Fake products in all fields exist because the originals are unrealistically expressive. If you want a reasonably priced frame, buy one from a Chinese manufacturer that has their own design and is prepared to put their own name on it, not a fake.
Chinese replicas aren't as bad as people make them out to be. I believe a lot of these replicas are legit technology ripoffs as many of the official designs are pirated by industrial thieves and spirited away to rogue factories.
your frame is obvious a fake replica, BUT there are frames from chinese factories, which produce original frames for well known companies, that are 1:1 the same, for a piece of the price.
Those knockoff frames might appear to be superficially the same, but I guarantee they are not manufactured to the same tolerances and specifications nor are they subjected to the same rigorous quality control. and there will be zero warranty. In short, use at your own risk.
@@Durwood71 I totally agree. And this video doesn't show how difficult it is to intall all the bike's components on cheap frames, especillay headset, inner hoses, matting the breaks callipers and so on. BTW, TREK frames are manufacftured in Vietnam (aluminium) and Taïwan (carbon) in their own factories. Like others said, if you want to buy Chinese, there are some excellent domestic manufacturers, don't venture into (illegal) copies.
I have a replica frame for a big well known brand. Frame is perfect and compared to my other genuine bike from the same manufacturer it’s exactly the same. I have the replica frame as I ride it on my commute and it takes the abuse. Keep the good genuine bike for nice day rides. As you said. As long as you do your research and you are aware.
If the fake producer really wanted to,they definitely could make a copy of the real one. This is not some top secret military tech,so I see it as not an issue of possibility, but just whether they want to or not
Chinese carbon is no better or worse than most brands ,I own a shop and Chinese carbon will take over in the next 2 years Astana will be riding on Chinese carbon next year ,that is just the beginnings.
honestly i am considering getting one of these for reason alot of people who buy this do , but then if u can do us a good thing on this ur channel , i will suggest u build a full bike out of these and either u use it for ur daily ride or give to someone that can put it to a daily work and lets see how durable it is and yes let leave performance aside cause many of us will never see competitions but will ride on a day to day occasions .Alot of people just have a bad idea when they hear fake/imitation , but then , the issue is how does that fake perform ,so maybe u can help us by shading some light to that scenario ,
I have a $400 ali frame that's been solid, but it's from a small chinese brand and has an original design. I wouldn't be confident buying a knock off frame.
I paid about $650 for my AliExpress unbranded frame a few years ago (LT Bike LTK118). It's been a fantastic deal, and I've put over 20,000 kilometers on it without a single issue. Not everything on AliExpress is problematic or a big risk, as many people would like you to believe.
To everyone claiming these frames come from the same factory or are similar to the originals: they are not. Additionally, these counterfeit Madone framesets are not cheap-they sell for around $1,000 USD. Some of these sellers even produce counterfeit Princeton wheelsets. Purchasing counterfeit products harms engineers, R&D teams, and other departments whose work ensures your safety, so you don’t end up with your face smashed against the asphalt. Moulds have a limited lifespan, this means that if by chance this comes from a shady mould, the carbon layers are not properly placed. For those arguing that big companies aren’t affected, think again. Counterfeit products also harm legitimate Chinese companies striving to compete by offering original designs at fair prices. Counterfeiting undermines everything-whether you accept it or not. It only makes richer that hong kong dealer that gets annoyed if you ask too many questions about this product. And If you think the low price is worth it, consider this: you’re risking your safety and your family’s well-being by riding on this substandard junk.
How much do you think Pinarello pay for a 6k F race frame ? They pay way less than the 1k us for a fake .I've been in the Taiwan factory's, they do sell the same frames for the same price ,that is a fact .A really cheap frame 4/500 us i wouldn't buy but there will be 0 issue with a 1k frame ,or I should say no more or less issues that high end brands
@@JaiJai-by4tp thats no secret! but thats why you have an open market with plenty of chinese OEM and original options! Why buying something just to have a decal on? My point is that when you dont put your brand on your frame, you actually care for your brand to be of a certain type of quality. Counterfeit dealers do not.
Light, Stiff, cheap. Pick two. It's not a big problem to build a sturdy frame if light weight isn't really important. But you actually want to be the first to get to the top of the mountain.
