sjanzeir

(Here's a hint: This is a trick question.)

Gun to your head: Would you rather... buy a brand-name product off of a questionable place like Aliexpress (or Amazon, for that matter) that may or may not be a counterfeit, or would you rather buy a shameless, completely unabashed knockoff that works well enough to do what you need it to do, while being affordable enough for you to just replace the whole thing if and/or when it fails?

TiHabanero

OK, I'll bite on this. Buy the blatant knock off as it is not being advertised as something it is not. It is best to be honest.

seypat

That's a tough one.Too many scenarios to make a decision.

shelbyfv

Why lock in to two bad choices? I would not choose either one.

sjanzeir

indyfabz

Neither.

NEXT!

sjanzeir

livedarklions

I've got a gun to my head? Whatever I click is fine. If someone is pointing a gun at my head, who cares about the bike part?
Why is this person pointing a gun at me? Is this some sort of online shopping fanatic?

Now if I don't have a gun to my head and these are my two choices, why would I not know if the one was counterfeit and actually know that the knockoff is serviceable? The assumption is too unrealistic to merit an answer.

Worst Sophie's Choice dilemma ever. I'm supposed to really care about the outcome.

sjanzeir

Play the game, man! Have you tried buying anything brand-name from any Western World vendor in the past year or so? It seems that in these dire times, Aliexpress might be our friend and savior. But then again, with a place like Aliexpress, our choices are harder to make: Try choosing between a Shimano MT200 brake set ($80) that may or may not be counterfeit and a Meroca M4 brake set ($60) that you know is a knockoff (of the Clarks M4, in this particular case) that may or may not have an issue or two out of the box.

Ironfish653

So the choice is either a too-good-to-be-true price on a legit-appearing item (that isn’t a close out) on a site known for counterfeits, or an even lower price on a straight-up knock-off?

I’d have to go with the knock-off; the odds that nothing is wrong with it are about the same as unbelievable deal actually being legit, but I paid less money.

70sSanO

To be honest, I don’t buy bike parts from Amazon or Ali Express. I have purchased new parts off of eBay. I have purchased new brand name from China and haven’t had any issues.

Since you give Clarks as an example, I’m also not sure how you define knockoffs. I don’t consider Clarks, Sunrace, and Microshift as knockoffs. I would think brands like Motsuv, Zonon, Riakrum, etc. as knockoffs.

If those are my choices, I’ll go with a brand.

Don’t shoot the messenger.

John

sjanzeir

You must be referring to post #9 above. I said that the Meroca M4 was a knockoff of the Clarks M4. I never said that the Clarks M4 was a knockoff of anything, or that Clarks was a knockoff brand. I've purchased Clarks products before and I would've bought a Clarks M4 brakes set in a heartbeat if I could locate one anywhere on the planet. With the global bike component situation being what it is, mediocrity is making a killing.

veganbikes

If someone is holding a gun to my head, chances are I have somehow been disarmed myself and tied up and have prepared myself to die, so let's get it over with shall we. If I didn't have a way out I guess it was my time to go. A nice extra long nap is what the doctor ordered at least till I can become a zombie and do all that zombie stuff they talk about with the T.V. and movies.

I don't need to buy fakes and knockoffs, if it is real product from an authorized reseller or I am buying something used I can trust, I am game otherwise forget it. If I am that desperate for something I will figure out a solution or go with out. I love bikes and am addicted to bikes but not to the point I need or want crap like that.

70sSanO

My bad, misread your post.

I would need to really research Meroca before buying something that I depend on stopping me; but probably not.

John

livedarklions

I've generally had great luck with Amazon, tbh. Aliexpress is the real crapshoot in my experience and I tend to avoid it.

But I really want to know the backstory here--who is this crazed gunman insisting on my ordering something? What's his motivation?

rsbob 

Since I wouldn’t go for either, just shoot me.

sjanzeir

The gunman has a name: "Out of Stock." His motivation? Trying to swap my bike's crappy BB5-based mechanical disk brakes for quality ones that aren't available anywhere in the Western hemisphere (i.e. vendors in Europe and North America.) Dire times.

This little existential thread I started is really part of some slow-burn research I'm doing on a possible hydraulic disk brake upgrade: possibilities, available options, cost, complexity, alternative ways to go about it... etc. So I've been researching everything, from a standard, straightforward entry-level Shimano swap (which left me even more confused than I was when I started out, as to what all the levers and calipers are for and which levers work with what calipers... etc.) to alternative brands (Clarks, Formula, Magura etc.) to all the Chinese "crap" as someone so classily put it earlier. And I've learned a few things along the way and I'm still picking up information and inside as I go along.

Phil_gretz

I read somewhere that Capone favored the baseball bat...

indyfabz

Possibly because his first prison term was for carrying an unlicensed firearm. He served 7 months in Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. I walk by the place most days. It’s about a half mile from my house.

Kapusta

Jenson shows BB7s (mechanical upgrade over the bb5s) and Deore hydros in stock.

I’d go that route and see what the gunman does from there.

Honestly, I’d probably just stick with the bb5s and upgrade the cables/housing to compression-less (if it is not already) before I start dealing with Aliexpress or portential counterfeits.

himespau 

I'd pay a premium for legit used before going with a brake caliper that I can't trust, but that's just me and maybe not such a wise choice either as who knows how much abuse the used caliper has taken. Brakes are a part you don't want to fail.

mstateglfr 

Poster- pick A or B.
bikeforums collective- C!

Litespud

depends on whether failure has any consequences - like me hitting the asphalt. There should be a third option - pay extra for the sure knowledge that you’re getting the real thing. I’m happy to buy cheap-ass stuff from Amazon et al and save money, if the worst thing that happens is that it just stops working. Not wild about buying obvious knock-offs, not for any ethical reason, just that I’d like it to be the real thing

livedarklions

Logically, that's perfectly reasonable. If you're asked whether you'd jump off a) a 50 story building without any safety gear or b) a 500 foot cliff without any safety gear, one would hope your answer would be c) "no".

TBH, this is really a "which is the worse risk" question, and without specifics like price, branding, etc., it's really not answerable. All this being equal, I'd go with Amazon out of habit and because every time I order anything from Alibaba, it takes ridiculously long for it to get to me.

mstateglfr 

Option C in the initial question is an assumed shooting if you don't choose one of the available options.
It's a common phrase- 'gun to your head' and it means you have to choose what is listed because you aren't in a position to choose something not mentioned.

I agree it's a worthless/bad initial question, but that doesnt mean my post is wrong. This thread is full of people saying 'I know I am participating in a thread where I am asked to pick between 2 things, but I will change the rules and choose something not mentioned.

It's a common practice on BF, hence my comment. I am aware I too follow this path at times, especially when it's a thread where someone asks 'which of these two bikes should I buy?' and subsequently lists style of riding which doesn't match either of the bikes listed.