"VIA" ("Vehicle Inspection Association") is stamped on all Shimano parts. It is an official approval stamp used to certify parts of Japanese vehicles - including bicycles. Didn't know that. Thank you for posting

I never would have even imagined counterfeit bicycle chains. It makes me wonder what other parts are out there that could be counterfeit.

My first encounter with a fake Shimano chain in my shop was mind blowing. It happened two years ago when a customer brought in a new out of the box Canyon bike for me to assemble with all Di2 Ultegra. When I installed the chain, it just did not want to shift correctly. Little did I know it came with a fake Shimano chain. After fiddling with the weird shifting issues, I knew something was wrong with the chain. That's when I realized the packaging was just not up to Shimano's standards as the clear crisp plastic package that held the chain was dull and soft. I also noticed the embossing on the links was deep and over stamped, where real Shimano chains is light stamping. So not having a Shimano chain in stock, I installed a new SRAM 1170, and suddenly everything worked and shifted Perfectly...! To learn that day that now there are fake Shimano chains, REALLY PISSED ME OFF! So from that day on, I only install SRAM chains, because for some reason, there are no fake SRAM chains, that I know of... And why that is, I have no idea... So from now on if a customer or you as an end user, play it safe and order SRAM chains because I know for a fact that no one yet has produced fake SRAM chains. This all has happened because Shimano stopped selling to bicycle distributors about 8 years ago, thus opening themselves to a lot fake Hanky Pankey.

Dude, you're a life saver! I bought a KMC chain off of Ebay a while back and never thought about measuring the links on a new chain. My chain only had 300 miles on it and was stretched to 1mm. Replaced with a new XT this morning and everything is back to normal. Huge thanks!

I watched another video of yours before watching this one and I commented on it. Thanks for showing us your testing here after doing 150+ miles on the chain. My fake chain looked like crud after a couple of weeks of riding. I am not sure if it destroyed the outer ring on my crank sprocket after using my fake one for 2,300 miles but, my crank does have 9,300 miles on it and it's probably time to replace it anyway. The new real Shimano chain slips on the out ring. I was sad because I thought, great, I got to replace my chain and $55 105 R7000 Cassette at the same time when I just bought the cassette locally 2,300 miles ago. They were telling me that it was much better than the Microshift that I had on before but, at least I got three chain changes off of the Microshift casstte before I replaced with a Shimano R7000 one. My whole gearset is now R7000 105. The microshift cassette came with the new bike and it was the only thing they cut a corner on.

I purchased two fake Shimano DA chains from Amazon. The chain broke in a sprint causing me to crash and injure my shoulder. After telling Amazon and trying to return and get a refund they denied that the chains were counterfeit and would not refund me my money. I will never purchase any Shimano parts from Amazon again.

I bought two chains on Amazon a few months ago, one was genuine, one was counterfeit; both came from the same seller in the same order, so I’m not sure resellers even know what they’re getting. I didn’t know the difference at the time, so I did my normal post-purchase process on them: complete degrease of the factory coating, hot-dip waxing, then store for later use. It was completely random that I grabbed the counterfeit to use, and it was pretty obvious from the start that something was wrong with it: the shifting was actually worse than the previous, worn chain, but the cassette and crank rings all looked fine. I pulled the chain and put the other one on, and everything was butter. That’s what started me looking for details on counterfeits, and I’ve been on the lookout ever since.

I just replaced the drivetrain on a buddy’s bike. He unknowingly supplied a counterfeit chain from Amazon. The chain would bind up with the new dura ace guide wheels and was unusable. Fortunately I had a real chain and it worked perfect. Thanks for the video.

Thanks as that's something us part time amateurs would of never known. Once I ordered two billeted steel car steering components that were supposed to be the same part, but they came from two different suppliers and one was obviously cheap pot metal. I wasn't aware they were doing the same with bike components until I caught your video. Thank you again for spreading the awareness.

Shimano is large enough to afford to pay attorneys to go after these spurious products. Fake Rolex watches are one thing, but a fake chain could result in great harm or even death if it fails. The average consumer will not know that they have purchased a fake chain. I mean, who would even think that a thieving company would sell counterfeit chains? There must be big money in it. What a shame.

