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Re: QILEFU - Safe or avoid? Just not a fan of these Pinarrellos or replicas. The curvs, the bulk, and IMHO look more feminine.
March 21, 2026, 11:49:52 AM 		1
Re: QILEFU - Safe or avoid? Why not take conventionally shaped OEM frame if you are tight on budget? There are plenty options out there. For instance https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008125947180.html
March 21, 2026, 04:28:39 PM 		1
Re: QILEFU - Safe or avoid? I know it can be tempting to spend a little less and then invest in a groupset, but the fact is that not much is known about that brand and its quality control.

Brands like SPcycle (about which you can find a very long thread on this forum) are full of excellent reviews and stories of people who have solved their problems thanks to impeccable support.

 I'm an example of this: after receiving the R088 frame https://it.aliexpress.com/item/1005008125947180.html with a small aesthetic imperfection, they sent me another one without hesitation. What if something like this happens with QILEFU?

My advice is to invest a little more in the frame and also look at these external aspects.

Good luck!
March 22, 2026, 02:36:07 AM 		1
Re: QILEFU - Safe or avoid?
Quote from: RBT on March 21, 2026, 06:26:20 PM
Including shipping that's $588.91 vs $459.25 (I'm painting myself). That $129.66 difference I can either save, or use to get a better groupset.

There don't seem to be many frames that come significantly cheaper these days.

RBT.
It is not that much about the price. Given you know the choice of your contact points, the ride quality will definitely be better on SPCycle, as even without extensive testing, the formula is well tested and you will get very good riding experience. Counterfeit frames usually just copy the shapes without thinking much on how it will ride. It will not brake underneath you because they have slapped as much carbon as possible, but it will ride like a plank of wood.

Of course it is up to you what you want more, but no groupset or wheels in the world could compensate for a poorly made frame.
March 22, 2026, 06:01:27 AM 		1
Re: QILEFU - Safe or avoid?
Quote from: RBT on March 21, 2026, 06:26:20 PM
Including shipping that's $588.91 vs $459.25 (I'm painting myself). That $129.66 difference I can either save, or use to get a better groupset.

There don't seem to be many frames that come significantly cheaper these days.

RBT.

At that price I would be worried about quality of replica tbh. At the higher regular prixe already it seems to be hit or miss. SPcycle is known quantity.
March 22, 2026, 06:06:28 AM 		1
Re: QILEFU - Safe or avoid? Somewhere on this forum I read a review of this frame from that very company and the poster said he was very satisfied. I don't remember who posted it or which thread that was but I remember looking them up afterwards because of it, maybe that guy sees this thread. There's a chance this is actually a fine product, consensus on counterfeit frames in general is to stay away though. Lots of duds to be had even at 2-3x of that price and even if the frame is structurally safe it's often an inferior product (a lot heavier, bad ride quality).
March 22, 2026, 03:11:22 PM 		1
Re: QILEFU - Safe or avoid? Hey everyone. Sorry for the late response. I haven't been paying much attention to the forum over the winter in Europe.
I got a Qilefu Chinarello. I got the Velobuild Chinarello (218) initially when I wanted one last cool direct mount rim brake frame. I liked the geo so much that I thought I'd try the Qilefu to build up an equivalent disc bike. I wrote about both bikes extensively in other threads (the VB R218 thread for example) so I suggest you use the search function if you want to know more.

I've done around 13k km on the rim brake bike and around 5k km on the Qilefu disc version. They're both fine and going strong.

As for Qilefu: Communication with the seller was ok. Not stellar and they didn't seem to be able to give me a ton of information which would be a red flag usually. Since they reluctantly confirmed that I would be able to return it under the Aliexpress policy, I took a leap of faith.
The frame looks well made. All additional parts are fine as well. Building it was no issue. I had the usual problems with the brake mounts that needed a bit of sanding. It's not shiny smooth on the inside so no EPS moulding and the weight is nothing to impress your friends with. But none of that concerns me.
I've done alpine descents on this bike and I've ridden it in all kinds of conditions. It works fine. Throw away the headset bearings and get proper ones unless you're planning on tearing the bike apart again once they fail. And they will. Also: Literally all steel bolts on this bike will rust. So apply grease or some form of anti corrosion treatment or replace them with something better. Seatpost needed attention. I applied some grip tape to make the fit tighter. Otherwise it would rock from side to side ever so slightly and slip, no matter how hard you tighten the clamping bolts. And you shouldn't over tighten them as this is a definite weak spot (see the VB R218 thread for more details). But for me grip tape solved the issue. That's about all the problems I had.

Still: I'm not gonna tell you that your frame will definitely be great and safe. I guess it's safe to say that the cheaper you go, the less guarantees there are probably. And I have no experience with the other Qilefu frames or how they handle any issues, should they arise. With Velobuild I can safely say that my frame did have issues but they addressed them without hesitation and sent me a replacement frame.
March 24, 2026, 11:12:17 AM 		1