Sure you can do whatever you want it’s just quite obvious something’s off when you mix high end with budget options.   Could’ve gone with the specialized decals …

Like putting wheels with plastic covers on a BMW M CS.

u right

Did you take any pictures? "Cracks" sounds really bad.

Btw you not fooling anyone with elite wheels and 105 on an S-Works

lol, people can put any group set and wheels on their frames but , the cracks aren't actually cracks, it's more of defects and small/tiny, no creaking

I finally built up the frame I got from Nicole on Aliexpress, it's not bad, however, the carbon internals can be better (battery di2 holder sucks had to apply some masking tape, and the one-piece bar stem cap does not sit flush, the seat stays can be better as well, but everything aligns, bb was well centered on both sides and the bike rides super stiff, it's actually more stiff than the real one granted the fake one has more carbon and weighs more

So far, ridden about 30 miles, with mix of climbs and flats, this rides super well and stiff and is very engaging and grounded, I feel super safe putting out power on this, but time will tell, I have noticed a few glaring suspicious fractures/cracks , 1 small piece of carbon that chipped out in the seat post area and a tiny mark on the fork steerer tube it self

Also, the S/N that it came with on the peel me sticker, comes back as a legit sl8 but its the sl8 expert, non sworks model if that matters , the production sticker and the peel me have different s/n , there is no bb s/n sticker underneath so thats another flaw, and the S logo at the front speed sniffer is smaller than on real, but u can get a decal

For context, I have all real headset parts on and real wheel axels as well as real spacers

Thoughts ?

Little background info: I've been an early adopter on chinese parts ~8 years, started with wheels from light bicycle then framesets. I've been cycling since childhood but started getting serious in my adult years starting with mountain bikes then transitioned to road and gravel. I've spent a ton of $$ already and have ridden a few OEM brands. Was really impressed with the light bicycle wheels so this gave me the confidence to explore framesets. In 2019 i bought a 650B carbon hardtail frameset from Ebay and built it up. It's been ridden hard over some rough trails with zero issues. In 2020 i bought a LightCarbon LCR015-D which was my current bike until getting the SL8 replica 2 months ago. It's getting to a point now where the Chinese products are so damn good that i don't buy OEM bikes anymore. Even the accessories like chainrings, handlebars, etc.. i've had zero issues. When it came to this frameset i was a little skeptical but more curious since this was a replica of a current popular frameset. Was it possible to get similar performance for a fraction of the cost? So far i have to say yes. Durability remains to be seen but i've been hammering the crap out of this bike with no ill effects (i weigh 190lbs). It's a size 52 built up not really weight weenie but with pedals, cages and computer mount about 6.8kg. My long time bike mechanic says everything looks really good, only issue was the headset cover provided is cheap and flimsy and caused it to bind up there but he fixed it with some shims. I have included some internal pics but the frameset looks really clean inside from what i can tell, no sharp edges when running my fingers inside the BB, headtube, seat tube. I'm really blown away by how this thing rides and performs, it seems to have the same qualities as all the reviews given. If you're interested just search for light road frameset on Aliexpress, you'll know what it is when you see it. Colored me impressed!!

Build 8/2024

Frameset: 52CM Replica frame (685 grams) came with fork (345 grams), seatpost, 1 piece handlebar (no mounts), der. hangers, headset accessories
Wheels&Tires: Light Bicycle AR56, GP 5000 S TR 700x28 tubeless with Muc-Off valves and sealant
Drivetrain: 1x Force AXS 10-28, Rotor Qarbon 50T, Rotor 165mm Kapic Carbon, Stone 110BCD Rotor Adapter, Token BSA BB, KMC Gold/Black X12, Speedplay Pedals
Brakes: 2024 Force, Ashima 160/140mm rotors
Shifters: 2024 Force
Bartape: Deda Carbon
Seat: S-Works Power 155 Mirror
Cages: Arundel Mandible

any updates? hows the frame holding up, also your frame looks very legit compared to other sellers

I actually did order a sworks sl8 raw with white decal from , nicole bicycle store , on AliExpress, the frame is okay, weight is okay, the frame is about 60g - 100g over normal for a size 52cm
Planning on putting it together soon, I bought a few real parts to replace, front and rear thru axles, headset, spacers