I recently purchased a used Impec and have some worries it may be fake. I don't think it is but there are a couple of notes that have me thinking.

Signs that it may be fake:
Weight
It was hard to find any actual data on the weight, but I read that a module is around 1790g - frame, fork, headset, seatpost. Mine is around 175g more than this.

Painted nodes
Some of the photos I've seen of these nodes look quite good where it looks like the nodes were painted separately from the tubes and then glued afterwards like: http://www.flickr.com/photos/54067629@N02/5226657731/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Others I've seen look more like mine: http://veloaficionado.com/ride-like-a-robot-bmc-impec/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; The nodes look like they're painted after the frame is assembled. You can see the paint edges around the nodes in some of the photos and there isn't a clear distinction between the two halves.

Signs that it is authentic:
Carbon weave is exact to all the photos I've seen of Impecs. There is a rectangle in between the chainstays near the BB that looks like an authentic SN starting with CH 01/12 (seems like build date) followed by a 2nd line with IP and a short sequence of numbers for the SN.

The seat tube node where the seat post clamps to is definitely a separate piece from the seat tubes. I can see where the seat tube gets cut and meets the node. Also, the seat tube and head tube appear to be solid pieces meaning I cant run my finger into the top tube from either of these tubes. I would expect a Chinese knock-off to be from a single mold rather than go through the trouble of tubes and nodes, but what do I know. Also it requires the proprietary seat post bolt (square that fits into the seatpost hole as well as the 4mm allen head).

The seat post weighs in a scant 175g which was quite surprising given its size and length.

Couple of other questions:
Are the cups that hold the headset bearings carbon or metal?
Anything else I should be looking for?

Thanks.

Drop BMC and email with the serial number and high-res photos. Simple.

Was it new or 2nd hand?
Who did you buy it from? Private individual or dealer?
Where was dealer located?

BMC has been radio silence.

Weights given are always tricky and difficult to keep even. But more importantly, why did you want an Impec in the first place? They have some other very fine bikes indeed, but that Impec, hmmmm.

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Editor dude
http://www.slowtwitch.com

I like it - and it's part of a stable.

The odds of their being faked impecs at this point are slim to none. Not many other companies can fake a one piece carbon fibre tube. If there are seams in the carbon tubing, it's a fake. The only other company I can think of making a truely one piece tube is Time. It can only be done with resin transfer molding. Trust me. Nobody's faking that. Anyone who had the ability to do that would just simply start their own line of bikes and make a killing.lol

I agree and think it's low, but I would like some confirmation on details from fellow Impec owners. Who knows what the quality of these are: http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/74425 ... acing.html

.... Wut?

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Exp001

who did you buy the frame from..?
btw 175g actual/claimed weight difference is hardly noticeable -> comment from a BH G5 owner.

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Neo Cycles

175grams...depending on which size. I was one of the few who got to build 2 impecs from my previous shop. I can say that for a 55cm (red and black color) without post, headset, bb bearings and fork weighed in at 1535 grams. So going with a bigger frame may have that jump in weight. For the headset cups, they are suppose to be alloy not carbon. Also if you look inside of the frame from either the seat tube or head tube, it should be perfectly clean as in no frilly carbon, no powder, nothing just pure carbon weaves. At a glance it should look like black Styrofoam in a sense. There are a few places on earth where you can get a Impec. Did you get it from a authorized Impec Dealer? (Not any BMC Dealer) If you can, take some snapshots of the frame so we can determine if it is a knock off or not.

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2012 Izalco Pro 2.0*Re-Grouped*

OP - As asked earlier.

Where did you buy the frame and how much did you pay for it? I believe the answer should be evident based on those...

Private sale. Cost is irrelevant. I'll post pics later, but wizzo's comments about weight make me feel much better. 175g is not the end of the world, but I don't like any of my bikes more than 6.8kgs. It's a psychological thing.

Now that's funny!

The same parts on the Cento SL you have is now on this bike. That bike weighed in at 6.5kg.