OEM Certified Parts

[p0ppyman]

With the number of bikes assembled in China with components made in China, along with the number of counterfeiting going on in China, how do I know when I buy from a bike brand that says they have this brand name component, and that brand name component, they are actually made by the brand named and not counterfeit?

Second, which brands are very aggressive in ensuring components on their bikes are not counterfeit and what percent does that add to the cost of their bikes.

Similar from the component perspective. Which component manufactures are aggressive in stopping counterfeits and what does that add to the cost of their products?

Any studies or data you can point me to?

Thanks!

 

[p0ppyman]

National Geographic did the documentary on this topic several times. Not limited to ebikes, but counterfeit and genuine products in general.
Basically, I think it's all about common sense.

If you buy a Juiced bike from www.juicedbikes.com, what's the probability of Tora and his team selling you a counterfeit bikes & parts?
What if you go to Pedego dealer? What's the chance of them selling you a fake Pedego? Same with Trek store.

If you go on eBay, Craigslist, or just random guys selling stuff on the street, what's the chance of them selling you a counterfeit products?
What if you went on shady website/ad saying "SALE!!! Specialized S-Works Venge for $1,999" (for a $12,500 bike???) isn't it too good to be true?

Also there are tons of Shimano counterfeit products, but if you buy one from reputable bike shop, it is unlikely(not 100%) that they will sell their customers counterfeit products. But you can greatly reduce the risk.

Yeah I read the article about the guy who turned his counterfeit Venge over to Specialized so they could test it. I think the article also included a story about a guy that got injured pretty bad by a counterfeit handlebar failure.

I expect all companies have to deal with it and like anything some probably do a better job at ensuring you are getting genuine components than others. And therefore those that do a better job wind up passing more cost through to the customer reflected in higher pricing.

I want to buy an e-bike. I see really cheap ones, really expense ones and a range of ones between the two extremes. I'm trying to dissect what drives the price of the bike, what drives the price of the components, and based upon the driver why does it make sense to pay more than less when it comes to the value I will or will not receive.

I agree on the common sense part of it. Also there are many who rationalize buying counterfeits is ok, not limited to the bike world, so that in part keeps the counterfeits in business. There is demand, so there is supply.

 

[rich c]

You mean a Chinese made counterfeit of a Chinese made brand name component? What's the benefit of that? What percentage of components are not made in China in the first place?

 

[p0ppyman]

You mean a Chinese made counterfeit of a Chinese made brand name component? What's the benefit of that? What percentage of components are not made in China in the first place?

Yep that is exactly what I'm wondering about. The benefit would be lower cost because they are not following material specifications, manufacturing specifications, not doing the required reliability and safety testing mandated by the OEM, etc.

 

[rich c]

Sure I can see an issue with an iPhone knockoff. But I don't see an issue with a bicycle handlebar. I just don't see that a lot of Chinese bike companies having a big research and development team that sets high quality control standards for parts. I have no idea of major brand components have Chinese manufacturing parts or not. Just seems unlikely to me that a knock-off Chinese company could shave substantial costs over another Chinese factory.

 

[p0ppyman]

Sure I can see an issue with an iPhone knockoff. But I don't see an issue with a bicycle handlebar. I just don't see that a lot of Chinese bike companies having a big research and development team that sets high quality control standards for parts. I have no idea of major brand components have Chinese manufacturing parts or not. Just seems unlikely to me that a knock-off Chinese company could shave substantial costs over another Chinese factory.

This is what got me wondering about whether Chinese bike manufacturers are using authorized OEM parts in their bikes. Specifically could a counterfeiter reverse engineer a Shimano derailleur and cassette, label it as Shimano and then sell it to a bike manufacturer in China, or elsewhere for that matter, as genuine Shimano parts?

To Catch a Counterfeiter: The Sketchy World of Fake Bike Gear

Really just thinking out loud. Trying to reconcile the differences in bike prices and what could account for those differences. I guess I have too much time on my hands these days!

 

[Nova Haibike]

there are tons of Shimano counterfeit products

I can believe there would be fake Shimano replacement parts like brake pads or cables, but not components like brake calipers or derailleurs. Those would require way too much tooling.

 

[E-Wheels]

I can believe there would be fake Shimano replacement parts like brake pads or cables, but not components like brake calipers or derailleurs. Those would require way too much tooling.

Tooling costs are significantly reduced or eliminated by using 3D printers

 

[MetroDuck]

Tooling costs are significantly reduced or eliminated by using 3D printers

You are correct. In two years many things won't come from China. they will be 3-D printed in the nearest city and shipped to you. Manufacturers, in particular car manufacturers, will be doing this soon because for many things they will no longer need to keep expensive inventory. This will be for both metals and plastics. The metal items will be better because the printer can print with a higher strength metal in the areas of the part that have more stress, and cheaper metal in the areas that have no stress. This is something that currently is not possible with traditional injection molding. This happens by just changing the metal "ink" as needed. I've seen the car parts that HP is printing as part of a program with one of the major foreign car makers. Pretty much anything up to 16" X 16 is doable" For production runs, as opposed to replacement parts, the quantity where printing is less expensive is rising quickly and before too long it will be up to a 10,000 pieces.