Thanks for the video. I've bought lots of carbon seatposts and handlebars from ebay and aliexpress. I do mostly cross country riding and all the parts have been great. No cracks or other problems. And so much cheaper than from retail shops.
The "no name" saddles are great! I've got one on 4 out of 5 bikes, one for over 2 years now with no issues. I originally got one due to the available 143mm width. They match my sit bones perfect, quite comfortable for zero padding. I've got them branded as "Cycle King" & "ievele".
all the carbon bike parts I bought over the years: LVWA (ebay) 3K weave riser handle bars - 100 grams 680mm - were awesome - $45.99 Origin8 (ebay) topcap blanket type weave - 30 grams - looked sick - $5.99 Generic spacers (amazon&ebay) lots of different spacers, some were colored or has alternating kevlar and carbon multi weave. typically a few bucks. super worth it. bike gets stolen... new bike, time for new cheap carbon parts!! TXCH (ebay) 690mm 3K weave riser carbon bars - 105 grams - $55 SURVIVED MASSIVE DOWNHILL CRASH. MOAR SPACERS FOR LIKE 3 DOLLARS Awesome carbon fiber seatpost clamp for 18 dollars...and a sick looking seatpost clamp. are ebay China carbon parts with it? yes!!!!
Great video, after watching loads of video's like your own, I decided to take the plunge, bought a carbon road frame from Hong fu, the FM069, having crashed my BMC SLR01 a full 4 weeks after the crash protection warranty ran out (hahaha......F*ck my life) I couldn't afford to (or justify) pay £3,500 for a new frame. So the new frame arrived, looked fantastic, I'm now 8 or 9 races in, happy to say im still alive, and I've already covered the price i paid in prize money. Don't think I will ever ever ever look anywhere else for a frame, plus you get a 2 year warranty, the chinese rip offs are definitely the way to go.
juanjeremy2012 If you are mechanically minded and work with hand tools, I think you could probably do it. It does require a few special tools though. You most likely won't save any money doing it yourself if you have to buy all of the tools. If you're going to attempt it, you should buy a book on it and read up. If you have any doubts, buy a book and then determine if you're up to it. You could also have a local shop do part of the build and finish it yourself.
You actually DO get what you pay for when you buy a USA-designed and manufactured frameset : www.sheldonbrown.com/rinard/frame_fatigue_test.htm By the way, a bicycle frameset is a life-critical item, like a hospital respirator or a life preserver. Buying dodgy life-critical products is not a very smart thing to do. DISCLAIMER : My TREK 2300 frameset failed (at the seat lug) and I currently own ZERO carbon fiber bicycle parts of any kind at all, I have no financial interest in the USA-based bicycle companies.
I bought a carbon bike frame from Greatkeen, also bought some deep dish carbon wheels from another site. Bike is the best bike I have ever ridden and the wheels are holding up very well. Cannot complain.
I bought an ICAN frameset 1 1/2 years ago and it's still going strong. Like a lot of people here I was worried about accountability but I found a few reviews, even one who'd had a frame break and who'd had a good experience getting a replacement, so i went for it. The prices aren't as cheap as you'll find in some places but $600 for a competitive frameset, a warranty that they honor, and a company that's still around today. It seemed like a good compromise, and so far it's worked out well.
I would definitely say the Chinese carbon parts are worth the money. having said that I did snap my carbon handlebars when I fell off but before the break they felt great-not flexy or anything
I bought a ControlTech carbon seatpost for my full suspension XC bike, and it's never let me down. They do have US product support, but it's light and has never failed. I also have an OmniRacer carbon seatpost on my roadbike and I use it for training on my turbo trainer. I'm not the lightest person on the planet, maybe around 190 and it's been fine. I do also believe that OmniRacer has a US site for support. I've had good luck with carbon parts made overseas, usually in Taiwan where they are largely committed to cycling. One thing I have noticed with American companies versus European and Asian producers is that American companies tend to charge more for products than their overseas competition. I would be more than happy to buy American made products, but when my titanium water bottle cage made in Taiwan is half the price of a titanium King Cage, I decided on the Taiwanese one. Just a personal experience. Read into it what you will.
I just got a couple of dropped handle bar, and a saddle and also waiting for my Carbon wheels to be delivered, i am an amature cyclist but also i am a keen chinese market monitor in tech gadgets (production engineer originally) i have to say simply that most of the factories sourcing those shops DO PRODUCE for major names! and most importantly they KNOW how to weave carbon its just that simple, they know th trend and instead of reverse engineering as before they already DO have the skill but without a structured reach to western markets.... As many aliexpress vendors say, look at the cost of a western agent, wholesaler then a retailer, all those need to earn money, and SPECIALLy fat branded crap like ZIPP they are no better than samsung and all this capitalistic crap.... Any cyclist, needs 2 things , like weight benefits and Aero advantages (like in U-shaped Aero wheels) and those are not secrets, Carbon, a lightweight material is dropping rapidly in its manufacturing costs... so thats it, the chinese give you the item with its real worth + thier profit! the old styled way of commerce. Chinese might not have six sigma or quality which is 99.9999% and you can tell from the finish of the holes, but at least they do mechanically test or do items that are not just Crappy replicas.... you can get any random carbon piece and send it to be micro tested, compared to a famous name..... lol they even do produce lighter products than the brands :D Thanks for the review.
bought a Signswise Black Glossy Full Carbon Fiber Saddle off amazon for $28.22. It's shaped like the black no name saddle you have there. I was not familiar with the company, but they wrote to me afterwards and asked what i thought of their products. It's incredibly light, fairly comfortable, and I have beat it on the trails with no problem.. and I'm a heavy guy. I'm thoroughly impressed with it.
I'm glad you concluded they're worth it since I just ordered about £100 worth of parts... Seat post Seat post clip Handlebars And I have A LOT of pies to lose off the ol' midsection so I'm hoping they'll do the job until my weight drops so there won't be as much loading.
Thanks for posting this video. I've picked up a few items from Chinese distributors and saved a pile of money. I've been quite happy so far as well, but I haven't bought any carbon parts yet. Good to hear that you've had good experiences so far.
Neil B Thanks for the comment Neil. so far it seems like most people have been happy with most of their inexpensive carbon parts. If you buy some, let us know how they work for you.
I've used carbon handlebars from Hyleks on 2 road bikes...no problems and very nice reduction in road buzz. I also have an all carbon saddle from china which I love.
***** Thanks for sharing Ben! I'm still liking my carbon saddle. No problems with any of the inexpensive overseas carbon that I have used so far. My carbon bars are a "name brand" but they are probably made overseas also. Thanks for watching!
I've recently bought a carbon saddle from Ali-express, the Chinese e-bay. The shape of it is different from that of yours; it copied a San-marco carbon saddle. It feels really comfortable, and even seems durable enough for my body weight, 85kg. It weighs 100g and is matte-coated. The width is about 125mm, 5mm shorter than the original San-marco leather saddle I have. Unlike your saddle with UD carbon finishing, mine features 3k carbon finishing-I think UD versions are more expensive than 3k versions. I also purchased a SMP style saddle. It looks nice for twenty six bucks-its carbon finishing, the overall structure which is very similar to that of the original saddle, and even the decals, or printings, which exactly copied each lettering. I am sure Chinese saddle and bottle cages are worth buying-but can't be sure of carbon frames, cause I haven't experienced them yet.
