Counterfeit Carbon – Spotting Fake Bike Parts | GCN Tech Show Ep. 44

With Ollie away at the Taipei Bike Show and Jon in Belgium taking a look at some cyclocross tech, it’s up to Si and Chris to bring you this show. But fear not, Ollie gives us an insight into the dangers of counterfeit carbon bike parts.

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Ollie interviews Mark Vandermolen, the managing director of FSA about the propagation of fake carbon components in the cycling industry.

Last week Canyon announced the new updated and cheaper version of the Canyon Aeroad. Using the same external moulds as the more expensive premium SLX, they use a slightly less premium carbon fibre layup to create a frame that is as stiff and as aero as the top of the range versions, only a little heavier. The price is considerably cheaper too, Starting at €2699 you can buy an Aeroad CF SL 7.0 with a 105 groupset and Reynolds carbon wheels.

Enve have released new carbon forks and handlebars for gravel bikes which promise great integration and additional comfort.

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Music: Epidemic Sound
Tipsy Hunter – Daniel Gunnarsson
I Play Colors – Justnormal
Feriado – Martin Landh
Peaceful Heartbreak 2 – Per-Anders Nilsson
Speak EZ – Matt Large
Guitars De France 2 – Stefan Netsman
Afternoon Tea In Polynesia 2 – Martin Gauffin
Guitars De France 3 – Stefan Netsman
New Found Love 2 – Peter Sandberg

Photos: © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Bettiniphoto / http://www.bettiniphoto.net/

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(air whooshing) – Welcome to the GCN Tech Show. – This week Ollie is at the Taipei Bike Show in Taiwan. Jon is looking outside for cross-tech in Belgium. – Back here though, we have all the latest tech news including new goodies from ENVE, Canyon and Eddy Merckx. – Ooh. (upbeat music) (air whooshing) As we just mentioned, Ollie and Jon are both out and about hunting out the very best new tech. Jon’s trying to get his grubby little hands on some grubby cyclocross tech. Not grubby, he’s gone and landing Mathieu van der Poel’s pro bike and Marietta Voss’ pro bike so those will be both on the channel coming up soon. And Ollie, I’m really jealous, Ollie’s at the Taipei Bike Show which is one of my favorite events of the whole year. He is sending back a load of videos and he’s sending back this week’s big talking point so stay tuned for that. – More from them in a little bit then. First up we have news of a brand new Canyon. They have completely readdressed their Aeroad model and they have created a budget version, budget version. It comes in with a slightly heavier frame but is effectively just as stiff and just as Aero as the Premium SLX. – Yeah, I guess it comes out of the same mold, right? – It comes out of exactly the same mold and comes with new colors, too. – It does indeed. Now it is considerably cheaper given that the starting point is the CF SL 7.9. That’s 2,699 euros. Now of course, that is a significant investment but given that it comes with Reynolds carbon wheels and that Shimano 105 group set, it looks really premium these days. Doesn’t it? – Yep. – [Cy] When you gotta look kinda closely to see that is indeed 105. – Next up are these new gravel products from ENVE who are further blurring the line between what started as quite a niche spot and mountain biking when it was originally begun years ago. They have released these lighter and wider products. Size and comfort and stability on the rough stuff. – Yeah, we’ll start with the fork, shall we, first of all. Internal cable routing, excellent for an aesthetic thing but also, personally, ’cause I can’t stand zip ties being a fundamental part of attaching cables to your bike. – No thank you. – If they can get rid of at least some of those that will be an absolute bonus. Oversized steering tube, all importance clearance, 50 millimeters for 650B Wheels, 45 millimeters for 700C but bear in mind the ENVE have to be conservative with their widths there in order to comply by the regulations that’s placed upon them so one would assume you could probably squeeze something a little plumper in there. – Nicely. – 420 grams is the weight of that fork. – That’s not bad though, they look pretty cool as well. – Yeah. – Next up then, how about these wildly flared bars? – [Cy] I tell you what man, I bet you