Cheap Chinese Carbon Road Bikes... Are They Worth It?

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Welcome to our in-depth analysis of Cheap Chinese Carbon Road Bikes! Today, we're exploring whether these budget-friendly options are truly a good investment for cycling enthusiasts. 🚲

Ever wondered about the quality of Chinese carbon bike frames? Join us as we break down the specifics of these frames, dive into the world of Chinese bike components, and weigh in on their overall quality and performance.

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PS. When I provide a link here to gear or equipment I sometimes get a kickback from it. But I NEVER link to something that I haven't used or did use and didn't like! 👍

[meibing]

100% agree. Have a custom painted Yoeleo R12 (2023) and two wheel sets with Shimano Ultegra Di2 12 speed, stages power pedals, power mirror saddle and a nice ManuF. BB. Such a great ride. Not ultra cheap due to all the high end parts but still significant savings compared to a comparable brand frame or a -reassembled bike. Had an issue with one of the rear hubs - Yoeleo sent a replacement part and all was well.

[phillevin]

Agree 100%. I built up an Elves Eglath Pro with Elite wheels, everything else was pretty much top of the line western brands.. i.e. originally Shimano ultegra, now onto Sram Force Axs etap.. etc.

[rowerazzzzzeee]

I have done it this way. Sram Force axs groupset plus Chinese frame and wheels from seller which is 7 years on al and have 98.7 positive feedback. Happy with both my bikes. Super fast and solid machines

[adeferrari]

Great advice to build a bike using Chinese frame and wheels. I bought a Chinese frame with aero seatpin, fully integrated bar/stem headset and custom colour. I chose a Chameleon colour Aston Martin green which changes to purple. The seatpin and bar stem were also painted the same colour.Also bought Chinese wheels with ceramic bearings. Altogether about €1500. I bought a Shimano Ultegra mechanical groupset and continental GP tyres . The bike is a dream. Had so many compliments it out shines almost everything else out there.

[pach]

Ohh boy this is exactly my experience. I just finished my first build, a gravel bike. I orderered a frame from Tan Tan Cycling directly through and evrrything is pretty solid, the paintjob is also pretty good. But then my stupid ass decided to give the LTWOO GR9 groupset a go and that has been a pain... I bleed the front brake like 20-25 times until it had some grab and even then im not fully convinced. Finetuning the rear mech has also not been easy but ok.

Yesterday there was a sale on a front grx 800 brake lever and caliper for 70 eur(!) And I bought it without thinking that much, just to upgrade my brand new chinese groupset 😅

[christianheffner]

I have that EC90 saddle on my scott foil (first gen) and for the price is great, as well fitted the foil with one piece handlebar from og-evkin, after two years no issues (paid 140euros for them), also bought some cycling jerseys from spexcel and they are bang for the buck. I would recommend buying those products for people who know little bit more about the bike and the maintanance.

[markeasey]

Jourdain, i think that was a fair assessment and the results similar to mine, although not in the same quantities. The bottom line is that if your not prepared to potentially "throw the item away" if it is not to your expectations - don't buy. I have an Ican gravel frame (cannot fault it) fitted with Sensah Empire Pro/Senicx crank. The Sensah FD proved to be a challenge to set-up. In the end i swapped it out for a sram FD. The RD seems to "loose" its indexing fairy regularly but when working shifts well. I am not sure if i would recommend Sensah and will probably swap it out for a Shimano set-up when funds allow. Keep up the good work 👏👏

[seraph]

I have one of the cheapest frames, ceccotti branded, $300, been riding it for 3 years now and no issues. It's not the lightest weight frame out there at 1, 2kg but it's pretty robust. With chinese frames the higher the price the lighter they are, so at least they have entry level carbon frames for the masses, unlike the big brands.

[JamesSa-ao]

that elves is my dream bike, it's so stunning.

[MyRestoration]

That pretty much the right route to go. That said, in my opinion...we need to talk about the 'tuning' of a carbon bike. I've yet to see a chinese frame to compare to the big brands in this area. Great content as usual.

[jujurm]

Exactly what I’m ending up doing for my future build
I’ll go with Asian frame like trifox x18, I have found a good 105 hydraulic 11s used, and there’s a lot of good wheels used on the market too. Crankset and « accessories » will come from china too.

IMO best way to keep it relatively cheap, and still have solid quality

Happy to see that you’re opting for that route too, conforts me to my choice 😅

[galenkehler]

After many decades of using bike parts, I don't value warranty at all. The big brands will dodge warranty claims every time, so you're better off saving the money up front. Just ask shimano crank owners 😂

[MrFozzie]

Have you had any dealings with BXT wheels or frame sets?

[davidnicholson]

My experience matches this video. The frames are generally well made, although often their ride characteristics just aren't as good as a major brand. Chinese wheels are generally excellent and the best place to start, especially the higher end Chinese stuff. I see little reason to pay double or triple for Zipp/Enve/Princeton these days, especially if you get non-proprietary hubs with a quality Chinese carbon rim. In particular, the more expensive Chinese "brands" that have been around for years like Winspace/Lun, Magene, Elves, Yoeleo, Farsports, ICAN etc all make very good stuff. If a Chinese brand has actual distribution in your country, that's the best possible setup. The second tier of Chinese frames and wheels like Superteam and Lightbicycle are generally good with their higher end stuff being excellent and their lower end being reasonable to use for a year or two. I would stay away from any non-branded, super cheap Aliexpress/Amazon stuff as it's always a total crap shoot: you might get something good but more often it's dangerous garbage.

[joeteo]

Asian frames and wheels are just as good. Been using them without issues and the best thing is I saved loads. BTW, Shimano is Asian, too. 😂

[nashir]

I finally ordered Twitter R12 Pro with wave carbon rim, 2x12 sensah, all carbon (even saddle) with total weight of 8.4kg with pedals (flat pedal) for $950. Granted i need to wait for 40days but the quality is top notch. With $1200 i can choose the wheeltop eds.

[renegadeflyer]

As for Chinese frames do your research. I have been riding a velobuild endurance frame with press fit bottom bracket. All good.
Another frame from this brand has a threaded bottom bracket. I've have heard the threads were not cut cleanly. Probably poor or dull dies.
But again I am very happy my endurance frame sofar and I also have put a 105 groupset on it. Everything fit with no extra work.

[MultiEski]

I build Elves Vanyar Pro 2024, with sram rival, carbon wheels and I love it, well worth it.

[KushPizzaSleep]

Should have built a rim mechanical build…. Less complicated, always have had great products buying Chinese open mould

[chicagotat]

I made a claim on my elves frame and they swaped it out with no problems. Elves also had great communication thru out