I am with you. This is a good way to save weight with spending $300 per item. I'll let the rich and sponsored have that stuff! After owning a carbon Easton straight bar on another bike, I knew that they are strong enough but that was Easton (made in China). I bought a Hylix riser bar and post. The bar has been great so far probably sub 200g while being a healthy 720mm wide. Thats a light XC bar but I comfortably trail ride here with it. I don't do anything crazy but more than strict XC. An added bonus to a carbon bar is it insulates so hand don't get as cold plus smooths out any twang you get from metal. The post was another matter. It came with everything and looked great but my bikes frame(Motobecane Fly Ti 29er) has a seat tube just a smidge over spec. Its supposed to be 27.2 but I think its 27.3 or 27.4 area. Anyways, this is not good for carbon because with all its great properties its very weak in the form of hardness as its a weave suspended into shape with epoxy or soft. So when I tightened it up and roade the post rocks back and forth just a little but enough to begin to slide down. Very quickly I saw and knew what was happening but hoped for a miracle and just raised it and rode but each time it slid down the ti tube shaved a layer away to the point where one day I felt a crunch when I tightened...it was done. Live and learn. It wasn't the post but I learned a great understanding of carbons hardness and how to work around it. I would replace that post with one much better for about $100 rather than $70 and thats KCNC's scandium tubed model with ti hardware sweet and plenty hard. Carbon doesn't like clamping forces. Got a sweet 3T stem at 80mm 6* rise fake for way less than $100 but actually sold it and bought a cheap UNO stem made of aluminum. Stems are very similar in weight to carbon as there isn't much to them plus they both have to use hardware. Why? I paid $20 for a 3D forged tiny 60mm stem mostly for the fit which was perfect. Plus this stem is lighter than the fancy 3T. I remember UNO back in the early 90s as a OEM supplier of many alloy part from Taiwan. I knew they made parts for the big names and that they obviously have great equipment, 3D forging is far stronger than the stress riser machine of CNC. Its important to remember to try to have a very good idea of what you want geo wise, it makes a big difference in fit and is the biggest improvement , way more than any weight lost. If you can go to a shop that has a bunch of stems you can swap out etc to fine tune the off the shelf bike. To be honest, I knew about what I wanted and chose to buy overseas and if it was a bit too small or large sell it locally at a small loss and then know what size to get without going broke. I couldn't go to a shop and use them if I am not buying fro them.
schlooonginator Thanks for the comprehensive post! That's the longest comment I've ever had anyone post on a video. Excellent points you've made. My stem is aluminum too because the carbons aren't really any lighter. I think you already saw that we ride the same bike and I have a Hylix seatpost on it. Strangely enough, I haven't had any problems with it at all. I'm using the stock seatpost clamp and I think I probably have some carbon paste on it too. I'm riding a medium frame but should be on a large so the Hylix is a setback, long seatpost. It's not as light as the Merek post that I have used but it was cheaper and I felt light trying another brand. Anyway, thank you for sharing your experiences!
Ha ha, thanks for being polite about it! I rarely have something short to say because I like for people to understand exactly what I am trying to say. Plus, I'm a bike geek. Now that is interesting about the lack of slippage with your seat tube. Leads me to believe it maybe due to mine being the 3rd or latest gen with the slight bend in the tube. Makes sense actually as I have only noticed others with my model have similar complaints. However, I was admittedly dumb not applying carbon paste which in hindsight likely would have provided the right amount of resistance. I was bummed but it was a good learning experiance about carbon and why I am not completely convinced in it being the end all of materials , at this stage. Seriously, its strong but once you have gone past that point and felt or heard the slightest crunch its as easy to break as hard plastic. I like metals uniform strength thank you but will selectively use the carbon. Sorry another long answer but I also feel that people coming to this particular vid may have the same questions you or I had and its a good spot to leave honest experiences.
Just installed a Beiou carbon bar yesterday and am so far happy with it, felt really stable. I was able to find some reviews of other products from this company, all of which were positive. There were cheaper ones on eBay but I just wouldn't feel confident in a 20 dollar carbon piece.
well, if a product got no name but good quality, why not? We have to give it a try. I've got one of this no name saddles on my Lynskey titanium bike. To be honest, much more comfortable than lots of wellknown brands. It's time to stop paying money just for a name. Thanks for the video.
I had the imported carbon seat with the matte finish and logo "FULL CARBON" on my rigid mountain bike for all of two rides, then put on a new Selle Italia SLS. Now that I have a custom Rock Shox Judy fork, I am putting back on the carbon saddle. My pelvic sit bones will update you.
+stan f Thanks for the comments Stan! I personally feel that comfort is more about saddle shape than padding. If your carbon saddle still doesn't work for you, consider selling it and buying a different shape (wider/narrower, shorter/longer) and it might feel better to you.
I live in North Thailand and see LOTS of Chinese carbon parts all the time on mountain bikes here. I've raced and trained on the same Chinese carbon fiber mtb frame, seatpost, and saddle the past four years. I have yet to break anything other than handlebars(now on my second set of handlebars) in a nasty high speed crash on pavement that broke my wrist after landing full force on the bar end. That wasn't the bar's fault. To give you a better picture of the stress I put these parts through, I weigh between 66 and 68 kilos at 170cm tall. I've raced in over 40 mountain bike xc races here.I ride between 200- 250 kilometers a week for training. I'm 61 years old and consistantly finish in top 3 or less in the old guys class. Currently, one of two fastest in my class in north Thailand. I've never broken my frame, but crashed it hard about a half dozen times, breaking my wrist, finger, collarbone in separate incidents, one of those being at high speed on pavement in which the bike landed on the bar end with my hand still holding on it when the contact was made with the pavement, breaking my wrist as well as snapping the bar. That's the only time I've ever broken a handlebar. Also, I've never broken a seatpost or seat made of Chinese carbon, but I do have a fiend of mine also from the states, aged 35 or so, who weighs about 76 kilos. He races and wins a lot of the races in his age group, and only on cheap Chinese carbon seats and frame also. He cracks the seat rails about once every 12-18 months of riding/racing, but for the price of 600-800 baht, (about 18-24 US dollars) he just orders another online and is happy. Most guys in the USA and Europe are bigger and heavier than me, so I am only saying that for smaller male riders and many female riders these parts should be just fine.
I bought a carbon fiber wheelset 50mm clinchers from DHgate chinese site. I have put over 2000 miles on them and they still look solid, I know I can put 1000s of more miles on them. I had paid $395 for the whole set. I will buy a few more sets. I just also bought beautiful carbon saddle for $34 from an ebay chinese seller, it looks great, I haven't tested it. tomorrow though
Manfred Martinez Dominguez Otero after 3rd ride I removed it immediately because it is really not comfortable, if you ride short distances it is ok but I ride average 300 miles a week. Carbon saddles more about the looks than the functionality. If you are comfortable on your seat you will ride faster and longer.
Not to challenge what Cornelius said (because saddle fit is a personal fit thing), I still ride my carbon saddle all the time. In my opinion, bike seat comfort is more about shape than padding. You can see in this video that I show two saddles. One was very uncomfortable but the other is very tolerable. The nice thing is that they are relatively cheap and there are lots of different shapes so you can try different saddles pretty easily. You can also sell them pretty easily if you don't like them.