Inside of that frame looks horrendous, I would get it scanned for voids in the carbon. Have a couple of unbranded Ali carbon frames that have taken a lot of abuse and are just fine. However I would never buy a fake mainstream big brand labeled one as I know the manufacturers cut corners on the actual frame fabrication (and use low grade carbon) so they have money for the paint and finish to make it look a bit like the real thing. They are bad news and a waste of money just like fake Rolex watches. Best avoided.
its extremely unsafe, many frames have snapped on chinese bike forums, bottombrackets have been ridden out at just 800 watts. just buy a cheaper frame or save up, DO NOT buy a fake
Over a grand is a lot to punt on something that will obviously be fake and shite - and may even kill you. No one's brand is standing behind it. It's a Chibson that you trust your life to
It's not easy to make a carbon frame . These will be OEM frames purchased from a carbon frame manufacturer and would have had stickers added to it at the customers request. I have owned several frames from China (not one's with Western bike company Logos on ) and they have all been fine.
if you're referring to the crash at 6:37, you can see that there's something on the road and it gets tangled in the front wheel, resulting in the wheel locking up. The frame was not a factor in that particular crash whatsoever.
I hope your video does not get striked down by Trek. I have a couple of replica frames and they ride just fine. I don't have strong legs and I weight over 80kg, but aside from being slugllish when lights turn green, most of these frames are fine as trainer bikes or commuters. However, they are more difficult to build than a branded Chinese frame (like tfsa, elves, etc), sometimes routing cables though frames and into the handlebar can be a real pain. Thankfully wheeltop exists now, otherwise I would already give up on them. But I do agree with other people in your discussion. Replica frames have various quality, in my case, I used to receive one with cracked bottom bracket insert. In best case , fit and finish is hardly distinguishable from a real deal and parts can be interchanged with each other. So if someone has to go down this rabbit hole, do it at his or her own risk. As for why these frames still exist, my guess the martket for affordable carbon frames with decent lead time is still there. Yes, Chinese brands are making strive and some of them have already appear in grand tours. But their price are also increasing, combined with longer time for delivery, will give replica, knockoff or smaller brands room to survive.
Id still get a cheap replica over the original, whats the difference between riding it? Non other than warranty. Both are carbon fiber, light and strong. The way you push it determines if it will break or not.
Chinese fake frame is a very shady business. there are so many different vendors sell the same frame, but there are from different factory, some frame are really good, because it came from good factory, but most them from bad factory. if you lucky found the good vendor, you will get a really good fake frame. but you'd better living in China, or can speak Chinese. Aliexpress is very random
There are many tiers of fake frames within china itself. Some are just failed qc for what ever reason, and some are just poor knockoffs like this. Same goes for other carbon or high end components. However, you can actually get genuine product at dirt cheap prices but you'll need to know more than just aliexpress to get there.
Are you serious? You ordered one bad replica and draw conclusions?! I assure you there are replicas that are indistinguishable from the original in quality! I have collected a lot of replica bikes and not one of them has failed due to poor quality. For example Madone SLR Gen 7 Disc Frameset without handlebar its price is $4,599.99 A good quality replica with handlebar is $1,499.99 The price is three times different, you will also need to buy a handlebar Even taking into account the quality of the replica in the video, for your money this is a great offer! And you can continue to bring money to brands and before you know it, they will be selling you frames for $8,599.99
Replica/fake/misleading product description? It's all a bit grey to me. But even if it is perfectly safe to ride and you do decide to buy one, it won't ride like the original. It probably won't even get close.
Often the fakes are the old moulds used by Trek and other big brands but made by open mold companies. Some parts arent genuine as the brand company source maybe elsewhere. Headset spacers, bottom brackets, rubber grommets even paint. Sometimes there's a bad run or over production so the frames get purchased by a trader and sold on. I reckon some brands don't care if a few frames get sold under the counter because its advertising the brand. The guy that buys v the knock off or back door genuine isn't going to buy full retail anyhow so they didn't lose a custoner, you can't sell on a knock off or claim warranty so the brand is fully aware of that.
I currently have a replica Cervelo S5 and it’s been awesome for about 3000 miles. Came with a 2 year warranty and it’s super strong! currently selling it to find my next replica build, though.
Honestly, I bought it because I can’t afford the real quality stuff, without financing, it’s not that I can’t do that, I just don’t want to go in deep dept for a hobby. .. or selling a kidney. It’s a custom force/red axs build with roval wheels and all the parts on it are 100% real, except “the chassis.” It’s been a really great bike overall!
