A little backstory;
I live in Asia, I don’t ride here, but I’m always on the bike when I go back home a couple times each year, my bike, gear and everything is there and I have a track on my parents property.
I was recently invited to go on a 3 day trail ride here and a bike is being provided for me, I actually just recently coincidently bought a new proper helmet and Alpinestars boots to take home on the next trip. (I have about 4-5 gear sets at home)
There is fake Moto gear available online here, so I decided buy a set and check it out, I’ll probably only use it the once so if it was junk, it doesn’t really matter, I just wanted something to wear and really don’t need another full set of gear.
it arrived today, and WOW! It looks, and feels EXACTLY the same as the real deal. I bought a retro style FXR kit, it’s well put together, great material, you honestly can’t tell. Then the Goggles, these are Identical to my 100% goggles at home and like 1/10th the price.
FXR gear set was $40
goggles were $10
gloves were $7
amazing!
Could be that they’re not actually fake and just sold out the back door of the factory
Either way, score!
Yeah that’s honestly what it seems like to me..
Goggles are fake by looking just foam, not many layers like real one but gear looks like real thing.
nothing cool or amazing in buying counterfeit stuff.
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I'm not arguing with your opinion at all, but t's not counterfeit, although some would say it's worse.
A lot (or almost all) of gear companies have their stuff produced 'over there' and the Chinese have absolutely no morales, customer loyalty or business etiquette, so they often just sell it themselves for nothing.
It sucks for the companies who have done the research, the design, and paid money for production and shipping etc for inventory only for the company they've paid to produce their products to undersell them...
But money talks. Perhaps the actual gear companies need to adjust their prices as clearly they are putting MASSIVE markup on this cheap Chinese clothing.
Not judging anyone or picking sides, just saying.
Everything looks on point tbh but I’d change out that goggle lens for a genuine one.
wonder how many riders these fake sellers sponsor?
There is something to what you are saying..
if this company can sell a set of gear at $40 and still make enough profit for it to be worthwhile, you can’t convince me that the legit stuff needs to be 10x more expensive..
I remember something very similar going on with otterbox phone cases back in the day. The people making them at the factory were selling them on ebay for 1/4 the price of one from otterbox. They were the same case made in the same factory. snuck out the backdoor(or hell maybe even walked out the front door) and sold.
It's not. The quality is way of from real FXR gear. I bought a set, just to see and compared it to some genuine stuff. The jersey is decent, but the sizing is off. GThe pants however are horrible. The plastic buckle is very different from the metal ratchet system FXR uses and breaks really easy. The leather isn't leather, it rubs of real quick. leaving holes on the knees. Absolute junk. I hope for FXR, that noone buys this knockoff crap, thinking this is the quality the brand provides.
if you don't like the prices brands are putting on their stuff, don't buy it. This doesn't justify buying counterfeits. Somebody invested in the brand to make it available and desirable. Those guys selling copies for cheap, steal all that work and make profit from it. Would you buy other stolen stuff? Probably not.
Its cool and amazing, until it affects your own income.
And this whole myth about counterfeits being the real stuff, just from a different channel, is as old as aliexpress. Might be true in some seldom cases, for the majority its not. They're just really good at copying.
I got legit 100% mtb glasses from Ali for 17 dollars shipped. Case, 3 lenses and and everything.
Backdoored obviously, but it makes you realise that 200 dollar glasses cost fuck all to make…except for the marketing/sponsorship and large exec salaries component of this.
Me i dont care for Athletes getting free gear, because they are pros, that we subsidise. It makes sports participation way more expensive.
Look at it in a different mindset. Why do they deserve the cheap ride, when we are the ones funding the Industry?
Make it here and it wont get backdoored, helps contribute across way more boards, and doesnt exploit cheap labor.
Id pay $100 for these glasses if made here. But theyre out of a 3rd world economy sold at first world/manufacturing prices. Think about this.
You could have just ordered a clearance set off the FXR website for close to the same price right now with the Keefer code.
$56 for this set here.
Also, the couple of people I know that ordered the fake FXR gear said it ended up being junk and falling apart.
Most "real" gear is junk and falls apart in no time. The prices are outrageous for how long it lasts.
Boots and Helmets from the big players seem to last, but the gloves, jerseys and pants... all start coming apart after a couple of rides.
Why do you need the 100% logo on your glasses if you don't like what they're doing?
I wasnt looking for them. I saw the and the price and went what the hell, they need to be bad copies. To my surprise they weren’t. Made me think.
This info is free at https://www.importyeti.com/, really interesting to see who makes what for whom.
(This is only sea shipments to the US, so if the cargo lands in Canada or Mexico then that shipment won't be captured on ImportYeti)
Pit Row
This is reminding me of these knock off Pro Taper grips I am seeing on bikes/Surrons up for sale on the used market. I’d imagine it would cost a small fortune for any company to go after all of these copy cats.
Not really FXR has to pay the salaries of all the people they employ. These factories are getting paid by FXR to produce stuff then skimming off the top by selling out the back door.
Lucid Manufacturing producing some knockoffs labeled as replicas.
I’m waiting for a gear company to make solid gear but not sponsor a bunch of pros, that’d let them make a solid profit selling at reasonable prices. $200+ for pants, $80+ for a shirt and whatever the goggle companies charge is getting stupid..
Having the gear made is the cheap part. The expensive parts are designing the gear, testing, artwork, marketing, freight, warehousing, distribution. FXR pays for all of these steps and if they stopped doing it there would be nothing to be counterfeited.
it’s a lose-lose for FXR and if more people keep buying the knock-off stuff they’re not going to stay in business for long.
I can tell you that the fake 100% are not the same size, tear offs do not fit. We wasted a lot of time at a recent LLQ trying to match tear offs to them, after the 3rd pair it was obvious. Foam is total garbage and I wouldn't trust my eye's to a knock off lens.
If you want companies like FXR and 100% to continue to make quality gear support them not a foreign billionaire that has slave labor producing copies, only to save you a few bucks.
If a company wants to take advantage of low wages in Asia they should know to expect higher logistics costs and leaks/counterfeits.
I wouldn't say it's a lose/lose scenario or put blame on the consumers for saving money. Outsourcing labor is a choice FXR (and most others) decided is better for them.
Threads like these are why I come to Vital. 😆
There are some things I will buy "knockoffs" . I don't mind supporting a company that did the research..... But price the shit reasonably. Example: A light mount bracket that cost nothing to produce from Touratech...$100. Can buy one for $12 or less on EBay. Made by the same manufacturer the same quality.
Some things there's no way it's worth buying knockoffs.
Glad to see everyone so happy to lose good jobs in our economy just to save a couple bucks. Repeat this story for the last 30 years and you’ll understand why the middle class and mfg has gotten annihilated in the US. Enjoy your race to the bottom.
MSR?
Just a friendly reminder that Renen, Pete Fox's emerging gear company, makes their gear in the USA.
https://renenusa.com
100% agree. I love how people on their high horses are arguing how wrong it is to pay a fraction of the cost on essentially the same product. Some people don’t have the money to buy authentic, only to ensure that the owners/ceos continue making $175 off of every $200 set of gear that they sell
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