Some of those pictures were from a comparison one carbon vendor was making between their products and...inferior carbon products.

I tried to avoid brands/labels as much as possible but I couldn't with one of the pics. Here is a clear comparison as taken from their presentation (and now on their website).


Guess which one is preferable.

The real point is can you tell the difference with the naked eye?

I don't want to sound like I am bashing carbon products made in Mainland China. Most carbon is now made there regardless of who owns the factories (Chinese or Taiwanese companies). There are several high quality, Chinese owned and operated carbon vendors out there. The factories and labour force are quite capable of producing top notch goods. My point is that there are also MANY substandard carbon vendors out there, MANY unethical vendors out there and it is nearly impossible to tell the difference simply by looking at a photo on-line. It takes either having the goods in your hands (and sometimes that isn't even enough) or interacting with the vendors themselves to get a sense of the quality of the product you are considering buying.

I have seen so many people (and some from seemingly well run companies) absolutely lose their minds at the mention of the words cheap and Chinese. It's as if they think China is this magical place where quality goods can be produced for pennies and that here is this skilled and motivated workforce ready to produce and sell goods for a bowl of rice a day. It's insane!

The cost of production in China is rising and now Chinese companies are outsourcing to Vietnam. There are even bike companies who have moved assembly there because China is becoming too expensive.

I would suggest that doing a little research and exercising a little common sense might not be such a bad idea when seemingly incredible deals pop up on eBay or in spam threads like this one. When I see carbon rims being sold for LESS than I can buy them from a factory (when buying 30 sets at a time) it worries me on so many levels.

/blathering

(Hint: never post amid a post-Superbowl haze)