Just avoid Aliexpress. I have even forbidden my children to buy clothes there. Poor quality and it ruins the environment!

I haven’t bought helmets, but I have bought a $27 knock-off (Giro D’Italia) cycling kit. After nearly a year of wear and no special treatment, it has worn normally.

Sometimes, if it’s already made in China, you are buying the product directly from the manufacturer and cutting out the middleman markup.

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DFL > DNF > DNS

Not just the middleman markup, but all markups. E.g. the people who designed the helmet. It's theft. I don't have a huge problem with things like Dengfu bikes, because at least they don't steal the branding. But something they steals the Evade name and logo crosses the line for me.

I'll not wade into the argument of whether or not one of these replica helmets is safe. You're a grown up, you can make your own risk/reward assessment. If you intend to use the helmet in competition, however, keep in mind the rules of your sanctioning organization. For example, USAT rule 5.9(a) says, in part:

All participants shall wear a protective head cover, undamaged and unaltered, which meets or exceeds the safety standards of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and which is clearly labeled by the manufacturer as satisfying such standards.

While the original Evade obviously meets the standard, I doubt the sellers of the AliExpress replicas have gone through the process of registering and certifying with the CPSC. It's a long shot, but you could technically be disqualified for wearing one in a race. I wanted to buy a Carnac TT helmet, sold by Planet X, because it's quite affordable and has tested as reasonably aero. I didn't pull the trigger, though, since it wasn't listed in the CPSC registry. That doesn't mean it's an unsafe helmet, just that Planet X is a Euro-centric brand and didn't see the value in getting their helmets certified in a market where they weren't expecting to do much business.

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"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"

Good point! I wasn’t planning on racing with it as I already have a Smith Podium TT. Although, the issue of how safe the helmet would be is a pretty big deal.
I heard the same argument with foakley sunglasses and opted for Oakley’s.
Protecting your eyes and head are important. Interestingly enough, I had to send my Smith helmet for a new one because the mips was coming apart after three uses in races.It does make me question manufacturing standards for all products. Most of this stuff is made in China.

I bought a helmet that looks like the old evade for $25 last fall. It's light (255g in L) fits well, and has the Euro test certification.

There are a lot of places were saving a few pennies makes sense to me but skimping on a helmet just doesn't. I don't know about you but my life is worth more than that and I would hate to put my family in a terrible situation because I was trying to save money. Just because two products are made in the same country doesn't mean that they are the same quality and will offer the same protection. You are an adult and can make your own decision but before you do, ask yourself if it's really worth it.

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Brian Jacobson
Fit2Ride Velo Studio
http://www.fit2ridevelo.com

Sounds reasonable, but you have too much faith in a bit of styrofoam and plastic. The cheap helmets that pass the test are not inherently worse than the expensive ones. I've wasted too much time studying bike helmets and their effectiveness. The conclusion is that it ain't much at all; the fatality rate is essentially the same vs not wearing one. If they made a decent light and ventilated helmet with softer padding (not certified) I'd use that for daily riding, as that would be more effective in non-fatal impacts at least.

I agree and frequently advise my customers that a less expensive helmet that has passed all the tests have the same basic safety as the expensive helmets that pass the same tests. However, the key is that they pass tests. I have personally cut open a couple knock off helmets and have seen the voids in the foam. I personally don't skimp on helmets but everyone is free to make their own choices.

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Brian Jacobson
Fit2Ride Velo Studio
http://www.fit2ridevelo.com

You would need to have rocks in your head to think for one second that buying a cheap knock off helmet was somehow a good idea.

Aren't we taking about helmets that pass the test? At least they have the sticker.

The original poster asked about a helmet from aliexpress that looked just like the Specialized Evade. There is no guarantee they have passed any tests, even if they have the sticker.

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Brian Jacobson
Fit2Ride Velo Studio
http://www.fit2ridevelo.com

At least the one I have makes no reference to Specialized or the Evade, and is a different brand. It isn't counterfeit IOW.

I worked in the anti-counterfeit industry for 6 years. I would never, ever knowingly buy any counterfeit or knock-off product of any kind. The main reason is safety and quality. The counterfeiter and product pirates use the cheapest, inferior materials and these are often toxic and dangerous. They also have zero quality control and perform zero safety testing. Zero. However, they will absolutely copy any and all safety certifications and include these false safety qualifications with the product.

If you buy knock-off or pirated/ counterfeit products "of any kind" you are taking a substantially high risk and you are also supporting organized crime, terrorist organizations and the black market. It's a very well documented fact that most counterfeiters are manufactured with forced labor, including child slave labor. I can include links to a dozen US Government, European and other Int'l report if anyone would like.

find a diffferent way to save money.

There are lots of ways to save money in this sport, but definitely don't skimp on a helmet. I'm the ultimate bargain hunter and still drop the money for a helmet. Bicycle magazine did a spread on this last year and it showed the difference between real and counterfeit. The article showed that they appear nearly identical except for the internal skeleton of the foam, the counterfeit got absolutely destroyed in the test.

