There are certainly novel designs and fancy welding, but bike frames are essentially tubes of carbon fiber / steel formed or welded together with the manufacturers brand sticker slapped on top. Seems like this could be ideal for a Warby Parker like entrant.
There are plenty of Warby Parker equivalents, and they get a brief mention in the article. Lots of western companies sell "open mold" parts, where an OEM sells generic components for resellers to apply their own branding to.
Some of these resellers have excellent reputations - here in the UK, Planet X are extremely popular amongst serious racers. There is a crucial difference between these products and an unbranded product from Aliexpress. Western sellers are obliged to perform product testing, they have a brand name to defend, and they can be sued.
Except for the tremendous forces racing bicycles exerts on the tubes and welds of carbon fiber / steel, that could cause catastrophic failure in the most unexpected moment.
You misunderstand carbon fiber. Steel and aluminum are a bit different. But yes, there are many "off brand" names that are well-respected and trustworthy -- Motobecane, for example.