Thank you Joey, very useful information to know !

I had no idea this was a thing, I’m glad I came across this video

Just bought two of these chains, on eBay in the past six months, paid 32.38 for them, they are fake! In the trash they go. Thanks for the video. Won’t waste my time or money again on one of these chains, thanks for the video! 😊

Nice survey! Thank you.

Same thing happen to a bike I built for a friend. It was a shimano chain that broke on his first ride and knew at that point it was counterfeit. Popped the defective link and "fixed" it with a quick link only to have it break again 15 rides later. He is now running a Sram chain.

Cool video. Got me spooked of Amazon!

Thanks for the real information!!

I bought a SLX chain from Amazon that stretched to .5 wear in less than a week of riding.

I learned something new thank you.

I fell for one of these off Ebay it was not even super cheap, paid little attention and just fitted it, it was just very noisey and terrible shifting, assumed it was the cassette but put on a new cassette (no change) before I looked at it in detail against a Duraace chain on my S5 and realised it was different in minor ways. With a real one fitted (with original part worn cassette) all was working fine. The seller obviously knew what it was as they said keep the chain and offered a refund as long as I did not give feedback. They rely on people not noticing or realising the time to follow up with the seller is not worth the effort. Binned mine after 20km but I expect it would have had the same wear issues as yours.

I do another of repairs for local riders. One guy, an absolute mountain bought 3 chains from ebay. I put one on without a quick-link and he snapped it. I replaced it with another he'd bought. Same again, snapped. On the 3rd chain I put in a quick-link to make sure it wasn't me. He snapped it nowwhere near the quick-link. I dug the last box out the bin, blatantly fake. Replaced with a real one still going strong.

Thanks, but THE biggest and most obvious difference is that HG chains have inner plates that extend past the roller face, which is why HG chains are not compatible with some narrow wide chainrings and wheels. That would have been easy to show by looking through the chain instead of the sides, or by placing the loose roller on the inner link and showing the difference.

great video, good catch. I wouldn't have known just by looking at the box or component. who's selling counterfeits???

Thanks for the info.

My man Woody Harrelson in the real v fake YT reviews 💪

I have four of the fake ones that I picked up at the start of the pandemic parts shortage. Planing on doing some art projects with them.

I got burned by this today. Thanks for sharing to help inform unsuspecting customers.

Very useful Joey! Thanks!

i was a victim of fake Shimano chain, my usage lasted more than a year, one thing i noticed is that the chain is not smooth when pedaling and shifting gears, i tried fine tuning my front and rear derailleurs but to no avail, when sprinting the chain feels flexy and the chain got longer earlier than expected. I have suspicion already since most of my older bikes with shimano chains never had any problems like that, I check it on google and confirmed i got the counterfeit. I immediately removed it from my bike and replaced it.

Speaking as someone who has a low-cost Shimano component in my Amazon shopping cart *right now*, let me just say I'm glad I saw this video.

I bought a di2 front ultegra derailleur from Ali express. It was only $30 cheaper than rrp and my LBS confirmed it was genuine. 12000km later still goes strong

A customer brought his bike in and included a counterfeit chain. I asked him if he had good insurance, especially dental insurance. He didn't know that there were counterfeit chains for sale until we showed him. It's important to mention that they apparently aren't heat treated correctly and they are brittle and prone to cracking.

Just ordered a pair of shimano 12 speed master links to carry in case of a breakage on the trails. Any tips on spotting a fake one of those.

But if I learned to identify the actual Shimano chain in this video wouldn't there still be differences between the looks of Ultegra vs Dura-Ace normally anyway? Actually dumb question... but though "XT" and "XTR" lingo was only used for mountain bikes. Is there just overlap between the two segments when it comes to chains so Ultegra is Deore XT and visa versa while Dura-Ace is the same as XTR? I know a lot of this is probably going to change now anyway. :P

Actually, I never thought about that, thank you for sharing I’m wondering what about a whole range of chains starting from 7s

I inadvertently acquired a KMC counterfeit chain. It broke on my first ride using it. KMC replaced it at no cost. Very reputable firm.