Don't skimp on a helmet.

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Team Zoot 2023

I'm sure they'll work fine 99.9999% of the time... it's just that 0.0001% of the time when you head is crashing into the tarmac that you need to worry about!

Would you use a Chinese knock-off parachute for skydiving ?

What ever your answer, I think it's the same answer for a helmet.

Why does everyone keep focusing on the "chinese" aspect of this?
"Made in China" does not mean cheap crap, and than "Made in USA" does not mean high quality.

The problem is not where it's manufactured. The chinese build plenty products as well or far better than the americans or anyone else. The important issues are who builds the product, what standards they do or do not adhere to, and who profits.

We all know that. The focus of his sentence was clearly on the words “knock off” and not Chinese.

Regardless, I’m with others. Brakes and helmet are two decisions for which I will not roll the dice.

I really think that's not clear.

Anyway, I agree there are components you really should prioritise dor reliability.
For me they include:

• Wheels
• Tyres
• Brakes
• Stem
• Bars
• Helmet

The same for my car. Tyres, brakes and steering have to be in perfect condition.

I guess some of us go through life assuming the best in others while others go through life assuming the worst. Maybe you are right, but it was clear to me; others can speak for themselves.

I would definitely buy one. It would fit perfectly with my counterfeit wireless brakes.

I spent nearly 3 years working with the WFSGI (world federation of sporting goods industries) in a technical role related to cycling but also on a committee focused on Corporate Social Responsibility. I've spent a ton of time on the ground and have been in some of these factories and can tell you first hand that the situation today regarding knockoffs and fakes is far from what it used to be.. or what you want it to be

There are 3 types of fake/knockoff:

The backdoor deal: these are products made by the real factories which are snuck out the back.. this is what everybody wants to believe they are buying. I can tell you first hand that real Nike and Specialized factories have exceptional security and inventory control protocols that limit this almost to single items. At some night markets in shenzhen you can pick a shoe from a table of options of what is being made currently and they will make a cell phone call to a family member who can smuggle one out later that night, throw it out a window, etc.. The reality is that this type of product exists in extremely low numbers and is NOT what you are buying on Aliexpress... these things come out the backdoor in super small quantities nowhere nearly large enough to support internet sales, and the risk to the factories and employees is exceptionally high.

The Fake or Knockoff: the fake is taking advantage of cheap labor and idle machinery to either manually replicate tooling and manufacturing of a product, or to laser scan it for tooling in order to make a cheap fake at very low price. The Fake is meant to trick westerners into believing that they are buying a real item without all the markups and is probably the most effective of all the strategies, and Fake products generally do NOT have branding on them or have minimal branding, for instance you can find luggage in every market in Vietnam with Samsonite branded liner and they will tell you 'same-same' as Samsonite, but looking closely, nothing else is branded, nor similar to the real thing. Same with shoes, Nike without the swoosh, but with a swoosh on the footbed.. If a Fake has conspicuous branding it is usually a Counterfeit which is different. The Fake is generally being pushed by 2nd or 3rd rate factories who have capacity or who are struggling to make products at a level acceptable to Nike or Adidas, etc.. I toured a factory making kids Sketchers who had knocked off a very high end Nike and was selling it as the identical looking show without the swoosh or the right foam trying to 'prove' to Nike that they were capable of entering the supply chain. We see this online with unbranded frames that are 'same as Cervelo' or similar wording trying to get you to believe it's from the same factory. It's not.

Typically for the very high end or new stuff, the brands separate and control the supply base, so for instance with React and the Vaporfly stuff, Nike currently controls carbon plate and React foam molding with one vendor, sending controlled quantities to the assemblers who make them into finished shoes.

Often time producers of 'Fake' products step out on their own, or channel their skills to trying to brand build. If a company is saying: we are Din Tai Fung Bicycle Helmets (there's a joke in there...) and our address is XYZ Street in Taichung, then they are most likely a legit 2nd or 3rd rate supplier trying to have a go at it, but similar they generally will not fully copy a design and certainly would never overstep TM violations as that can keep them from landing large contracts with real brands.

Lastly:
The counterfeit. The counterfeit is the worst of the lot and generally exists outside of the standard supply base well beyond the 3rd tier suppliers and is often funded and operated by organized crime or mafia interests. I've seen these outfits first hand after they are busted, and it's frightening and appalling. Those fake Louis Vuitton handbags may have been sewn by children ankle chained to sewing machines, that 'Pinarello' and 'Specialized' frames on Aliexpress may have been laid up by a modern day slave, somebody trying to work off a debt to a human trafficker, or being held a hostage or the like and who likely has never seen carbon fiber before and who knows that they have a quota to fill but who has no understanding of the item they are being forced to produce.. True counterfeit goods are quite often connected to organized crime, used to fund terrorism or human trafficking, and often tangentially or directly related to drug trade.. etc. Beyond the risk of quality and safety with these items, you really don't want your money being used to support these outfits.

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