Yeah, because mainstream brands are so incredibly reliable,and nothing can ever go wrong with their plastic bikes! I'm appalled how ugly and huge tubed modern bikes are! They look like pieces of ugly shaped plastic! 🤢 Greetings from Croatia from Kris
I bay from tossek,ztto casset and chein also. Hygge bike,whelltop eds tx groupset much beter than shimano,they alow to use cassete from 10-14 spead all china bike parts. Much cheper qvaliti the same or beter.
Not ok if later sold by a fake company or an dishonest individual ! If marked as replica ? Well then its your own choice. Myself got one bad experience with fake clothes offered by " swedish" company. Later it appeared it was very much company in China and clothes vere very bad quality " replicas" ! In those days you have to be ccarefull when offered a " good deal" !
Trek Cannondale Specialized Santa Cruz and other bike companies that went to China for cheap labor and manufacturing got their design stolen. Whose fault is that? 😂😂😂😂
why aren't you making Flemish content? i personally would rather watch that then your english vids. I also noticed your accent a lot, but that's just my opinion
I’d buy the fake. People are being much about the inner carbon. The bike will still ride the good. Save yourself money and buy the chinease knock off because they most likely are making the original as well. This video is almost like a paid advert by Trek 😂😂😂
No that is not the case, to my knowledge Treks frames, especially their high end are outsourced to Giant in Taiwan. Most brands are manufactured by a handful of Taiwanese companies
But why a replica? Like people buying fake Rolex watches... Is it for show off purposes? If it isn't a TREK bike don't buy it. If you need a cheap bike you have several options. People like to pretend they are rich.. that's about it.
its extremely unsafe, many frames have snapped on chinese bike forums, bottombrackets have been ridden out at just 800 watts. just buy a cheaper frame or save up, DO NOT buy a fake
Gute Arbeit! Abo ist am Start. Ich bestelle seit langen Rahmen aus China. Werden eh alle da hergestellt. Man sollte nicht das günstigste Angebot raus suchen und den Rahmen gut checken. Dann fährt mit gut mit der Preisleistung 🚴💨
it's probably not even a replica, but a frame that had some form of defect in the factory, and instead of throwing it away, some workers are just selling them on the black market.
It's probably not actually 'fake'. It'll be a pre production version of the frame that a factory has got hold of and used to build the bike with, hence holes in different places etc.
There's "Made in China" with a major corporation keeping a close eye on quality control, and then there's "Made in China" where the products are produced as cheaply as possible with zero quality control.
Doesn't GIANT (originally started by Schwinn back-in-the-day) make most of the bikes with TREK decals on the downtube? How poor is their Q/C compared to this knock-off?
Forget the western brand replica fakes. There are lots of good original options. Seka, Hygge, Winspace, and others for 1/4 the cost.
winspace is super expensive, we need a winspace replica
Fake products in all fields exist because the originals are unrealistically expressive. If you want a reasonably priced frame, buy one from a Chinese manufacturer that has their own design and is prepared to put their own name on it, not a fake.
That’s not really why, there’s a lot that goes into a design, you just need to appreciate the effort.
Fakes exist because some people have neither morals nor common sense. They buy fake, dangerous frames to impress strangers.
... unrealistically expensive*
Chinese replicas aren't as bad as people make them out to be. I believe a lot of these replicas are legit technology ripoffs as many of the official designs are pirated by industrial thieves and spirited away to rogue factories.
facts!!
your frame is obvious a fake replica,
BUT there are frames from chinese factories,
which produce original frames for well known companies,
that are 1:1 the same, for a piece of the price.
Those knockoff frames might appear to be superficially the same, but I guarantee they are not manufactured to the same tolerances and specifications nor are they subjected to the same rigorous quality control. and there will be zero warranty.
In short, use at your own risk.
Shut up. There’s no such thing as a real replica. . 😂 Dummy
@@Durwood71 I totally agree. And this video doesn't show how difficult it is to intall all the bike's components on cheap frames, especillay headset, inner hoses, matting the breaks callipers and so on. BTW, TREK frames are manufacftured in Vietnam (aluminium) and Taïwan (carbon) in their own factories. Like others said, if you want to buy Chinese, there are some excellent domestic manufacturers, don't venture into (illegal) copies.
I have a replica frame for a big well known brand. Frame is perfect and compared to my other genuine bike from the same manufacturer it’s exactly the same.
