Originally Posted by
DaveSSS
SMP saddles for me. I use the Stratos with standard padding. No cheap saddles.
I own two Yoeleo R12 frames with seatposts and integrated bar/stems from Yoeleo. No problems. There are several brands of Chinese companies making high quality carbon components, selling direct. Yoeleo prices have gone up substantially this year.
BTLOS wheels are high quality for around $800.
I've bought two jerseys from China one has been good, the other was longer than normal, wouldn't use that company again. No cheap bibs for me, but I buy good stuff only when discounted.
Part of it is the question of when do brands become labels. Trifox was advertising on here for a while and a search of the reviews revealed they had a lot of positive and high ratings and had been a brand for a while, kinda similar to lightbicycle rims, at some point they went from being a cheap chinese brand to a "label" as the OP seems to see it. Always easier to trust a brand that is around long enough and has enough reviews be to considered a mainstream company.
OP, not certain how to truly define the term off-brand but when it comes to stems, forks, handlebars and seatposts I don't trust anything that is clearly intended to be a knock off or by a brand that doesn't have an established reputation, though if they have US or EU distribution centers I'm more trusting of newer items.