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Cool and high-end Chinese brands?

Old 02-01-20, 05:36 PM
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cormacf
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Cool and high-end Chinese brands?

A lot of people spend a lot of time talking about cheap carbon Chinese frames and sketchy quality deals on Alibaba, but China is the world's biggest country and almost certainly has the largest number of cyclists, so I have to imagine they have some pretty interesting brands of bikes we don't get to see over here in the states. Given the scale of the country and economy, their growing middle class, the availability of factories that make carbon frames, and the import-unfriendly climate, it seems like there would be a really good market for both practical road bikes and some really high-end stuff. I'd be interested in seeing any examples.
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Old 02-01-20, 06:45 PM
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FLYING PIGEON
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Old 02-01-20, 09:34 PM
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Pardus makes some really high-end carbon frames. I really like their Robin SL https://www.biketo.com/product/41349.html.

XDS is another interesting Chinese brand. They sponsor the Shenzen Xidesheng Cycling Team, part of UCI's Continental Tour. XDS claims their RT800 frame weighs as little as 635 grams and with SRAM eTap comes in at 6.5kg.

And here's an interesting article about an individual from Guangzhou who makes steel frames. There are some beautiful fillet-brazed finished examples at the bottom of the page (use Google Translate).




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Old 02-01-20, 10:25 PM
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This is my Chinese made Culprit. Joshua Colp is an American guy who used to work for Trigon in Taiwan, well known for carbon frames and accessories. I got this bike in 2013, as a demo sale at a nice price. Joshua brought a truck load of bikes to our club ride and I fell in love with it. Unfortunately, Culprit has changed his business approach, and no longer sells built up bikes. He had an internet service where you spec out the equipment, frame size and colors, and they ship it to you from their factory in Taiwan. They used to include a local fitting and included a nice riding kit with the bike. All the hardware is first rate, and the frame handles like a dream, rides stiffer than my old Roubaix, but is so responsive that it is a joy to ride. Culprit were early road disc brake adopters and used to cater to the tri racers to get around the disc brake ban in road races several years ago. My bike came with an extra set of rim brakes, as well as the disc brakes. The original Token carbon wheels were disc or rim brake compatible. My bike has cable operated TRP discs and 10 speed Ultegra Di2, later ones have hydraulic disc and 11 speed. They were very quick to handle a warranty issue with the OEM rear hub, and I have many thousand miles now with no other issues. Its a great bike, and I tell everyone who asks, that "Its the best bike nobody ever heard of". I also ride Specialized Allez and Roubaix, and this is a bike I've been very happy with. The 41 mm Reynolds Assault wheels shown are an upgrade that I did a few years ago, and are not rim brake compatible, but are less wind sensitive than the Token 55s it came with.



One of our club riders is a mtn biker who prefers flat bars and pedals, so he bought the same frame and built his up with mechanical Ultegra, and HED Ardennes rims.

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Old 02-02-20, 09:57 AM
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“Chinese brands,” “cool,” and “high end,” all in the same sentence?


-Kedosto
*donning flame suit*
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Old 02-02-20, 12:39 PM
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My experience in China on a 5 city tour was basic transportation. I did find 1 higher end bike in a shop in Beijing. The fine steed I rented to ride the city wall of Xian.
Mostly the up and coming middle class appeared to have migrated to scooters and cars.





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Old 02-03-20, 03:29 PM
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Being a Tolkien fan (LoTR, Hobbit, Silmarillion), I've been looking hard at the Elves line of bikes, especially the Vanyar. How cool of a bike is that if you're a Tolkien fan?
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Old 02-03-20, 04:39 PM
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Originally Posted by friday1970
Being a Tolkien fan (LoTR, Hobbit, Silmarillion), I've been looking hard at the Elves line of bikes, especially the Vanyar. How cool of a bike is that if you're a Tolkien fan?
I think this is cooler.
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...ish-brand.html

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...road-bike.html
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Old 02-03-20, 07:23 PM
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Elves Vanyar SL

Originally Posted by friday1970
Being a Tolkien fan (LoTR, Hobbit, Silmarillion), I've been looking hard at the Elves line of bikes, especially the Vanyar. How cool of a bike is that if you're a Tolkien fan?
I had to search for it but that Elves Vanyar looks awesome! The geometry is really spot-on. Elves Vanyar SL








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Old 02-04-20, 08:56 AM
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For touring bikes, LKLM look pretty legit. They're actual cycle tourers themselves and seem to make a decent frame. IIRC, they had a LHT/DT type bike and one or two others, as well as accessories like racks and panniers.
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Old 07-31-20, 02:02 PM
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Originally Posted by NatusEstInSuht
Pardus makes some really high-end carbon frames. I really like their Robin SL https://www.biketo.com/product/41349.html.