I have the replica frame as I ride it on my commute and it takes the abuse. Keep the good genuine bike for nice day rides.
As you said. As long as you do your research and you are aware.
I guess you missed the part about IP theft.
This content is high quality for a channel with less than 200 subs. Chapeau 👏
Packaging was impressive if nothing else!
That's one thick Flemish accent brother! 😂 Very good video
I was trying to figure out the accent.
At the price trek charges, i take the copy every single day of the week
You’re not very bright.
If the fake producer really wanted to,they definitely could make a copy of the real one. This is not some top secret military tech,so I see it as not an issue of possibility, but just whether they want to or not
Chinese carbon is no better or worse than most brands ,I own a shop and Chinese carbon will take over in the next 2 years Astana will be riding on Chinese carbon next year ,that is just the beginnings.
honestly i am considering getting one of these for reason alot of people who buy this do , but then if u can do us a good thing on this ur channel , i will suggest u build a full bike out of these and either u use it for ur daily ride or give to someone that can put it to a daily work and lets see how durable it is and yes let leave performance aside cause many of us will never see competitions but will ride on a day to day occasions .Alot of people just have a bad idea when they hear fake/imitation , but then , the issue is how does that fake perform ,so maybe u can help us by shading some light to that scenario ,
Fine, just don't expect to internally route the cables very easily 🤣
I have a $400 ali frame that's been solid, but it's from a small chinese brand and has an original design. I wouldn't be confident buying a knock off frame.
What's the brand/model?
I paid about $650 for my AliExpress unbranded frame a few years ago (LT Bike LTK118). It's been a fantastic deal, and I've put over 20,000 kilometers on it without a single issue. Not everything on AliExpress is problematic or a big risk, as many people would like you to believe.
Knock off frames is just like any other "chinese" frame, yours included. All made by same factories employing same methods
the old crash vid nothing to do with replica bikes
To everyone claiming these frames come from the same factory or are similar to the originals: they are not. Additionally, these counterfeit Madone framesets are not cheap-they sell for around $1,000 USD. Some of these sellers even produce counterfeit Princeton wheelsets. Purchasing counterfeit products harms engineers, R&D teams, and other departments whose work ensures your safety, so you don’t end up with your face smashed against the asphalt. Moulds have a limited lifespan, this means that if by chance this comes from a shady mould, the carbon layers are not properly placed.
For those arguing that big companies aren’t affected, think again. Counterfeit products also harm legitimate Chinese companies striving to compete by offering original designs at fair prices. Counterfeiting undermines everything-whether you accept it or not. It only makes richer that hong kong dealer that gets annoyed if you ask too many questions about this product. And If you think the low price is worth it, consider this: you’re risking your safety and your family’s well-being by riding on this substandard junk.
$1000 is cheap, how much is original frame? I bet at least 3-5 times more expensive
Bravo
How much do you think Pinarello pay for a 6k F race frame ? They pay way less than the 1k us for a fake .I've been in the Taiwan factory's, they do sell the same frames for the same price ,that is a fact .A really cheap frame 4/500 us i wouldn't buy but there will be 0 issue with a 1k frame ,or I should say no more or less issues that high end brands
@@kowies how much a broken jaw costs?
@@JaiJai-by4tp thats no secret! but thats why you have an open market with plenty of chinese OEM and original options! Why buying something just to have a decal on? My point is that when you dont put your brand on your frame, you actually care for your brand to be of a certain type of quality. Counterfeit dealers do not.
Light, Stiff, cheap. Pick two.
It's not a big problem to build a sturdy frame if light weight isn't really important.
But you actually want to be the first to get to the top of the mountain.
Inside of that frame looks horrendous, I would get it scanned for voids in the carbon. Have a couple of unbranded Ali carbon frames that have taken a lot of abuse and are just fine. However I would never buy a fake mainstream big brand labeled one as I know the manufacturers cut corners on the actual frame fabrication (and use low grade carbon) so they have money for the paint and finish to make it look a bit like the real thing. They are bad news and a waste of money just like fake Rolex watches. Best avoided.
To be fair, a fake Rolex won't put you in danger of a life changing injury when it fails.
@@Durwood71 unless you're found out in a 'trendy' spot where everyone else has the real deal and hates on you 🤣🤣🤣
I was racing Chinarellos 15 years ago.
