Fake Paul Klampers Sold on Aliexpress and Ebay

[spoonrobot]

I think this should be it's own thread so it is easier to find and reference. Any item seen for sale on Aliexpress branded as a Paul Component item is a counterfeit, a fake.

Some have speculated these are fake listings so the seller can commit credit card fraud or other scam. This is incorrect, the items are counterfeit products produced by large factories that specialized in such items. The same firm that produces counterfeit Klampers will produce other items as well - watches, tools, fasteners, etc.

The Klampers specifically do not have the right geometry and do not function correctly. They also show indications of lower quality material used in the internals. Other Paul counterfeit items should be expected to have the same issues, wrong material, incorrectly produced/machined/heat treated, etc.

Be aware that these items have been produced and in the market for at least 14-16 months. They are being sold on eBay and may be sold by mainline retailers due to return fraud and contaminated third party product streams.

Note that parts can be changed with genuine Paul parts to produce a more convincing fake. Evaluate the whole item when looking to purchase second hand.



Here are the things I've have noticed common to counterfeit Paul Klampers being sold on both Aliexpress and Ebay:

Wrong barrel adjuster
Wrong caliper body screws
"USA" is undercut much closer than spec (there is variation here but in the hundreds of genuine Klamper pics I looked at none are cut as close as ALL the fakes are cut)
Fit and finish is poor - seams, machining marks, etc
The black anodized version does not have anodizing inside the threaded mounting holes
The "P" in "SP" on the lever arm is too long and low
Inside is full of highly adhesive, low quality red grease, often the pistons are rusted or show evidence of corrosion removed previously


Here are two more listings, one silver is very clear to see.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/166545423846

This one is insidious because the seller has a bunch of genuine NOS/Vintage stuff which lends legitimacy - they may or may not be aware they are selling fakes.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/134878094335

The screws are the biggest tell, AFAIK Paul does not sell the caliper body screws and they have a unique head appearance.

Guess which fastener manufacturer marks their heads "HUA"

FAKE (note the font, kerning, and general appearance of the text on the pad adjuster).


REAL


Some of the old PM Klampers had screws with the bolt head markings from domestic (USA) manufacturers. None of the Flat Mount variations should have markings on the screws, and none should say "HUA".

Note the well in the pad adjuster should be beveled and chamfered NOT
square cut. Fake on the left:


It's possible to replace the pad adjusters, barrel adjuster and so forth to help present the counterfeit as genuine. It's not possible to fix the machining marks and low quality overall, nor have I been able to find screws that match the correct Paul screws.

So the biggest thing would be overall quality of the fit and finish, and the caliper body screws - anything other than the Paul screws and it's a No-Go in my opinion.

If you cannot see several good quality, with good lighting, pics and confirm the genuine article yourself do not buy. The supply chain is now and forever contaminated. Unscrupulous sellers, ignorant sellers, regardless.

Originally Posted by spoonrobot

Here are two more listings, one silver is very clear to see.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/166545423846

This one is insidious because the seller has a bunch of genuine NOS/Vintage stuff which lends legitimacy - they may or may not be aware they are selling fakes.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/134878094335

Looking at this closer I believe these two sellers are the same entity. I believe they are mass selling counterfeit Klampers.

Here's a pair sold in Australia (this one is interesting because one caliper looks like it has some genuine parts but both have fake caliper bodies):
https://www.ebay.com/itm/386419284493

And another pair sold in the USA:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/166356253119

And another
https://www.ebay.com/itm/166426238079

Scrutinize:

[merckx]

This is a very helpful post. Thank you.

[bikinchris]

Seeing a high quality product made as a counterfeit is anger producing. BUT today, any product that is likely to be counterfeited, especially one that has a respected name.

[AngryScientist]

Thanks for this. Very helpful.

[bshell]

What a bummer for PAUL and the used parts market.

But also, why can't Paul manufacture these to retail at $39.21 already??

I kid, I kid.

Great detective work. I'd never buy from aliexpress but I do peruse classifieds now and again for legit Klampers.

[BRad704]

"d0 n0t rem0ve"

[nmrt]

This is not only a bummer for PAUL used market. If you search on Aliexpress, you will see fake/counterfeit merchandise from PAUL, INGRID, Chris King, Cane Creek, Intend (boutique German bike parts mfg), White Industires, Deda, etc. In many cases, the fake goods look like crap. But in a few cases, you really need to study the details to distinguish the real from the fake. At Ali, you know it is fake. But once someone buys these from Ali and then sells them to someone who then sells it to someone else, how is a buyer down the line to know whether they are getting a used but also a REAL component.

And this is the sad part.

Originally Posted by bshell

What a bummer for PAUL and the used parts market.

But also, why can't Paul manufacture these to retail at $39.21 already??

I kid, I kid.

Great detective work. I'd never buy from aliexpress but I do peruse classifieds now and again for legit Klampers.

[palincss]

The long and the short of it is this: if it's on AliExpress, it's fake.

[adub]

Originally Posted by palincss

The long and the short of it is this: if it's on AliExpress, it's fake.

Not always so.

[2metalhips]

Caveat emptor!

[fourflys]

so here's the thing, IMHO.. most people buying PAUL components are somewhat educated (you don't just know about PAUL stuff unless you're in the sport/hobby) and, therefore, should know that new, $40 Klampers smell a little funny.. anyone looking for PAUL components, I'm guessing, have an idea of what they cost.. 30 yrs ago when social media wasn't a thing and news of folks getting scammed wasn't all over the place.. sure, maybe you thought someone got a great deal on some overstock Klampers (like there is such a thing, but..) Today, I just can't see someone seeing those at that price and still believing they are real..

now, where the real issue is (and I think someone mentioned it above) is when someone goes to sell these as used and are asking 50% of new, real Klampers and some unsuspecting person get screwed..

so good stuff above on how to ID these, awesome stuff Spoon!

[krooj]

Originally Posted by adub

Not always so.

Yeah, definitely not. There are large Chinese outlets like FarSports that only sell their rims on Ali. I feel like this whole thing is just caveat emptor: if it looks too good to be true, then it likely is. Unfortunately, you can't control for malicious actors that will do things like return fake merch in legit boxes.