AliExpress Fake Shimano Bike Chains etc

bargaino on 05/12/2024 - 21:53
Last edited 05/12/2024 - 21:53

So, I know, what did I expect?

Was just wanting a basic HG40 chain, and the original Shimanos are dirt-cheap wholesale. So I figure it should be possible.
Seller with lots of sales, clearly says "Shimano" and "original", not "Shamino". Photos show authentication sticker on packaging.

And 5-10 working days later, it shows up. The "authentication sticker" is obvious fake, no barcode, not even a duplicate.
Aliexpress have refunded my money. Interesting that the "reason for refund" had no option for fake/counterfeit items :-)

So are there any sellers who can be trusted in China, when they say "genuine original"? I see no official Shimano store.
Aliexpress has been good for many bike parts, just not chains, brake pads, cleats …

Sports & Outdoors Bicycle Accessory

Related Stores

AliExpress
AliExpress
Marketplace

Comments

  • JIMB0 on 05/12/2024 - 21:57
    +3

    Have you tried your local bike shop? I found they can be surprisingly competitive.

    • bargaino on 05/12/2024 - 22:28

      Not round here. There is a 99 bikes franchise. $35 for an HG40, the greedy sods.
      I'm not used to paying that much for a SRAM 10-speed.

      Pushys is good at $16, but not exactly local and $10 shipping. Good if you are ordering a few things at once. I normally keep stock of parts like chains and brake pads.

      Chain Reaction / Wiggle used to be awesome.

      • DashCam AKA Rolts on 05/12/2024 - 23:04
        +1

        Vale Chain Reaction / Wiggle.
        Prices have certainly jumped since the demise of that group.

      • DashCam AKA Rolts on 05/12/2024 - 23:05

        Pushys is good at $16, but not exactly local and $10 shipping.

        Can you put in an order with a couple of other local cyclists to save on shipping?

        • bargaino on 05/12/2024 - 23:11

          Its not a fortune, but would be nice if I could add such a small item to an order I'm already making on Aliexpress.

      • BugsBunnyAUS on 05/12/2024 - 23:39

        Where is "here"

        • Nugs on 07/12/2024 - 20:20
          +1

          There
          .

  • brotherfranciz on 05/12/2024 - 23:45
    +4

    I usually buy in bulk when there's a sale. Amazon and Pushys/Bikebug are my current go-to shops. There's some REALLY decent and unique sales on Pushys occasionally, but no one cares on Ozbargain so I don't post those deals any more.

    Just discovered woolyswheels and bought something from them during the Black Friday sale (bargain price and good service), so I will be keeping an eye on any further bargains. I've heard good things about ccache.cc but I haven't bought anything from them yet.

    Wiggle was my favourite - their 'dhb' in-house clothing brand was the best! It's a shame what happened when they stuffed up their website design.

    I've tried AliExpress (sometime in ~2019) and Temu (last month). Both sites seem a bit 'different' - maybe it's a cultural thing - but it's just a bit too weird with the way they work, with things like random discount codes and odd ways of selecting products, and all these different sellers offering the same items so it's hard to identify the good/genuine sellers… Everything just seems a bit… off.

    Nothing much wrong with some of the items I've bought from those Chinese sites though, but some of the finishing is a little suspect e.g. carbon seat post internal wasn't round, but some carbon fibre bottle cages were fine, although I've questioned myself how I could actually determine whether it is in fact carbon fibre or some other plastic… Some cheapo unbranded brake pads I bought recently from Temu are fine and actually seem to modulate better than the genuine ones, but I'm having second thoughts about the risk of failure, so will probably buy genuine next time.

    • MahjongKing on 06/12/2024 - 07:42
      +1

      I've bought from Ccache before and they are pretty good. Prices are pretty competitive. I've bought a X01 Eagle groupset and another time some brake pads from them and they were cheaper than Pushys and way cheaper than MTB Direct. Shipping was fast and minimum spend for free shipping was $75 but this was a few years ago. Took me a while to realise they were in Marrickville Sydney, which is only 15min drive from my house. Next time I will just pick up instead.

      Not sure your riding style but they lean on road bikes over MTB in terms of available products but they do stock the major stuff.

      I've bought a lot of bike stuff from Aliexpress and most have turned out to be excellent. As long you're not buying gear with a Shimano/SRAM, Fox/Rockshox etc name attached to it, then your expectations won't be high and you'll be surprised how good it is.

  • CodeXD on 06/12/2024 - 08:32
    +1

    If you have the chance, provide feedback that the store sells fakes. Don't want other people to fall for the same trap.

    • bargaino on 06/12/2024 - 10:32
      +1

      Done. And see I'm not the first, but close to it. Must read the 1-star reviews next time.

  • stickingly on 06/12/2024 - 09:43
    +1

    I've looked into this a bit, as I often fix up old bikes so need to buy parts.

    The general consensus I found on several bike forums is that of course there is fake stuff on AE, but there is also genuine stuff at very good prices, especially more intricate parts like shifters, derailleurs etc that would be hard to create plausible fakes for what is a niche market. There are some sellers that are known to sell genuine parts, so people tend to stick to those - just need to do a bit of research.

    I know those chains you refer to as I have bought a few of them, they are clearly fake but not bad quality and work fine

    • bargaino on 06/12/2024 - 10:39

      Yes, it is too hard to make a fake derailleur when Shimano sells them so cheap.

      I thought that might apply to bottom-end Tourney level chains. The fakes are getting very good. Packaging is much better than it used to be.
      The links look original to my eye, but too loose - like the rollers were made for a 9 or 10 speed chain. That can't be good.
      Also, the plastic bag is different. The quick-link is wrong, and supplied in a tiny zip-lock bag.

