Is your Shimano chain a counterfeit?
 

I was replacing a couple of customer supplied chains on 2 bikes that I was tuning up at the bike shop where I work. I've come across this issue a few times now since the pandemic created so many issues with product availability, many times with Shimano parts, but we're seeing lots of counterfeit parts purchased off Amazon. In this situation, after inspecting the supplied chains, I made a quick video comparing one of the fake supplied chains to a genuine Shimano chains. Hopefully the video will be helpful to someone who purchased a chain on Amazon or eBay at a really good price to determine if it's real or not. Most home bike mechanics are always looking for ways to save money, but this is one area that in my opinion is just not worth it.

These stories have been floating around for a few years. At this point, I just assume any dirt cheap Shimano product on Ebay or Amazon is counterfeit, stolen or a factory second (that was also stolen).
It seems likely that factory rejected stuff (both parts and packaging) sometimes ends up in the back of someone's van instead of the dumpster - so some of this stuff probably does come from Shimano but didn't pass inspections.

I did vendor evaluations in the PRC for a few years. From Shimano to Louis Vuitton you can find fakes that are top quality. International manufacturers using PRC fabricators use full time QA/QC people to insure quality but when the 100,000 chain production run has ended they leave with all the tooling and raw material in place or available for the manufacture to use for fakes and they do. You might get a perfect Shimano chain in a box with unusual printing or color or a crap chain in a perfect box because they substituted cheaper raw materials or you might get a perfect 100% Shimano that was contract end run of a couple hundred sold at a fraction of the price. I believe the Chinese view cheating differently as in their proverb "The first time you cheat me, be ashamed. The second time it is I who must be ashamed."

"Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me" the equivalent phrase in use in English since the 17th century, supposedly of Italian origin.

People are really hoping sometimes that it’s factory leftovers or fell off a truck but what we’ve seen posted here caught is definitely outrageously counterfeit. The XT pedals were more impressive than the chain, which was just basic chain but with fake imprint on the links in a fake box

https://www.mtbr.com/threads/fake-deore-xt.1210812/

My wife ordered me a cassette for Christmas, that was clearly a fake. I've been using it anyway because I needed a new one. I don't think it shifts quite as smoothly, but not bad enough to ditch it

I bought three 11 speed Shimano chains from two different EBay sellers about 6 months ago. Sadly, all three are counterfeit. I would be very cautious about this.

Has anyone found or tried the Shimano Product Authentication app for iOS? I can’t find it in the App Store.

I looked too, and couldn't find it.

This thread prompted me to examine the several Shimano chains I have hanging on the pegboard in my garage. One Dura Ace chain and one Ultegra chain seem fine, but another Ultegra chain is a slight outlier in that its quick links are inside the same plastic package with the chain itself, rather than in their own separate little plastic bag -- which the video claims indicates a counterfeit chain. Otherwise the chain and packaging appear to be exactly like all other Shimano Ultegra chains I've purchased. So now I'm a bit torn -- do I use this one, or throw it out?

From what I have read here and elsewhere online, the problem on Amazon.com is that the inventory from different sellers are not segregated. This aggregation makes inventory logistics and order fulfillment easier, but if one seller introduced counterfeits into the inventory, those counterfeits could be used to fulfill orders by other sellers, including Amazon.com.

That is a fake and you can use it to make 4 chain whips.

Moving forward, I think I'll only order chains from very reputable websites such as Competitive Cyclist, or from my LBS.

​​​​​​Good idea, but I've already got two good chain whips...So it's going in the trash.

Post deleted .. oops

[QUOTE=scottfsmith;22784282]There is a recent YouTube which goes into great detail on fake vs real Shimano chains. My takeaway is the fakers now have the packaging approaching 100% and you need to look at the link construction carefully to tell the difference.

I think this was covered in the first post of this thread by the creator of that YouTube vid, wasn't it?

A sincere thanks to Le Mechanic for the post. It led me to question the 2 HG53"s bought off ebay late last year. One is still in the rather convincing packagong. The chains came with a quick link. I can't find any 9 speed quick links on the Shimano website. The quick link is packaged together with the chain. The chain has the following stampings: CN-HG53, Shimano, Taiwan, and on some outer plates KD with Taiwan above it.

I contacted the seller, cycle_bike1991, and asked if they could verify the authenticity of the chains. In their response they stated that they buy their quality chains from China and Malaysia (remember they are stamped Taiwan). That pretty much verified to me that these are counterfeit.

I tried the Shimano Anti Counterfeit Protection page on their website. The ACP verification app they talk about is not available in the Google and Apple app stores. I can't find any contact info to send an email or to call.

I turned to Ebay to report this and also can't find any contact info that works. If you open contact us it just leads to a page with more detailed subject info but no phone number or email. On my acccount page there is a "tell us what you think" button that leads to being able to leave a message but it is in reference to the account summary page. I left a message anyway but after sending a pop up said there would be no individual response but the info would be reviewed and used.

So left the buyer beware. And you're on your own. It doesn't look like anyone is too interested in policing it.

I only buy bike parts from local shops or from REI or small independent online retailers like Performancebike. Amazon does nothing to police its sellers and often creates its own products to cannabilize sales of legitimate sellers.

Kind of off subject but this reminds me of the florid # of 'half price" USPS stamps ads that suddenly appeared on facebook recently
all with the same pix but different sources. "100 stamps for $27.50, beat the price increase". Suspect that will be quite lucrative,
even with a 0.01% response rate.

Thank you to the OP for bringing up this topic. I will make sure to stay clear of Amazon for these type of products.

So what happens if you use an alleged counterfeit chain?

Do you fall down and go boom?

The first time you force it with a pedal stroke a black hole will open up and suck you and your bike in.

Seriously, it will work just as well as buying any cheap, no-name chain out there: fast wearing which will also wear out your cassette faster and tolerances could be off from the start. More friction too I expect.

This is why I would not order bike parts on Amazon. If I'm going to buy parts online, I go with reputable vendors like Jensen, Modern Bike, etc. There are a few legitimate vendors on eBay, but pick carefully. If it sounds too good to be true.................

i bought a couple 12 sp XTR/DA chains from a reputable british supplier, and they came in a plastic bag, no box, quick link in the bag. all the markings, hollow pins etc look legit and they work fine, but i have to wonder. i assumed they were just OEM or shop bulk packaging.

Thanks for the warning and the video! Given the more sophisticated profiling in the Shimano chain vs counterfeit, might there be a noticeable weight difference between the two?

+1. I'll add an ebay seller that I have used many times including Shimano and KMC chains. Trail This, 99.9% positive feedback from over 440k (yes, over 440,000) reviews and no accusations of counterfeits. Prices are very good but are sometimes slightly cheaper from the more untrustworthy sellers. On Ebay, always go for sellers with 99% or better feedback and check the negative feedback for claims of counterfeit parts.

True, I am going to buy a stock of Dura Ace chains next month from a seller with 99%