PSA - Replica 1-1/8" Chris King headsets

[Cloverleaf]

There is an interesting development occurring, which is down to the internet. The eastern brands are on the rise, and gaining traction. Perhaps imitation does lead to innovation.

In photography they're actually innovating way more than the likes of Canon and Nikon are, and while some stuff is clearly influenced by other products, a lot has actually got very clever and unique engineering in it. They've taken the original designs and massively improved upon them. Of course the good stuff is rarely the 10% cost of the western stuff but more 50/60% but I think this actually reflects the relative quality of manufacturing too. Not all of these companies in the far east can be tarred with the same brush.

 

[Canuk]

I think at nearly 6000 euro for a disc frame, the likes of Colnago will eventually eat themselves. They're all only one natural disaster/COVID type lockdown/financial collapse away from 'Colnago no more'. If it's one thing the recent natural disasters have taught me is even the biggest institutions can fail, and nothing and no one is beyond the hubris of this totally unpredictable era

 

[d8mok]

ref £90 for a headset ! thats exactly the reason why i said about money then sense.

i have an FSA the pig headset on my commuter bike and its probably done around 12,000 miles over the past 3 years and has never needed new bearings. it prob cost me no more than 20 quid.

back to the topic of fake items, if there wasnt a market for them then companies in china or anywhere else wouldnt make them.

we live in a throw away society and dont expect things to last forever so why pay lots of money for a product we know will fail/break or fall apart within a few years or less.

Since headsets is the chosen topic. I’d argue that a CK is as far away from throwaway as possible.

I’ve one I bought new in 1999 , still smooth. And likely worth the same now as when new.


I’m a big believer in cost of ownership when buying items like this. I’d much prefer to pay more for a quality / desired item which will return a good resale value when it’s sold or even last multiple years longer than the cheaper item.

 

[d8mok]

I think at nearly 6000 euro for a disc frame, the likes of Colnago will eventually eat themselves. They're all only one natural disaster/COVID type lockdown/financial collapse away from 'Colnago no more'. If it's one thing the recent natural disasters have taught me is even the biggest institutions can fail, and nothing and no one is beyond the hubris of this totally unpredictable era

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/...million-in-sales-ceo-shares-the-brands-secret

 

[Canuk]

I've got a steel record headset (Nuovo Record) which after 45: years and several bikes is still as good as the day I bought it ( second hand!)
Buy well, buy once...

 

[Canuk]

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/...million-in-sales-ceo-shares-the-brands-secret

They might have jam today, but there's no guarantee they will survive whatever natural/financial catastrophe that lurks around the corner. Let's face it, no one could have predicted the total chaos of COVID, and it's almost certain similar is inevitable.

I'd hazard a decent guess America is their biggest market, by far. What happens if Trump slaps a 40% tariff on European imports? Goodbye profits, hello future instability.

 

[Cloverleaf]

They might have jam today, but there's no guarantee they will survive whatever natural/financial catastrophe that lurks around the corner. Let's face it, no one could have predicted the total chaos of COVID, and it's almost certain similar is inevitable.

Anything where the brand's substance becomes marketing in the majority is massively susceptible to shifts in buyer perspective or value. If they've marketed it as an ultra premium brand to the City lot rather than serious cyclists, then they need to understand that these buyers are transient and once another sport becomes trendy they will flock to the new hip thing quicker than they can blink. All of these investment funds do the same thing; buy a brand with substance and a reputation and leverage these things to maximise profit for a few years while not investing in the brand and then offloading/shutting when profit margins begin to take a dip as buyers realise that what they used to believe of as the brand no longer exists. Image and marketing are fickle and history is littered with illustrious brands who haven't understood the value of what they had and why it existed.

 

[highlandsflyer]

In photography they're actually innovating way more than the likes of Canon and Nikon are, and while some stuff is clearly influenced by other products, a lot has actually got very clever and unique engineering in it. They've taken the original designs and massively improved upon them. Of course the good stuff is rarely the 10% cost of the western stuff but more 50/60% but I think this actually reflects the relative quality of manufacturing too. Not all of these companies in the far east can be tarred with the same brush.

Canon and Nikon are not going to splash their wad prematurely. They have a customer base to feed iterations out to. The frames being made and sold online via the sites mentioned are starting to stand up quite well to those sold by the established brands. I'm not in the industry, so know only what I hear around the folks who are.

 

[Canuk]

C64 was made in Italy for sure.

The Colnago group has the odd person who buys a fake C64 and it’s pretty obvious they are fake if you have a real one to compare to. Its not even small details but quite big things which is wrong on them

I've seen an example of the C68 disc for real, I'd defy anyone to tell the difference between the fake and the original. The paint and finish is matched 100%. It wouldn't surprise me if it came out the same carbon mould (not unusual for a mould to go 'missing' or get stolen).

The difference in price is about 5000 euros. You can see the appeal to a Colnago lover who doesn't have the dollar to splash.... Apparently the demand on the home market, China, for quality European fakes is huge.

 

[Twozaskars]

unless you happen to be trying to make large profits from stock of old stuff you've stashed.

Are you against this sort of thing?