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Old 01-27-12 | 10:35 PM
  #18  
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bobonker
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 825
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From: Nor Cal
This really isn't the best forum to get objective input. Try roadbikereview.com.

That said, I've ordered 3 frames from China:

The P1 from http://www.cyclingyong.com
The FM-015 from http://www.hongfu-bikes.com
The RFM101 from http://www.greatkeenbike.com

All 3 setups were about $600 delivered (unpainted, including headset, full carbon fork, and seatpost)

They are some of the best frames I've ever ridden. I thought my Madone 4.7 was nice, but I sold it this year. The FM015 rides nicer, climbs better, and has just been a b*tchin bike overall. Super stiff through the BB area and the carbon steerer really helps smooth out the ride.

There are some shady places out there for sure, but if you deal with a reputable place, you'll get a quality product with a 2 year warranty.

Some things to be aware of:
1) Quoted lead times can slip -- if you are turned off by this, these frames aren't for you. I was quoted 30 days on the P1 and took more like 45.
2) Communication can be a bit of a barrier -- the people at Hong Fu seem to be the most fluent and best at returning emails
3) You need to be a somewhat capable bike mechanic to put these together. DO NOT SAND THE STEERER ON THE FORK TO GET THE CROWN RACE TO FIT. Seen someone do that and the fork broke the first time he rode it (duh). I had to some minor clean up to 2 of the frames (ran an M5 x 0.8 tap through all of the water bottle bosses and barrel adjuster threads and had to use a dental pick to clean out some resin in the BB of one of the frames).

Overall, I had the best experience with Hong Fu and give them the highest marks. Communication was the hardest with Great Keen. Hong Fu seems to be the most expensive (by maybe 5-10%), but they seem to have the biggest selection (ie, I wanted a UD gloss finish on one frame and the others couldn't do it).

Bob

Last edited by bobonker; 01-27-12 at 10:39 PM.
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