love a wild flare don’t you John Travolta? – [Chris] I do, yeah. – [Cy] 12 centimeters wider in the drop than they are in the tops. – [Cy] Saturday night fever. – [Chris] Yeah. And released in all the standard sizes so two centimeter increments meaning that the 48 centimeter bar will actually be 60 centimeters center to center at the drop which, if I’m not mistaken it wasn’t that long ago that cross-country mountain bikes had narrower bars. – No, I believe my first cross-country mountain bike handlebar was 21.5 inches back in 1992 and downhill mountain bike handlebars were narrower than 600 mil so there we go. – But I bet they didn’t weigh 246 to 281 grams like these do. – No. – And did they have a epic logo from ENVE either? – I seem to be fair minded to taking high tech handlebars I think were 140 grams. – What? – Still got, still got them knocking around somewhere. Yeah, anyway, you’re right, there is a very blurred line isn’t there now between gravel and mountain bikes. It was interesting some of the comments of that Iceland video where we compared a gravel bike with a mountain bike. People were suggesting that my gears were too tall ’cause I was using road gears. Maybe I should have used mountain bike gears. People were saying that my tires were a bit narrow for what we were doing. Maybe I should have used 50 mil wide and then you’re at the point where you’re like, well, I’m basically riding a mountain bike but with drop handlebars and what’s the advantage there? Why not just stick a flat handlebar on? – So you’re suggesting we go and dig our bikes out from the 90s? – Well, you know, it’d be interesting, wouldn’t it? The next video should be comparing a gravel bike to a retro mountain bike. Which is faster? (air whooshing) – All right then, it’s now time for Ollie and this week’s talking point. He’s causing trouble in Taiwan checking out unbranded carbon. – Ollie, you there, Ollie? He’s there. – I’m here at the Taipei bike show which is Asia’s largest bicycle trade show. While I was here, I thought this would be a great opportunity to chat to some industry experts and I wanted to find out a bit more about the dangers of counterfeit products. Now many of you will have heard of counterfeit products and some of you may have been unlucky enough to actually have come across them so I want to find out more about how common are they and how can you spot them and avoid buying them in the future? So to do that I’m gonna talk to Mark Vandermolen who is the MD of Vision at FSA in the USA. So, right, I’m gonna go find him. To get more of an insight, I’m here with Mark Vandermolen who is the Managing Director of FSA and Vision in the United States. So what kind of products have you seen counterfeited? – You see, in our case, we see things like stems, handlebars, seat posts. Those are kind of the main control components. Those items tend to be, especially, like I say a standard stem or a standard handlebar. There’s a lot of things that go into them but they can maybe mimic the appearance if you will and then be able to kind of copy some logos and try to put that on there. So that could be something that would come up but there’s ways that you can kinda spot that stuff. – And in terms of the sort of the quality of counterfeit products. Are there any sort of dangers? Do you see them? How do they compare to the actual genuine article? – Well, the trouble I think that the end-user has is that they can’t tell and so they may look at a stem or a handlebar and they think oh, it looks the same so it must be the same but when it comes to things like oh if you’re looking at something online and you find that the price is half of what it might be from a reputable dealer or buying from the brand and you find that, oh, hey, the weight looks too good and the price is too good to pass up that might be some red flags that maybe the end-users need to take a look at. Is this really a quality product? Is it really the name-brand product? Or am I buying something from a company I’ve never heard of before and it doesn’t look quite right? Those are some of the things that people definitely need to pay attention to. – I imagine that there’s gonna be quite a few people who will watch this and will by cynical and they will go well, of course, you’re gonna say that ’cause you work for FSA and Vision and they’re gonna say well I’ve got his product, this fake