Originally Posted by
gkamieneski
Except somebody went to the trouble of counterfeiting $29 10 speed KMC chains. Go figure.
Counterfeiting ANYTHING is always based on the ratio between cost of production and perceived value.
Chains are relatively easy to produce, with things that cost more, like alloy selection & heat treating being entirely invisible. So the premium a top chain commands makes upselling a cheap chain worth the effort.
The same would apply to cassettes. Given the costs, both visible and invisible, a counterfeiter would go after Shimano rather than Sun Race.
Doesn't mean they wouldn't, just that it's less likely that they would.