I’d be a lot more inclined to try a saddle than a seat post, because it has two rails both are unlikely to break. And I’d never buy a stem or bar from unknown sources. Dental work can easily get into the thousands, which is far higher than the price of even an Enve bar and stem. Then if you’re racing, you could end up spending time in the ER and six months in recovery like a friend of mine. That’s not good training. And if you’re into Health it’s not healthy either. Personally, most aluminum parts are fairly light, cheap, and durable. Especially aluminum bars and stems are even used by pros. Basically, I think I’ll stick to cheap parts in places like bottle cages, or places that aren’t a single point of failure like maybe a saddle where there are redundant rails. But I’d definitely avoid using cheap brake parts and bars and stem or rims. It’s not worth the hospital bill.
I bought a 3t stem from over seas and so far so good. I've done a century and a couple of races this year. Have no problems and will continue to buy until something happens.
Thanks for this vid gc....just got a Fuji Robaix in the other day (has a carbon fork and seat stays)....when the weather clears up a bit more it will be interesting to see how it rides...looks like carbon is becoming more mainstream than ever...
Thanks Alex. New bikes are always fun! Carbon is becoming more mainstream and hopefully cheaper. I just tonight ordered another Hylix carbon seatpost off of ebay for $45. This one is a different design so we'll see how it works.
Hey. Interesting video. I'm from the UK and built up a bike using a few Hylix parts. Firstly that I would say that postage to the UK was only 10 days max. Also Hylix make an inline post that is even lighter (150g??) The post has been faultless so far as have my Hylix super light bars (the 180g ones). The bars have a great compact shape and are stiff enough for me. I'm 76kg. I did however buy a Hylix superlight full carbon stem. The clamp area was too small to accept the bars!! It was almost as if the stem hadn't gone through a finishing process. I had to sand and clean up the clamping area buy hand!! Also during torquing the bolts looked like they would easily pull through the carbon.
superfast. Hey Superfast. Thanks for sharing your experiences. Sounds like your parts are working great for you. I haven't had any problems yet either!
I bought a carbon mountain bike seatpost, handlebar and stem set. Within two months each of the pieces failed: the metal clamp in the seatpost came loose (didn't separate, just rattles.) The stem snapped a bolt on the front clamp while tightening with a 5Nm torque wrench. The handlebar has a 3 inch horizontal crack in the exterior gel coat. I have switched all these pieces to Chinese titanium. We will see how they hold up. I have been riding a 20 inch Chinese carbon fiber frame for six months from a different supplier which seems to be holding up fine. Perhaps it's simply a crap shoot whether you get good parts or not depending on the manufacturer.
Tim Morley Hi Tim. Thanks for the feedback on your carbon parts. Could you post the brand of these parts? That would be helpful to other viewers. Or maybe they were unbranded parts? I'm not doubting your experiences but would like to know what brands have problems. Or maybe you could post the model number and seller? Thanks again for the feedback.
God's Country The parts I bought were branded as a reputable company's parts which I hesitate to say, because clearly they were just poor black market/fake copies. They were sold by hexinyi-shop who appear to no longer be eBayers.The frame I have is from abaygoods, which I would definitely recommend.
Tim Morley Thanks for the information Tim! I'm a fan of overseas carbon parts but not when they try to fake a brand name. Thanks again for your comments.
Interesting dialogue on this matter, of carbon parts from overseas, and the price, weight, and safety aspects of these parts. I have a vintage Klein mountain bike that I am converting into a road bike, and just signed up with Ebay in order to take advantage of inexpensive lightweight parts that predominate that selling venue. It just so happens that the parts that fit my budget and at the same time drastically reduce weight, are parts from overseas. There is a little concern with a particular part that I am waiting on, which is a one-piece carbon bar and stem combo. If that part fails, I could be in a face-full of trouble. Till them, its good to read about the reviews and other buyer's experience. Thank you for the clip.
Xuweiwen, the combo is holding up. However, I am running the 1 1/8 inch stem on a vintage 1 inch steerer fork tube, which requires a shim. The trouble I am having is generating friction to hold the bar in place. I tried first Finish Line carbon assembly gel. After still experiencing slippage, I next put in vertical striations on all mating surfaces using sand paper. That seemed to hold things tighter. But Xuweiwen, I might not be able to trust the set up as much as I would like to. A bicycle part playing in the back of one's mind can lessen the riding enjoyment. But its still on the bike, and I appreciate your asking. Its okay for road work. But for off-road, I now have a LaMere full suspension 29er. Have a good and safe ride.
Thanks for the video! I don't know too much about bike parts manufacturing, but a graphite (carbon fiber) tennis racket costs about 20 bucks to make. Wilson paints it to look like Roger Federer's and charges 200 bucks...And the weekend warrior eats it all up... BTW, ALL the racket manufacturers produce their frames in China. The technology (graphite tennis frames) is really very old (late 1970s/1980's).
One doubt: In your opinion, are those all carbon fiber saddles actually comfortable for many hour rides (I mean: 4 to 6 hours)? The saddle that came with my bike is padded, but it's not comfortable for me, because its shape does not fit me (I need one like your all balck one). So I figured: if those things are comfortable, I'd better buy one of those than a selle Italia c2, as those are actually much chaper and lighter.
+Arthur Araújo Hey Arthur! You are correct that it's really the shape that matters most. My first carbon saddle was not very comfortable. The one I'm currently riding (the black one) is comfortable for about 10-15 miles on my mountain bike. After that it starts to hurt.
Have the no name saddle, honestly fits well, well worth the $30 or so that i spent on it, by no means as comfortable as a stock saddle but with a chamois on top of it, it's brilliant
Great video, thanks! I'm waiting for my FM098 road frameset from Deng Fu and Hylix riser bars for my mtb. I'm definitely gonna share my thoughts about these as I'll get them :)
God's Country Totally forgot to write here. I got my custom painted Dengfu FM098 in the beginning of August. The bike looks gorgeus in my opinion and after about 700 km of milage I can say the frame's really stiff, it holds the speed easily as it's aero and nothing creaks. The finish is good quality, I've got one chip on the toptube though, but I guess I must have laid my bike uncarfully. In general I love the build and I'm totally satisfied with the frameset. Here you can see some photos of completed bike: plus.google.com/u/0/photos/106733631212402190068/albums/6067232771664864929
to be honest a lot of these things are made in china, Taiwan or japan. they get branded and painted then sold for what ever price the companies decide. some things will be tested and some will be made on the side in the same factory of the big brands and they get moulded. I would trust Taiwan more as they make good quality products.
I've just bought cheap mtb carbon riser bars cost me £25, they've got the carbon weave, look really good and feel really light, I've not attached them to bike yet, got them off Amazon UK, from seller in China,
Mista _Wo It is possible depending on how that particular saddle shape fits your body. There are many different saddle shapes (and body shapes!). The first carbon saddle bought started hurting me on 10+ mile mountain bike rides. The one I'm riding now starts to hurt me after about 20-25 miles on my mountain bike. The shape of the saddle is much more important than the padding.