Assuming a lack of consistency in tolerances as you note and thicker/heavier alloy I’m wondering is there a noticeable difference in weight between fake/genuine?

Had one of these come through my stand this winter. The snap link wouldn't pass the top pulley in the derailleur. Too narrow.

so useful. thanks.

And what about the hardness on the contact points , where the real friction appears and material disapear ... How could be tested , with a small file ??

I use 10X Lupe magnifying glass whenever had a doubt for generic products.

Quicks links packed together with the chain in the same wrap is by far the most obvious give-away that the chain is fake. Shimano never does this. 0:19

Thanks so much ! Saved me from an eBay disaster

Strength test be interesting, but that sucks I'll have to check though my chains and see what I've worn out, 1 I had didn't last long I'm wondering

So how do you make sure you buy genuine when shops like amazon have fake chains ?

I just got one of these from "The Shimano Store" on Amazon. Pretty good counterfeiting on packaging, but worked terribly and upon closer review had some weird grease and weird stampings on it.

The trade for saving little money over quality is way more expensive

If you look at the diagram on the package it shows a picture of both solid and hollow pins. So perhaps Shimano makes both? Solid pin makes more sense for mountain bikes due to the dust.

Thanks Joey. I've been a recent victim - two separate purchases from the same Ebay UK seller. Chains had all the issues you raised. I reported it to Ebay - that didn't take too long and wasn't too hard. They've promised a refund for both......I await with baited breath. Do you think cassette wear would be accelerated by using the fake chains?

901 dura ace is usually hollow pin too.

I have a friend who gets paid from a Chinese company to ride their copycat parts. They buy him very expensive bikes he rides in for a while. And they take the bike back, and replicate the parts. They sell these parts around the world. I had a pit bike store and it was the same story I made a lot of knock-off frames similar to bbr frames. And they were selling for half the cost.

I had a chain breaking on me as I was pedaling raised off the seat, some speed and pushing my weight on the pedal ... *I fell pretty bad* on the country road, on dust basically. The chain was a worn out KMC (9 speed) and I think it was genuine. But buying a fake chain that will break even faster is a real danger. I wasn't afraid of chain breaking until this happen 😕 Honestly I don't like how they add more and more speeds (now ~12) and make the chain thinner and thinner 🤦‍♂ It is like marketing that compromises safety.

Grat video, thanks for the Info That is super annoying. I can replace a chain, no problem but I would have no idea that it is a fake and would wonder what is wrong… Hint: If buying via Amazon look who is selling the components. Shipment via Amazon is not a guarantee. But there are reputable sellers, parts dealer, local businesses using this platform. Chose those sellers in doubt.

tank you sir

The machinery and equipment needed to produce a chain is enormous. To copy someone else's chains tells me there is a huge markup.

I have had lots of issues recently with my chains (KMC) wearing out VERY FAST and now I think I know why. Maybe they have been fake as I got them from ebay. I got them from bike shops on ebay so thought that would be OK but now I am thinking maybe not

Crazy!

This just happend to me. Because it was going to save me 15 bucks I got a cheap ebay chain. I broke it on a sprint 100km in. First thing I noticed and Im guessing because of the poor tolerances it would skip in the 10t cog. Learned my lesson. I wonder if all the cheap shimano stuff on ebay is fake also :/

i both love and needed this video. Here is one for ya. I bought what i thought was two fake Shimano chains. Luckily one was 8 and the other 14 bucks Cdn. One is a fake but the other is not.but, it is in fact repackaged and I suspect it may be a testing chain or chain takenn off and old bike then acid dipped. does this sound crazy to you?

Im convinced i got a counterfeit set of Shimano brake pads. They look the part but glaze over instantly. Ive stopped ordering anything from Amazon.

I wonder if the fancier finishes on SRAM and KMC are harder to counterfeit? Another reason to get bling chains! And another reason to buy higher end chains as the real thing will be easier to detect, eg., chamfered edges and hollow pins.

