PSA - Counterfeit Chains Are Rampant
10-29-22, 11:00 AM
#51
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10-29-22, 12:17 PM
#52
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10-29-22, 12:50 PM
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10-29-22, 12:56 PM
#54
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So, does this suggest that Big LBS is flooding the grey market with counterfeit chains in order to discredit these E-bay sellers?
This adds a whole new meaning to the term Q-factor.
This adds a whole new meaning to the term Q-factor.
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10-29-22, 01:31 PM
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10-29-22, 01:33 PM
#56
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But hey - I’ve been wrong before.
10-29-22, 01:55 PM
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Omg
10-29-22, 02:41 PM
#58
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I can only speak for myself. In this case, I am going to give the sellers the benefit of the doubt that they may not have been aware the chains were fake (naive, possibly). I tried to send them a message about these items but the eBay app would not allow it, likely because the purchases were several months ago.
10-29-22, 03:26 PM
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I wouldn't be surprised if the US Retail chains and E-Bay seller chains come through different sources.
So, perhaps someone has got a deal to get chains shipped direct from Japan or China that they then sell on.
Subtle differences in packaging or colors of pins may or may not be representative.
I would think there would be some commonality of side plate markings though.
Personally I prefer to pin my chains together. So, snag a few replacement chain pins instead of using the quick links.
So, perhaps someone has got a deal to get chains shipped direct from Japan or China that they then sell on.
Subtle differences in packaging or colors of pins may or may not be representative.
I would think there would be some commonality of side plate markings though.
Personally I prefer to pin my chains together. So, snag a few replacement chain pins instead of using the quick links.
10-29-22, 03:34 PM
#60
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I can only speak for myself. In this case, I am going to give the sellers the benefit of the doubt that they may not have been aware the chains were fake (naive, possibly). I tried to send them a message about these items but the eBay app would not allow it, likely because the purchases were several months ago.
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10-29-22, 04:59 PM
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On this, yes, I'd assume so. Over on the photography side I know there are people who have found high-speed SD cards with low-speed chips on them in full retail channels like Best Buy, which in that case makes me assume someone at the factory subbed the slower chips to make a quota and hoped nothing would happen. I'd imagine the vendors are clueless.
10-29-22, 05:11 PM
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10-29-22, 05:20 PM
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Is it possible that if Shimano would be having troubles fulfilling orders, they'd contract with a 3rd party manufacturer to make parts like chains?
10-29-22, 07:58 PM
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Something is just not adding up here. The whole point of making knock-off products would be the substantially higher profit than manufacturing other products. Since the packaging, quick link and chain are for all intents and purposes identical than the original plus is was being sold at a discount where is the great upside for this manufacturer. In other knockoff situations I have seen it was for crazy expensive products and the knockoff can quickly be identified as as inferior. That is not the case in this case.
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10-29-22, 08:04 PM
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10-29-22, 08:37 PM
#67
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Whoa, the chain broke twice?!
What was the failure mode, exactly? You said it “broke at the link plates,” but I’m not sure if you mean the connector (aka quick) link, or a regular link, or whether you mean broke as in ruined and unusable or broke as in came apart and was able to be reassembled. I guess that you said it broke in a different place suggests a different link, but it’s not clear if you’re saying the link you broke to reconnect the chain failed the second time, or if it ever failed at the connector link.
What was the failure mode, exactly? You said it “broke at the link plates,” but I’m not sure if you mean the connector (aka quick) link, or a regular link, or whether you mean broke as in ruined and unusable or broke as in came apart and was able to be reassembled. I guess that you said it broke in a different place suggests a different link, but it’s not clear if you’re saying the link you broke to reconnect the chain failed the second time, or if it ever failed at the connector link.
10-29-22, 10:09 PM
#68
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SR. And they copied the shape of some early Italian bars and stems, but they weren't knockoffs. They were a legit company that supplied millions of bars, stems, seatposts, and cranks to bike brands.
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10-30-22, 07:05 AM
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For what it’s worth, I got mine from Amazon with Amazon as the seller. The chain looked legit, but the link plates broke when I was climbing. The QL is what gave it away to my mechanic that the chain was fake. His words were - if that’s the QL that came with the chain, the chain is fake
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10-30-22, 09:21 AM
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A frequent source of counterfeit products is the factory itself. A manufacturer contracts to an overseas factory to build the product and pays for some number of units to be made. The factory, or individuals working at the factory, makes more units than the manufacturer requested, then sells the extras through other channels, who produce counterfeit packaging. The product is technically not counterfeit, and just as good as the original. In the OP's case, they may have received a Shimano chain with a quick-link sourced elsewhere, in counterfeit packaging.
10-30-22, 09:36 AM
#71
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A frequent source of counterfeit products is the factory itself. A manufacturer contracts to an overseas factory to build the product and pays for some number of units to be made. The factory, or individuals working at the factory, makes more units than the manufacturer requested, then sells the extras through other channels, who produce counterfeit packaging. The product is technically not counterfeit, and just as good as the original. In the OP's case, they may have received a Shimano chain with a quick-link sourced elsewhere, in counterfeit packaging.
10-30-22, 10:25 AM
#72
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Is it possible the chains are ok but the quicklinks are inferior? It might be worth trying one with genuine Shimano (or other reputable brand) quick-links before tossing it in the trash. OTOH, if I had one break twice, I wouldn't want to bother.
10-30-22, 11:23 AM
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It's entirely possible and I have considered that. However I also am not eager to try one. I will hold onto the three chains if only for education purposes and maybe consider using them in a pinch. Luckily I am not a sprinter so probably going to break a chain easily.
10-30-22, 11:43 AM
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I thought about this thread this morning while I was watching a friend fix a brand new 9 speed chain that snapped under relatively light load leaving a red light. The chain had to have been defective. Separated a link or two from the quick link.
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10-30-22, 12:04 PM
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A frequent source of counterfeit products is the factory itself. A manufacturer contracts to an overseas factory to build the product and pays for some number of units to be made. The factory, or individuals working at the factory, makes more units than the manufacturer requested, then sells the extras through other channels, who produce counterfeit packaging. The product is technically not counterfeit, and just as good as the original. In the OP's case, they may have received a Shimano chain with a quick-link sourced elsewhere, in counterfeit packaging.