Awesome Video, do you know affects of riding the fake frame? Like lower top speed, would love to see a video comparing it
Thanks, man! I’m planning to make a build video of the frame first and then compare it to the original.
its extremely unsafe, many frames have snapped on chinese bike forums, bottombrackets have been ridden out at just 800 watts. just buy a cheaper frame or save up, DO NOT buy a fake
Over a grand is a lot to punt on something that will obviously be fake and shite - and may even kill you. No one's brand is standing behind it. It's a Chibson that you trust your life to
i mean its a good video but you didnt include 1945 germany those who know meme MANGOS
It's not easy to make a carbon frame . These will be OEM frames purchased from a carbon frame manufacturer and would have had stickers added to it at the customers request. I have owned several frames from China (not one's with Western bike company Logos on ) and they have all been fine.
That crash at the end was outrageous... Keep the frame for the turbo trainer
👍🏼
if you're referring to the crash at 6:37, you can see that there's something on the road and it gets tangled in the front wheel, resulting in the wheel locking up. The frame was not a factor in that particular crash whatsoever.
I hope your video does not get striked down by Trek. I have a couple of replica frames and they ride just fine. I don't have strong legs and I weight over 80kg, but aside from being slugllish when lights turn green, most of these frames are fine as trainer bikes or commuters. However, they are more difficult to build than a branded Chinese frame (like tfsa, elves, etc), sometimes routing cables though frames and into the handlebar can be a real pain. Thankfully wheeltop exists now, otherwise I would already give up on them.
But I do agree with other people in your discussion. Replica frames have various quality, in my case, I used to receive one with cracked bottom bracket insert. In best case , fit and finish is hardly distinguishable from a real deal and parts can be interchanged with each other. So if someone has to go down this rabbit hole, do it at his or her own risk.
As for why these frames still exist, my guess the martket for affordable carbon frames with decent lead time is still there. Yes, Chinese brands are making strive and some of them have already appear in grand tours. But their price are also increasing, combined with longer time for delivery, will give replica, knockoff or smaller brands room to survive.
Counterfeit frames. You have illegal counterfeit frames you’d be ashamed of if you had any morals
Id still get a cheap replica over the original, whats the difference between riding it? Non other than warranty. Both are carbon fiber, light and strong. The way you push it determines if it will break or not.
$5000 more to have the correct stickers and a serial number in a database 😩
ive been riding ali bikes and so far so good
Chinese fake frame is a very shady business. there are so many different vendors sell the same frame, but there are from different factory, some frame are really good, because it came from good factory, but most them from bad factory.
if you lucky found the good vendor, you will get a really good fake frame. but you'd better living in China, or can speak Chinese. Aliexpress is very random
There are many tiers of fake frames within china itself. Some are just failed qc for what ever reason, and some are just poor knockoffs like this. Same goes for other carbon or high end components. However, you can actually get genuine product at dirt cheap prices but you'll need to know more than just aliexpress to get there.
where and how do you get the good stuff ? Seems like you know?
Are you serious? You ordered one bad replica and draw conclusions?! I assure you there are replicas that are indistinguishable from the original in quality! I have collected a lot of replica bikes and not one of them has failed due to poor quality.
For example
Madone SLR Gen 7 Disc Frameset without handlebar its price is $4,599.99
A good quality replica with handlebar is $1,499.99
The price is three times different, you will also need to buy a handlebar
Even taking into account the quality of the replica in the video, for your money this is a great offer!
And you can continue to bring money to brands and before you know it, they will be selling you frames for $8,599.99
Replica/fake/misleading product description? It's all a bit grey to me.
But even if it is perfectly safe to ride and you do decide to buy one, it won't ride like the original. It probably won't even get close.
Like someone said, it's best to purchase their brand instead of a name brand ...
Often the fakes are the old moulds used by Trek and other big brands but made by open mold companies. Some parts arent genuine as the brand company source maybe elsewhere. Headset spacers, bottom brackets, rubber grommets even paint. Sometimes there's a bad run or over production so the frames get purchased by a trader and sold on. I reckon some brands don't care if a few frames get sold under the counter because its advertising the brand. The guy that buys v the knock off or back door genuine isn't going to buy full retail anyhow so they didn't lose a custoner, you can't sell on a knock off or claim warranty so the brand is fully aware of that.
Prove it. Otherwise, admit you pulled this claim out of your ass
However, I can't buy it for $7,000.
