Ciamillo Brakes - Warning!

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wheelsONfire
Posts: 6283
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2014 8:15 am
Location: NorthEU

by wheelsONfire

dmbiscuit wrote:
Wed Jul 06, 2022 4:54 am
Has anyone else has Ted Ciamillo just keep their money, never deliver a product, and never complete a refund? I'm still dealing with Ted to refund me for the Gravitas I was dumb enough to order on faith. Sharing my embarrassment hear to help others not make my same mistake.
Did you pay with paypal?
Bikes:

Ax Lightness Vial EVO Race (2019.01.03)
Open *UP* (2016.04.14)
Paduano Racing Fidia (kind of shelved)


Ex bike; Vial EVO D, Vial EVO Ultra, Scott Foil, Paduano ti bike.

by Weenie


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dmbiscuit
Posts: 61
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2021 4:10 pm

by dmbiscuit

wheelsONfire wrote:
Wed Jul 06, 2022 1:34 pm
dmbiscuit wrote:
Wed Jul 06, 2022 4:54 am
Has anyone else has Ted Ciamillo just keep their money, never deliver a product, and never complete a refund? I'm still dealing with Ted to refund me for the Gravitas I was dumb enough to order on faith. Sharing my embarrassment hear to help others not make my same mistake.
Did you pay with paypal?
The only payment option he gave was Zelle, which has no purchase protection (didn't know at the time) and should have been a red flag.

He did finally refund me today after nearly three months of lies and delays. I left a pretty scathing negative review on his trustpilot rating which finally got his attention. I'd recommend anyone who has dealt with him to leave an honest review.

dmbiscuit
Posts: 61
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2021 4:10 pm

by dmbiscuit

One more detail, he repeatedly requested I change or delete my negative review before he would issue my refund, which definitely isn't ok.

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ms6073
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Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2004 8:24 pm
Location: Houston, Texas

by ms6073

dmbiscuit wrote:
Wed Jul 06, 2022 2:18 pm
One more detail, he repeatedly requested I change or delete my negative review before he would issue my refund, which definitely isn't ok.
Isn't that a violation of EU e-commerce law, not to mention the Terms of Service for most online platforms? I find it amazing there are so few negative reviews given the difficulties many have listed in this and other threads, yet Ted has an 82% rating on Trustpilot: Trustpilot Ciamillo Reviews
- Michael
"People should stop expecting normal from me... seriously, we all know it's never going to happen"

dmbiscuit
Posts: 61
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2021 4:10 pm

by dmbiscuit

ms6073 wrote:
Wed Jul 06, 2022 2:31 pm
dmbiscuit wrote:
Wed Jul 06, 2022 2:18 pm
One more detail, he repeatedly requested I change or delete my negative review before he would issue my refund, which definitely isn't ok.
Isn't that a violation of EU e-commerce law, not to mention the Terms of Service for most online platforms? I find it amazing there are so few negative reviews given the difficulties many have listed in this and other threads, yet Ted has an 82% rating on Trustpilot: Trustpilot Ciamillo Reviews
Oh it is 100% against trustpilot terms, and since this was a refund for a product not delivered, as opposed to a "customer service" refund, I'd even think it's braking a law or two. I've already reported it to the trustpilot legal department.

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Superlite
Posts: 2325
Joined: Fri Aug 29, 2003 9:01 pm

by Superlite

A quick update and shouldn't be surprising...

On flats these brakes have been OK. However, when using them on some rocky mountain descents they are absolute garbage and I'll say dangerous to use.

I expected the braking performance to be poor compared to the major brands, but nothing like this.

I bought a set of Sram Red while on vacation with my bike just to be able to enjoy riding and not feel unsafe on fast switchbacks.

eurostar
Posts: 465
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 7:19 pm
Location: London

by eurostar

Amazingly, Ted is still going. He reduced the weight of the Lekki8 by 9 grams by deleting the cam. The 'new' product is called the L8 Ultra. Allegedly it has longer arms and fits 30mm rims with 32c tyres. https://www.lekki8.com/product-page/l8- ... t-and-rear

He claims that deleting the cam reduces leverage "but the reduction in leverage is being reported as a non-issue due to the rigidity of the design". Ha! That is weapons-grade lying. I really ought to make a video of my calipers flexing. It would look similar to palm trees in a hurricane. I still like mine though. At the Chinese price they were a good buy. Does anyone else still use theirs?

If Ted was not a thief but a normal businessman, someone could buy these new brakes and review them. Never mind. I now understand Ted's business model. It's actually very contemporary. He's one of the post-truth people who sell lies for money: Alex Jones, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Trump, and Boris Johnson and his merry Brexiters. I don't know of anyone else who's had the balls to do this with a consumer product...just take the money and ship nothing and ignore the complaints and falsify the Trustpilot ratings. It's amazing that he's not in jail.