Just check for tiny stress risers/cracks you can only see with 20/20 vision and a magnifying glass, look at the clamp spots or along the tube running with the tube or bar. We've seen catastrophic failure after an earlier minor impact, even with Easton. The stuff works, until it doesn't. I have no horse in the race whatsoever. Just educate yourself on how to monitor the stuff, and beware other oblivious riders who are in front of you and don't check their stuff because they were self-conscious and just played off a fall as nothing, and weeks later hit a pothole on a different ride, causing you to crash.... recovery is a pain and takes a long time.
Interesting that you didn't mention stems. There are lots of those out there too. You also didn't mention the Chinese parts that imitate name brand parts. I know of one fake Bontrager XXX stem that broke during use.
John Spurlin Hi John! Thanks for the comment. I am TOTALLY against imitation parts. I can't stand it when someone rips off another companies idea/design and then to sell them under a real brands name is just horribly wrong..... As far as stems go, when I was searching for a lighter stem, I found that a lot of the light aluminum stems were lighter than the carbon stems and I'd rather have an aluminum stem for the piece of mind.
+God's Country I appreciate this thought on stems. It would definitely be a concern, and my imported carbon stem/bar combo really plays in the back of my mind. I weigh only 125 pounds and ride with a suspended fork, which should alleviate the concerns as well as reducing the potential for failure itself. However, I'm looking at a vintage Litespeed titanium stem along with any other stem that is metal.
I still have not had any problems with my carbon parts and I think if you read the comments below this video, you'll see that all or almost all of the feedback has been positive.
Yesterday I received TQ01 carbon saddle I ordered from dealextreme. It is chinese carbon saddle, and it looks almost the same as Selle SMP line of saddles. First impression is really good, but I still didnt have time to test it. I will probably test it tomorrow on indoor trainer. For now you can check unboxing video I make. In theory it should be really good for pain and pressure relief since it have hollow and cut all the way from the back to the nose of the saddle.
+ian docena (iDozen) Wow. That's to bad. Mine has been going strong for two years now. I have no idea if we have the same brand though. That's part of the problem. There are so many brands and sellers that seem to be short lived. Most of them are not around long enough to get a reputation. It's possible that is intentional. The number of failures mentioned in the comments is still very very low though. Have you attempted to get a refund or replacement from the seller or manufacturer? I would be interested to hear how that process goes too.
I have recently ordered a hylix carbon fork for £59.99 it weighs around 460 grams. I ordered it as it disc brake compatible. I have a disc brake compatible frame all I need is wheels which I can get. I may buy full carbon disc wheels for around £260 or I may spend £99.99 on aluminium wheels. I am not sure yet but e carbon wheels are a thought I may go for. I ordered the Taiwan hylix carbon disc compatible fork as I wanted to save money. was going to buy a carbon disc compatible fork from planet x I was the London fork it was going for £99.99 it had a aluminium steerer tube. there was 3 left in the morning but when I came to ordering it later when I had the money they sold out. so I decided to order the hylix full carbon fork it has aluminium drop outs which is a good sign. it will take upto 4 weeks for it to arrive by then I will have the disc brakes ready and maybe the wheels depending what I choose.
Well, it"s still super dangerous to buy chinese stuff which has really no name or brand at all. Can't find any video or test from it, you dont have any idea about who the manufacturer is, maybe that was it's first product ever. You can die if a handlebar, or stem brakes under a drop, or high speed, etc. I'M here because I really like the design of these chines parts, but I'm not brave enough to buy a seatpost from them :(
If you ever try to stand up in your bike, and you could without problem, you'll probably notice the seat might be the single least relevant contact point when it comes to actual ride safety. Which indeed makes it the only place viable for weight reduction even under considerable risk of catastrophic failure, which is already low on itself.
***** Thanks for the comment. Obviously physical condition is important in high performance riding but it's generally accepted that at any given fitness level, you'll perform better on a lighter bike. Plus I find it fun trying to lighten my bike in a manner that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
Thanks for the video. I've bought lots of carbon seatposts and handlebars from ebay and aliexpress. I do mostly cross country riding and all the parts have been great. No cracks or other problems. And so much cheaper than from retail shops.
V Mao Thanks for the comment VM. My carbon parts have been a success too!
The "no name" saddles are great! I've got one on 4 out of 5 bikes, one for over 2 years now with no issues. I originally got one due to the available 143mm width. They match my sit bones perfect, quite comfortable for zero padding. I've got them branded as "Cycle King" & "ievele".
all the carbon bike parts I bought over the years:
LVWA (ebay) 3K weave riser handle bars - 100 grams 680mm - were awesome - $45.99
Origin8 (ebay) topcap blanket type weave - 30 grams - looked sick - $5.99
Generic spacers (amazon&ebay) lots of different spacers, some were colored or has alternating kevlar and carbon multi weave. typically a few bucks. super worth it.
bike gets stolen...
new bike, time for new cheap carbon parts!!
TXCH (ebay) 690mm 3K weave riser carbon bars - 105 grams - $55 SURVIVED MASSIVE DOWNHILL CRASH.
MOAR SPACERS FOR LIKE 3 DOLLARS
Awesome carbon fiber seatpost clamp for 18 dollars...and a sick looking seatpost clamp.
are ebay China carbon parts with it? yes!!!!
+DDOGJENKINZ Thanks for the feedback Jenkinz!
Thanks for sharing. Any particular brands you can recommend?
World Peace
Just wondering where all those carbon parts new or second hand?
Pls tell me how to order that merek seatpost
Great video, after watching loads of video's like your own, I decided to take the plunge, bought a carbon road frame from Hong fu, the FM069, having crashed my BMC SLR01 a full 4 weeks after the crash protection warranty ran out (hahaha......F*ck my life) I couldn't afford to (or justify) pay £3,500 for a new frame.
So the new frame arrived, looked fantastic, I'm now 8 or 9 races in, happy to say im still alive, and I've already covered the price i paid in prize money. Don't think I will ever ever ever look anywhere else for a frame, plus you get a 2 year warranty, the chinese rip offs are definitely the way to go.
Great feedback! Thanks for the info. I haven't tried a frame yet but I still haven't had any problems with any of my inexpensive carbon parts.
juanjeremy2012 If you are mechanically minded and work with hand tools, I think you could probably do it. It does require a few special tools though. You most likely won't save any money doing it yourself if you have to buy all of the tools. If you're going to attempt it, you should buy a book on it and read up. If you have any doubts, buy a book and then determine if you're up to it. You could also have a local shop do part of the build and finish it yourself.
do you have pictures of your bike fm 069?
You actually DO get what you pay for when you buy a USA-designed and manufactured frameset : www.sheldonbrown.com/rinard/frame_fatigue_test.htm
By the way, a bicycle frameset is a life-critical item, like a hospital respirator or a life preserver. Buying dodgy life-critical products is not a very smart thing to do.
DISCLAIMER : My TREK 2300 frameset failed (at the seat lug) and I currently own ZERO carbon fiber bicycle parts of any kind at all, I have no financial interest in the USA-based bicycle companies.
morfuk Hey man thanks for the information i am with u on not paying so much
I bought a carbon bike frame from Greatkeen, also bought some deep dish carbon wheels from another site. Bike is the best bike I have ever ridden and the wheels are holding up very well. Cannot complain.
