I've been curious about these Chinese carbon wheels and frames and their "too good to be true" prices. After reading lots of threads on the subject of the quality of Chinese made products, the old saying of "you get what you paid for" still rings true. While I can afford to take a chance on getting a good deal, the frustration of dealing with a bad product is simply not worth it to me. Then there's the safety factor.
Carbon Clinchers?Are They Ready for Prime Time? | RKP No need for me to take the risk.
I was next to a rider that overheated his aluminum clincher and blew the tire. Sounded like a 9mm ****** shot. He was a clyde and had ridden his brakes all the way down a steep descent. Luckily, he was almost stopped when the tire blew.
As for history, I've noticed countries maturing economically at a faster rate as time goes by. In the case of China, there will have to be a radical change to get rid of the corruption and the polluting. They are not following the lead of Japan, Korea, Taiwan, etc. We don't hear much of the political unrest that is seething below the surface in China but it is very real. The government is trying to buy off the middle class with material goods and keeping lots of troops mobilized, particularly in western China, just to maintain control.