I currently have a replica Cervelo S5 and it’s been awesome for about 3000 miles. Came with a 2 year warranty and it’s super strong! currently selling it to find my next replica build, though.
Honestly, I bought it because I can’t afford the real quality stuff, without financing, it’s not that I can’t do that, I just don’t want to go in deep dept for a hobby. .. or selling a kidney. It’s a custom force/red axs build with roval wheels and all the parts on it are 100% real, except “the chassis.” It’s been a really great bike overall!
What if this was a some type of early production model and the design changed?
No
Yeah, because mainstream brands are so incredibly reliable,and nothing can ever go wrong with their plastic bikes!
I'm appalled how ugly and huge tubed modern bikes are! They look like pieces of ugly shaped plastic! 🤢
Greetings from Croatia from Kris
Sooo what will you do with it
Maybe help a fellow cyclist here in the Philippines XD
I bay from tossek,ztto casset and chein also. Hygge bike,whelltop eds tx groupset much beter than shimano,they alow to use cassete from 10-14 spead all china bike parts.
Much cheper qvaliti the same or beter.
Not ok if later sold by a fake company or an dishonest individual ! If marked as replica ? Well then its your own choice. Myself got one bad experience with fake clothes offered by " swedish" company. Later it appeared it was very much company in China and clothes vere very bad quality " replicas" ! In those days you have to be ccarefull when offered a " good deal" !
Trek Cannondale Specialized Santa Cruz and other bike companies that went to China for cheap labor and manufacturing got their design stolen. Whose fault is that? 😂😂😂😂
Who would want a fake?
Garbage in Garbage out!
A carbon frame that is 1400g lol. Give away indeed.
why aren't you making Flemish content? i personally would rather watch that then your english vids. I also noticed your accent a lot, but that's just my opinion
I’d buy the fake. People are being much about the inner carbon. The bike will still ride the good. Save yourself money and buy the chinease knock off because they most likely are making the original as well. This video is almost like a paid advert by Trek 😂😂😂
No that is not the case, to my knowledge Treks frames, especially their high end are outsourced to Giant in Taiwan. Most brands are manufactured by a handful of Taiwanese companies
But why a replica? Like people buying fake Rolex watches... Is it for show off purposes? If it isn't a TREK bike don't buy it. If you need a cheap bike you have several options. People like to pretend they are rich.. that's about it.
You sir are a ‘tard
@@liciniooliveira-becas3618Yep! Exactly
Waarom praat ge niet gewoon Nederlands? Grtn
Interessant, maar probeer je uitspraak te verbeteren!
i want that replica but i cant find it on ali express.
its extremely unsafe, many frames have snapped on chinese bike forums, bottombrackets have been ridden out at just 800 watts. just buy a cheaper frame or save up, DO NOT buy a fake
Cosa solvente nn stavo q e la
Why 🤦♂
buy a java, sunpeed, yoeleo, winspace, this video is garbage, he knew was fake so wtf
It's not worth risking your life riding a knock off frame just because it looks nice
Vlaming Gentenaar?
Gute Arbeit! Abo ist am Start.
Ich bestelle seit langen Rahmen aus China. Werden eh alle da hergestellt. Man sollte nicht das günstigste Angebot raus suchen und den Rahmen gut checken. Dann fährt mit gut mit der Preisleistung 🚴💨
Let’s face it the real madone’s one’s are crap anyway
it's probably not even a replica, but a frame that had some form of defect in the factory, and instead of throwing it away, some workers are just selling them on the black market.
Not possible, due to geometry differences and carbon layup. It's really just a knock off. They are made to order too.
It's probably not actually 'fake'. It'll be a pre production version of the frame that a factory has got hold of and used to build the bike with, hence holes in different places etc.
No, they just buy a real frame and then cast it to create their own molds.
@@kidsafe That's exactly what they do.
Everything on AliExpress is fake. Stop wasting your money and buy from reputable sellers.
You do realize that the non-replica real trek frame is also made in China.
It’s not that they are made in china, that is the problem
There's "Made in China" with a major corporation keeping a close eye on quality control, and then there's "Made in China" where the products are produced as cheaply as possible with zero quality control.
Doesn't GIANT (originally started by Schwinn back-in-the-day) make most of the bikes with TREK decals on the downtube? How poor is their Q/C compared to this knock-off?
What u pay for what u get 😂