Thanks for the feedback! Sounds like a sweet bike! I had not heard of Greatkeen. Thanks for the heads-up.
I bought an ICAN frameset 1 1/2 years ago and it's still going strong. Like a lot of people here I was worried about accountability but I found a few reviews, even one who'd had a frame break and who'd had a good experience getting a replacement, so i went for it. The prices aren't as cheap as you'll find in some places but $600 for a competitive frameset, a warranty that they honor, and a company that's still around today. It seemed like a good compromise, and so far it's worked out well.
Thanks for posting your experiences Eric! Very helpful.
I would definitely say the Chinese carbon parts are worth the money. having said that I did snap my carbon handlebars when I fell off but before the break they felt great-not flexy or anything
BeatJumper 👽 Thanks for your feedback! Name-brand carbon bars may have broken in the same crash too.
yeah i'll never know. but the seller did say 1 year quality guarantee but that was bullshit :( so you can't trust their warranties and stuff
BeatJumper 👽 a crash isnt a reason to claim warranty jusst sayyyiiing
I bought a ControlTech carbon seatpost for my full suspension XC bike, and it's never let me down. They do have US product support, but it's light and has never failed. I also have an OmniRacer carbon seatpost on my roadbike and I use it for training on my turbo trainer. I'm not the lightest person on the planet, maybe around 190 and it's been fine. I do also believe that OmniRacer has a US site for support. I've had good luck with carbon parts made overseas, usually in Taiwan where they are largely committed to cycling. One thing I have noticed with American companies versus European and Asian producers is that American companies tend to charge more for products than their overseas competition. I would be more than happy to buy American made products, but when my titanium water bottle cage made in Taiwan is half the price of a titanium King Cage, I decided on the Taiwanese one. Just a personal experience. Read into it what you will.
+SaiyanFury Thanks for the report SF. I tend to agree with your comments.
I just got a couple of dropped handle bar, and a saddle and also waiting for my Carbon wheels to be delivered, i am an amature cyclist but also i am a keen chinese market monitor in tech gadgets (production engineer originally) i have to say simply that most of the factories sourcing those shops DO PRODUCE for major names! and most importantly they KNOW how to weave carbon its just that simple, they know th trend and instead of reverse engineering as before they already DO have the skill but without a structured reach to western markets.... As many aliexpress vendors say, look at the cost of a western agent, wholesaler then a retailer, all those need to earn money, and SPECIALLy fat branded crap like ZIPP they are no better than samsung and all this capitalistic crap....
Any cyclist, needs 2 things , like weight benefits and Aero advantages (like in U-shaped Aero wheels) and those are not secrets, Carbon, a lightweight material is dropping rapidly in its manufacturing costs... so thats it, the chinese give you the item with its real worth + thier profit! the old styled way of commerce.
Chinese might not have six sigma or quality which is 99.9999% and you can tell from the finish of the holes, but at least they do mechanically test or do items that are not just Crappy replicas.... you can get any random carbon piece and send it to be micro tested, compared to a famous name..... lol they even do produce lighter products than the brands :D
Thanks for the review.
bought a Signswise Black Glossy Full Carbon Fiber Saddle off amazon for $28.22. It's shaped like the black no name saddle you have there. I was not familiar with the company, but they wrote to me afterwards and asked what i thought of their products. It's incredibly light, fairly comfortable, and I have beat it on the trails with no problem.. and I'm a heavy guy. I'm thoroughly impressed with it.
+matthew chavez Thanks for the info Matt. Sounds like a good option!
I'm glad you concluded they're worth it since I just ordered about £100 worth of parts...
Seat post
Seat post clip
Handlebars
And I have A LOT of pies to lose off the ol' midsection so I'm hoping they'll do the job until my weight drops so there won't be as much loading.
Hope you like your parts. I still have not had any trouble with mine.
Thanks for posting this video. I've picked up a few items from Chinese distributors and saved a pile of money. I've been quite happy so far as well, but I haven't bought any carbon parts yet. Good to hear that you've had good experiences so far.
Neil B Thanks for the comment Neil. so far it seems like most people have been happy with most of their inexpensive carbon parts. If you buy some, let us know how they work for you.
I've used carbon handlebars from Hyleks on 2 road bikes...no problems and very nice reduction in road buzz. I also have an all carbon saddle from china which I love.
***** Thanks for sharing Ben! I'm still liking my carbon saddle. No problems with any of the inexpensive overseas carbon that I have used so far. My carbon bars are a "name brand" but they are probably made overseas also. Thanks for watching!
I've recently bought a carbon saddle from Ali-express, the Chinese e-bay. The shape of it is different from that of yours; it copied a San-marco carbon saddle. It feels really comfortable, and even seems durable enough for my body weight, 85kg. It weighs 100g and is matte-coated. The width is about 125mm, 5mm shorter than the original San-marco leather saddle I have. Unlike your saddle with UD carbon finishing, mine features 3k carbon finishing-I think UD versions are more expensive than 3k versions. I also purchased a SMP style saddle. It looks nice for twenty six bucks-its carbon finishing, the overall structure which is very similar to that of the original saddle, and even the decals, or printings, which exactly copied each lettering. I am sure Chinese saddle and bottle cages are worth buying-but can't be sure of carbon frames, cause I haven't experienced them yet.
고유진 Thanks for the information! I still haven't had any issues with my carbon parts.
I am with you. This is a good way to save weight with spending $300 per item. I'll let the rich and sponsored have that stuff! After owning a carbon Easton straight bar on another bike, I knew that they are strong enough but that was Easton (made in China).
I bought a Hylix riser bar and post. The bar has been great so far probably sub 200g while being a healthy 720mm wide. Thats a light XC bar but I comfortably trail ride here with it. I don't do anything crazy but more than strict XC. An added bonus to a carbon bar is it insulates so hand don't get as cold plus smooths out any twang you get from metal.
The post was another matter. It came with everything and looked great but my bikes frame(Motobecane Fly Ti 29er) has a seat tube just a smidge over spec. Its supposed to be 27.2 but I think its 27.3 or 27.4 area. Anyways, this is not good for carbon because with all its great properties its very weak in the form of hardness as its a weave suspended into shape with epoxy or soft. So when I tightened it up and roade the post rocks back and forth just a little but enough to begin to slide down. Very quickly I saw and knew what was happening but hoped for a miracle and just raised it and rode but each time it slid down the ti tube shaved a layer away to the point where one day I felt a crunch when I tightened...it was done. Live and learn. It wasn't the post but I learned a great understanding of carbons hardness and how to work around it.
I would replace that post with one much better for about $100 rather than $70 and thats KCNC's scandium tubed model with ti hardware sweet and plenty hard. Carbon doesn't like clamping forces.
Got a sweet 3T stem at 80mm 6* rise fake for way less than $100 but actually sold it and bought a cheap UNO stem made of aluminum. Stems are very similar in weight to carbon as there isn't much to them plus they both have to use hardware. Why? I paid $20 for a 3D forged tiny 60mm stem mostly for the fit which was perfect. Plus this stem is lighter than the fancy 3T. I remember UNO back in the early 90s as a OEM supplier of many alloy part from Taiwan. I knew they made parts for the big names and that they obviously have great equipment, 3D forging is far stronger than the stress riser machine of CNC.