one, and I’ve got the real one and they’ve basically been made in the same mold and outwardly they look the same so I can save myself a load of money by getting the fake one. – You know, and in that case I mean, odds are they weren’t made maybe in the same mold but they could’ve been having some similar design aspects to them, especially with carbon. What you find is that outward appearances can be deceiving and so really, the structure on the inside, the layup schedule, how the carbon’s been put together, how the actual curing’s been done, how many layers of carbon they use, what orientation they were in. All those things you can’t see from the outside. So for example, if you bought a carbon handlebar and two carbon handlebars look virtually identical you might find that one could test where it’s got half as much strength as what the legit reputable branded product does because there’s a lot of work that goes into that. – Well, it’s that thing if you buy a pair of carbon handlebars and they snap. If I bought a pair of your carbon handlebars and they snap, I’d be going straight to you guys. – Well, let’s hope that there’s no problem like that. Our development, our testing, the validation that the product goes through well before it goes into the marketplace. We’ve done countless rounds of testing. There’s obviously the ISO standards in the industry to deliver safe, reliable product and we test above and beyond that and so in our case, should somebody have a problem with a product, not just a handlebar, if it was any of our products, we, obviously, we want to be able to take care of our customers and to be able to service them and to make sure that they’re safe and they have good quality products. It’s just one of those things. We put so much investment in time and effort in to trying to bring safe, reliable product to market there that it’s certainly something that maybe people don’t see on the outside but that’s definitely something that goes into everything that we would bring to market. – Nice, well, thanks a lot for your time Mark. It’s been great talking to you. – Yeah, thank you. – Cheers. – Cheers. – Right there and make sure you get involved in the comments section after that one. Some really interesting points there raised by Ollie’s story. So yeah, get stuck in. – Looking forward to scrolling through those comments next week. – Absolutely. – We’ve also had Jon Cannings out in Belgium who has been checking out all the cyclocross tech that he could get his fingers on. He was at the Pseudo Cross in Neerpelt and the Superprestige in Ruddervoorde. Check it out. – Rudeh? Say it again. – Ruddervoorde. (whistle) (air whooshing) – So this is Panda. She’s not really pandering to my attention much. Anyway, how cool is that? A dalmatian. Panda, Panda, come here, come here. I absolutely love a dog, especially a dalmatian. But she doesn’t appear to love me much. Oh well, back to the bike tech. – Right, thank you very much Jon. That’s some cracking tech there as well. We got more here right in our workshop starting with this from Muc-Off. Now are you the kind of person that wants to clean your bike with the wheels on but are worried about contaminating your disk rotors? Me neither, but if you are then this is a product for you. A disc rotor cover so you can basically clean your bike, spray your WD-40 wherever you like without any worry about not being able to stop afterwards or getting really squeaky brakes. So there we go. – [Chris] And they remind you to take them off before you ride the bike. – I would imagine that would be a sensible thing to do. – I found this on Indiegogo this week. The Boomerang CycloTrac Version Two which is an updated version of what they did the first time. – Version Two is an update from Version One. Goodness me. – [Chris] Which is the most advanced GPS tracker, anti-theft and crash detection device on the market. – [Cy] Well, there we go, and apparently trusted by police. – [Chris] It was, the first one. – Yeah, indeed, I’m not entirely sure what they were trusting it for but they trusted it. This Version Two has an update in the form of that crash detection so it’s got a panic button and then it’s got updates to the app as well. You know what? I’m not a massive fan of the idea of putting an alarm on my bike but one day maybe all bikes are gonna have them. If they’re neat enough. – [Chris] Under the