The post on the rusty shifter levers got me wondering--are there counterfeit bicycle parts? I happen to know that there is counterfeit chain saw chain, and that stuff sells for less than a bike chain, so I assume that it would be worth somebody's effort.

I got a couple of Shimano 105 chains last year on Ebay for about $20 each including shipping, and I wondered if I was getting the real McCoy. The packaging looked authentic, but so does the knock-off saw chain. One of those chains has about 2K miles on it with no detectable wear (ruler method), so if it is a phony, it's apparently a pretty good one.