Its important to remember to try to have a very good idea of what you want geo wise, it makes a big difference in fit and is the biggest improvement , way more than any weight lost. If you can go to a shop that has a bunch of stems you can swap out etc to fine tune the off the shelf bike.
To be honest, I knew about what I wanted and chose to buy overseas and if it was a bit too small or large sell it locally at a small loss and then know what size to get without going broke. I couldn't go to a shop and use them if I am not buying fro them.
schlooonginator Thanks for the comprehensive post! That's the longest comment I've ever had anyone post on a video. Excellent points you've made. My stem is aluminum too because the carbons aren't really any lighter. I think you already saw that we ride the same bike and I have a Hylix seatpost on it. Strangely enough, I haven't had any problems with it at all. I'm using the stock seatpost clamp and I think I probably have some carbon paste on it too. I'm riding a medium frame but should be on a large so the Hylix is a setback, long seatpost. It's not as light as the Merek post that I have used but it was cheaper and I felt light trying another brand. Anyway, thank you for sharing your experiences!
Ha ha, thanks for being polite about it! I rarely have something short to say because I like for people to understand exactly what I am trying to say. Plus, I'm a bike geek.
Now that is interesting about the lack of slippage with your seat tube. Leads me to believe it maybe due to mine being the 3rd or latest gen with the slight bend in the tube. Makes sense actually as I have only noticed others with my model have similar complaints.
However, I was admittedly dumb not applying carbon paste which in hindsight likely would have provided the right amount of resistance.
I was bummed but it was a good learning experiance about carbon and why I am not completely convinced in it being the end all of materials , at this stage. Seriously, its strong but once you have gone past that point and felt or heard the slightest crunch its as easy to break as hard plastic. I like metals uniform strength thank you but will selectively use the carbon.
Sorry another long answer but I also feel that people coming to this particular vid may have the same questions you or I had and its a good spot to leave honest experiences.
Just installed a Beiou carbon bar yesterday and am so far happy with it, felt really stable. I was able to find some reviews of other products from this company, all of which were positive. There were cheaper ones on eBay but I just wouldn't feel confident in a 20 dollar carbon piece.
+Paul O'Keeffe Thanks for the post Paul! Keep us updated on how it works for you!
well, if a product got no name but good quality, why not? We have to give it a try. I've got one of this no name saddles on my Lynskey titanium bike. To be honest, much more comfortable than lots of wellknown brands. It's time to stop paying money just for a name. Thanks for the video.
Sadegh Valadkhani Thanks for your comment. So far I haven't had any problems and I feel the same way.
I had the imported carbon seat with the matte finish and logo "FULL CARBON" on my rigid mountain bike for all of two rides, then put on a new Selle Italia SLS. Now that I have a custom Rock Shox Judy fork, I am putting back on the carbon saddle. My pelvic sit bones will update you.
+stan f Thanks for the comments Stan! I personally feel that comfort is more about saddle shape than padding. If your carbon saddle still doesn't work for you, consider selling it and buying a different shape (wider/narrower, shorter/longer) and it might feel better to you.
I live in North Thailand and see LOTS of Chinese carbon parts all the time on mountain bikes here. I've raced and trained on the same Chinese carbon fiber mtb frame, seatpost, and saddle the past four years. I have yet to break anything other than handlebars(now on my second set of handlebars) in a nasty high speed crash on pavement that broke my wrist after landing full force on the bar end. That wasn't the bar's fault. To give you a better picture of the stress I put these parts through, I weigh between 66 and 68 kilos at 170cm tall. I've raced in over 40 mountain bike xc races here.I ride between 200- 250 kilometers a week for training. I'm 61 years old and consistantly finish in top 3 or less in the old guys class. Currently, one of two fastest in my class in north Thailand. I've never broken my frame, but crashed it hard about a half dozen times, breaking my wrist, finger, collarbone in separate incidents, one of those being at high speed on pavement in which the bike landed on the bar end with my hand still holding on it when the contact was made with the pavement, breaking my wrist as well as snapping the bar. That's the only time I've ever broken a handlebar. Also, I've never broken a seatpost or seat made of Chinese carbon, but I do have a fiend of mine also from the states, aged 35 or so, who weighs about 76 kilos. He races and wins a lot of the races in his age group, and only on cheap Chinese carbon seats and frame also. He cracks the seat rails about once every 12-18 months of riding/racing, but for the price of 600-800 baht, (about 18-24 US dollars) he just orders another online and is happy. Most guys in the USA and Europe are bigger and heavier than me, so I am only saying that for smaller male riders and many female riders these parts should be just fine.
Thanks for the feedback!!!
I bought a carbon fiber wheelset 50mm clinchers from DHgate chinese site. I have put over 2000 miles on them and they still look solid, I know I can put 1000s of more miles on them. I had paid $395 for the whole set. I will buy a few more sets. I just also bought beautiful carbon saddle for $34 from an ebay chinese seller, it looks great, I haven't tested it. tomorrow though
***** Thanks for the feedback Cornelius. I think you're the first person to comment on carbon wheels.
So? How did the saddle work? Aren't they too stiff?
Manfred Martinez Dominguez Otero after 3rd ride I removed it immediately because it is really not comfortable, if you ride short distances it is ok but I ride average 300 miles a week. Carbon saddles more about the looks than the functionality. If you are comfortable on your seat you will ride faster and longer.
Not to challenge what Cornelius said (because saddle fit is a personal fit thing), I still ride my carbon saddle all the time. In my opinion, bike seat comfort is more about shape than padding. You can see in this video that I show two saddles. One was very uncomfortable but the other is very tolerable. The nice thing is that they are relatively cheap and there are lots of different shapes so you can try different saddles pretty easily. You can also sell them pretty easily if you don't like them.
***** Thnx for the heads up
I’d be a lot more inclined to try a saddle than a seat post, because it has two rails both are unlikely to break. And I’d never buy a stem or bar from unknown sources. Dental work can easily get into the thousands, which is far higher than the price of even an Enve bar and stem. Then if you’re racing, you could end up spending time in the ER and six months in recovery like a friend of mine. That’s not good training. And if you’re into Health it’s not healthy either. Personally, most aluminum parts are fairly light, cheap, and durable. Especially aluminum bars and stems are even used by pros. Basically, I think I’ll stick to cheap parts in places like bottle cages, or places that aren’t a single point of failure like maybe a saddle where there are redundant rails. But I’d definitely avoid using cheap brake parts and bars and stem or rims. It’s not worth the hospital bill.
I bought a 3t stem from over seas and so far so good. I've done a century and a couple of races this year. Have no problems and will continue to buy until something happens.
epagan83 Thanks for the feedback epagan83. No failures for me either. Let us know if that changes or you try new parts.
epagan83 My fake 3T has cracked, Keep an eye where the bolts thread in.
Thanks for this vid gc....just got a Fuji Robaix in the other day (has a carbon fork and seat stays)....when the weather clears up a bit more it will be interesting to see how it rides...looks like carbon is becoming more mainstream than ever...
Thanks Alex. New bikes are always fun! Carbon is becoming more mainstream and hopefully cheaper. I just tonight ordered another Hylix carbon seatpost off of ebay for $45. This one is a different design so we'll see how it works.