stem maybe, nice a sleek. – [Cy] Yeah, absolutely, and on your city bike, Massif ebike or whatever, yeah, fair enough I think. – And we’ll finish this week’s news with this A legend is set to return to the Tour de France. Eddy Merckx’s bikes will once again be in the world tour under the riders of Anjay Dzire and look at that bike. – [[Cy] Wow. – [Chris] Everything about this bike is just so right to me Cy, everything. It’s got modern design and technology with those kind of traditional styles as well. – Yeah, it’s like a Who’s Who of European tech, isn’t it? We’ve got Mavic on there, we got Vredestein tires, we got rotor cranks, Campy group set. Yeah, you’re right, it’s great. And is it a coincidence that Eddy Merckx’s bikes are returning to the World Tour and the Tour de France next year? Probably not ’cause if you remember the Tour de France route starts in Brussels next year just down the road from Eddy Merckx’s birthplace and it happens to be the 50th anniversary commemorating his first Tour de France victory. – I wonder if Anjay dzire have any Tour de France contenders? – Remember date? (power screwdriver whirring) – And on to Screw Riding Up Grades Buy Upgrades. Nico’s Globus took a convincing victory last week with 61 percent of the votes over Justin’s Trek with 38 percent so well done to you. – Absolutely, yeah, convincing victory, right. This week we’ve got, with no romance, from Scott in Brisbane, he wanted the ultimate Zwift setup and you know what Chris, judging by those photos I think he might have got it. Certainly for you we’ve got some John Travolta disco lights. – [Chris] Yeah, you get down tonight, man. – [Cy] Check it out, a fan that might even start me sweating but probably not. That is some serious, serious Zwifting setup. Fair play there, Scott. And then what are they up against, Chris? – And that is up against Mark and Kim’s 2006 Cannondale Road Tandem. I do love a tandem. – [Cy] Nice, I like it. They said they got together five years ago. Kim was very keen to join in with Mike’s cycling and so after a few months of scouring online ads they found a rough diamond in the form of this Cannondale tandem. So what did they do to pimp it, Chris? – [Chris] Well there are few upgrades as the original was looking a little bit tired they say. So, Rolf wheels, 25 millimeter Conti tires, Shimano ice tech rotors, hybrid hydraulic calipers, and a group set upgrade as well. – Nice, there we go. – She flies, now. – Right, that’s quite a difficult choice, isn’t it, ’cause it’s so different? One is that ultimate zwift setup including disco lights and the other is the ultimate way of spending time with your loved one out on your push bike. (air whooshing) Bike of the Week now. Before we give you the images of this week’s stunners for you to choose between, what about results of last week? Well, the choice was Mateo Trenton’s Scott up against Sylvan Dilea’s Factor. And winning, with 59 percent of the votes is Mateo Trenton’s Scott. – [Chris] Yeah, there’s another walk away victory this week. It wasn’t close at all. – Absolutely, now this is another hard decision. Do you go retro, do you go modern? What have we got Chris? – We have this new release from Eddy Merckx which will be at next year’s Tour de France and is going up against a retro classic, the original bike that Eddy Merckx rode it himself to Grand Tour victory. – In 1974, it’s his Calnago branded up Eddy Merckx in the iconic multini colors. – What would you go for Cy? – This might borderline heresy. I don’t actually like the multini colors. I go for the modern one. – No, you must be– – Yeah, I’m really sorry. – the only person I’ve ever heard say that. – Oh, it’s like brown, isn’t it? – No, it’s orange-ish. – Anyway, there we go. The decision is not ours, the decision is yours. Make sure you vote onscreen now. (air whooshing) It’s time now for the Bike Vault. We have some amazing looking bikes for you to have a look at now and for us to ultimately pass judgment as to whether it is a nice or a super nice. Chris, who is up first? – Well, hang on, you’re missing the important part of the show. (cow bell dinging) The cow bell. – Wow. – Right then. – Flamboyant. – First off is this entry from June in Grand Junction, Colorado. An Orbea Orca Arrow, 2018 model. And look how beautiful those colors are. – [Cy] Sorry, the bike or the autumn leaves? – [Chris] Both to be