Mixed reports on the Chinese rearsets. Some say they’re utter shite and some are happy with them. What I would say is, remove all the bolts and locktite them back in. Might also be worth replacing the M8 or M10 bolt for the foot peg.
Had a set very similar a few years back - locktite is a definite requirement all the bolts fell out / came lose all the time, they were OK
Look good in the pictures but I can't see how you can make something like that for that sort of money would love to have a look at a set
Cheers folks, much appreciated feedback. Akorenika - do you have experience of dealing with AliExpress? I've never heard of them, I notice the price is in US dollars, will this cause problems at customs? Mixed reports indeed, just like the Curate's Egg. I'm no racer, so they won't be getting dog's abuse. I'm no w/e scratching maniac, my prime concern is an adjustable option to relieve the stress on my dodgy knee, and of course a nice bit of bling! Yup, I would of course Loctite everything, that's SOP. As mentioned in a precious post I'm a bit loathed to spend an extra £200 notes plus on a set just because some Italian engineer can laser cut his brand on it. Plus as the bike is really just a summer w/e toy I don't want to be going crazy; SWMBO just won't wear it! I suppose they can turn them out so cheaply because the wee china man operating the CNC machine won't be earning £40 grand a year like my neighbour who makes Turbine blades for RR in Glasgow. ATB BTD
I use AliExpress a lot. It's the same stuff that's sold on eBay just cheaper. You pay with credit card so exchange rate is applied. Customs is the same as it is with eBay in principle. Ebay doesnt mean you don't have to pay duties if it comes from outside the EU. I reality, I have only ever payed duty once and that was due to me asking for courier delivery like DHL. They will always do customs clearance. If you use the free China post delivery and wait the 20-30 days it doesn't get checked. Ali express resolution centre was very good for me too. Only ever had one problem and got my money back in a couple of days. You take your chance with quality but that's no different in eBay.
Roger that. So you found it cheaper but just waited a while? Saying that I bought some farkles for the KTM made of pure chinesium from source, although they said 20-30 day delivery they were here in ten, can't fault that.
I had a carb for a leaf blower arrive in 5 days for 4.50 including postage. I have also waited much longer but I always got my stuff.
As Bret says, loctite all bolts and expect to tarnish quicker than the £500 job bikes, otherwise had several sets and never an issue
For me, it’s a no. It’s just the confidence that they are using grades of alloy that don’t fracture etc and that the QA is good enough on them. It’s such a safety critical item that it makes me nervous tbh and would rather go with a brand that has a reputation to protect and ‘something to loose’ if that makes sense. There’s other non safety critical stuff on the bike that I would use Chinese or other suppliers for happily but not footrests
I had maddog rear sets from ali express on my 899, went for silver so the scuffs didn’t show. Loctited at the start and never had to worry about them after that. I can’t get my head around sets costing £500+, though oddly won’t flinch at paying that for other things.
Personaly ,i would not be comfortable using cheapo footpegs , or lever sets etc ,but that is just me and i am sure plenty of people have and are quite happy .
I had a pair of short levers some years ago and the quality was superb. There is always a question over the material. on the other hand the Chinese really are trying to get a reputation for quality in their own right and not just branded stuff like Apple or Samsung. My wife works in Pharma and most medicines are produced in India and China. China produces the high quality, difficult stuff as their production facilities are second to none. I'm not talking your tesco paracetamol but complex high quality medicine produced for one of the world's leading Pharma companies.
You really don't have to Loctite your boots for them to stay on, just do up the zip and pull the Velcro flap across. Jobs a goodun..
Akorenika raises a valid point. If we are happy with our Chinesium laptops, phones, computers, airline components, car components, cookers and god knows what else in our lives why not parts for our bikes? Without getting into a slagging match it has the whiff of snobbery about it. Look round your home, or your place of work or anywhere for that matter and you will be very hard pushed to find things that are not made in China. For sure they do turn out a serious amount of tat, But then so do we, and the yanks and everybody else ( C-U-Jimmy hats, British Leyland anybody, or Fiat or Harleys?) The Chinese have a Game Plan and they ain't stupid, they know they have to compete so that drags up standards and drives down prices. My Old Man explained it to me like this: When he worked in China in the early sixties a Communist Party Apparatchik he met at a function explained it thus after a few martinis and a chat about the World. The problem with the west is our leaders are obsessed with power, as are all leaders. However, in China they plan in multiple decades or even Centuries, in the West we only plan for five to ten years hence; the lifespan of a Democratic government. Slowly, slowly, catchy monkey. They have a plan and are sticking to it. Now, personal feelings aside you have to admire them for that. They are ruthless, dedicated and want to be the best, this is inculcated into them from birth. They undoubtedly will be when the US implodes as all empires do. They have been at this great game for millennia and will become the Worlds economic powerhouse sooner or later; that is why I encourage my 11 year old son to learn Chinese. It will be real handy when it all pans out. Like it or not, approve of it or not, they don't care as they have a plan. It is analogous to the thread over the page about Skodas. I drive one and love it, why should I choose to buy an Audi A6 or a top end Passat-essentially the same cars- for an extra ten grand just because of the badge that impresses my neighbours; its just snobbery and really good lifestyle marketing. I prefer to run apart from the pack, carve my own path and make my own decisions based on logical choice after due deliberation. If I do buy a set of Chinese rear sets, which I probably will, then it will be after conducting due diligence such as this discussion; if they turn out to be garbage then its only a hundred notes for a lesson learned. If I were to spend £400 on some fancy Italian set I would no doubt be initially chuffed and bask in the warm glow of my peers approval. but I would be left with a nagging feeling of being ripped off. Basically if China can churn them out for a hundred quid why are the Italians charging four hundred? Are they 400% better? I very much doubt it... Food for thought. ATB BTD
Would it not be useful to start a list of Chinese vendors that have been used by forum members where the product purchased has been found to be of good quality?
From my point of view it is not to do with snobbery ,it is to do with my life ,it is a bit late when you have to haul on the brakes and the lever breaks or your rear sets snap at a opportune moment ,putting you into the path of a lorry ,through the hedge etc .Of course this maybe a hang up from China,s earlier rep, and as the quality of their alloys improve etc than i will change my mind . On a side note though my partner works for a precision engineering company and she tells me they will only use metals from ,here ,the US and Germany but none from China because you can not trust the Quality of their metals .
Has this ever happened? Surely if it had, bike forums worldwide would have talked about it. I’ve had adjustable Clipons that were shite, first use and they moved so they went. Not broke, just slipped. Chain adjusters can be hit and miss: if you dont have stuff locked down properly could create damage and heard of one a couple of weeks ago....but why was the rear nut not tight enough to stop that’s? Heard of the occasion, gear levels adjustable toe busted with heavy downshift or snapped not bent when crashed. Never heard in 15 yrs of forums and being around race tracks of anyone snapping a lever under braking