Hey. Interesting video. I'm from the UK and built up a bike using a few Hylix parts. Firstly that I would say that postage to the UK was only 10 days max. Also Hylix make an inline post that is even lighter (150g??) The post has been faultless so far as have my Hylix super light bars (the 180g ones). The bars have a great compact shape and are stiff enough for me. I'm 76kg. I did however buy a Hylix superlight full carbon stem. The clamp area was too small to accept the bars!! It was almost as if the stem hadn't gone through a finishing process. I had to sand and clean up the clamping area buy hand!! Also during torquing the bolts looked like they would easily pull through the carbon.
superfast. Hey Superfast. Thanks for sharing your experiences. Sounds like your parts are working great for you. I haven't had any problems yet either!
I had 2 carbon handlebars and i had also the oval saddle , a wheelset and a frameset, all positive but you can always notice the quality.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
I bought a carbon mountain bike seatpost, handlebar and stem set. Within two months each of the pieces failed: the metal clamp in the seatpost came loose (didn't separate, just rattles.) The stem snapped a bolt on the front clamp while tightening with a 5Nm torque wrench. The handlebar has a 3 inch horizontal crack in the exterior gel coat. I have switched all these pieces to Chinese titanium. We will see how they hold up. I have been riding a 20 inch Chinese carbon fiber frame for six months from a different supplier which seems to be holding up fine. Perhaps it's simply a crap shoot whether you get good parts or not depending on the manufacturer.
Tim Morley Hi Tim. Thanks for the feedback on your carbon parts. Could you post the brand of these parts? That would be helpful to other viewers. Or maybe they were unbranded parts? I'm not doubting your experiences but would like to know what brands have problems. Or maybe you could post the model number and seller? Thanks again for the feedback.
God's Country The parts I bought were branded as a reputable company's parts which I hesitate to say, because clearly they were just poor black market/fake copies. They were sold by hexinyi-shop who appear to no longer be eBayers.The frame I have is from abaygoods, which I would definitely recommend.
Tim Morley Thanks for the information Tim! I'm a fan of overseas carbon parts but not when they try to fake a brand name. Thanks again for your comments.
Interesting dialogue on this matter, of carbon parts from overseas, and the price, weight, and safety aspects of these parts. I have a vintage Klein mountain bike that I am converting into a road bike, and just signed up with Ebay in order to take advantage of inexpensive lightweight parts that predominate that selling venue. It just so happens that the parts that fit my budget and at the same time drastically reduce weight, are parts from overseas. There is a little concern with a particular part that I am waiting on, which is a one-piece carbon bar and stem combo. If that part fails, I could be in a face-full of trouble. Till them, its good to read about the reviews and other buyer's experience. Thank you for the clip.
stan how is your one piece carbon bar coming along? any breaks yet? i just gotten mine 2 days ago. should i install them?
Xuweiwen, the combo is holding up. However, I am running the 1 1/8 inch stem on a vintage 1 inch steerer fork tube, which requires a shim. The trouble I am having is generating friction to hold the bar in place. I tried first Finish Line carbon assembly gel. After still experiencing slippage, I next put in vertical striations on all mating surfaces using sand paper. That seemed to hold things tighter. But Xuweiwen, I might not be able to trust the set up as much as I would like to. A bicycle part playing in the back of one's mind can lessen the riding enjoyment. But its still on the bike, and I appreciate your asking. Its okay for road work. But for off-road, I now have a LaMere full suspension 29er. Have a good and safe ride.
Thanks for the video! I don't know too much about bike parts manufacturing, but a graphite (carbon fiber) tennis racket costs about 20 bucks to make. Wilson paints it to look like Roger Federer's and charges 200 bucks...And the weekend warrior eats it all up... BTW, ALL the racket manufacturers produce their frames in China. The technology (graphite tennis frames) is really very old (late 1970s/1980's).
I've been purchasing carbon parts from Carbon Bike Kits for quite sometime and they have been great.
Thanks for the feedback!
Also I have some 38mm tubular Farsport carbon wheels. They are amazing and literally 1/3 of the price of say, Zipps.
One doubt: In your opinion, are those all carbon fiber saddles actually comfortable for many hour rides (I mean: 4 to 6 hours)?
The saddle that came with my bike is padded, but it's not comfortable for me, because its shape does not fit me (I need one like your all balck one). So I figured: if those things are comfortable, I'd better buy one of those than a selle Italia c2, as those are actually much chaper and lighter.
+Arthur Araújo Hey Arthur! You are correct that it's really the shape that matters most. My first carbon saddle was not very comfortable. The one I'm currently riding (the black one) is comfortable for about 10-15 miles on my mountain bike. After that it starts to hurt.
Thinking about buying, surprise to learn the saddle rail are oval.
Daniel Leung Yes it's important to know in order to figure out if your seatpost will work with the saddle.
How did you order from merek ? I cant find a purchase button on their site
It's been a long time since I ordered but I believe I got mine off of ebay.
Have the no name saddle, honestly fits well, well worth the $30 or so that i spent on it, by no means as comfortable as a stock saddle but with a chamois on top of it, it's brilliant
jamesdrunkup That's the way I feel about mine too.
Great video, thanks! I'm waiting for my FM098 road frameset from Deng Fu and Hylix riser bars for my mtb. I'm definitely gonna share my thoughts about these as I'll get them :)
Thanks Jan! I hope you love the parts but either way, please come back and let us know.
God's Country Totally forgot to write here. I got my custom painted Dengfu FM098 in the beginning of August. The bike looks gorgeus in my opinion and after about 700 km of milage I can say the frame's really stiff, it holds the speed easily as it's aero and nothing creaks. The finish is good quality, I've got one chip on the toptube though, but I guess I must have laid my bike uncarfully. In general I love the build and I'm totally satisfied with the frameset. Here you can see some photos of completed bike: plus.google.com/u/0/photos/106733631212402190068/albums/6067232771664864929
Jan Szuster That's great to hear! Thanks for coming back to let us know how you like it.
Jan Szuster
NICE
to be honest a lot of these things are made in china, Taiwan or japan. they get branded and painted then sold for what ever price the companies decide. some things will be tested and some will be made on the side in the same factory of the big brands and they get moulded. I would trust Taiwan more as they make good quality products.
"Most bike parts are made overseas" Good point!
I've just bought cheap mtb carbon riser bars cost me £25, they've got the carbon weave, look really good and feel really light, I've not attached them to bike yet, got them off Amazon UK, from seller in China,
+Stephen Geoghegan They sounds nice. Let us know how you like them.
God's Country yeah I will do when I've attached them and used them a bit.
+Stephen Geoghegan You can buy them on Aliexpress for 14$ shipped from China
+Hygge “Røven76” Hejsa have you used any of them, I'm wondering about quality? the set I got for £25 are OK, but I think you get what you pay for only
Yes
Well it's been 5 years. How did they held up??
I have still never had a problem with any of my carbon parts. Name brand or "cheap".
you already test the no-name carbon seat?
Hey Ken. Yes I've got a lot of miles on the no-name carbon saddle. It works well for me. No quality issues
I appreciate your assessment. Thanks! You answered exactly the question I had!