Oh no! I just got a Shimano Dura-Ace chain new off of eBay. Now, I’m wondering if it’s the real deal, but the only way to really look into it is to take the chain off for maintenance. Ugh!

I stopped buying shimano parts on Amazon due to counterfeits years ago.

👍 Very Good.

That's why I always buy from a shop or reputable company online. Trouble is everyone wants a bargain and ends up buying these junk chains.

On a critical part like a chain I would avoid using Amazon. Amazon is fine for bike parts just not when it comes to chains. I go to my local bike shop where he's an authorized Shimano dealer.

Merci!

Sgimano has factories in China. Your seeing variations in tooling.

wowwwww, thats gonna put tons of extra wear on your drivetrain being that stretched brand new from the factory

So where do you recommend buying a chain? To make sure it's authentic

I guess where there is a market there will always be counterfeiting happening.

Those are not "cuts" they are ramp cut slots, they assist in shifting due to the 11 and 12 sprockets being closer now this leads to less jumping out if there is a slight derailleur indexing offset.

This concerns me. I often find myself in situation should my chain break I could lose my life because I ride in heavy traffic and have to power out of the way of fast moving vehicles like the Suburbans they use for Limos in my city.

So, how does one ensure he's getting a genuine Shimano chain?

I got a fake Dura Ace chain from Amazon that did have hollow pins.

I cycle on an embarrassingly tiny budget, so my philosophy is that it's all right to buy cheap parts, as long as you're matching them with other cheap parts on a cheap bike and doing it on the understanding that you're not going to get pro-level performance, reliability, durability, or peace of mind. A bad chain will destroy quality components very quickly; the secret is to use garbage throughout [yes, I'm being serious🙂]. When you're running cassettes that cost £5.00 and chain rings that cost £3.00 each, it really doesn't matter what a £3.99 chain does to them! I work them till they expire, then just buy more cheap trash. Yay! In my experience - 15 years of economy biking and over 50,000 miles - a £4.00 chain will last at least two years, and I've had no problems with worn-out sprockets or missed gears. Admittedly, my standards and expectations are about as low as you can go, but I nonetheless get great personal mobility for no more than £10 per year. I imagine most people reading this will happily spend five times more than that on a lightweight water-bottle and carbon-composite bracket... On a serious note, it pains me to see honest people being conned by fake components. Buying a cheap chain for your £5,000+ bike makes no sense, but putting a £3.99 chain on a bike worth £35 - like mine - is fine. People with expensive bikes should expect to buy matching parts. Trying to economise just ain't wise! Selling counterfeit parts is a different matter, though. It's an actual crime. To be 'genuinely' counterfeit they have to be deliberately copying the authentic ones, and marketed as such: same packaging, colouring, lettering, same 'quality control' holograms, and (worst of all) same price. Paying a lot of money for garbage is insane, but it's not too hard to avoid as long as you choose your sources carefully. Not everyone lives near a proper bike shop, but if you do, buy stuff face to face, over the counter. Shop owners care passionately about their reputation; if they sell you something marked 'Shimano' [or whatever], you can be pretty d*mn sure it's the real thing. A shop owner knows that selling fake goods will get him into a lot of trouble - either with Trading Standards or with the disgruntled customer who might make his grievances known in the car park with the aid of a couple of mates armed with baseball bats. If you're spending a lot on performance-critical components and going for mail-order, please, ONLY order from real bike shops (they all have websites these days). Shopping online is fine, but avoid the obvious rip-off options (like the famous 'e-*ay' auction site, or the one named after the gigantic South American river) because they're crowded with stuff that might be genuine... but maybe isn't. They also sometimes sell repackaged, returned goods - which may have been swapped by unscrupulous customers for rip-off garbage before returning them for a refund. It's a jungle out there. The safest thing to do, if you want guaranteed quality, is to buy from a genuine shop's website. If your bike's good quality, it deserves it. The 'Shimano' chain in this video looks like a true counterfeit item, with the packaging clearly designed to deceive. If it cost the same as the real thing, it's a real counterfeit and belongs in an industrial shredder. But if it only cost ⅓ the price of the genuine Shimano item, nobody should be buying such crap and expecting it to be of Shimano quality. I can't sympathise with people who buy duff products at bargain prices and expect them to match the real thing. A plastic, 'gold' 'Roolex' or 'Ohmyga!' wristwatch is obviously a fake, but no harm is done if it's priced at £4.99. As I said before, all my bike stuff is low quality, but I'm not proud, and it gets the job done within my tiny budget. The important thing is never to mix the good and the bad. I stick to the bad. So, peeps: caveat emptor. 🙂

