June 15, 2025, 05:17:11 AM |
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Welcome to the New Server...
If you're seeing this, you are on the new host/server. Unfortunately, approximately the last 48 hours worth of posts were lost. Sorry about that.. it was planned to be like 12 hours tops and then little unexpected things kept popping up delaying going live with the new server. Definitely a learning experience. The positive side is that Chinertown is now on a (hopefully!) faster, more reliable, modern server. The SMF version has also been updated to 2.0.19 so we will see if the broken pages, slow downs, and error messages are fixed or not. Hope this all goes well! June 17, 2025, 02:27:00 PM |
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Re: Replica Factor Ostro VAM
Yesterday during a group ride, I saw someone trying to overtake us on a Factor Ostro frame. It was the first time I’d ever seen one in the wild—you recognize it immediately. He was drafting behind us for a while and then tried to jump ahead, but he wasn’t going fast enough to break away from our group (around 40km/h). That gave me the chance to ride behind him and check out the bike. There were no logos on the frame, just a glossy UD weave. The Black Inc handlebar and wheels stood out—the wheels looked like they were about 50mm deep, with only the Black Inc logo on the hub. It had a solid Ultegra groupset, though I couldn’t really see the crankset clearly. He also had those ultra-light 7-gram bottle cages from AliExpress. I was pretty stoked to finally see the same bike in person, and I think you guys would love it too—especially since it didn’t have any logos. Anyway, if the rider was local, it must’ve been somewhere near Goes in the Netherlands. June 18, 2025, 05:42:44 AM |
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Thinking of Going Deeper Counterfeit Frames – UPDATE and Fund Link
After posting the “Candid Look Inside the Replica Frame Industry – What a Chinese Insider Told Me” thread, I’ve been thinking about going a bit deeper with this. I’ve already bought the X68, and I had planned to get it scanned—but didn’t in the end, mainly because I was being tight with money. That said, I’ve been speaking to more sellers, asking tougher questions, and trying to really understand what’s happening behind the scenes—because the reality is, most of us are flying blind when it comes to buying these replica frames. Everyone claims their frame is “top quality,” whether they’re a seller, manufacturer, or somewhere in between. But the truth is, we don’t really know. We rely on a mix of user reviews, scattered posts, and a bit of gut instinct—and even that is hit and miss. These frames typically sell for around $700 USD, and the ones marketed as “premium” or “top-tier” are closer to $1,000 USD. No doubt they’ve improved over the past five years in terms of finish and design, but there are still obvious issues. Sellers are now offering 2- or 3-year warranties, which on the surface seems reassuring—but when things go wrong, you’re the one covering shipping costs, customs delays, and lengthy conversations with someone halfway across the world. One thing I’ve been digging into more is the topic of layup and construction. Sellers often say the original CAD files were “acquired” and moulds were made—especially in the case of popular models like the SL8. But what does that really mean? Is there an actual layup schedule being followed? Are the fibre orientations correct? Are cutting patterns even remotely similar? And is the carbon comparable to what brands use—or just generic Toray or something cheaper? It’d be fascinating to see what these sellers are actually working from. I’ve asked for photos, cutaway samples, testing footage—anything that could serve as proof—but answers so far have been vague at best. That’s why I’m planning to buy another frame—this time with the intention of having it properly scanned and analysed. I don’t just mean a once-over. I’m talking full inspection: wall thickness, fibre layup, internal finish, bonding, consistency. One consideration is having a CT scan done here in the UK, which would give us a clear view inside the frame without damaging it. That’s likely to cost around $200–250 USD, but it would be a huge step forward in transparency. Whether it’s CT or physical teardown, we’ll find a way. I think that kind of deep dive could offer genuine value to people on this forum. To be clear, I’m not doing this to promote counterfeit products. People are going to buy these frames whether I say anything or not. But if they’re going to do it, they deserve better information—something more than a Telegram screenshot or a factory promise. A few people in the past have said, “Chuck Patrick a couple of quid so he can buy a frame.” Just for the record—I’m not asking for money. I’ve got two bikes already. I’m not rich, but I’m fine. If I need another frame, I’ll buy one. That said, if someone genuinely wants to help support the idea—just to fund proper analysis and testing—drop me a DM. If 300–400 members each put in £2, that’s the price of a coffee. Nothing more. Just something to consider. I’m all about saving money and getting good value myself, but more importantly, I’m about helping people make smart, informed decisions. If I can contribute to that with what little knowledge and experience I have, then I’ll do my best to make it worthwhile for others. Always happy to hear thoughts—especially from senior members or anyone who’s been around long enough to cut through the fluff. June 19, 2025, 10:54:17 AM |
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Re: Thinking of Going Deeper – A More Honest Look Inside the Replica Frame Industry
As you know, I’ve been speaking to someone for the past couple of weeks now. Interesting stuff — he told me none of the frames being made use T1000 carbon. That’s basically sales nonsense. He said nobody uses T1000 or T1100 because it’s hard to get and it not just sold to anyone as the sale of its controlled so they just don’t use it. The frames they use are mostly T800 and M30 carbon fiber. There’s a lot of insider chat about who’s cutting corners, who’s using lower-tier frames but selling them as genuine. They mostly stay outside the replica circle for safety, but they hear bits and pieces about people getting caught and such. This guy mainly sells domestically but has been getting more orders from Western customers via AliExpress and WhatsApp. He also said they do buy genuine frames as references during production to test component fit and paint color matching. While they can’t guarantee perfect one-to-one replicas, they do, as obviously as you can see, try to get as close to the original as possible. He emphasized that nobody can guarantee a 100% one-to-one replica — it will always be very close, but never exact because it’s not the real thing. People always want better quality, and there’s nothing wrong with that. He also said some people are cutting corners, but there’s a noticeable shift where some manufacturers are spending more time and effort to produce higher-end replicas to increase sales and profits. He’s noticed that trend growing. According to him, at least three different groups are making SL8 frames, and some actually use the same carbon fiber factory. It’s almost like a Western brand going to a factory to produce frames, so the quality depends on the factory more than the group selling. Most sellers don’t own factories; they get the design drawings and outsource production to OEM factories. He mentioned the S5 replica frames — apparently, a carbon fiber factory obtained the design drawings themselves and produced frames they then sold to distributors and customers. Personally, I doubt a factory developing and producing frames blindly from drawings without bike knowledge can do a great job. Factories produce all kinds of carbon parts, like badminton rackets and bumpers, but developing a carbon bike frame needs repeated testing, optimization, and the developer pushing the factory for improvements. June 22, 2025, 08:26:58 AM |
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