No problem! I'm glad it was helpful!
question, some sellers offer free international shipping.. anyone tried the free international shipping? or you all go with dhl, fedex, ups?
free int. shipping only takes longer, otherwise I've noticed no difference at all through out my 100+ purchases from China/HK
Thanks thomas..
If you ride for quit a while in one day will the seat hurt your bum since it isnt soft?
Thanks!
Mista _Wo It is possible depending on how that particular saddle shape fits your body. There are many different saddle shapes (and body shapes!). The first carbon saddle bought started hurting me on 10+ mile mountain bike rides. The one I'm riding now starts to hurt me after about 20-25 miles on my mountain bike. The shape of the saddle is much more important than the padding.
Oh alright thanks man
Also your bike shorts has padding. Most sadels for road bikes has almost no padding.
You can get unbranded carbon saddles in the us on eBay for under $20
Just check for tiny stress risers/cracks you can only see with 20/20 vision and a magnifying glass, look at the clamp spots or along the tube running with the tube or bar. We've seen catastrophic failure after an earlier minor impact, even with Easton. The stuff works, until it doesn't. I have no horse in the race whatsoever. Just educate yourself on how to monitor the stuff, and beware other oblivious riders who are in front of you and don't check their stuff because they were self-conscious and just played off a fall as nothing, and weeks later hit a pothole on a different ride, causing you to crash.... recovery is a pain and takes a long time.
Thanks for your comment Gale.
You ever use china carbon handle bars? Also are you riding offroad or on?
Thanks for the review.
I have never tried any inexpensive overseas carbon handlebars. Sorry. Most of my riding is rocky single track but a little street riding mixed in.
got a used 2009 rocky mountain vertex 70 ral $ 300 bucks
very good
i have bought carbon parts from china (frame,seat post,handlebar,steam,saddle) and i have no problems for 3 months now and 2000 km. we will see!
sharky33333333333333 Thanks for the feedback! Let us know if you have any problems!
Roet was a joke...but you figured it out...good. Lol
Interesting that you didn't mention stems. There are lots of those out there too. You also didn't mention the Chinese parts that imitate name brand parts. I know of one fake Bontrager XXX stem that broke during use.
John Spurlin Hi John! Thanks for the comment. I am TOTALLY against imitation parts. I can't stand it when someone rips off another companies idea/design and then to sell them under a real brands name is just horribly wrong..... As far as stems go, when I was searching for a lighter stem, I found that a lot of the light aluminum stems were lighter than the carbon stems and I'd rather have an aluminum stem for the piece of mind.
God's Country Thanks for the reply. I agree on all points.
+God's Country I appreciate this thought on stems. It would definitely be a concern, and my imported carbon stem/bar combo really plays in the back of my mind. I weigh only 125 pounds and ride with a suspended fork, which should alleviate the concerns as well as reducing the potential for failure itself. However, I'm looking at a vintage Litespeed titanium stem along with any other stem that is metal.
i'm actually want to puschar a full carbon from a chinese brand but i'm quite scare. i dont want it break or something:s
I still have not had any problems with my carbon parts and I think if you read the comments below this video, you'll see that all or almost all of the feedback has been positive.
Ok! But i didn't found anyone who bougth a carbon fork :)
Yesterday I received TQ01 carbon saddle I ordered from dealextreme. It is chinese carbon saddle, and it looks almost the same as Selle SMP line of saddles. First impression is really good, but I still didnt have time to test it. I will probably test it tomorrow on indoor trainer. For now you can check unboxing video I make.
In theory it should be really good for pain and pressure relief since it have hollow and cut all the way from the back to the nose of the saddle.
Kreso Sopina Thanks for posting your first impression Kreso. Let us know how you like it.
Amazing video bro thank you
Thank you Jeremiah!
I just bought that same specialized replica saddle on eBay for under $19 shipped. I can't wait to get it and try it out
+ian docena (iDozen) Congrats Ian. I'm still liking mine.
+God's Country my saddle cracked in half after two rides, too bad it's quite a comfortable saddle
+ian docena (iDozen) Wow. That's to bad. Mine has been going strong for two years now. I have no idea if we have the same brand though. That's part of the problem. There are so many brands and sellers that seem to be short lived. Most of them are not around long enough to get a reputation. It's possible that is intentional. The number of failures mentioned in the comments is still very very low though. Have you attempted to get a refund or replacement from the seller or manufacturer? I would be interested to hear how that process goes too.
dude! i got the no-name carbon saddle with the cut-out and i have to say it is comfortable!!!! worth $20 bucks on ebay.
+madmoney190 That's good to hear. Thanks for the feedback!
I have recently ordered a hylix carbon fork for £59.99 it weighs around 460 grams. I ordered it as it disc brake compatible. I have a disc brake compatible frame all I need is wheels which I can get. I may buy full carbon disc wheels for around £260 or I may spend £99.99 on aluminium wheels. I am not sure yet but e carbon wheels are a thought I may go for. I ordered the Taiwan hylix carbon disc compatible fork as I wanted to save money. was going to buy a carbon disc compatible fork from planet x I was the London fork it was going for £99.99 it had a aluminium steerer tube. there was 3 left in the morning but when I came to ordering it later when I had the money they sold out. so I decided to order the hylix full carbon fork it has aluminium drop outs which is a good sign. it will take upto 4 weeks for it to arrive by then I will have the disc brakes ready and maybe the wheels depending what I choose.
Michael O'Rourke Thanks for the feedback! I hope it all comes together for you!
absolutely worth it if you're okay with the ethical issues, which I am, cause I ain't got time to worry
Well there's Moët and there's Roet...both will probably get you where you're going. Lol I guess it's a matter of taste.
Very true. To each his own. I had to google Moët and Roget to figure out they were champagnes.
You got ripped off for the unnamed one. I got mine for $10
They weren't available for $10 when I made this video 3 years ago.
The Chinese stuff keeps getting cheaper and better quality every day.
Chinese parts are like cars made in China they last longer than US made.
Were in hell do you suppose a Pinnarello frame comes from?
Snap Judgement fine as long as it doesnt say Pinarello when its not.
Well, it"s still super dangerous to buy chinese stuff which has really no name or brand at all. Can't find any video or test from it, you dont have any idea about who the manufacturer is, maybe that was it's first product ever.
You can die if a handlebar, or stem brakes under a drop, or high speed, etc. I'M here because I really like the design of these chines parts, but I'm not brave enough to buy a seatpost from them :(
If you ever try to stand up in your bike, and you could without problem, you'll probably notice the seat might be the single least relevant contact point when it comes to actual ride safety. Which indeed makes it the only place viable for weight reduction even under considerable risk of catastrophic failure, which is already low on itself.
I will never understand the obsession with weight.. Your own body weight goes up or down by a couple pounds as it is.
Of course body weight plays a role in the total package but riding a light bike is much easier than a heavy one.
Keep the parts you have and lose body weight .... It's a lot cheaper.......
***** Thanks for the comment. Obviously physical condition is important in high performance riding but it's generally accepted that at any given fitness level, you'll perform better on a lighter bike. Plus I find it fun trying to lighten my bike in a manner that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
This assumes you've got body weight to lose. Not everyone is fat.
I weigh 130lbs so how much more do I have to lose before I kill myself?
I weigh 138. I've weighed 132 before. I have no power when I'm that skinny.
Are you like 12 yrs old ?