  • Ocker on 06/12/2024 - 10:05

    Let it be a warning - the vast majority of name brand goods on AliExpress are counterfeit

  • raisinberry777 on 06/12/2024 - 10:42

    For OP: Shimano chains and pedals online are rife with fakes - definitely a no-go. I'd flat out just avoid AliExpress for chains due to the proliferation of fakes.

    There are plenty of good Shimano OEM pieces on AliExpress. Two stores that are definitely legit are 'anrancee' and 'Yiwu Donglue' - have bought a variety of Shimano parts from both and they've been legitimate. Prices not so competitive on small pieces like chains but great for groupsets.

    ccache.cc is my default pick for the Australian online retailers. Don't forget that 99 Bikes will price match if it's easier to go through them.

    • bargaino on 06/12/2024 - 11:02

      99 Bikes will price match

      You mean they will match Pushys prices for in-store sales? I did not know that. Thanks!
      Needs "membership", but that is only $5 and some spam.

      Those stores look great, have bookmarked them, thanks again!

      • foodsnob on 06/12/2024 - 11:30
        +2

        99 Bikes will beat the price match by 5% for prices by retailers that have a physical store in Australia. I haven't tried price matching Pushys yet but it might work because they have the Canberra store. Just make sure to calculate the price beat beforehand because the staff don't like to honour the full price beat and rip you off that few cents or dollars.

        • bargaino on 06/12/2024 - 12:34

          "If you find a cheaper price elsewhere, we will beat it by 5%. This applies to any cheaper price found on an online store or in a physical store, in Australia."

          The catch is "inclusive of delivery fees" - so you pay delivery even if in store?

          BREAKING NEWS: 99 currently has the SRAM PC830 for $14, not in stock at my local, but free delivery!! Ordered.
          Actually, nearest stock is 2 states away. I could be waiting a while.

          … seems to be free delivery on everything. Is that an error?

          • foodsnob on 06/12/2024 - 13:08

            @bargaino: sorry, 99bikes must have changed their policy in the past year or so. If they are price matching online stores, then that is pretty good. "inclusive of delivery fees" is designed to catch the dodgy pricing ones e.g. $2 + $25 delivery compared to $15 + $10 delivery. So yes, I think in that instance, the price beat would be against the total price including delivery even if you are paying in store.

  • foodsnob on 06/12/2024 - 11:28

    Not really answering your question but I prefer to support local bike shops that have a physical presence (especially if they have a website where I can easily browse all their stock so I know what I can buy, some shops are still stuck in last century sadly). I hate how more and more bike stuff is being pushed online when I need stuff urgently or require a physical inspection of the item to see if it works with my kit. I would even prefer to shop at 99bikes (despite how much I hate their customer service, still my last choice for physical stores). You can get genuine stuff for pretty good prices (can also price beat by 5% at 99bikes) especially during the sales. It is good to have somewhere you can immediately go to without having to wait for shipping for parts and consumables that you need urgently. Like when I crashed and needed things replaced urgently for an event on the weekend.

    Really rate ccache.cc (stores in Sydney and Melbourne + large online store) which have good prices.
    My Ride is really good as well and has a solid online store. My local store (Collingwood) does good price matching. They price matched with Bikebug without even having me to find the price.

  • coffeeinmyveins on 06/12/2024 - 11:47

    So are there any sellers who can be trusted in China, when they say "genuine original"? I see no official Shimano store.

    Why would an OEM be selling on alix , even if it's made in China?

  • LurkingLurker on 06/12/2024 - 12:38

    I buy all my chains from Aliexpress, but I only buy YBN chains. Haven't come across any fake chains just yet. I bought a pair of Shimano disc brake rotors on Ali from a random Choice store and they were genuine.

    • raisinberry777 on 06/12/2024 - 12:48

      If you're buying YBN chains from AliExpress, how can you tell if they're fake?

      • LurkingLurker on 06/12/2024 - 13:54

        YBN is a much lesser known brand so less incentives to fake them. I weighted the first chain I've bought and also nothing was off about the packaging. I also clean all my chains with an ultrasonic cleaner before first install, since all YBN chains uses Chromium Carbide pins and rollers they shouldn't rust during the drying process.

        I've only bought from Qiyuan Store and Racework Store so YMMV.

    • bargaino on 06/12/2024 - 12:59

      random Choice store

      I was searching on "choice" before, and now think that all the chains on Choice are fake.
      The more respectable looking stores, which sell lots of genuine components, and I suspect genuine chains, have substantial delivery fees.

      Anyway, no more buying chains, rotors, or brake pads for me, except from reputable stores.

      How do you know the rotors were genuine? Serial number QR code?

      • LurkingLurker on 06/12/2024 - 13:38
        +1

        You're right, I don't actually know if they are fakes. But I assumed they were real after comparing it side by side to my original rotors and they also weighted the same as what was specified on the Shimano website. I have done 3000km on them with some hard braking speeding down hills and there are no signs of defects. So even if they are fakes they are amazing fakes.

  • altomic on 06/12/2024 - 18:04

    Genuine shiman0

  • bargaino on 10/12/2024 - 17:01

    FOLLOWUP:

    My other chain from Aliexpress arrived, a base model KMC Z8.3, which as far as I can tell is genuine. Was $15 inc tax delivered. None of the many clues seen on the fake Shimano.
    Google tells me the more expensive X-series is commonly faked though.

    Meanwhile, my 99bikes order from last week is still "processing".

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join