Butcher
Shop Owner
Posts: 1925
Joined: Sun Jan 03, 2010 4:58 am

by Butcher

I'm glad I have not purchased anything from him and I do appreciate those that got screwed and advised us to stay away. Thanks for taking one for the team.

marian
Posts: 61
Joined: Sat Feb 29, 2020 12:03 pm

by marian

only thanks to this forum I avoided buying brakes from Ted and chose ee brakes

jackie
Posts: 96
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2011 6:04 am

by jackie

marian wrote:
Sun Sep 04, 2022 9:40 am
only thanks to this forum I avoided buying brakes from Ted and chose ee brakes
just avoid buying from him
A dishonest guy with not so good product,
the parts that he promise to send out to me were never seen . and its always the same. oh it the mail . on it on the way. when u ask him for tracking. he will say. by regular mail..

Maddie
Posts: 1532
Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2017 5:44 am

by Maddie

This guy is still in business? How's that even possible?

loxhore
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Feb 28, 2023 12:03 am

by loxhore

eurostar wrote:
Sat Sep 03, 2022 5:53 am
Amazingly, Ted is still going. He reduced the weight of the Lekki8 by 9 grams by deleting the cam. The 'new' product is called the L8 Ultra. Allegedly it has longer arms and fits 30mm rims with 32c tyres. https://www.lekki8.com/product-page/l8- ... t-and-rear
did you notice that he also deleted the eyelet mount for the cable adjuster, so now it just rests in an open cradle!? This is the case on the Lekki Ultras that I purchased last year. Interestingly it's not the case on the Aliexpress version made by ZTTO!

The cable adjuster does not sit well in its cradle mount at all. Not confidence inspiring. But I have not installed the brakes yet so can't comment on their performance. Story is that I tried to order some 0Gs and he sent me Lekkis instead ..

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xsnailx
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Location: Poland
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by xsnailx

now he advertizes titanium version too - by email :)

poulhansen
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Location: Danmark

by poulhansen

jpeterson1012 wrote:
Wed Nov 03, 2021 7:35 pm
..................Now observe OP's failures. Each failure occurs on the same component (the aluminum piece which has the elongated crater), and at the exact same spot (the end/tip). The explanation for this failure is very simple: over-torque.

When you press a dome and a crater together, it's naturally going to want to make the crater bigger. It's like driving a wedge into a crack. It's going to exert forces outward when you tighten the bolt, and in the case of lekki8's, it's going to splay the two sides of the slotted crater apart, causing it to fail at its weakest point, which happens to be the end/tip where OP's failures occurred.

I'm not going to definitively place the blame on either party (perhaps OP over-torqued the bolts, or perhaps ted just didn't leave enough material there to begin with), but the solution is equally simple - less torque. Ted's manual says 6Nm on the pad holder bolts. You don't need 6Nm on those bolts. Where is your pad holder going? It's literally being mashed into a rim everytime you apply the brakes. What I recommend is: blue loctite the bolt, a very thin layer of grit paste on the mating surface (aka the dome/crater) mostly to prevent the pieces from seizing over time, and apply 3-3.5Nm of torque. Also, don't toe your brakes, you don't need to on high-quality calipers, all it does is introduce extra stress and twisting forces when you brake. Instead, set them parallel.

questions:
1. are you an engineer, did you FEA this? no and no, I used common sense and my brain to analyze what happened.
2. Does this apply to the chinese brakes as well? if they are truly using the same design/design principles, yes.
Thank you, that makes me able to check my brakes regularly and maybe introduce a flat washer and sand the blocks to the shape of the rim. :D
Cannondale Super Six HiMod 2017 6.7 kg
Cannondale six13, 2004, 5.50kg
Focus Izalco Max, 2023 4.418 kg

poulhansen
Posts: 298
Joined: Wed Nov 25, 2020 12:49 pm
Location: Danmark

by poulhansen

I have two TECHNICAL questions only about my new L8 Ultras bought on Ali. These brakes are difficult to research with so many threads and a lot of refund questions mixed in.

1. Is the L8 Ultra improved in any way, over the ones that people complained over in the past?

2. Mine are not yet installed but I noticed that I could bend the throughgoing bolt that holds everything together and attaches to the frame, just with my hands, simulating the force when braking.
When looking from the outside into the hole, it's obvious that the hollow bolt only grips a few milimeters of the throughbolt. I wonder if this is partly why the whole brake moves with the rotation when braking and I will see if I can get a longer bolt in there.
2023-09-29 20.06.47.jpg
2023-09-29 20.07.14.jpg
Cannondale Super Six HiMod 2017 6.7 kg
Cannondale six13, 2004, 5.50kg
Focus Izalco Max, 2023 4.418 kg

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



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