i put a brand new YBN chain on my trash bike and broke in the first 100 meters not even under heavy load

I bought a fake shimano hg54 chain, the packaging looks close to the original. After a week of usage. The link starts cracking. More like 10 links.

Are there fake cranks? I bought a Shimano GRX crank on Ali. The price was so good I assumed it was fake. But it looks real.

👍

The markup on these named brand bicycle parts are insane. Hundreds of dollars for something that probably cause a few to make. Not that they nit quality but still.

за подделки над привлекать к отвествености ! репутация шимано и так пострадала директору шимано надо радикалыне меры принимать !

I've received fake items on Amazon. When I post negative reviews that state they are fake, I get banned from posting reviews. No apology, no comment that they will address it, just a move that makes me feel like they don't care.

This should be seeing legal action against these. This can kill people.

I had the OEM Shimano 105 11 speed chain on my 2015 Cannondale Synapse carbon snap on me in 2021. I also bought a spare Shimano 105 11 speed chain in 2015 as backup from Jenson USA and installed after the OEM chain broke. Today 2023 the chain snapped.....so maybe these chains only have a shelf life of 6-8 years no matter how many miles you ride. The metal is brittle....would be great if they put a manufactured date or expiration date on these chains.

Fake parts are a big problem... I bought many pieces by amazon... It's hard to admit

I bought this HG 95 Deore XT 10 Speed Fake- Chain on Ebay for 15 Dollars (Original Price is 23 Dollars) and thought that this chain is legit, but soon after 800 km wondered why this chain did not work properly anymore and simply rusted away when is was supposed to last 2000-3000 km minimum based on my former experiences with this particular HG 95 chain. The result was catastrophic since this chain destroyed the brand new Deore cassette and all three brand new chainrings just after 800 km driving around in the city. I will never buy again a new chain from Ebay since its one of the most important parts. Its not worth to save five bucks but to have a lousy performance thus reducing all chain related parts on your bike within a blink into rubbish.

Real chain is more yellow. More nickel im assuming?

Those fake chains lasts 150-300km till complete worn-out. Checked that couple years ago with cn-hg73 which was got for free in pack of 10 :) All worn-out the same.

偽物最初からチェーン伸びてるのほんま草

9 out of 10 of our chains in the Philippines is fake - from China. It took me over a year to figure out what was happening. Now, every time I return to the USA, I stock up on original chains. A fake chain lasts for about 1,500kms and destroys your chainrings. An original one lasts for 5X that distance and only 20% of your chainrings will be worn.

Appreciate the effort, but it'd be better if the comparison was between fake Vs real of Ultegra, or fake Vs real of Dura-Ace, rather than between real Ultegra Vs fake Dura-Ace.

i may have bought a fake shimano chain. after only 3mos use, it broke. almost every other outer plates have cracks on them.

My fake chinese shimano 11 speed chain was incredibly dangerous..multiple cracks in the links

I bought some fake SPD cleats from Ali Express: made of semi hard cheese!

Where was the fake chain purchased from? So we'll know to avoid...

Purchase once. Cry once.

You’re not comparing the same models.

I looked forward to being Illuminated as to how I can identify a Chinese knockoff Shimano. // Listening ...blurp squnk groan splutter.... I think I got it. Cheers mate.

I use fake shimano chains, because they last 3 times less, but cost 5 times less. They are just more cost-effective if initially marketed as fake