Can you ID this bike?

[AlmostUseful]

A guy at work has just bought a cyclocross bike (with road tyres) and he wants some decals for it.

it's bare carbon, and probably a Chinese knock off but he wants to know what it looks like so he can get it stickered up.

Any ideas if it's a copy or a fresh design?

[TwistingMyMelon]

Maybe an open mould version of this: https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/build/specification...

[Digger]

Assume he's tried asking the seller if he knows/knew?

[AyBee]

Does it matter? 99% of people won't know anyway so he might as well pick his favourite brand. Given the wheels are Giant, I would stick Giant stickers on it myself.

[poing]

Personally I'd leave it as is but if I felt the need for stickers they would be silly and not bike related in the slightest. I'd have Spongebob, Lego or something childish and silly. Actually I'd probably make it look like an Italian police motorbike just because you can.

[AlmostUseful]

Yes he did ask the seller, he bought it 2nd hand too so didn’t know.

I quite like the idea of Lego decals, he likes a bit of Lego so it would suit him!

[g7jhp]

Star Wars decals

[dantournay]

Looks like an open mould Bianchi Zolder / Fuji Altamira CX 1.5 to me

https://www.bianchi.com/global/bikes/bikes_detail....
http://grit.cx/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/IMG_8549...
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/fuji-altamira-cx-15-bike-2...

Edited by dantournay on Thursday 22 March 12:44

[Ianeire]

The bike is a replica then don't go stickering it up as if it's a genuine frame IMO.

[yellowjack]

Ianeire said:

The bike is a replica then don't go stickering it up as if it's a genuine frame IMO.

The thing is, if it's a "catalogue" frame from one of the big Far East factories, then it's probably exactly the same as something branded that's on sale somewhere at a vastly inflated price, and almost certainly as good.

"Stickering up" frames goes on a lot, and it's why you need to keep your wits about you buying second-hand.

I'm on the lookout for a classic mid-1980s Raleigh Record Sprint, for instance. Not the world's greatest bike, even back in the day. But I want one for sentimental reasons. The thing is, they are popular on the classic bike scene, and so there are more and more "restored" bikes cropping up with asking prices running close to £300 at times. Many of them are clearly lesser bikes, painted or powder coated, and an ebay decal set slapped on them. You can see at a glance with some of them, as the tube shapes and tube joints are plain wrong.

Back to our "open mould" bike, and what you're getting, even incorrectly "stickered up", is going to be far closer, and in some cases identical, to the branded bike you're "faking" it up as. So long as you don't intend to deceive a purchaser by making a replica, then the only issue I can see is one of copyright infringement. Buying open mould frames and re-branding them in volume to deceive and defraud? All kinds of wrong. Slapping a decal set onto one bike that you already own? I wouldn't do it, personally, but hey? Who's getting harmed by it?

[yellowjack]

g7jhp said:

Star Wars decals

This, to me, is a good call. It's a bit sinister and "evil Empire" looking anyway. And a Death Star headset cap from Kapz...

...would look great on it, along with a few Imperial emblems, perhaps the rider's name along with an Imperial officer's rank badge along the top tube?

It would make it unique too, so less attractive to thieves I should hope...

[AlmostUseful]

Even as a non star wars fan I can appreciate that top cap, it looks rad.

As far as decals go, I’m in favour of him stickering it up as something, anything, just because as sleek as it looks in the carbon - it’s still bloody boring!

[gazza285]

Is it a De Rosa?

[poo at Paul's]

AlmostUseful said:

it's bare carbon, and probably a Chinese knock off but he wants to know what it looks like so he can get it stickered up.

if it is 2nd hand a Chinese knock off, why would anyone buy / ride such a thing? Faceplants at 25mph when the frame or fork collapses on a ripple in the road aint going to be nice!

[idiotgap]

Some of the Chinese frames have quite a following. The suppliers are not small outfits and whilst some open mould frames are sold direct like this one, probably many others are sold to the likes of planetx and Ribble with their branding. Out and out copies of famous frames like the dogma perhaps aren't such a good idea, but there's probably not much wrong with a dengfu or whatever standard offering. It depends how much you believe in the marketing we are fed.

[AlmostUseful]

poo at Paul's said:

if it is 2nd hand a Chinese knock off, why would anyone buy / ride such a thing? Faceplants at 25mph when the frame or fork collapses on a ripple in the road aint going to be nice!

And yet here it is, a few years old (presumably) well ridden and still in one piece.

[yellowjack]

AlmostUseful said:

poo at Paul's said:

if it is 2nd hand a Chinese knock off, why would anyone buy / ride such a thing? Faceplants at 25mph when the frame or fork collapses on a ripple in the road aint going to be nice!

And yet here it is, a few years old (presumably) well ridden and still in one piece.

This might interest people thinking about a ~Far East "no brand" bicycle...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfgTXFx4Ins

[meehaja]

Giant Wheels I think?

[gazza285]

meehaja said:

Giant Wheels I think?

Look pretty normal sized to me.

[gazza285]

TwistingMyMelon said:

Maybe an open mould version of this: https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/build/specification...

Looks pretty similar, but the Ribble has through axles.