XDS is another interesting Chinese brand. They sponsor the Shenzen Xidesheng Cycling Team, part of UCI's Continental Tour. XDS claims their RT800 frame weighs as little as 635 grams and with SRAM eTap comes in at 6.5kg.

And here's an interesting article about an individual from Guangzhou who makes steel frames. There are some beautiful fillet-brazed finished examples at the bottom of the page (use Google Translate) . Alternatively, you can translate it using the translation service https://thewordpoint.com/services/tr...ption-services to improve quality and accuracy.



thanks for sharing

Last edited by bobokat; 08-01-20 at 01:31 AM.
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Old 07-31-20, 02:45 PM
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Those are nice looking bikes ! How do they compare pricewise to other carbon fiber bikess ? I probably can't afford one anyway.
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Old 07-31-20, 04:01 PM
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Originally Posted by PDKL45
For touring bikes, LKLM look pretty legit. They're actual cycle tourers themselves and seem to make a decent frame. IIRC, they had a LHT/DT type bike and one or two others, as well as accessories like racks and panniers.
Except for having flat handlebars, that LKLM World Traveler looks really sweet. Even has a chainwheel guard, for protecting one's trouser leg (a glaring omission from most USA brands).
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Old 07-31-20, 05:10 PM
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wealthy asians ride American and Italian bikes
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Old 07-31-20, 05:56 PM
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Originally Posted by frogman
Those are nice looking bikes ! How do they compare pricewise to other carbon fiber bikess ? I probably can't afford one anyway.
The Pardus Robin SL costs about $1,300 for the frameset. That's about 35 to 40% the cost of a Trek Domane or a Specialized Tarmac.
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Old 07-31-20, 06:04 PM
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That green thing looks interesting. Not sure how I feel about the stem.

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Old 08-01-20, 02:18 AM
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I wonder why decals are not in Chinese characters? It appears that the targeted consumers are drawn to western style and marketing . I can’t imagine the designs are original or proprietary.
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Old 08-01-20, 05:36 AM
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Originally Posted by Mulberry20
wealthy asians ride American and Italian bikes
This. Wealthy Chinese want American and European things. More for status than anything else.

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Old 08-01-20, 07:38 AM
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Originally Posted by jlmonte
I wonder why decals are not in Chinese characters? It appears that the targeted consumers are drawn to western style and marketing . I can’t imagine the designs are original or proprietary.
Corporate branding throughout Asia - including Japan, China, Taiwan, Indonesia and India - is more often than not carried out using the Latin alphabet instead of the native languages. It has to do with marketing and exporting. And most companies want their names and products to be pronounced easily in English as this is the language most likely to taught or spoken as a second language.

In the non-cycling world think of the corporate identity and branding from Sony, Samsung, Petronas, Tata, Foxconn and Sinopec.
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Old 08-01-20, 08:56 AM
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That green one a Cielo?
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Old 08-04-20, 02:22 AM
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Originally Posted by Nyah
Except for having flat handlebars, that LKLM World Traveler looks really sweet. Even has a chainwheel guard, for protecting one's trouser leg (a glaring omission from most USA brands).
Haha, I was thinking the opposite! I'm looking for a steel commuter/graveller/tourer with a flat bar. Literally just stumbled on LKLM bikes tonight. Kind of interesting. They look bulletproof.

Originally Posted by PDKL45
For touring bikes, LKLM look pretty legit. They're actual cycle tourers themselves and seem to make a decent frame. IIRC, they had a LHT/DT type bike and one or two others, as well as accessories like racks and panniers.
I may buy one of those multi-tools or a water bottle cage they have, see what they're like.
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