THE CHINA EXPERIMENT: COSMETICS -- SPOT THE DIFFERENCES

The fake frame arrived today. As promised, i will subject the same to a variety of tests to determine its road-worthiness. I must emphasize that i am NOT promoting fakes, but to see for myself if the accusations that it is a deathtrap is true or not.

The frame is an even 1,000 grams -- 20g more than the 980g of an original. The frameset weighs in at 1.5kg, or about 140g more than the original Oltre XR4. What is 140g? Bumili kayo ng supot ng mani na 200g, kain kayo ng 1/4, and put in your hand. Yan po ang diperensya.

The frame itself feels and looks like plastic. Ganyan pala basta matte finish. Check the photo below, tinabihan ko ng monobloc na magkaparehong kulay. There are also imperfections at the seatpost and logo areas.

But how does one really spot a fake frame? At least insofar as this frame will show,:

1. Check the UCI seal. While the original will have the OL4 prefix (which stands for Oltre XR4), the replica has the quizzical prefix SEM2.

2. Check the Bianchi badge at the front. Note that the original has black paint surrounding the name and at the indentations of the crown and wings.

I will do a more comprehensive side-by-side comparison when the bike is built. Stay tuned.