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Factory road bikes

  • 20-12-2009 3:52pm
    #1
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 76 ✭✭


    Hi all,

    As most bikes are made in China, does anyone know if theres a way of buying straight from there?

    Thanks, Dave


Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,091 ✭✭✭furiousox




  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,038 ✭✭✭penexpers


    Actually most bikes are made in Taiwan.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,333 ✭✭✭72hundred


    furiousox wrote: »

    Careful now! They look more like BSO's.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 739 ✭✭✭papac


    You can get a titanium frame direct here- http://www.xacd.com.cn/index1.htm
    I have been in touch with a few people who have em and they are delighted.
    I was looking into getting an unusually small road frame made for my wife. I sent em the primary dimensions and they sent me back a full working drawing within two hours.
    350 euros incl delivery for a bespoke titanium frame. No warranty of course but for that money you could buy two. They make the frames for lots of well known companies.I am still considering it-for the craic.Thing is though you have to know exactly what you want.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 76 ✭✭Davemcfar


    Wow, that looks pretty amazing.

    Do you know the weight? are they strong enough?

    Did you get a road bike frame?

    Cheers


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,038 ✭✭✭penexpers


    furiousox wrote: »

    $280 + $60 shipping + ??? customs and VAT (and coming from China, it will probably get caught) + cost of fork

    The Planet X SL Carbon pro is about 450 euro for frame + fork. Looks like a better deal.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 739 ✭✭✭papac


    Wow, that looks pretty amazing

    Before I go further I better say that I am not recommending you buy a frame from them.I have no first hand experience of their frames.

    However I have been in touch with them and they are very helpful (their english is hilarious but they try). I have researched them online and found a good few satisfied customers.There were rumours of quality control issues years back but I failed to substantiate them.(Google yourself and you will find info from owners)
    There are only a few Ti bike factories in the world so some of the known makes must be out of their factory.It would be difficult to make anyone admit this.
    Frames are apparently just as good as the likes of Enigma etc for a fraction of the price.Weight is about standard for Ti frame.

    I am in the unusual position of needing a frame that can't really be bought off the peg so its maybe a better proposition for me than most.

    Again-no warranty-Caveat Emptor.
    I can pm you a price list if you want. The price I quoted was from a while back when dollar was weak. Its about 150 dollars for courier shipping.(All their prices are US dollars.)

    They will put a small value on package for customs but of course I would not recommend that you break the law like that.;)
    The Planet X SL Carbon pro is about 450 euro for frame + fork. Looks like a better deal.

    I agree totally.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 291 ✭✭littleknown


    i would be wary of buying anything like that, remember it is possible to buy fake or lower grade anything from shoe polish to fake mercedes. when it comes to something you will be putting your life on i would buy the real deal, unfortunately this is why we buy brands that are well established but cost more..peace of mind.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 739 ✭✭✭papac


    fake or lower grade anything from shoe polish to fake mercedes
    I would go along with this generally but-
    General consensus from satisfied customers seems to be that xacd frames are neither fake or low grade. Most Ti frames are Chinese made nowadays. They are making the known frames that we buy and trust.Its so specialised and expensive to set up and work titanium that you just won't get the same cowboy element that you get with other things.
    I wouldn't be so fast to dismiss them as Chinese crap.Some high quality stuff comes out of China nowadays.
    Is it worth four times the price to have a place in the UK to send your frame back to if theres a problem?? I am not so sure.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 76 ✭✭Davemcfar


    Yes pm me please, that would be much appreciated

    Thanks, Dave


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 291 ✭✭littleknown


    papac wrote: »
    I would go along with this generally but-
    General consensus from satisfied customers seems to be that xacd frames are neither fake or low grade. Most Ti frames are Chinese made nowadays. They are making the known frames that we buy and trust.Its so specialised and expensive to set up and work titanium that you just won't get the same cowboy element that you get with other things.
    I wouldn't be so fast to dismiss them as Chinese crap.Some high quality stuff comes out of China nowadays.
    Is it worth four times the price to have a place in the UK to send your frame back to if theres a problem?? I am not so sure.

    pretty much everything is made in China these days from good to bad so the fact that is made in China does by no means mean it is low grade, but they do have a massive industry of making things that look the part but are likely not to do the job, the difficulty lies in differentiating between the good product without the expensive brand pirce and the low grade product which could end up failing, for this i would recommend a brand as at least you know it has some sort of quality control although they might be from the same factory in the first place, its a gamble..

    ps. im just back from china where i bough a fake tag heuer watch, looks perfect and works perfect for now but im sure in a day, week, year it will stop working at thats it.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 108 ✭✭rochefan


    Many of these cheap frames are made from molds from big name companies. A big name company makes a mould for a new frame that costs 100K, they produce thousands of frames and a year or 2 later they make a new version of the frame with a different mould. They sell off their old mould for a few K and these are the frames that are on sale for so cheap. In other words the frame moulds can be very good, the quality of carbon used and the workmanship is the gamble but probably fine for most people


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 739 ✭✭✭papac


    massive industry of making things that look the part but are likely not to do the job,

    I agree-but I reiterate that this does not seem to be the case here from the substantial positive customer feedback that I have seen.Nobody in their right minds would go to the expense of setting up to produce sub-standard Ti bikes.Xacd are a massive operation and could ill afford the publicity which would accrue from flogging such items.

    I would not consider,for instance, buying a no-name Carbon frame from China.(Or most other things for that matter) I could make one of those in my shed.If I were making titanium bikes in my shed,however,I believe I would not be long in getting found out.:)

    Good luck with your watch btw. Let us know how you get on.


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