A few days ago, a series of videos started spreading on Chinese TikTok and various other platforms. The first one showed a cyclist whose brakes failed while going downhill, causing him to crash. He was using the Magene QED groupset, as, being Chinese, he wanted to have a complete build of Chinese components to support domestic brands. But is Magene really at fault? Let’s look at the case more closely, from an objective perspective. You can also watch or listen to the following video.
The cyclist in the video is Le Dingfei. On August 10, he posted a short video from the hospital. He had gone on a cycling trip outside of town and ended up crashing due to brake failure in both calipers. His leg was broken and required surgery. While he was waiting for his ambulance, he recorded his friend testing the brakes on the crashed bike. Even with both brakes fully pressed, the bike did not stop at all.
Dingfei called on Magene to pull the product from the market. For several days, nothing happened. Magene representatives learned about the case quickly. They sent technicians to visit Dingfei in person and, among other things, even bought him a wheelchair (lol). The technicians checked over the braking system. Later, the company released an official statement, which you can see in the original below. And by clicking here, you can read a free translation.
Magene’s official statement blamed Dingfei for using lightweight brake rotors from Chaser Sports, along with resin brake pads, claiming that his pads were low, with only ¼ braking material left. Magene also blamed Dingfei for not having an an authorized Magene technician perform the installation. Dingfei received a lot of criticism and backlash on social media as people criticized him for neglecting maintenance and being a heavy rider. Dingfei defended this, and his mechanic turned out to be an authorized reseller and installer of Magene, Shimano, and SRAM components.
Ding’s mechanic conducted an experiment where he sanded the brake pads down to the bare metal of the pad backing and put them in both Shimano and SRAM calipers. Both systems allow emergency stopping even when the pads are completely worn out, as the pistons depress fully and force the worn-out pads to make contact with the rotor. The problem seems to be not the caliper itself, but the fluid reservoir, which is probably too small, and it visibly fails to compress the pads enough to make contact when it is low on pad material. If all this information is true, this is a serious engineering and design flaw that could literally cost you your life.
Dingfei initially received a lot of doxing and backlash on social media for speaking out. Since objective evidence of the Magene product failure was produced, the online opinion has shifted to support him in criticizing Magene publicly.
Chaser Sports (ultra-lightweight disc rotors) also released a video showing rigorous product testing and braking performance even with low pad material on non-Magene braking systems. Dingfei points out that the use of metallic pads is only a recommendation, not a requirement. The disc rotors are compatible with both material types.
At the end of Dingfei’s most recent video, he films his wheelchair in the corner of the hospital room, and he thanks Magene. “Buy Magene, get a free wheelchair.”
I’m curious to see how this whole thing plays out (and I’ll update this article accordingly). But in this case, I’m behind the cyclist. Magene should issue a recall until the whole problem is properly investigated and addressed, rather than releasing a statement to shift blame to the consumer and other components.
