I did the same thing last week – it’s clear the parts are genuine, but I did choose to buy a new chain and cassette from an actual store near me.
dutchbrah on
Good looking bike brother
gregn8r1 on
How much did it all cost?
karlzhao314 on
Assuming you’re still writing your comment, but I may as well jump in early before the “EVERYTHING ON ALIEXPRESS IS FAKE” brigade jumps in.
To the best of my knowledge, there is concrete evidence of the following counterfeit parts being sold on aliexpress:
– Chains
– Pedal cleats
– Brake pads
– Cassettes
All of these are either simple to replicate and manufacture to a convincing degree (pedal cleats and brake pads), or commodity parts that are already produced in huge scale and would be trivial to stamp Shimano lettering on (chains and cassettes).
I’ve also seen somewhat less concrete evidence that counterfeit pedals exist, though enough of it that I’d tend to avoid buying pedals from less reputable sources.
I have not seen any evidence that convincing counterfeits of most other parts exist at all – derailleurs, shifters, cranksets, etc, especially not if they’re reasonably high-end (105/SLX or higher). Those parts are most likely too complex to replicate convincingly and manufacture at a price point that could undercut the genuine parts on the market without already having Shimano’s existing economies of scale. That’s also why Shimano’s counterfeit awareness page doesn’t list anything other than chains and pedal cleats.
In all likelihood, all of these “unauthorized” parts on aliexpress or whatnot are gray-market parts: they’re genuine and originate from Shimano, but they were sold in bulk to some company that said they were going to build bicycles out of them. That company then decided to turn around and sell them on the open market for much less than MSRP. That’s why these parts usually don’t have retail packaging (even counterfeits *try* to counterfeit retail packaging as well, given how cheap printing a box is and how much more credibility it lends).
MountainMike79 on
I did the same last Fall. Bought a mini groupo with a chain and a cassette. I have been checking the chain wear before every rewax and I have yet to see any elongation, so at this point I’m fully believing that the chain is genuine.
The only issue with mine was the colour of the 105 branding on the shifters didn’t match. One was whiter than the other.
handsdowntrevor on
bought the same gruppo last year on aliexpress, no issues after 1k+ miles
bugs101Z on
Bought twice, is using them for 3 years now
Tilmanstoa5ty on
Bought my 105 Di2 on Ali. Absolutely no issues. But if something breaks warranty could be an issue as it wasn’t purchased through an official vendor. Given the reliability of Shimano the risk was worth it for me personally.
8 Comments
I did the same thing last week – it’s clear the parts are genuine, but I did choose to buy a new chain and cassette from an actual store near me.
Good looking bike brother
How much did it all cost?
Assuming you’re still writing your comment, but I may as well jump in early before the “EVERYTHING ON ALIEXPRESS IS FAKE” brigade jumps in.
To the best of my knowledge, there is concrete evidence of the following counterfeit parts being sold on aliexpress:
– Chains
– Pedal cleats
– Brake pads
– Cassettes
All of these are either simple to replicate and manufacture to a convincing degree (pedal cleats and brake pads), or commodity parts that are already produced in huge scale and would be trivial to stamp Shimano lettering on (chains and cassettes).
I’ve also seen somewhat less concrete evidence that counterfeit pedals exist, though enough of it that I’d tend to avoid buying pedals from less reputable sources.
I have not seen any evidence that convincing counterfeits of most other parts exist at all – derailleurs, shifters, cranksets, etc, especially not if they’re reasonably high-end (105/SLX or higher). Those parts are most likely too complex to replicate convincingly and manufacture at a price point that could undercut the genuine parts on the market without already having Shimano’s existing economies of scale. That’s also why Shimano’s counterfeit awareness page doesn’t list anything other than chains and pedal cleats.
In all likelihood, all of these “unauthorized” parts on aliexpress or whatnot are gray-market parts: they’re genuine and originate from Shimano, but they were sold in bulk to some company that said they were going to build bicycles out of them. That company then decided to turn around and sell them on the open market for much less than MSRP. That’s why these parts usually don’t have retail packaging (even counterfeits *try* to counterfeit retail packaging as well, given how cheap printing a box is and how much more credibility it lends).
I did the same last Fall. Bought a mini groupo with a chain and a cassette. I have been checking the chain wear before every rewax and I have yet to see any elongation, so at this point I’m fully believing that the chain is genuine.
The only issue with mine was the colour of the 105 branding on the shifters didn’t match. One was whiter than the other.
bought the same gruppo last year on aliexpress, no issues after 1k+ miles
Bought twice, is using them for 3 years now
Bought my 105 Di2 on Ali. Absolutely no issues. But if something breaks warranty could be an issue as it wasn’t purchased through an official vendor. Given the reliability of Shimano the risk was worth it for me personally.