honest. – [Cy] ‘Cause that bike, I’m loving that. What’s that blue with a bit of teal on there? What bike, rotor cranks, we got Zipp wheels. Man alive, that is a cool bit of kick, isn’t it? – [Chris] Yep, and I love the way it’s in those autumn leaves. What’d you recon, Cy? – I think you’re gonna ring that bell aren’t you? – Yeah. (cow bell ringing) Woohoo. – All right then, next up we have the Cannondale Synapse from Dave. This was taken in Mount Hood in the State of Oregon he said. He purchased the bike two years ago and since upgraded the rear cassette to a nine to 40 for climbing. – [Chris] Wow. – [Cy] Fair play. I do love that shot. – [Chris] It’s quite moody the way the bike’s not really lit up but yet everything in the background is. – [Cy] Very cool, what we gonna say then? – [Chris] I find it hard not to give that super nice, hey? – Wow, you’re in a generous mood, aren’t you? – Well. – I’d love the spirit, well, ring the bell, Chris, ring the bell. – Yeah. (cow bell ringing) – Okay, now we’ve got Roland’s specialized Diverge Expert X1, 2019 model. Jumping the gun a little bit Roland from Landshut, wherever that is. There we go, oh this is coming back to your road versus mountain bike theme. For a roady this might be a mountain bike as well as it could be a road bike for a mountain bike here. That is cool, isn’t it? Deep section Roval wheels. What are you thinking Chris? – [Chris] I think it’s pretty cool although you can’t really see the color of the frame that well for some reason. – [Cy] Yeah, it’s got camoflagued isn’t it? – [Chris] But at the same time, Cy, – [Cy] Skip all ties. – [Chris] Figure, that deserves a super nice almost on it’s own but imagine the fun you could have on that bike. – Yeah, again mate, it’s one of these difficult decisions separating the bike from the image. – Well, I’m not a photographer. – Well there’s a get out of jail free card. – What’d you recon? – You gonna ring the bell Chris? – Yes. (cow bell ringing) – Boy, whoo, there you go mate. Do you want to do your joke now? – [Chris] Yeah, it’s blooming brilliant this one. – [Cy] It is lovely, isn’t it. So this is James’ Cervelo S5. This is his new bike that he built himself at 15 years of age with Integra 6800 DI2 Mavec Cosmics. That is a serious bit of kick James for a 15-year-old. Nice work, dude. I like that very much, very much indeed. Those Cosmic’s are cool, aren’t they? How many papers did you deliver to pay for that? – [Chris] I love that, that’s brilliant. I find my hand itching to grab the bell. (cow bell ringing) Good bye James. – This is gonna be a full house I can tell, right. Lastly we got this from Dan which is his Wilier Cento Uno Air from New South Wales in Australia. Firstly, I gotta say, lovin’ that photo. That’s a good sign post to lean your Aero bike against, isn’t it? Okay, what’s he got? You know what Chris, I can’t actually see what’s on his bike. This might be a problem. – [Chris] Well it’s not ’cause I know what I want to give it already. – What? – I think it deserves a super nice Cy. – Well hang on here, you can’t do that ’cause we can’t see what’s on it. – He’s got two bottles, he’s going for a long ride, he stopped to take a picture next to a Reduce Speed sign ’cause he’s ridden so fast to get there. – Dan, you’re gonna have to resubmit man. I can’t give that a super nice ’cause I don’t know what it is. – And I can’t give you a super nice if Cy doesn’t agree. – I’m really, oh, man, what a let down at the end of the Bike Vault. Dan, please, send it in again. Show us exactly what is on that bike. Sort the cranks out, make sure they’re horizontal please and then – Oh, Cy. – Yeah. – We’ll just wait for a week when Cy isn’t in. – Good point. (air whooshing) Well, unfortunately, that brings us towards the end of the GCN Tech Show. Thank you very much to Ollie for sending his reports in from the Taipei Bike Show. Thank you for Jon for sending his report back from Belgium. Chris, it’s been an absolute pleasure sitting here with you, mate. – Well, thank you for having me, Cy. Sweet to get to be here. – I’m not sure I’m the host but there we go. Right, anyway, please give this epic thumbs up and if you would like to check out another video here on the Tech Channel why not, we’ve been talking about gravel versus mountain bike, why don’t you check out that Moots Routt 45 that I was lucky enough to cycle around Iceland on.