Interesting article in Performance Bikes this month testing a standard Japanese wheel (Suzuki) against a Chinese copy (I didn't even know they were copying OEM wheels and selling them on Ebay!) They put both on test with interesting results. Having gone to the trouble of deciding on doing the article with laboratory tests it would have been better if they had picked some rear-sets and levels for comparison too, at least for the alloy casting quality and material tests, but I guess the wheel was picked as it was a direct copy of the OEM part.
You tight bastard - have a read in the shop, too much to write here, but a short synopsis especially for you Underperformed quite a lot on some tests like impact to rim but the casing was slightly thinner here. Equal on casting analysis and air pockets and surprisingly good on material type used, i.e. a good medium quality casting grade alloy, which is why it would have been good if they had tested rear-sets and levers at it would have dispelled the nervousness of some. Bearings were rough though. Slightly heavier but not much.
it must be a northern magazine coz no shop seems to stock it round here... would you buy chinese wheels?
No, I would by second hand OEM if I needed standard wheels. Or second hand yummy wheels if not standard. Same with levers and rear sets.
I'm afraid I don't buy Chinese anything for my bike if I can help it. They're copyist manufacturers interested in bulk and cheapness rather than primary engineers concerned with quality, innovation and development. No doubt that will change but they've got a long way to go yet. Some Chinese manufacturing is very good but a lot of it is still dire. And the problem is its usually impossible to identify a particular Chinese manufacturer and choose whether to buy or avoid. Its just "made in China" inc. which isn't good enough for me. I'd rather pay for Japanese or European than play the Chinese lottery.
An bike magazine did a comparison between a well known aftermarket carburettor and a Chinese copy the Chinese copy was 7% down in terms of horse power on the dyno test however the dyno test was interrupted by mechanical failure of the bike concerned when a screw holding the butterfly in the carb mouth came loose and was sucked into the engine you pay your money and you make your choices
Being made in China (or Taiwan) is not a bad thing. The issue is the governing company and the standard of QC they demand for the end product. World's best quality electronics are all made there. The US or Europeans really don't have good quality manufacturing in Europe. They outsource to China/Taiwan but demand a level of QC that the domestic market may be willing to let slide. Eg, Apple, IBM Thinkpads (now China owned Lenovo), etc. Similarly look at photographic equipment - majority of Nikon/Canon stuff is made in China (and Thailand) and very little is made in Japan any more. Even German Leica are now mostly Panasonic products which are often made in China.
As spareparts says. A lot of Japanese stuff is made in China I have a Daytona Engine. It's Japanese but made in China The company specify the materials and quality they want. This means it is twice the price of a Chinese "Stomp" engine equivalent but half the price it would have been had it been manufactured in Japan
In discussions with Maidstone Motoliner and other wheel straighteners, it became clear that genuine Japanese cast wheels from a few years ago were stronger in normal use and race use circumstances than Italian wheels from the same era...........However, a hard impact on a Japanese wheel, say, a deep pothole; could easily lead to a cracked if not smashed Jap wheel, whereas the Italian ones would bend and were more likely to be satisfactorily repaired. How the modern Jap and Italian stuff compares, I don't know; but I would certainly avoid buying Chinese made parts.
